3 July 2020: Weekly Roundup #15

Here’s what’s new on PathologyOutlines.com this week:

1. Chat with Nat

Thanks to the participants in our first Chat with Nat, which is posted on our YouTube page here, along with a summary of what was discussed.

Are there topics you would like to see discussed in a 15-30 minute video session? Please email Nat@PathologyOutlines.com with your suggestions.

2. Chapters

We continue to convert our chapters to our new format and anticipate being done within a few weeks.

3. Pathology Jobs Market

The job market appears to be picking up slightly, based on advertisements received on our Jobs page. During the second quarter of 2020 (April to June), advertised positions appear to have dropped by about half. Our official Jobs Report for Q2 2020 should be posted within 2 weeks.

4. Format Editor

Welcome to Alyssa, our new Format Editor, who will assist with the huge task of converting textbook topic drafts from 200 active authors into finished products on our website.

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26 June 2020: Weekly Roundup #14

Here’s what’s new on PathologyOutlines.com this week:

1. Breast Chapters

We are merging the Breast nonmalignant and malignant topics into a single Breast chapter. Our goal is to focus on entities of greatest use to practicing pathologists so we are eliminating some topics that are very rare or redundant with material elsewhere on the website.

2. CD Markers / Stains Chapters

Dr. Pernick has a personal goal of ensuring that the CD Markers are complete, even if obscure. Uncommon markers will be put into “Other“. Next year, we plan to merge slimmed down versions of the Stains and CD Markers chapters.

3. PubMed Citations

For PubMed citations, we currently post them in green if the source is free full text and in blue otherwise. We also use a condensed version of the full citation.

As we standardize our textbook, we are reviewing all of our policies and did a survey on visitor preferences for these citations. Overwhelmingly, the surveyed pathologists like the 2 colors. However, the results were split evenly regarding preference for the full citation or the abbreviated citation.

After reviewing this data, we decided to maintain the status quo of 2 colors and abbreviated citations, but we appreciate all responses.

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23 June 2020: Biweekly Image Quiz #33

Author: John DeWitt, M.D., Ph.D.

Which is true about this brain lesion presenting in a 50 year old man?

Select an answer:

A. R132H-IDH1 immunohistochemistry is negative, no further testing is necessary

B. If R132H-IDH1 immunohistochemistry is positive, ATRX staining of tumor cells is expected to be lost

C. If R132H-IDH1 immunohistochemistry is positive, ATRX staining of tumor cells is expected to be retained

D. If R132H-IDH1 immunohistochemistry is positive, p53 staining of tumor cells is expected to be weak and scattered

E. If R132H-IDH1 immunohistochemistry is positive, patient survival is similar to glioblastoma, IDH wildtype

See the answer

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19 June 2020: Chat With Nat

Make sure to join us for our first “Chat with Nat” video session where you can talk with Dr. Pernick, learn about future projects and give us your feedback about what you like / don’t like at PathologyOutlines.com.

The first chat will be held on Thursday, June 25, at 1 p.m. EST. Click here to register.

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17 June 2020: Case of the Month #492

Thanks to Dr. Raul Gonzalez, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (USA), for contributing this case and writing the discussion.

A 68 year old woman with a history of Crohn’s disease presented with small bowel perforation.

Click here for the case

All cases are archived on our website. To view them sorted by case number, diagnosis or category, visit our main Case of the Month page.

To sign up for our Case of the Month newsletters and more, visit http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/subscribe.html and type your email into the box.

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15 June 2020: Dr. Pernick’s AACR Paper Presentation

Dr. Pernick will present a paper entitled “How cancer arises from chronic inflammation, based on complexity theory” at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting II on June 22, 2020. He welcomes your comments at Nat@PathologyOutlines.com.

Feel free to read the paper and peruse the meeting information at the below links:

Abstract

Abstract (PDF)

Poster (PDF)

Paper (PDF)

Please visit NatPernick.com for related articles.

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12 June 2020: Weekly Roundup #13

Here’s what’s new on PathologyOutlines.com this week:

1. COVID-19 Topics

We now have 2 COVID-19 related topics and both topics are updated regularly:

• Related to pulmonary infections
• Testing

2. Table of Contents

Our Home Page lists 66 chapters that provide structure in our textbook, each with a Table of Contents that typically has 50-150 topics. We are slimming down some of the Tables of Contents as we eliminate rare topics or those that are best viewed elsewhere on the website.

We have a new database that will create a more uniform look for the chapters to make the website more user friendly. To see an example, check out the Adrenal gland chapter.

3. Jobs Report

We have officially posted 2020’s first quarter jobs report. It showed a slight increase in jobs compared with the first quarter of 2019. However, there has been a big drop in job advertisements in the second quarter so far. That report will be available next month.

4. What’s New at PathologyOutlines.com Video #2

There’s now a “What’s New at PathologyOutlines.com segment on our YouTube channel. To check out the second video from last Friday, click here.

This 7 minute video discusses our new Roche library of videos relating to PDL1 SP142 IHC testing for triple negative breast cancer. The library is a page on our website where you can find flyers, videos and other information that sponsors have prepared for pathologists.

5. Chat With Nat

We are setting up a “Chat with Nat” feature so you can provide feedback about what you like / don’t like or what you want to see at PathologyOutlines.com. The tentative date is June 25 at 1 p.m. EST.

Click here to register.

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5 June 2020: Weekly Roundup #12

Here’s what’s new on PathologyOutlines.com this week:

1. What’s New at PathologyOutlines.com Weekly Videos

There’s now a “What’s New at PathologyOutlines.com segment on our YouTube channel. To check out the first video, click here.

2. Use of Images

We receive many questions about the use of images from our website. We own some images, some are contributed by others for our use and some are links to images owned by third parties. Images owned by us have URLs that begin with http://www.pathologyoutlines.com. We allow free use of a limited number of these images (10 or fewer) for strictly educational purposes, such as giving an educational talk, as long as you attribute the images as “courtesy of PathologyOutlines.com”. You may want to indicate the Chapter and Topic names where you found the image.

You must get our permission to use a greater number of images (11+), copy images to another website, publish the images in any fixed media or for any commercial use. For more information, see http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/copyrightinfo.html.

3. Roche Companion Diagnostic Library

Our new Roche companion diagnostic library features videos about PDL1 staining in triple negative breast cancer. The library will help you access important information developed for pathologists that may otherwise be difficult to find.

Visit http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/libraryroche.html or click on the Libraries tag at the bottom of the header on the right side.

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2 June 2020: Biweekly Image Quiz #32

Author: Jayalakshmi Balakrishna, M.D.

A 20 year old man presents with an enlarged painless cervical lymph node he has had for 6 months. An excisional biopsy is shown in the image. The neoplastic cells are positive for CD45 and CD20 and are negative for CD15 and CD30. Which of the following is true about this entity?

Select an answer:

A. Background is rich in cytotoxic T cells

B. Background lacks small B cells

C. Neoplastic cells are OCT2 positive

D. Neoplastic cells are PAX5 negative

See the answer

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29 May 2020: Weekly Roundup #11

Here’s what’s new on PathologyOutlines.com this week:

1. Updated Contact Us Page

We updated our Contact Us page with this paragraph:

Patients: This website is intended for pathologists and laboratory personnel, not for patients. We allow you to use it to obtain information, but ONLY if you agree that medical information is imperfect and must be interpreted using reasonable medical judgment. If you cannot be objective about medical information, please look elsewhere.

This was in response to a patient complaint about the excellent differentiated VIN page that was recently posted. The patient objected to this statement: “Differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN) is the putative precursor lesion of HPV independent vulvar squamous cell carcinoma”. Although this statement is clear and correct, the patient had this condition and seemingly also had a fear of HPV. She wanted the word removed, even though the sentence clearly indicates that this condition is not HPV related.

In similar situations that may occur in the future, Dr. Pernick recommends that patients visit a website written for them specifically.

2. Digital Pathology Association (DPA) Survey

The Digital Pathology Association has been advocating for remote sign-out emergency use and needs your help to assess the safety and validity of remote sign-out of pathology cases. If you are doing remote sign-out or plan to do it, please participate in this short (5-10 minute) confidential survey. Your experience will help the DPA understand and evaluate the use of this technology beyond the current pandemic. 

We request that you complete this survey no later than Monday, June 1, 2020.

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