Cyclins are the regulatory subunits of cyclin-dependent kinase and play an important role in cell proliferation. Many tumors, such as colon, breast and gastric carcinomas are known to be involved in the deregulation or amplification of cyclins, especially cyclin E, which involves the restriction point of G1-S transition. We investigated the expression of cyclin E in benign and malignant epithelial tumors of the gallbladder and compared the results with the activity of cell proliferation by the Ki67 antigen using immunohistochemical staining. Cyclin E was expressed in the adenocarcinoma tissue in 33.3% of patients (4 out of 12 cases), whereas only one out of 8 cases of adenoma expressed cyclin E (12.5%). There was a correlation between cyclin E expression and the Ki67 labeling index. These results suggest that the high expression of cyclin E in adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder is related to a high rate of cell proliferation.
Adenocarcinoma/pathology ; Adenocarcinoma/metabolism* ; Adenoma/pathology ; Adenoma/metabolism* ; Adult ; Aged ; Cyclin E/metabolism* ; Female ; Gallbladder Neoplasms/pathology ; Gallbladder Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Human ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Age

Cushings syndrome in pregnancy is rare. This is explained by the syndromes association with amencerhea, infertility and abortions. Matemal and fetal risks increase markedly when pregnancy does occur in woman with hypercortisolism. Since pregnant women without Cushings syndrome develop some features of Cushings syndrome, such as hypertension, hyperglycemia and striae, a high index of clinical suspician must be maintained to prevent delay in diagnosis. The physiologic changes in adrenocorticostemid metabolism during pregnancy further complieate the diagnosis. We describe a case of Cushings syndmme in pregnancy secondary to an adrenal cortical adenoma which was diagnosed immediately after a preterm delivery in 24-year-old woman with preeclampsia.
Adenoma* ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Hypertension ; Infertility ; Metabolism ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Young Adult

The application of transsphenoidal microsurgery in the management of pituitary microadenoma, long regarded as effective surgical treatment, has had a relatively low mortality and morbidity rate. However early failure and late recurrence has been reported in no small numbers. It has been proposed that stereotactic radiosurgery is an alternative treatment modality. Recent advances in neuroimaging permits precise targeting in radiosurgery of microadenomas. Additionally, a prompt hormonal reduction after the treatment is important for the patients with hormonally active microadenomas. The authors performed Gamma Knife radiosurgery in 27 patients with pituitary adenomas and observed the hormonal changes after radiosurgery in 19 patients with functioning microadenomas (5 with Cushing's disease, 7 with acromegaly, and 7 with prolactinoma). The maximum dose administered ranged from 25 to 75 Gy. The margin of the tumor was encompassed within the 50 to 90% isodose volume. The endocrinological status was assessed pre- and post-operatively. We measured the serum growth hormone and prolactin level, as well as the 24-hour urinary free-cortisol level. Normalization of the hormonal level was achieved in 6 cases, the majority of them within 10 months. The other 6 cases showed marked reduction of hormonal levels (less than 50% of preoperative levels) with a strong possibility of hormonal remission at further follow-up. The remaining 6 were failures. The cure for one case is still pending. It took approximately 1 approximately 3 months after the radiosurgery before the reduction of hormonal secretion began to show up with some improvement of symptoms. When the GKS was successful, hormonal secretion seemed to return to normal within 10 months. Although further follow-up is necessary to evaluate the long-term tumor control rate and hormonal effect, these initial results indicate a potential therapeutic role of radiosurgery in controlling hormone hypersecretion in pituitary microadenomas. Gamma knife radiosurgery is very promising in managing pituitary microadenoma with complementary of the transsphenoidal surgery.
Adenoma/metabolism/*surgery ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Pituitary Neoplasms/metabolism/*surgery ; *Radiosurgery

Along with the rapid development of molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, and immunology, there is a new understanding on the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas. The pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas is considered to be related with gene mutation, growth factors, cell receptors, transcription factors, and cellular signaling pathways.
Adenoma ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mutation ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effects of tumor-stromal fibroblasts (TSFs) on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of salivary gland pleomorphic adenoma (SPA) cells in vitro. METHODS: Salivary gland pleomorphic adenoma cells (SPACs), TSFs, and peri-tumorous normal fibroblasts (NFs) were obtained by tissue primary culture and identified by immunocytochemical staining. The conditioned medium was obtained from TSF and NF in logarithmic phase. SPACs were cultured by conditioned medium and treated by TSF (group TSF-SPAC) and NF (group NF-SPAC). SPACs were used as the control group. The proliferation, invasion, and migration of the three groups of cells were detected by MTT, transwell, and scratch assays, respectively. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the three groups was tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Immunocytochemical staining showed positive vimentin expression in NF and TSF. Results also indicated the weak positive expression of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in TSFs and the negative expression of α-SMA and FAP in NFs. MTT assay showed that cell proliferation in the TSF-SPAC group was significantly different from that in the NF-SPAC and SPAC groups (P<0.05). Cell proliferation was not different between the NF-SPAC and SPAC groups (P>0.05). Transwell and scratch assays showed no difference in cell invasion and migration among the groups (P>0.05). ELISA showed that no significant difference in VEGF expression among the three groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS TSFs may be involved in SPA biological behavior by promoting the proliferation of SPACs but has no effect on the invasion and migration of SPACs in vitro. Hence, TSF may be a new therapeutic target in SPA treatment.
Humans ; Adenoma, Pleomorphic/metabolism* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Culture Media, Conditioned/metabolism* ; Fibroblasts/metabolism* ; Salivary Glands/metabolism*

To determine the content of thyroglobulin in oxyphilic cells of the thyroid, which have been considered as non-thyroglobulin producing cells, the degree of stainability of the various oxyphilic cells for thyroglobulin was compared with that of non-oxyphilic follicular cells in either same or different lesion. A total of 13 oxyphilic lesions, including three follicular adenomas containing oxyphilic cell nodules, four pure oxyphilic cell adenomas, and six Hashimoto's thyroiditis were compared with 16 of non-oxyphilic lesions such as, seven follicular adenomas, four chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, and five Graves' disease. Many oxyphilic cells stained positively for thyroglobulin regardless of their morphologic variation, but less intensely than the usual follicular cells in follicular adenomas, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, and Graves' disease. The stainability of oxyphilic cells for thyroglogulin did not show any significant correlation with morphologic features, whereas in follicular adenomas, the non-oxyphilic follicular cells forming microfollicles stained less strongly for thyroglobulin than the same cells lining large mature follicles in a reproducible way. With above findings, we concluded that oxyphilic cells maintain the functional activity in terms of thyroglobulin synthesis, although the content of the thyroglobulin is less than that of non-oxyphilic colloid forming follicular cells.
Adenoma/*metabolism/pathology ; Graves Disease/*metabolism/pathology ; Humans ; Staining and Labeling ; Thyroglobulin/*biosynthesis ; Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune/*metabolism/pathology

OBJECTIVETo explore the expression of Survivin (SVV) protein in colorectal carcinogenesis and its clinical significance. METHODS Immunohistochemistry staining was performed by two-step EnVision technique for the paraffin sections, which included 90 adenomas, 25 ademomas with high-grade glandular intraepithelial neoplasia, and 108 colorectal adenocarcinomas.

RESULTSExpressions of SVV, P53, and Bcl-2 were observed in tumor cells of the sections. The positive rate of SVV in tubular adenomas, villous adenomas, and tubulovillous adenomas were 30% (12/40), 40.9% (9/22), and 35.8% (10/28), respectively. The positive rate of SVV in tubulovillous adenomas with high-grade glandular intraepithelial neoplasia were 68% (17/25). The positive rate of SVV in carcinomas of stage A, B, and C were 75% (27/36), 81.3% (26/ 32), and 95% (38/40), respectively. SVV expressions among the three types of adenomas without neoplasia were not significantly different (P > 0.05). SVV expression between each type of the above-mentioned ademoma and tubulovillous adenoma with high-grade glandular intraepithelial neoplasia or different Dukes stages of colorectal carcinoma was significantly different (P < 0.05). SVV expressions in adenocarcinomas and adenomas with high grade glandular intraepithelial neoplasia were significantly higher than those in adenomas (P < 0.01). The expressions of P53 and Bcl-2 had no significant difference among them. No association was noted between SVV expression and P53 or Bcl-2 expression (P = 0.487, P = 0. 437).

CONCLUSIONSSVV is abnormally expressed in the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis, which may be correlated with the carcinogenesis of colorectal ademoma. SVV expression may be useful to distinguish adenocarcinoma from adenoma in colorectal carcinogenesis.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; biosynthesis

Adenoma, Pleomorphic ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Aged ; Carcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Vimentin ; metabolism

We found previously that ACh can significantly inhibit the proliferation of cultured human pituitary adenoma cells. In order to make a further investigation of the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of ACh on the proliferation of pituitary adenoma cells, we observed the levels of protein kinase C (PKC), [Ca(2+)](i) and cAMP/cGMP in cultured pituitary adenoma cells after treatment with ACh. The results demonstrate that (1) compared with control, PMA, a PKC activator, increased the activity of cytoplasm, membrane and total PKC in human pituitary adenoma cells. However, after a 15-min treatment with ACh (10 micromol/L), a significant reduction of the activity of cytoplasm, membrane and total PKC in human pituitary adenoma cells was observed, and the reduction effect could be blocked by atropine. (2) The level of [Ca(2+)](i) of single adenoma cells was found to decrease immediately on the addition of ACh (10 micromol/L), which could also be blocked by atropine. (3) ACh increased the amount of cAMP in the cytoplasm of human pituitary adenoma cells, but had no effect on that of cGMP. These data provide an important clue to explore the molecular mechanisms of the inhibitory effect of ACh on the proliferation of pituitary adenoma cells, and suggest that the modulating effect of ACh on the proliferation of pituitary adenoma cells results from the interactions of several cellular signaling pathways.
Acetylcholine ; physiology ; Adenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cyclic AMP ; metabolism ; Cyclic GMP ; metabolism ; Humans ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Protein Kinase C ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of EphA2 and E cadherin proteins in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissues, and to explore the relationship between them. METHOD: Using immunohistochemical SP/PV method, we detected the expression of EphA2 and E cadherin in tumors of 43 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 11 thyroid adenoma and 10 normal thyroid tissues, then studied their relationships with clinic pathological factors. RESULT: The total positive rates of EphA2 and E cadherin expression were 58. 14% and 32. 56% in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissues, 18. 18% and 81. 81% in thyroid adenoma.tissues and they were 10. 00% and 100. 00% in normal thyroid tissues respectively. The positive expression of EphA2 in carcinoma tissues was higher than in the thyroid adenoma tissues and normal thyroid tissues (P<0. 05) and the positive expression of E cadherin in carcinoma tissues was lower than that in the thyroid adenoma tissues and normal thyroid tissues (P<0. 05). The positive expression of EphA2 and E cadherin was associated with lymph node metastasis and histological grade (P<0. 05), but it was not associated with all the clinic-pathological factors including age, sex and the tumor size (P>0. 05). In papillary thyroid carcinoma tissues, the expression of EphA2 was negatively correlated with the expression of E cadherin protein (r= -0. 416, P<0. 01). CONCLUSION EphA2 and E cadherin may be involved in carcinogenesis and development of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Adenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Antigens, CD ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Receptor, EphA2 ; metabolism ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ; Thyroid Gland ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology