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Item does not contain fulltext, Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon, aggressive neuroendocrine tumour of the skin. At presentation regional lymph nodes are involved in approximately one third of the patients. In this report a patient is presented in whom Merkel cell carcinoma presented as a solitary lymph node metastasis with an unknown primary skin lesion. The diagnosis of unknown primary merkel cell carcinoma including the use of immunohistochemical markers and treatment options based on data from the literature are discussed.

Contains fulltext : 81049.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access), BACKGROUND: A new virus called the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) has recently been found in Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC). MCC is a rare aggressive small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma primarily derived from the skin, morphologically indistinguishable from small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). So far the actual presence of the virus in MCC tumour cells on a morphological level has not been demonstrated, and the presence of MCPyV in other small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas has not been studied yet. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated MCC tissue samples from five patients and SCLCs from ten patients for the presence of MCPyV-DNA by PCR and sequencing. Electron microscopy was used to search ultrastructurally for morphological presence of the virus in MCPyV-DNA positive samples. MCPyV was detected in two out of five primary MCCs. In one MCC patient MCPyV-DNA was detected in the primary tumour as well as in the metastasis, strongly suggesting integration of MCPyV in the cellular DNA of the tumour in this patient. In the primary MCC of another patient viral particles in tumour cell nuclei and cytoplasm were identified by electron microscopy, indicating active viral replication in the tumour cells. In none of the SCLCs MCPyV-DNA was detected. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results strongly suggest that MCPyV is an oncogenic polyomavirus in humans, and is potentially causally related to the development of MCC but not to the morphological similar SCLC.

Contains fulltext : 68708.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access), This paper aims to clarify the relationship between telework and the actual time employees put into their jobs. One of the reported threats to teleworkers' personal lives is that in order to finish their work, they not only use up saved commuting time, but also part of their non-working hours, even to the extent of becoming workaholics. Recent empirical analyses show that teleworkers do seem to work longer hours than non-teleworkers. Yet there is an interesting observation to be made: teleworkers are not found to work longer hours when compared with employees who are given the teleworking option but not taking it. One might hypothesise, therefore, that there might be other factors accounting for the longer working hours of teleworkers (and of "teleworkable" job-holders), rather than teleworking as such. For that reason, the effect of teleworking on working hours was controlled for job and pay system characteristics. In line with expectations, salaried work, higher wages, and some fringe benefits accounted for longer hours, and telework did not. Therefore, telework may be rightly used as an HRM-tool to attract and/or retain (scarce) personnel, for it allows employees to save commuting time and, consequently, contributes to a better work-home balance.

Contains fulltext : 45770.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)

Contains fulltext : 58549.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)