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Background: Breast cancer (BCA) is the second most common cancer among women in India and accounts for 7% of global burden of BCA. The axillary lymph node status is an independent prognostic factor. The combined estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2/neu biomarker expression is a predictor of BCA status for therapeutic guidance. Studies have demonstrated that these biomarkers are unstable throughout their tumor progression. Varying concordance and discordance rates in the biomarker expression between primary breast carcinoma (PBC) and metastatic axillary lymph node (MALN) status are reported.Aim: This study was conducted for studying and comparing the expression of immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers, i.e., ER, PR, HER2/neu, p53, and Ki67 between PBC and their corresponding MALN for prognostication and therapeutic purpose.Methods: Sixty cases of PBC with metastasis to axillary lymph nodes diagnosed between years 2008 and 2014 were included in the study. A technique of manual tissue array was employed for cases subjected to IHC. Analyses of the expression of IHC markers were attempted between the PBC and their corresponding synchronous MALN and classified as concordant or discordant. Results were subjected to statistical analysis.Results: Substantial agreement was observed for biomarker ER, PR, HER2/neu, p53, and Ki67 expression between PBC and MALN with k-value 0.79, 0.75, 0.89, 0.7, and 0.6, respectively.Conclusion: There was high concordance for the IHC markers: ER, PR, HER2/neu, p53, and Ki67 expression in matched pairs of PBC and corresponding synchronous MALN. However, the discordance noted in small subgroups cannot be overlooked. Thus, there is a need to perform ER, PR, HER2/neu, p53, and Ki67 IHC studies routinely in both PBC and MALN to help design therapies that are tailored to target the specific tumor clones and render maximum benefit to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a fascial plane block providing postoperative analgesia after lower abdominal surgeries including Cesarean section. Conventionally, it is administered under ultrasound guidance or by blind technique. We studied a novel transperitoneal surgical TAP block for providing safe and effective analgesia after Cesarean section through transverse incision. Methods: A hundred patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the study after obtaining informed written consent. They were randomized in two groups: Group A with surgical TAP block and Group B without TAP block as control. Surgical TAP block was administered by transperitoneal route before the closure of peritoneum with 0.25% bupivacaine (dose adjusted with weight of the patient), and visual analogue score was assessed by a blind assessor. Time for rescue analgesia was noted and analyzed with the 'two independent sample t test.' Results: The duration of postoperative analgesia in hours was significantly longer in the TAP block group compared with the control group (5.14 ± 1.63 vs 2.61 ± 0.89, p < 0.001). There was no reported complication of the surgical technique or any adverse effect of the used drug. Conclusion: Surgical TAP block via the transperitoneal route is a safe, easy and effective mode of providing postoperative analgesia after Cesarean section. This technique does not need any costly specialist equipment, overcomes the technical limitations of ultrasound-guided TAP block and can be used in obese patients also. It has almost no side effects, and the technique can be easily mastered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The ampulla of Vater consists of papilla, common channel, distal common bile duct and the distal main pancreatic duct. Ampullary carcinomas arise from two different types of mucosa, reflecting their broad histomorphological spectrum. Adenocarcinomas originating in the ampulla of Vater are classified as having either 'Intestinal' or 'Pancreatobiliary' type of differentiation. Pancreatobiliary type has consistently shown a worse prognosis. Various types of mucins are distributed in normal tissues and gastrointestinal tumours. MUC1, MUC2 and MUC5AC are known to be the most important amongst all. Aim: To study clinicopathological features of different types of carcinoma of ampulla with MUC1, MUC2 and MUC5AC expression. Materials and Methods: We included 20 cases of ampullary adenocarcinoma in this study, diagnosed after radical surgery. The histopathological slides were reviewed and the tumours were classified into intestinal type, pancreatobilliary and other types. Representative block of tumours was subjected to immunohistochemical (IHC) study with MUC1, MUC2 and MUC5AC antibodies. Results were subsequently analysed. Results: Pancreaticobiliary type of ampullary carcinoma cases predominated (50%) over intestinal type (25%). Carcinomas of "other types" included one case each of mucinous carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma and well differentiated neuroendocrine tumours. Pancreatobiliary type of carcinomas was associated with higher tumour stage and grade and lymph node metastasis. All the pancreatobiliary type expressed MUC1 and all intestinal type carcinomas expressed MUC2. MUC 5AC expression was seen predominantly in pancreatobiliary type of ampullary carcinomas. Conclusion: Mucin markers are associated with two different subtypes of ampullary carcinomas which have different prognosis. Immunohistochemical study of mucin expression can define the different types of carcinomas of ampulla of Vater with better objective criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study about a 20-year-old pregnant patient with combined factor V and factor X deficiency. Topics discussed include the secondary postpartum haemorrhage experienced by the patient in her first pregnancy, the coagulation profile recorded during her second pregnancy which necessitated fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions, and the proper management of active bleeding by FFP infusions.