The Prognostic Significance of KIAA1522 Expression in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

The majority of lung cancers belong to the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) category, which is linked to a high mortality rate despite significant progress in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, there is a need for novel prognostic NSCLC biomarkers to improve prognosis which currently remains poor. Recent studies and analyses of gene expression data of NSCLC revealed that high expression of KIAA1522 was significantly associated with poor prognosis and decreased overall survival. We identified 98 patients who underwent radical curative surgical resections or metastasectomy for pulmonary adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma at our institution or the pathological diagnosis confirmed by our pathologists. Following the latest data, we utilized immunohistochemistry to assess the expression of KIAA1522 and investigated its association with various clinic-demographic parameters, pathological stages, recurrence rates, overall survival, and disease-free survival in patients who achieved complete remission. Notably, there were no significant differences in the expression profiles of KIAA1522 between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma samples (p=0.6). Survival analysis was conducted using log-rank tests and a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. Of the 98 samples, 54 (55.1%) exhibited high expression of KIAA1522, and patients with high KIAA1522 expression had a significantly shorter overall survival than the low-expression group (p=0.01). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models in which metastatic patients were included revealed that along with older age, higher TNM stage (tumor, node, metastasis system), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, high expression of KIAA1522 served as an independent prognostic factor. A high expression profile was not significantly associated with relapses in those whose complete remission had been achieved. Still, those patients with high expression of KIAA1522 tended to exhibit a shorter disease-free survival rate. In conclusion, our findings suggest that KIAA1522 expression is an independent factor for predicting overall survival and may serve as a valuable prognostic indicator for relapse and disease-free survival in NSCLC patients.

Comprehensive clinicopathologic characteristics of intraabdominal neurogenic tumors: Single institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Neurogenic tumors are rare but represent an important consideration in the differential diagnosis of abdominal mesenchymal tumors. Reports on their incidence, pathological features and clinical characteristics are scarce. AIM: To advance the overall knowledge on the histologic, immunohistochemical, clinical and radiologic characteristics of neurogenic tumors through this case series. METHODS: An established database of a nationwide tertiary referral center, covering a 15-year period (2005 and 2020), was retrospectively re-evaluated. Diagnoses of neurogenic tumor cases were confirmed by two experts following review of the macroscopic, histological and immunohistochemical records along with findings from analysis of archived tissue sections for each included patient. Tissue microarrays were constructed for cases lacking necessary immunohistochemical studies. Clinical data and follow-up information were collected from the hospital records and the patients themselves, when available. RESULTS: The study included 19 cases of intraabdominal neurogenic tumors, representing 12 women and 7 men, between 18 and 86 years of age (median: 51 years). Final confirmed diagnoses were 12 schwannomas, 2 diffuse submucosal neuro-fibromatoses, 2 ganglioneuromas, 2 malignant peripheral sheath nerve tumors, and 1 mucosal Schwann cell hamartoma. Sizes of the tumors were variable, with a median diameter of 4 cm; the two largest (> 10 cm) were schwannomas. The majority of cases were asymptomatic at presentation, but the most frequent symptom was abdominal pain. Gastrointestinal tract lesions were detected with endoscopy and extra-luminal lesions were detected with cross-sectional imaging. All cases were S100-positive and CD117-negative; most cases were negative for desmin, epithelial membrane antigen, smooth muscle actin and CD34. In all but 5 cases, the Ki67 proliferation index was ≤ 1%. CONCLUSION: Re-evaluation of 19 cases of abdominal neurogenic tumors demonstrated con-siderable variability in clinicopathologic characteristics depending on location, dimension and histological features.

Visceral Leishmaniasis in A Patient Presenting with Fever of Unknown Origin: A Case Report From a Low-endemic Region of Turkey

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease that is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Even though cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form, visceral leishmaniasis is associated with high mortality. The case presented herein is a 39 year-old bed-ridden female who presented with fever of unknown origin, tachypnea and pancytopenia. She was initially misdiagnosed as having autoimmune pancytopenia elsewhere and treated with corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin. She had also received wide-spectrum antibiotics for febrile neutropenia. We performed a leishmania rK39 dipstick test which turned out to be positive along with visualisation of amastigote forms of leishmania on bone marrow biopsy. Thus, we made a diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis and treated her with liposomal amphotericin B. Her clinical course was complicated by respiratory failure necessitating invasive mechanical ventilation. She responded well to treatment and was later extubated, shortly before being discharged. At 6 months of follow-up, no sign of recurrence was observed.

Histological Follow-Up in Patients with Atypical Glandular Cells on Pap Smears.

CONTEXT: Atypical glandular cells (AGCs) result in the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear may be associated with significant genital and nongenital neoplastic processes. AIMS: To evaluate the underlying histopathology in women who had AGCs on Pap smears. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinicopathological data of patients who had AGC on Pap smears and underwent histological workup between January 2004 and December 2014 were retrieved from the computerized database of a tertiary care center. Patients with a prior history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or gynecological cancer were excluded. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests were used as appropriate. RESULTS: Cytological examination of the uterine cervix was carried out in 117,560 patients. We identified 107 patients (0.09%) with AGC and 80 of those with histological follow-up were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis was 47 years (range, 18-79), and 32 women (40%) were postmenopausal, while 56 (70%) had gynecological symptoms. Significant preinvasive or invasive lesions on pathological examination were detected in 27 (33.8%) patients, including 12 endometrial adenocarcinomas (15%), 8 cervical carcinomas (10%), 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II/III (3.75%), 2 ovarian adenocarcinomas (2.5%), and 2 metastatic tumors (2.5%). Univariate analysis showed that postmenopausal status (P < 0.001), age >50 years old (P < 0.001), having symptoms at the time of admission (P = 0.041), and AGC "favor neoplasia" smear results (P = 0.041) were the clinical factors associated with significant pathological outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AGC on Pap smears should be evaluated vigilantly with histological workup, especially if they are postmenopausal or symptomatic.

Changes in composition and sulfation patterns of glycoaminoglycans in renal cell carcinoma.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous, linear, highly charged, anionic polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharides units. GAGs have some biological significance in cancer progression (invasion and metastasis) and cell signaling. In different cancer types, GAGs undergo specific structural changes. In the present study, in depth investigation of changes in sulfation pattern and composition of GAGs, heparan sulfate (HS)/heparin (HP), chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan sulfate and hyaluronan (HA) in normal renal tissue (NRT) and renal cell carcinoma tissue (RCCT) were evaluated. The statistical evaluation showed that alteration of the HS (HSNRT = 415.1 ± 115.3; HSRCCT = 277.5 ± 134.3), and CS (CSNRT = 35.3 ± 12.3; CSRCCT = 166.7 ± 108.8) amounts (in ng/mg dry tissue) were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Sulfation pattern in NRT and RCCT was evaluated to reveal disaccharide profiles. Statistical analyses showed that RCCT samples contain significantly increased amounts (in units of ng/mg dry tissue) of 4SCS (NRT = 25.7 ± 9.4; RCCT = 117.1 ± 73.9), SECS (NRT = 0.7 ± 0.3; RCCT = 4.7 ± 4.5), 6SCS (NRT = 6.1 ± 2.7; RCCT = 39.4 ± 34.7) and significantly decreased amounts (in units of ng/mg dry tissue) of NS6SHS (RCCT = 28.6 ± 6.5, RCCT = 10.2 ± 8.0), NS2SHS (RCCT = 44.2 ± 13.8; RCCT = 27.2 ± 15.0), NSHS (NRT = 68.4 ± 15.8; RCCT = 50.4 ± 21.2), 2S6SHS (NRT = 1.0 ± 0.4; RCCT = 0.4 ± 0.3), and 6SHS (NRT = 60.6 ± 17.5; RCCT = 24.9 ± 12.3). If these changes in GAGs are proven to be specific and sensitive, they may serve as potential biomarkers in RCC. Our findings are likely to help us to show the direction for further investigations to be able to bring different diagnostic and prognostic approaches in renal tumors.

Ocular Diseases Among Pathologists and Pathologists' Perceptions on Ocular Diseases: A Survey Study.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of visual disorders and color vision deficiency on the occupational life has been previously investigated by several studies. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of visual disorders among Turkish pathologists and their perceptions on visual disorders. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A survey composed of 14 questions about ocular diseases and perceptions to these diseases has been introduced to the volunteering pathologists or pathology residents, participating in the 23rd Congress of Pathology. RESULTS: Ninety-three pathologists or pathology residents participated in the survey. Of the participants, 25 (26.9%) were residents, 30 (32.3%) were pathology specialists, and 36 (38.7%) were academicians. The mean duration for working as a pathologist was 15 years. The vast majority (%93.5) of the participants had at least one type of refractive error; the two most common disorders were myopia (77.0%) and astigmatism (64.4%). Sixty-four of the participants (68.8%) claimed an increase in their refractive error after working in the pathology department. Eyeglasses (56/87, 64.4%), contact lenses (14/87, 16.1%), or both (9/87, 10.3%) were used in order to correct the refractive error; however, only 31 of the participants (33.3%) preferred using eyeglasses during microscopy. While 65 participants (69.9%) never had conjunctivitis, 26 participants (28.0%) had at least one conjunctivitis attack. None of the participants claimed to be color blind. CONCLUSION: Conjunctivitis and refractive errors are quite prevalent among pathologists. Refractive errors were also found to increase during the pathology practice. Most of the pathologists do not consider visual disorders (mostly refractive errors) as a negative factor during their career decision making, except a color vision defect.