Pathology and Lab Medicine
Graduate Training Programs
Residency Training Programs
Individual Faculty Labs
Faculty Directory
 
Harsharan Singh, MD: Associate Professor  
 

Harsharan Singh, MD
Associate Professor
 
Office: 919-966-2421
E-mail: hsingh@med.unc.edu
 
 
 
 
Research Interests
 
My clinical responsibilities are in Nephropathology and Electron Microscopy. My research interests have been in the area of kidney transplant pathology. Ongoing work in the area of renal transplant pathology is underway using negative staining electron microscopy of urine as a noninvasive tool to diagnose BK virus nephropathy. Collaboration with the UNC Bone Marrow Transplantation program has allowed the study of sequential urine samples in multiple patients identified with Hemorrhagic Cystitis (BK virus infection of the bladder). This work has led to the recognition of specific polyomavirus clusters by electron microscopy which are highly sensitive and specific in identifying patients with BK polyomavirus nephropathy and which have not been indentified in bone marrow transplant patients with hemorrhagic cystitis. Collaborative studies are ongoing with The University of Seattle, Washington and with the UNC Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit. Additional work using immunogold electron microscopy has provided evidence to support the “kidney specific” origin of these polyomavirus clusters. Future experiments will be done with isolated urinary Tamm-Horsfall protein by combining this protein under various conditions with urine samples from patients with signs of BK viral activation in order to evaluate for the in vitro formation of these polyomavirus clusters, thereby providing a “kidney” specific origin. A related research project involves the recognition of the morphologic spectrum of decoy cells by conventional cytology in the screening and workup of renal transplant patients. Different subtypes of decoy cells have been defined at the morphologic and ultrastructural levels (conventional electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy) and has led to the identification of specific subtypes of decoy cells which predominate in patients that are at high risk for the development of BK polyomavirus nephropathy. Comparative analyses with samples from bone marrow transplant patients with Hemorrhagic Cystitis and kidney transplant patients without BK polyomavirus nephropathy are underway.
 
Selected Publications
 
Singh HK, Volmar KE, Elsheikh TM, Silverman JF: The Diagnostic Utility of Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Soft Tissue Sarcomas in the Core Needle Biopsy Era. Pathology Case Reviews, 12(1): 36-43, 2007.
 
Silverman JF, Elsheikh TM, Singh HK: The Role of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of the Breast in the Core Needle Biopsy Era. Pathology Case Reviews 12(1): 44-47, 2007.
 
Volmar KE, Singh HK, Gong JZ: Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Lymph Nodes in the Modern Era: Reactive Lymphadenopathies. Pathology Case Reviews, 12(1): 27-35, 2007.
 
Volmar KE, Singh HK, Gong JZ: The Advantages and Limitations of the Role of Core Needle and Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Lymph Nodes in the Modern Era:Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin Lymphomas and Metastatic Disease. Pathology Case Reviews, 12(1): 10-26, 2007.
 
Elsheikh TM, Singh HK, Silverman JF: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology versus Core Needle Biopsy in the Evaluation of Thyroid and Salivary Gland Lesions. Pathology Case Reviews, 12(1): 3-9, 2007.
 
Singh HK, Madden V, Shen YJ, Thompson D, Nickeleit V: Negative Staining Electron Microscopy of Urine in the Evaluation of Polyomavirus Infections. Ultrastructural Pathology, 30: 329-337, 2006.
 
Srivastava T, Garola RE, Singh HK: Cell Cycle Regulatory Proteins in the Podocyte Cell in Idiopathic Collapsing Glomerulopathy (CGN) in Children.Kidney International, Kidney Int. 2006 Aug;70(3):529-35.
 
Singh HK, Elsheikh TM, Silverman JF. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of the Head and Neck in Surgical Pathology of the Head and Neck edited by Barnes L. (in press).
 
Nickeleit V, Singh HK. Vascular Pathology in Anatomic Pathology Board Review edited by Lefkowitch JH, 1st ed. Saunders Elsevier, 2006: 19-46.
 
Jennette JC, Singh HK. Renal Involvement in Polyarteritis Nodosa, Kawasaki Disease,Takayasu Arteritis, and Giant Cell Arteritis in Jennette JC, Olson JL, Schwartz MM, and Silva FG (eds), Heptinstall’s Pathology of the Kidney, 6th Edition, Lippincott Raven Publishers, Philadelphia, 2006, Chapter 15, pp. 674-698.
 
Nickeleit V, Singh HK, Mihatsch MJ. Latent and Productive Polyomavirus Infections of Renal Allografts: Morphological, Clinical, and Pathophysiological Aspects in Polyomaviruses and Human Disease. Edited by Ahsan N. 1st ed. Georgetown, T.X.: Springer Science +Business Media, Landis Bioscience/Eurekan.com; 2006 (577):190-200.
 
Singh HK, Bubendorf L, Mihatsch MJ, Drachenberg CB, Nickeleit V. Urine cytology findings of polyomavirus infections. In: Polyomaviruses and Human Diseases. Edited by Ahsan N. 1st ed. Georgetown, T.X.: Springer Science+Business Media, Landes Bioscience/ Eurekah.com; 2006:201-212.
 

Singh HK, Madden V, Shen YJ, Thompson D, Nickeleit V: Negative Staining Electron Microscopy of Urine in the Evaluation of Polyomavirus Infections. Ultrastructural Pathology, 30: 329-337, 2006.
 
Rinas A, Mittman B, Singh HK: Split Sample Analysis of Throw Away Cells from ThinPrep Pap Smear Sampling Devices. Acta Cytologica, 50: 55-62, January 2006.
 
Singh HK, Bubendorf L, Mihatsch MJ, Drachenberg CB, Nickeleit V. Urine cytology findings of polyomavirus infections. In: Polyomaviruses and Human Diseases. Edited by Ahsan N. 1st ed. New York, N.Y.Georgetown, T.X.: Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;577:201-12. Review.
 
Nickeleit V, Singh HK, Mihatsch MJ. Latent and Productive Polyomavirus Infections of Renal Allografts: Morphological, Clinical, and Pathophysiological Aspects in Polyomaviruses and Human Disease. Edited by Ahsan N. 1st ed. Georgetown, T.X.: Adv Exp Med Biol. 2006;577:190-200. Review.
 
Singh HK, Nickeleit V: Kidney disease caused by viral infections. Current Diagnostic Pathology, 10: 11-21, January 2004.
 
Singh HK, Silverman JF: Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Soft Tissues: Utility and Diagnostic Challenges. Advances in Anatomic Pathology, 11 (1): 24-37, January 2004.
 
Nickeleit V, Singh HK, Mihatsch MJ: Polyomavirus Nephropathy, Morphology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Management. Current Opinion in Nephology and Hypertension, 12 (6): 599-605, November 2003.
 
 
UNC Pathology    |   UNC School of Medicine    |    UNC Healthcare