Welcome to the second volume of Recent Advances in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine! I hope RAPL becomes an essential part of your professional life, a resource that offers you a steady supply of high-quality, peer reviewed papers that are relevant and informative. We are over whelmed with the number of papers we receive at the editorial desk and at the same time grateful to our readers for the feedback and hope that all the work including the articles chosen for this issue, demonstrates our desire to engage more broadly and highlight the advances in the field of medicine.

Malignant melanoma is a potentially aggressive tumor with widespread metastasizing ability. Here we describe an unsuspected case of metastatic malignant melanoma to cervical lymphnode which was diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), thus highlighting the pivotal role of FNAC in the early diagnosis of metastatic melanoma

Background: Thyroid hormones play an important role in hematopoiesis. Disorders of these hormones cause an effect on hematological indices levels. Present study is designed to evaluate the effect of thyroid disorders on different hematological indices levels. Material and Method: A total of 166 including 54 hypothyroid, 30 hyperthyroid and 82 control subjects were evaluated. A comparison was done on different parameters. Result: A statistical difference was observed for MCV and MCH but other parameters did not show any statistically significant difference. Conclusion: All the patients with thyroid disorders should be periodically evaluated for hematological changes.

Regenerative Medicine refers to a strategy whereby the injured site is provided with the raw materials necessary for a repair that is scar-less or regeneration, to occur in situ. These therapies provide (at least one of) the three components considered essential for tissue regeneration- cells, growth factors and scaffold. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is included within the field of Regenerative Medicine since it can provide two of the three components (i.e., growth factors and scaffold) necessary to support tissue regeneration. This therapeutic basis of PRP use is derived from the growth factors and matrix provided by the platelets. An added advantage of autologous PRP in the clinical settings is that it lacks any adverse effects. It has varied clinical applications with maxillofacial surgery being the most promising area.

Pathology is a visual science which holds true of the old adage “seeing is believing.” Photography has become an integral part of this branch of medicine. Its application lies not only in diagnosis and consultation including telepathology, medicolegal documentation and quality assurance but also in learning and scientific purposes. The lower cost and shorter image production time has paved the way for digital imaging. Large archives of such images can be created and stored with an ease of access. Photography techniques in pathology are purely based on observation or experience rather than theory. This article aims to describe the practical aspects of photographic techniques in pathology.

We report the rare case of a 27-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with severe pain in the lower abdomen. She gave a history of a spontaneus pregnancy of 5 weeks gestation with a history of irregular spotting on and off. The total leukocyte count was 25,000/cmm and ß-human chorionic gonadotropin levelwas 984.7 IU/mL. Ultrasound showed an adnexal mass with hemoperitoneum. An ovarian wedge resection was done. She made good postoperative recovery and was discharged on the third postoperative day. Histology confirmed a ruptured ovarian ectopic pregnancy. Ovarian ectopic pregnancy is a rare condition and is associated with the use of assisted reproductive techniques. This case is unusual as it was a spontaneous pregnancy with no history of use of any assisted reproductive techniques.

Trichoadenoma is a rare, well-differentiated, benign solitary tumor of the hair follicle first described by Nikolowski in 1958 commonly occurring on the face or buttocks.1 It is more differentiated than a trichoepithelioma with a differentiation toward infundibular portion of pilosebaceous canal.2 We present a case of a 57-year-old female who presented with a tiny nodule in the external auditory canal measuring 4 mm since the past one year. There was no discharge from the nodule and she reported no hearing loss. Routine laboratory investigations done were normal. Serological tests for HIV, HbsAg and HCV were negative. Mantoux test was negative. Tests of auditory function were normal. An excision biopsy done was sent for histopathological examination.