PURPOSE: To compare the expression of survivin and its association with clinicopathological criteria in major types of urinary bladder carcinoma, specifically, transitional cell carcinoma with and without squamous differentiation and squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining for survivin and Ki67 was performed on paraffin-embedded sections of 104 carcinomas: 52 transitional cell carcinoma, 20 transitional cell carcinoma with squamous differentiation, and 32 squamous cell carcinoma. Expression of survivin in >10% of tumor cells was described as altered survivin status. Ki67 staining in >20% of tumor cells was described as a high proliferation index. RESULTS: Altered survivin expression was detected in 60/104 specimens (58%) and was significantly more frequent in transitional cell carcinoma (78%) than in squamous cell carcinoma (38%) or transitional cell carcinoma with squamous differentiation (40%) (p<0.0001). In transitional cell carcinoma but not in squamous cell carcinoma, altered survivin status was associated with higher tumor grade, higher proliferation index, and recurrence. In the whole specimens, altered survivin expression was significantly associated with advanced stage (p<0.001), recurrence (p=0.005), distant metastasis (p<0.001), and death (p=0.001). In the multivariate analysis, altered survivin was an independent poor prognostic factor for recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike in transitional cell carcinoma, alteration of survivin expression in squamous cell carcinoma occurs less frequently and is not associated with features of tumor aggression or patient outcome. These findings raise a question: are urinary bladder carcinoma patients with squamous cell carcinoma type suitable candidates for survivin vaccine? This is an important question to be answered before approving the vaccine in management.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*genetics ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/*genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Ki-67 Antigen/metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological ; Urinary Bladder/pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*genetics

No abstract available.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use ; Biopsy ; Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Diagnostic Errors ; Dupuytren Contracture/diagnosis ; *Fingers/pathology/ultrasonography/virology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Herpesvirus 4, Human/genetics ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; *Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell/diagnosis/therapy/virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Predictive Value of Tests ; RNA, Viral/genetics ; *Tendons/chemistry/pathology/ultrasonography/virology ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological/analysis ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color

No abstract available.
Bile Duct Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis ; *Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/chemistry/pathology/radiography ; Biopsy ; Cholangiocarcinoma/complications/*diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fever/diagnosis/*etiology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukocytosis/*diagnosis/etiology ; *Liver/chemistry/pathology/radiography ; Liver Abscess, Pyogenic/*diagnosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes/*diagnosis/etiology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Tumor Markers, Biological/analysis

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma/chemistry/*drug therapy/secondary ; Adult ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Large Cell/chemistry/*pathology ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/chemistry/*pathology ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/chemistry/*drug therapy/secondary ; *Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/chemistry/*drug therapy/pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Quinazolines/*therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological/analysis

Body fat is an important source of adipokine, which is associated with energy balance and inflammatory and immune responses. However, the role of adipokines in coronary artery complications in Kawasaki disease (KD) has not yet been fully explained. We investigated whether serum adipokine level can be a useful marker for patients with KD who are at higher risk of developing coronary artery lesion (CAL). We measured adipokine levels and other inflammatory parameters in 40 patients with KD, 32 febrile controls, and 15 afebrile controls. Interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and other laboratory parameters were also measured before and after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, and in the convalescent phase. At admission, the serum resistin levels in KD children were significantly higher than those in controls (177.56 ng/mL in KD children, 76.48 ng/mL in febrile controls, and 17.95 ng/mL in afebrile controls). In patients with KD, resistin levels were significantly associated with decreased hemoglobin levels (P=0.049) and increased IL-6 levels (P=0.014). The serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher and body mass index was significantly lower in the group of KD with CALs than those without CALs (228.26 ng/mL vs. 39.18 ng/mL and 15.09 vs. 16.60, respectively). In conclusion, resistin is significantly elevated in KD patients, although it has no prognostic value of predicting coronary artery lesion in the acute stage.
Biological Markers/*blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Coronary Vessels/pathology ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Hemoglobins/analysis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use ; Inflammation/blood/immunology ; Interleukin-6/*blood ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/*blood/pathology ; Resistin/*blood ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*blood

Gangliocytic paragangliomas (GPs) are rare tumors of the duodenum, presenting as single sessile or pedunculated polypoid masses. Clinical manifestations of duodenal GPs can vary from an incidental finding at endoscopy to frequent upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by mucosal ulceration and abdominal pain. GPs are considered benign, but the disease can recur and spread to regional lymph nodes. A 41-year-old female presented with abdominal pain. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a subepithelial tumor of the ampulla of Vater in the second portion of the duodenum. The tumor was resected using the endoscopic mucosal resection technique. The tumor was diagnosed as benign GP of the duodenum using histological and immunohistochemical staining procedures.
Adult ; Ampulla of Vater/chemistry/*pathology/surgery ; Biopsy ; Duodenal Neoplasms/chemistry/*pathology/surgery ; Duodenoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Paraganglioma/chemistry/*pathology/surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological/analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated the expression of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and the chemokine receptor (CXCR4) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who received rituximab-based therapy. METHODS: Seventy patients with DLBCL and treated with rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) were included, and immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of NF-kappaB (IkappaB kinase alpha, p50, and p100/p52) and CXCR4. To classify DLBCL cases as germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and non-GCB, additional immunohistochemical expression of CD10, bcl-6, or MUM1 was used in this study. The expression was divided into two groups according to the intensity score (negative, 0 or 1+; positive, 2+ or 3+). RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 66 years (range, 17 to 87), and 58.6% were male. Twenty-seven patients (38.6%) had stage III or IV disease at diagnosis. Twenty-three patients (32.9%) were categorized as high or high-intermediate risk according to their International Prognostic Indexs (IPIs). The overall incidence of bone marrow involvement was 5.7%. Rates of positive NF-kappaB and CXCR4 expression were 84.2% and 88.6%, respectively. High NF-kappaB expression was associated with CXCR4 expression (p = 0.002), and 56 patients (80.0%) showed coexpression. However, the expression of NF-kappaB or CXCR4 was not associated with overall survival and EFS. On multivariate analysis that included age, gender, performance status, stage, and the IPI, no significant association between the grade of NF-kappaB or CXCR4 expression and survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that the tissue expression of NF-kappaB and CXCR4 may not be an independent prognostic marker in DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived/administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage ; Disease Progression ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin/administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/chemistry/*drug therapy/mortality/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; NF-kappa B/*analysis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prednisone/administration & dosage ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Receptors, CXCR4/*analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*analysis ; Vincristine/administration & dosage ; Young Adult

Our study aimed to investigate whether serum leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein (LRG) levels are elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, we assessed their correlation with disease activity parameters and pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Our study included 69 patients with RA and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and LRG were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum LRG concentrations were significantly elevated in patients with RA compared with those in healthy controls (30.8+/-14.4 vs. 22.2+/-6.1 ng/mL; P<0.001). In patients with RA, serum LRG levels were found to be correlated with disease activity score 28 (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels (gamma=0.671; gamma=0.612; and gamma=0.601, P<0.001, respectively), but not with serum TNF-alpha levels. Serum LRG levels in patients with an active disease status (DAS28> or =2.6) were significantly higher than those in remission (DAS28<2.6) (36.45+/-14.36 vs. 24.63+/-8.81 ng/mL; P<0.001). Our findings suggest that serum LRG could contribute to the inflammatory process independent of TNF-alpha and it may be a novel biomarker for assessing inflammatory activity in patients with RA.
Adult ; Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood/*diagnosis ; Biological Markers/blood ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Glycoproteins/*blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood

Our study aimed to investigate whether serum leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein (LRG) levels are elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, we assessed their correlation with disease activity parameters and pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Our study included 69 patients with RA and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and LRG were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum LRG concentrations were significantly elevated in patients with RA compared with those in healthy controls (30.8+/-14.4 vs. 22.2+/-6.1 ng/mL; P<0.001). In patients with RA, serum LRG levels were found to be correlated with disease activity score 28 (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels (gamma=0.671; gamma=0.612; and gamma=0.601, P<0.001, respectively), but not with serum TNF-alpha levels. Serum LRG levels in patients with an active disease status (DAS28> or =2.6) were significantly higher than those in remission (DAS28<2.6) (36.45+/-14.36 vs. 24.63+/-8.81 ng/mL; P<0.001). Our findings suggest that serum LRG could contribute to the inflammatory process independent of TNF-alpha and it may be a novel biomarker for assessing inflammatory activity in patients with RA.
Adult ; Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood/*diagnosis ; Biological Markers/blood ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Glycoproteins/*blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7) in epithelial ovarian cancer, and to assess its relevance to clinicopathological characteristics and patients' survival. METHODS: A total of 177 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the current study. For each patient, a retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining for EGFL7 was performed using tissue microarrays made with paraffin-embedded tissue block. EGFL7 expression levels were graded on a grade of 0 to 3 based on the percentage of positive cancer cells. We analyzed the correlations between the expression of EGFL7 and various clinical parameters, and also analyzed the survival outcome according to the EGFL7 expression. RESULTS: The expression of EGFL7 in ovarian cancer tissues was observed in 98 patients (55.4%). High expression of EGFL7 (grade 2 or 3) was significantly correlated with pathologic type, differentiation, stage, residual tumor after debulking surgery, lymphovascular space involvement, lymph node metastasis, high cancer antigen 125, peritoneal cytology, and ascites. Among these clinicopathologic factors, differentiation was significantly correlated with EGFL7 expression in multivariate analysis (p<0.05). Survival analysis showed that the patients with high EGFL7 expression had a poorer disease free survival than those with low EGFL7 expression (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that EGFL7 expression is a novel predictive factor for the clinical progression of epithelial ovarian cancer, and may constitute a therapeutic target for antiangiogenesis therapy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.
Adult ; CA-125 Antigen/blood ; Cell Differentiation/physiology ; Endothelial Growth Factors/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*metabolism