BACKGROUND: S100A8 and S100A9 have been gaining recognition for modulating tumor growthand metastasis. This study aimed at evaluating the clinical significance of S100A8 and S100A9 innon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We analyzed the relationship between S100A8and S100A9 expressions, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognostic significance in tumorcells and peritumoral inflammatory cells. RESULTS: The positive staining of S100A8 in tumorcells was significantly increased in male (p < .001), smoker (p = .034), surgical method other thanlobectomy (p = .024), squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) (p < .001) and higher TNM stage (p = .022)compared with female, non-smoker, lobectomy, adenocarcinoma (ADC), and lower stage. Theproportion of tumor cells stained for S100A8 was related to histologic type (p < .001) and patientsex (p = .027). The proportion of inflammatory cells stained for S100A8 was correlated with patientage (p = .022), whereas the proportion of inflammatory cells stained for S100A9 was correlatedwith patient sex (p < .001) and smoking history (p = .031). Moreover, positive staining in tumorcells, more than 50% of the tumor cells stained and less than 30% of the inflammatory cellsstained for S100A8 and S100A9 suggested a tendency towards increased survivability in SQCCbut towards decreased survivability in ADC. CONCLUSIONS: S100A8 and S100A9 expressions might be potential prognostic markers in patients with NSCLC.
Adenocarcinoma ; Calgranulin B ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; Male ; Methods ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Smoke ; Smoking

Thymoma is the most common neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum and has malignant potential. Germ cell tumors (GCTs) found in the anterior mediastinum are usually benign, and malignant GCTs, such as seminomas, are rare. Histologically, mediastinal seminoma is indistinguishable from testicular seminoma except for site-associated morphological features such as lymphoid follicular hyperplasia. Therefore, excluding metastasis is very important. Recently, we treated a young adult patient with multiple thymic masses that occurred simultaneously. The patient underwent a thymectomy for the removal of the mediastinal masses, one of which was diagnosed as type B2 invasive thymoma, and two of which were diagnosed as primary mediastinal seminomas with massive follicular hyperplasia. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a thymoma and a mediastinal seminoma occurring simultaneously in the thymus. We present this case along with a literature review.

PURPOSE: Enolase is a cytoplasmic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate in the glycolytic pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the overexpression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) can serve as a prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess its prognostic value in GC, NSE expression was measured by immunohistochemistry in a clinically annotated tissue microarray comprising of 327 human GC specimens. Cytoplasmic NSE expression was scored from 0 to 4, reflecting the percentage of NSE-positive cells. RESULTS: In terms of histology as per the World Health Organization criteria (P=0.340), there were no differences between the NSE overexpression (NSE-OE) and NSE underexpression (NSE-UE) groups. The NSE-OE group showed a significantly lower rate of advanced GC (P<0.010), lymph node metastasis (P=0.010), advanced stage group (P<0.010), cancer-related death (P<0.010), and cancer recurrence (P<0.010). Additionally, a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the NSE-OE group had longer cumulative survival times than the NSE-UE group (log-rank test, P<0.010). However, there were no significant differences in the serum levels of NSE expression in patients with GC and healthy volunteers (P=0.280). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NSE overexpressing GC tissues showed better prognostic results, implying that NSE could be a candidate biomarker of GC.
Cytoplasm ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phosphoenolpyruvate ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase* ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; World Health Organization

Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) is a neoplastic proliferation of Langerhans cells that have overtly malignant cytologic features. It is a very rare disease and theoretically, it can present de novo or progress from an antecedent Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). However, to our knowledge, LCS arising from an antecedent LCH has not been reported on. We present here a case of LCS arising from a pulmonary LCH. A 34 yr-old man who was a smoker, had a fever and a chronic cough. Computed tomographic (CT) scan revealed multiple tiny nodules in both lungs. The thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed LCH. The patient quit smoking, but he received no other specific treatment. One year later, the follow up chest CT scan showed a 4 cm-sized mass in the left lower lobe of the lung. A lobectomy was then performed. Microscopic examination of the mass revealed an infiltrative proliferation of large cells that had malignant cytologic features. Immunohistochemical stains showed a strong reactivity for S-100 and CD68, and a focal reactivity for CD1a. We think this is the first case of LCS arising from LCH.
Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Sarcoma/*pathology ; S100 Proteins/biosynthesis ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/*pathology ; Male ; Langerhans Cells/*pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Humans ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell/diagnosis/*pathology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic/biosynthesis ; Antigens, CD1/biosynthesis ; Antigens, CD/biosynthesis ; Adult

The incidence of glomerulonephritis associated with malignancy is not common. Membranous glomerulonephritis associated with carcinomas and minimal change nephrotic syndrome with Hodgkin's disease has been occasionally reported. The pathogenesis of glomerular injury associated with malignancy is not well known. The IgA nephropathy associated with malignancy, though rare, has been reported. IgA nephropathy associated with acute myeloid leukemia, however, is yet to be reported. We hereby report a case of IgA nephropathy associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML M2).
Incidence

The incidence of glomerulonephritis associated with malignancy is not common. Membranous glomerulonephritis associated with carcinomas and minimal change nephrotic syndrome with Hodgkin's disease has been occasionally reported. The pathogenesis of glomerular injury associated with malignancy is not well known. The IgA nephropathy associated with malignancy, though rare, has been reported. IgA nephropathy associated with acute myeloid leukemia, however, is yet to be reported. We hereby report a case of IgA nephropathy associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML M2).
Incidence

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is present mainly in the gastric mucous layer. However, the mucous layer, along with the bacteria, is lost during conventional tissue processing in which formalin is used for fixation. The purpose of this study is to ascertain - if the mucous layer is preserved by using Carnoy solution as a fixative - whether the detection rate of H. pylori is increased in pediatric patients. METHODS: Five pieces of gastric mucosal tissue were obtained from the gastric antrum and the body of one hundred pediatric patients. One of the specimens was fixed with formalin. Another specimen was fixed with Carnoy solution. The tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemically stained for H. pylori. For reference, a rapid urease test was performed on the remaining three specimens. RESULTS: In the formalin-fixed tissue, the detection rate of H. pylori was 13% in the gastric antrum and 12% in the body (overall 16%). In the Carnoy solution-fixed tissue, the mucous layer was preserved and the detection rate of H. pylori was 23% in the antrum and 27% in the body (overall 28%). The positive rate of the rapid urease test was 26% in the antrum and 28% in the body (overall 29%). CONCLUSIONS: When the number of H. pylori is small in the gastric mucosa, the bacteria may not be detected by conventional histologic methods. In that case, the detection rate of H. pylori may be increased by using Carnoy solution, rather than formalin, as a tissue fixative.
Bacteria ; Fixatives ; Formaldehyde ; Gastric Mucosa ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Pyloric Antrum ; Urease

This study describes the purification and characterization of type II restriction endonuclease of Helicobacter pylori in order to understand the DNA restriction and modification of H. pylori. H. pylori cell extract was subjected to polyethyleneimine treatment, salt precipitation, heparine-sepharose column chromatography, and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) using Resource Q column and Mono Q column to purify the type II restriction endonuclease. Hpy51-I was characterized to recognize the sequneces 5`-GT(G/C)AC-3`, yielding 5-base 5` protruding ends. The restriction sequence was identical to that of Tsp 45 I. The enzyme exhibited its maximal activity in the presence of 10-20 mM LaCl, but was inhibited completely in the presence of more than 80 mM NaCl. The enzyme showed its maximal activity in the presence of 1-10 mM MgC1(2). The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity was pH 9.0 and 37 degrees C, respectively. MnC1(2) could not substitute for MgC1(2) in reaction mixture. And addition of j3-mercaptoethanol and bovine serum albumin in reaction mixture led to loss of enzyme activity of Hpy51-I. The whole cell extract of H. pylori strain 51 was confirmed to carry the enzyme activity for methylation of Hpy51-I-recognised sequence. Hpy51-I digested genomic DNAs of enteric bacteria to less than I kb while it could not cut the genomic DNAs of H. pylori isolates. In this study, the type II restriction enzyme (Hpy51-I) of H. pylori was identified and characterized its biochemical properties, demonstrating that Hpy51-I might be one of the barriers for preventing the introduction of foreign DNAs into H. pylori.
Chromatography ; Chromatography, Liquid ; DNA ; DNA Restriction Enzymes* ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Methylation ; Polyethyleneimine ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

OBJECTIVE: The present study was performed to investigate the efficiency of partial laser assisted hatching (p-LAH; lased 1/2 ZP width from ZP edge) on hatching of mouse blastocysts. METHODS: We used non-contact 1.48 micrometer diode laser (MTM, Switzland) to create a precise hole on zona pellucida. 2-cell embryos were collected from the mouse (ICR) oviduct at 48 hours after hCG administration. Collected 2-cell embryos were cultured in the P-1 medium supplemented with 0.4% BSA. For experiments, embryos at 8-cell stage were used after 20~22 hours in culture. After conventional (c-LAH) or partial laser assisted hatching, the embryos were further cultured in P-1 medium supplemented with 0.4% BSA for 3 days. To compare efficiency of complete and partial laser assisted hatching, hatching rate, hatching time and blastocyst diameter and zona pellucida thickness at hatching time were investigated. Embryos were examined every 12 hours. Blastocyst diameter and zona pellucida thickness at hatching time were measured with an ocular micrometer. RESULTS: Hatching rates of p-LAH group (84.2%) was significantly higher than that of control group (39.3%), but there was no difference between the p-LAH (84.2%) and c-LAH (91.2%). p-LAH group was hatched 12 hours earlier than control group, but hatched 12 hours later than c-LAH group. The diameter of blastocyst at hatching time of p-LAH group (113.1+/-6.4 micrometer) was smaller than that of control group (122.2+/-5.0 micrometer), but larger than that of c-LAH group (102.2+/-2.7 micrometer). Zona pellucida thickness at hatching time of p-LAH group (6.4+/-0.9 micrometer) was thicker than that of control group (4.5+/-1.5 micrometer), but thinner than that of c-LAH group (10.0+/-0.8 micrometer). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that p-LAH may maintains the cell arrangement of early embryos to ensure successful development and prevent precocious hatching of blastocyst when compare to c-LAH and conventional (acidic tyrode) AH. Thus, p-LAH may provide a valuable and effective AH technique for human ART program.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Embryonic Structures* ; Humans ; Lasers, Semiconductor ; Mice* ; Oviducts ; Zona Pellucida

To identify risk factors and causative organisms, and to evaluate clinical manifestations, methods and results of treatment in infectious keratitis, an epidemiological study was performed prospectively under the identical protocol from April 1995 to March 2000.Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate possible risk factors. The 1474 cases of infectious keratitis reported from 22 hospitals were studied. Five hundred forty-four organisms(442 bacteria, 82 fungi, 20 A c a n t h a m o e b a)were detected in 1320 eyes with infectious keratitis excluding 154 herpetic keratitis. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common organism in bacterial keratitis, and Fusariumspp. was the major isolate in fungal keratitis. Contact lens wear and occupation(industry, forester, miner, fisherman)were the risk factors for bacterial keratitis. Risk factors in fungal keratitis were fifth decade of age, farmer, and systemic diseases(diabetes mellitus etc.). Risk factors in herpetic keratitis were male and occupation(office worker, service, student, housewife). Risk factors in Acanthamoeba keratitis was contact lens wear.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis ; Bacteria ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Keratitis ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Risk Factors