We describe S100 protein positive dendritic cells (S100+DCs) in various liver diseases including chronic viral hepatitis B and C (20 cases), liver cirrhosis (3 cases), hepatocellular carcinoma (2 cases), hepatolithiasis (6 cases), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) (2 cases), liver allograft rejection (9 cases), bile duct paucity (1 case), and Wilson's disease (1 case). By immunohistochemical analysis, S100+DCs were absent in fetal and normal livers, while they were variably present in inflammatory liver diseases. In chronic hepatitis and active cirrhosis, S100+DCs were most frequently located in periportal area, at lymphoid follicles within the portal tract, and at foci of spotty necrosis within the lobule. Frequency and intensity of S100+DCs were not related to etiologies of liver diseases, but they were correlated with the activity of hepatitis. In PBC, S100+DCs were found between biliary epithelial cells of the septal bile ducts, as well as, the periductal area of the portal tracts. A posttransplantation liver with features of moderate acute rejection revealed many S100+DCs in polymorphous portal infiltrates. In hepatocellular carcinomas, many S100+DCs were scattered between tumor cells. In the case of the Wilson's disease, S100+DCs were not noted. Presence of S100+DCs in various inflammatory liver diseases indicates that they play a central role as antigen presenting cells in immune responses of inflammatory liver diseases.
Allografts ; Antigen-Presenting Cells ; Bile Ducts ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Dendritic Cells* ; Epithelial Cells ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Hepatolenticular Degeneration ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Necrosis

Sclerosing stromal tumor (SST) is a rare benign ovarian neoplasm and predominantly affects young women in the second and third decades with distinctive clinical features like irregular mensturation and dysmenorrhea. SST is usually solid and the possibility of malignancy should be considered. Recently some authors reported it is possible to predict the presence of this tumor preoperatively on the basis of the contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. We experienced a case of sclerosing stromal tumor of the ovary with characteristic clinical, pathologic and radiologic findings. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Dysmenorrhea ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Ovary*

We report an autopsy case of secondary hemochromatosis associated with multiple frequent blood transfusion for the treatment of aplastic anemia. A 23-year-old man had been diagnosed as having aplastic anemia at the age of 13. He received a whole blood transfusion, about 1280 ml, every month during the past 10 years. Recently he developed diabetes mellitus and a congestive heart failure. The autopsy revealed that multiple organs were affected by secondary hemochromatosis, including the liver, heart, pancreas, spleen, bone marrow, stomach, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and testes. The lungs and liver showed gross and microscopic findings consistent with a congestive heart failure in addition to hemochromatosis. The details are presented. This is a case of rare secondary hemochromatosis occurring in a young man and presenting the classic histopathologic changes indistinguishable from those of primary hemochromatosis.
Adrenal Glands ; Anemia ; Anemia, Aplastic* ; Autopsy* ; Blood Transfusion ; Bone Marrow ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Heart ; Heart Failure ; Hemochromatosis* ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Pancreas ; Spleen ; Stomach ; Testis ; Thyroid Gland ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Osteopontin (OPN) is a cytokine associated with a cell-matrix via integrins. Fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP-1), known as S100A4, has been implicated in cell migration by non-muscle myosin. We investigated whether the role of OPN and FSP-1/S100A4 expression in their contribution to the podocyte phenotype change to form podocyte bridge and cellular crescent. METHODS: Glomerular expression of OPN and FSP-1/S100A4 in renal biopsies of 16 patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) and 13 normal renal biopsies were studied by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression of OPN and FSP-1/S100A4 was increased in the podocytes of glomeruli, with and without crescents, in patients with CrGN. Neither OPN nor FSP-1/S100A4 was expressed in glomeruli from the normal controls (p<0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between the expression of OPN in glomerular tufts and cellular crescents, and the expression of OPN and FSP-1/S100A4 in glomerular tufts (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that OPN plays a role in early podocyte attachment to Bowman's capsule, and FSP-1/S100A4 potentiate podocyte contribution to cellular crescent formation by inducing cellular migration and growth.
Biopsy ; Bowman Capsule ; Cell Movement ; Fibroblasts ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Integrins ; Myosins ; Osteopontin ; Phenotype ; Podocytes

BACKGROUND: Osteopontin (OPN) is a cytokine related to cell-matrix adhesion and cell survival and is expressed in the distal convoluted tubules in normal adult kidneys. Only one in vitro study has investigated the role of OPN in mechanically stretched podocytes and their actin cytoskeleton rearrangement. METHODS: Glomerular OPN expression was investigated in biopsies from patients with human idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (n = 25) and in normal renal biopsies (n = 16) by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: OPN was expressed in the podocytes from patients with FSGS. OPN expression increased in podocytes from both non-sclerotic hypertrophic and sclerotic glomerular tufts in patients with FSGS compared to the podocytes in normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that OPN plays a role in the early adaptive response of podocytes to the increased mechanical load caused by glomerular hypertrophy preceding FSGS. OPN was involved in cell-matrix adhesion and influenced the detachment delay of podocytes from the glomerular basement membrane and apoptosis.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Adult ; Apoptosis ; Biopsy ; Cell Survival ; Glomerular Basement Membrane ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney ; Osteopontin ; Podocytes

BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is induced by heat shock and other pathophysiologic stresses, including neoplastic transformation. We examined the relationship between the HSP27 expression and the clinical and histologic parameters to elucidate the biologic and prognostic significance of HSP27 in renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Its regulation of apoptosis in RCC development was also observed. METHODS: We performed immunohistochemical studies for HSP27, caspase 3 and TUNEL on paraffin-embedded tissue microarray specimens from 48 RCCs. RESULTS: There was a tendency to higher expression of HSP27 in the RCC than in normal renal tubular cells. Of the 48 RCCs, the HSP27 expression was positive in 38 cases. An inverse relationship was found between the Fuhrman nuclear grade and HSP27 expression, but this was without statistical significance (r=-0.218, p=0.093). No relationship between the HSP27 expression and the other parameters was observed. Also, no statistically significant difference was observed between apoptosis and the HSP27 expression more (p=0.951). CONCLUSIONS: Although HSP27 expression was increased in RCC than in normal renal tubular cell the HSP27 expression may not be a powerful and statistically significant prognostic indicator in patients with RCC.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Caspase 3 ; Heat-Shock Proteins* ; Hot Temperature* ; HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins* ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Shock

Pathology specimen has been collected for purposes of education and research, particularly with respect to basic, developmental and translational studies in many areas of cancer research including molecular biology, immunology, and genetics. Even though no policy or ethical guideline drafted to regulate research tissue bank in Korea, advanced countries has been concerned ethical issues in the collections, storages, specimen transports and informatics for pathology specimen bank. Informed consent and confidentiality for protection of personal data records, which can be directly or indirectly associated with linked data from the donors' point of view, are the key to banking all over the world. The institutional review board (IRB) is important to ensure the scientific and ethical quality of pathologic specimen research. Increasing molecular genetic testing is also resulting in an increased demand of quality control for high quality nucleic acids. Most recently, the use of stored human tissue for education and research has become an object of increased ethical concern in Korea. Korean Association of Pathologists (KAP) has in urgent need of the policies and a standardized operating procedure, regulating a good collection practice of pathology specimen bank.
Allergy and Immunology ; Confidentiality ; Education ; Ethics ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Genetics ; Humans ; Informatics ; Informed Consent ; Korea ; Molecular Biology ; Nucleic Acids ; Pathology* ; Quality Control ; Tissue Banks

Background : CD44 is a transmembranous glycoprotein that participates in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, and it also contributes to cell migration. In vitro studies have suggested that the expression of CD44 isoforms is associated with tumor metastasis. Since it is not clear whether the CD44 isoforms play a role in the tumorigenesis, differentiation, progression or metastasis of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Methods : We performed immunohistochemistry with primary antibodies for the standard CD44 (CD44s) and the CD44 variant exon 6 (CD44v6) on the archival paraffin-embedded tissue microarray (TMA) specimens from 51 RCC patients. Results : In the normal kidney, the expressions of both CD44s and CD44v6 were negligible. The CD44s expression was increased in accordance with the tumor size (p<0.01), but it was not related to the microvessel density (MVD). No CD44v6 expression was observed in all RCC cases. Univariate analysis indicated that stage, tumor size, lymph node metastasis and distant organ metastasis were the statistically significant prognostic factors for disease free survival (DFS) (p<0.01), and the multivariate analysis proved that stage (p<0.01) and tumor size (p<0.05) were the independent prognostic factors for DFS. Conclusions : Our results suggest that CD44s, but not CD44v6, plays a role in tumor progression and it could be a potential prognostic factor for patients with RCCs.
Antibodies ; Antigens, CD44 ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Movement ; Disease-Free Survival ; Exons ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney ; Lymph Nodes ; Microvessels ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Protein Isoforms*

Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is a major component of PML nuclear bodies (PML NBs). Fusion of promyelocytic leukemia gene (PML) with retinoic acid receptor alpha gene with the t (15;17) translocation causes disassembly of PML NBs, leading to development of acute promyelocytic leukemia. In contrast, PML overexpression as well as different morphological changes of PML NBs were described in a few solid tumors. In this study, the expression of PML through the multistep hepatocarcinogenesis was analyzed in 95 cases of human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) for comparison along with dysplastic nodules (DNs) and background liver cirrhosis (LC) or chronic hepatitis by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot. In addition, cases of HCCs were further evaluated according to their histologic grade and etiology. The amount of PML as well as the num-ber and size of PML NBs increased gradually through the progression from LC, DNs to HCCs. The overexpression of PML in HCCs was much more closely associated with HBV infection than HCV infection or alcoholic liver disease. The PML expression, however, was not correlated with histologic grade of HCCs. These results suggest that PML is involved in the early stage of multistep hepatocarcinogenesis, and HBV infection may be associated with the overexpression of PML and the morphological alteration of PML NBs.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*chemistry/ultrastructure ; Cell Nucleus/*chemistry ; Human ; Liver/chemistry ; Liver Neoplasms/*chemistry/ultrastructure ; Neoplasm Proteins/*analysis ; Precancerous Conditions/*chemistry/ultrastructure ; Transcription Factors/*analysis ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

BACKGROUND: Recent reports suggest that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may play an important role in such a wide spectrum of human neoplasia. Recently, peripheral T cell lymphomas and particularly, angiocentric lymphomas (ACL), increasingly are reported to be associated with EBV.Nasal-type and nasal T/NK cell lymphoma (TNKL) have recently been reported to comprise most of ACLs. The prognosis of these tumors has been extremely poor. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate EBV association in primary or secondary cutaneous T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and to identify any prognostic association. METHODS: Thirty six patients with primary or secondary cutaneous T-cell lymphoproliferative (CTCL) disorders were examined to evaluate the presence of Epstein-Barr virus using in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER). RESULTS: EBER was detected in tumor cells in one third of the total cases (13/36); 4/4 secondary skin lymphoma from nasal TNKL, 8/8 primary cutaneous nasal type TNKLs and 1/5 mycosis fungoides (MF).EBER was not detected in the following disease: 6 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL) including 2 cases of probable NK-like T cell lineage, 3 lymphomatoid papulosis, 2 CD56 (-) T cell ACLs and 7 subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphomas (SPTL) by Revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) classification and recent concept of further classification into NK-cell lineage. One case of T-cell pseudolymphoma as a negative control was also negative in EBER. CONCLUSION: High incidence of EBV was observed in primary or secondary CTCLs in Koreans, with predilection for nasal and nasal type TNKL. In MFs, an erythrodermic MF with fatal outcome was associated with EBV and the EBV detection might reflect worse prognosis in MFs as seen in an aggressive course of nasal and nasal type TNKLs.
Cell Lineage ; Classification ; Fatal Outcome ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Incidence ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Lymphomatoid Papulosis ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders* ; Mycosis Fungoides ; Prognosis ; Pseudolymphoma ; RNA* ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes*