Introduction: Cutaneous angiosarcoma (cAS) is a rare and aggressive malignancy of endothelial origin, most commonly affecting the scalp and face in elderly patients. Diagnosis is often challenging due to histological overlap with other vascular or epithelioid tumors. Secondary cAS typically arises following radiotherapy or chronic lymphedema. Case Presentation: We report a rare case of secondary cAS in a 33-year-old woman developing from a congenital giant abdominal hemangioma, without prior radiation or lymphedema. The lesion progressed from erythema to a large non-healing ulcer. Histopathology revealed poorly differentiated vascular tumor cells, confirmed by immunohistochemistry showing positivity for CD31, ERG, and FLI-1. Due to the extensive lesion, surgical excision was not feasible, and only supportive care was provided. Conclusion: This case emphasizes the importance of early recognition and biopsy in atypical vascular lesions. Secondary cAS may arise from pre-existing vascular anomalies even in the absence of classic risk factors, highlighting the need for individualized management.

Background Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are particularly susceptible to contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI). However, few studies have evaluated CA-AKI stages in patients with DM following elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with iodixanol. Methods Patients with DM who underwent elective PCI in 8 Chinese hospitals from May 2020 to November 2021 were prospectively enrolled in the Iodixanol-Acute Kidney Injury Registry (No. ChiCTR1800016719). According to the European Society of Urogenital Radiation on their CA-AKI diagnosis, and follow-up of major adverse renal and cardiovascular events (MARCE), CA-AKI and prognosis predictors were identified using logistic and Cox multivariable regression, respectively. Results There were 1120 patients with DM included and the incidence of CA-AKI was 5.8 % (65/1120). However, most CA-AKI patients were at acute kidney injury stage 1 (96.9 %, 63/65). The dose of iodixanol was not an independent risk factor for CA-AKI, however, a hemoglobin level < 110 g/L, a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40 %, an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73m2, an N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level ≥ 300 pg/mL, and the use of loop diuretics were independent risk factors. Only 3.5 % (39/1120) of patients experienced MARCE. Hypertension, LVEF <40 %, hemoglobin level < 110 g/L, and age > 75 years old were independent risk factors for MARCE, while in comparison to indobufen, aspirin is an independent protective factor against MARCE in diabetic patients. Conclusions The incidence of CA-AKI in patients with DM who underwent PCI was low, mostly associated with mild renal impairment, and therefore did not increase the risk of MARCE.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is a clinically indolent lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by accumulation of mature B-cell lymphocytes. Given the common CD5 co-expression, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is one of the most important entities in the differential diagnosis. MCL and CLL/SLL might exhibit overlapping morphologic and immunohistochemical features, making diagnosis particularly difficult in cases of composite lymphomas. Here, we present a unique case of composite lymphoma in an 86-year-old male, along with a literature review on the immunophenotypic variability of both MCL and CLL, which should always be confirmed with additional ancillary cytogenetic and molecular studies.

The occurrence of additional specific chromosomal abnormalities in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (pH+) cells is associated with disease progression in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and is considered a marker that defines the accelerated/blast phase of CML. Both DEK::NUP214 fusion and CBFB rearrangement are extremely rare in CML, and their prognostic significance is unknown. Here we present two CML cases, with one case having concurrent translocation 6;9 [t(6;9)] leading to DEK::NUP214 fusion, and the other one presenting with concurrent inversion 16 -inv(16)- leading to CBFB::MYH11 fusion. The t(6;9) is usually associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. In this case, the patient failed to achieve remission and expired. This suggests that the t(6;9) is also associated with poor prognosis in CML. However, more data is needed to verify this association. Detection of inv(16) by karyotyping is technically challenging. In addition, FISH for CBFB is not usually run in the context of CML, thus raising the possibility that similar cases may have been underdiagnosed. With the routine use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for gene fusion detection, more patients like this one should be diagnosed and treated accordingly. These cases illustrate the importance of a comprehensive molecular/cytogenetic diagnostic work-up.

The aberrant expression of specific T-cell maker CD3 in B-cell neoplasms can be a potential diagnostic pitfall leading to a misclassification of cell lineage. Here, we report a case of recurrent solitary plasmacytoma with new aberrant expression of CD3. The neoplastic plasma cells of the recurrent tumor were kappa restricted, positive for CD138, MUM1, negative for CD20, cyclin D1, and Epstein-Barr virus. CD79a was positive in majority of the tumor cells, except for a small focus which was strongly positive for CD3, but negative for other T-cell markers (CD2, CD5, CD7, CD4, and CD8) and CD56. The neoplastic plasma cells of the original tumor were negative for CD3. To the best of our knowledge, only one case of recurrent plasmacytoma with aberrant expression of CD3 has been published, which revealed disease progression in the recurrence. However, we did not observe morphologic evidence of disease progression in our case.

Plasma cell myeloma (PCM) is a bone marrow based neoplastic disorder of plasma cells. The presence of intracytoplasmic Auer rod-like inclusions (ARLIs) in PCM is exceedingly rare. To the best of our knowledge, approximately 40 cases have been published since its first description in 1940. These inclusions are predominantly observed in kappa-restricted, IgG-producing PCM. Only 7 cases of kappa-restricted, IgA-producing PCM with intracytoplasmic ARLIs have been documented in the literature. Here, we reported a rare case of recurrent kappa-restricted, IgA-positive PCM exhibiting intracytoplasmic ARLIs both before and after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The clinical features, laboratory studies, diagnosis, and management of this case were described. A comprehensive review of the literature was also provided to explore the origin and pathogenesis of these inclusions, and to examine their prognostic implications.

BACKGROUND:Copper exposure is reported to be associated with increased risk of stroke. However, the association of copper exposure with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS:This observational study included consecutive participants from Xinqiao Hospital between May 2020 and August 2021. Blood metals were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and carotid atherosclerosis was assessed using ultrasound. Modified Poisson regression was performed to evaluate the associations of copper and other metals with subclinical carotid plaque presence. Blood metals were analyzed as categorical according to the quartiles. Multivariable models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, education, smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and coronary artery disease history. Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression was conducted to evaluate the overall association of metal mixture with subclinical carotid plaque presence. One thousand five hundred eighty-five participants were finally enrolled in our study, and carotid plaque was found in 1091 subjects. After adjusting for potential confounders, metal-progressively-adjusted models showed that blood copper was positively associated with subclinical carotid plaque (relative risk according to comparing quartile 4 to quartile 1 was 1.124 [1.021-1.238], relative risk according to per interquartile increment was 1.039 [1.008-1.071]). Blood cadmium and lead were also significantly associated with subclinical carotid plaque. Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression analyses suggested a synergistic effect of copper-cadmium-lead mixture on subclinical carotid plaque presence. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings identify copper as a novel risk factor of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and show the potential synergistic proatherogenic effect of copper, cadmium, and lead mixture.

Sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been proven to prevent decline in kidney function and failure. Whether SGLT2i affect the risk of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) remains uncertain. Use of SGLT2i was assessed in consecutive diabetics undergoing coronary angiography (CA) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from January 2020 to May 2023 at a tertiary hospital in Chongqing, China. Propensity-matched analysis was used to adjust for baseline variables. CA-AKI was defined by the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) as creatinine increase ≥ 0.3 mg/dl (26.4 μmol/l), or a percentage increase in the serum creatinine level of ≥ 50

Previous studies have reported a high occurrence of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) in myocardial infarction (MI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the data on CA-AKI in MI patients who underwent elective PCI are limited. To evaluate the incidence of CA-AKI in MI patients undergoing elective PCI. The data were sourced from the Iodixanol-AKI Registry of MI patients scheduled to undergo elective PCI in 8 medical centers from May 2020 to November 2021. The participants were divided into three groups: acute, prior, and multiple MI. The outcomes measured were CA-AKI and the composite endpoint of major adverse renal and cardiovascular events (MARCE). The incidence of CA-AKI was 4.46

While acute cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 are well-described, less is known about longer-term cardiac sequelae. For many individuals with cardiac signs or symptoms arising after COVID-19 infection, the aetiology remains unclear. We examined immune profiles associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in patients with unexplained cardiac injury after COVID-19. Twenty-one participants (mean age 47 [SD 13] years, 71% female) with long COVID (n=17), raised troponin (n=2), or unexplained new-onset heart failure (n=2), who did not have pre-existing heart conditions or recent steroid/immunosuppression treatment were enrolled a mean 346 (SD 191) days after COVID-19 infection in a prospective observational study. Cardiac MRI and blood sampling for deep immunophenotyping using mass cytometry by time of flight and measurement of proteomic inflammatory markers was performed. Nine of 21 (43%) participants had MRI abnormalities (MRI(+)), including non-ischaemic patterns of late gadolinium enhancement and/or visually overt myocardial oedema in 8 people. One patient had mildly impaired biventricular function without fibrosis or oedema, and 2 had severe left ventricular impairment. MRI(+) individuals had higher blood CCL3, CCL7, FGF-23 and CD4 Th2 cells, and lower CD8 T effector memory (TEM) cells, than MRI(-). Cluster analysis revealed lower expression of inhibitory receptors PD1 and TIM3 in CD8 TEM cells from MRI(+) patients than MRI(-) patients, and functional studies of CD8 T αβ cells showed higher proportions of cytotoxic granzyme B+ secreting cells upon stimulation. CD8 TEM cells and CCL7 were the strongest predictors of MRI abnormalities in a LASSO regression model (composite AUC 0.96, 95%CI 0.88-1.0). CCL7 was correlated with diffuse myocardial fibrosis/oedema detected by quantitative T1 mapping (r=0.47, p=0.04). COVID-19 related cardiac injury in symptomatic patients with non-ischaemic myocarditis-like MRI abnormalities is associated with immune dysregulation, including decreased peripheral CD8 TEM cells and increased CCL7, persisting long after the initial infection.

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by peripheral blood monocytosis and bone marrow dysplasia. In approximately one-fourth of cases, CMML can demonstrate progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), referred to as AML ex CMML. We present a 58-year-old woman with a past medical history of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who demonstrated 24% bone marrow blasts on a repeat biopsy obtained two years after being diagnosed with CMML. By the flow cytometric analysis, the blasts expressed partial CD34, CD13, CD117, partial MPO, and partial CD123 with coexpression of the T-lymphoid markers CD2, CD5, CD7, partial CD4, cytoplasmic CD3, partial cytoplasmic TDT, and CD38, suggestive of AML with rare mixed myeloid/T-cell phenotype. Treatment with various agents including decitabine, cytarabine, daunorubicin, etoposide, and venetoclax, and two experimental bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) inhibitors did not produce sustained remissions, and the patient eventually succumbed to her disease. T-cell phenotype is an exceedingly rare feature of AML ex CMML, and whether this unique differentiation pathway contributed to the aggressive disease course remains unclear. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02543879, NCT03360006.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is often accompanied by abnormal cardiac structure and function, leading to an increased prognostic risk. However, less is known about the associations of mixed metals with abnormal cardiac structure and function in CAD patients. Here, we aimed to investigate the associations of exposure to metal mixtures with cardiac structure and function and potential interactions in a CAD population. We conducted a cross-sectional study from Southwest China that included 1555 CAD patients. The blood concentrations of 14 metals were measured via inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. CAD was defined as at least one vessel having stenosis ≥ 50% the vessel diameter. Echocardiography was used for cardiac structural and functional measurements. Bayesian kernel machine regression was applied to explore the overall effect, metal weight, and dose effect. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the effects of single metals, metal‒metal interactions and metal‒traditional interactions. Finally, we found that the negative associations of mixed metals with cardiac structure was significant when the levels of all metals were below the 60th percentile. For cardiac function, changes in metals from 50th to 75th were associated with 0.954% and 0.683% decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular fractional shortening, respectively. Negative associations of copper and manganese with cardiac structure and function, whereas positive associations of titanium, selenium and molybdenum with several parameters were found. Antagonistic interactions between copper and tin and between selenium and several metals (manganese, copper and aluminum) (all Pinteraction terms < 0.05) were found. In conclusion, mixed metal exposure was negatively associated with cardiac structure and function in CAD patients. The main metals contributing to this negative associations were copper and manganese. Selenium or tin supplementation may reduce the adverse associations of copper and manganese with cardiac structure and function.