Background and Purpose:Muscle biopsy features of congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD) vary from usual dystrophic picture to normal or nonspecific myopathic picture or prominent fibrosis or striking inflammatory infiltrate, which may lead to diagnostic errors. A series of patients of CMD with significant inflammatory infiltrates on muscle biopsy were correlated with laminin α2 deficiency on immunohistochemistry (IHC).Material and Methods:Cryostat sections of muscle biopsies from the patients diagnosed as CMD on clinical and muscle biopsy features from 1996 to 2014 were reviewed with hematoxylin and eosin(H&E), enzyme and immunohistochemistry (IHC) with laminin α2. Muscle biopsies with inflammatory infiltrate were correlated with laminin α2 deficiency.Results:There were 65 patients of CMD, with inflammation on muscle biopsy in 16. IHC with laminin α2 was available in nine patients, of which six showed complete absence along sarcolemma (five presented with floppy infant syndrome and one with delayed motor milestones) and three showed discontinuous, and less intense staining.Conclusions:CMD show variable degrees of inflammation on muscle biopsy. A diagnosis of laminin α2 deficient CMD should be considered in patients of muscular dystrophy with inflammation, in children with hypotonia/delayed motor milestones.

Introduction:The diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is defined in terms of its microscopic appearance (histology) and the expression of cell surface markers (immunophenotype).Aims and objectives:This study aims to analyze the clinical features, histomorphology, and immunoprofile of over 200 patients of HL diagnosed over a period of 4 years at our institute and to determine relative frequency of various histological subtypes (based on WHO classification) in relation to age and sex distribution in this part of the country.Materials and Methods:All HL cases diagnosed between January 2006 and December 2009 were retrieved from hospital records. The histopathology of both lymph node and bone marrow biopsy (where ever available) along with immunohistochemistry (CD15, CD30, CD20, and ALK) were reviewed.Results:There was a bimodal age distribution. HL affected people a decade earlier than in the western population. The most common presenting complaint was cervical lymphadenopathy. Mixed cellularity was the most frequent subtype (67%), followed by nodular sclerosing subtype (23.5%). Group A (CD15+, CD30+, CD20−), which represents the archetypical immunophenotype of classical HL (CHL) was the most common type (60.6%). The number of CD15 negative CHL was 35.8% and CD20 positive CHL was 17.5%. CD15 negativity with CD20 positivity was seen in 5% CHL. One out of seven CD20 positive CHL patients showed relapse.Conclusion:In this paper, we have discussed in detail about various clinical and histopathological parameters of HL and their relative frequency in various histological subtypes. This paper is being presented as it is a rather large study from India taking into consideration the clinical, pathologic, and immunophenotypic profile of the patients.

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare neoplasm of mature small B lymphoid cells with characteristic circumferential 'hairy projections' involving the peripheral blood, bone marrow and splenic red pulp. With the advent of immunophenotyping and newer treatment modalities, prolonged remission can be achieved after a definitive diagnosis. Due to the rarity of this condition and presence of only a few case series from India, this work was undertaken. The aim was to study the clinico-pathologic and immunophenotypic features of all cases diagnosed as hairy cell leukemia. The cases were retrieved from Hematopathology records, between 1991 and 2012. The complete clinical details, investigations, treatment and follow-up were obtained from Medical Oncology records. The peripheral blood picture, bone marrow cytology and trephine sections along with special stains were reviewed. There were 12 cases of HCL during the study period with a M:F ratio of 11:1. Of these, ten were diagnosed as classical HCL and two as variant HCL. The most common clinical manifestations were fever, easy fatigability and weakness. Splenomegaly was present in 81.8 % cases. Though all the patients showed some form of cytopenia, there were three (25 %) patients with leucocytosis. The smears from all patients showed atypical lymphoid cells with circumferential hairy projections. TRAP was positive in 9 patients (81.8 %). Immunophenotyping was done in six cases, four were confirmed as HCL and two were diagnosed as HCL-v. The patients treated with Cladribine generally had a good response. The characteristic morphology of the hairy cells; along with correlation with the clinical features, TRAP positivity and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry is essential for diagnosis. Treatment response with Cladribine is good and has prolonged remission rates.

Background: Vaccination has emerged as an effective tool to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19). Concerns regarding adverse effects of vaccine are one of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy. One way of addressing the concerns is by studying post-vaccination deaths. This article presents the autopsy findings of the six individuals who died within 6 weeks post-COVID-19 vaccinations. Methods: This was a retrospective study of autopsies done between January and June 2021 in recipients of COVID-19 vaccination. All the organs were preserved. After adequate fixation, the organs were grossed and sections were taken. Results: A total of 6 patients who died after receiving COVID-19 vaccine were autopsied during the study period. All six cases had received Covishield® vaccine. All the individuals were aged between 40 and 60 years, with four males and two females. The duration between vaccination and death ranged from 24 h to 11 days. Three cases had pathology in the kidney, two cases showed pathology in the heart and one case showed pulmonary oedema in both lungs. Conclusions: This article throws light on post-mortem findings of deaths associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

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