Immunohistochemical study of CD117 in various cutaneous melanocytic lesions.

The aim of the present study was to carried out a comparative immunohistochemical evaluation of CD117 (c-Kit), a biomarker that evaluates both tumor progression and prognosis, in different melanocytic lesions, to emphasize the significance of this biomarker in malignant melanoma (MM). The study was performed on 55 cases, represented by a control group, which included 5 cases of simple nevi and 5 cases of dysplastic nevi, as well as a study group consisting of 35 cases of primary MM and 10 metastases (one intestinal, 3 cutaneous - one satellite and two distant as well as 6 in the lymph nodes). The study group included 15 cases of superficial spreading melanoma (SSM), 10 cases of nodular melanoma (NM), 3 lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM), 3 cases of acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) and 4 cases of amelanotic MM. CD117 was found to be massively involved in the process of tumorigenesis of cutaneous malignancies, being immunohistochemically undetectable in benign neural lesions, but densely expressed in dysplastic lesions and in situ melanoma areas. In invasive cutaneous MMs, CD117 expression tended to decrease with neoplasia progression proceding into the tumorigenic, vertical growth phase, being lower in the profound dermal component of tumors and in nodular MMs. To eliminate the epidermal barriers and gain a proliferative advantage to allow the transition to the vertical growth phase, it seems that MM should lose expression of c-Kit. Cutaneous metastases were found to express CD117 at a level comparable to their primary tumors, suggesting that other mechanisms interfere directly with the metastatic process and not loss of c-Kit expression by itself. CD117 overexpression in cutaneous melanocytic lesions correlates significantly with increased immunostaining intensity, suggesting that the immunohistochemical evaluation of CD117 may be a good method for screening patients, who could benefit from personalized therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

An unusual cutaneous malignant melanoma arised de novo: a case report.

Malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer with accelerated evolution and a high metastatic potential, thus being the most aggressive type of skin tumor. Its origin resides in the epidermal melanocytes, which multiply chaotically, therefore becoming malignant cells. The main objective of this study was represented by the clinical, histological and also immunohistochemical analysis of a peculiar case of malignant cutaneous melanoma arised de novo. Patient M.H., age 54, was admitted due to concerns regarding a cancerous growth on the right scapula. Dermoscopy revealed an asymmetrical, polymorphic and polychromatic lesion; therefore, a surgical intervention was scheduled. The histological exam showed a microscopic structure resembling an epithelioid cell malignant melanoma, with inflammatory reaction and central ulcerations. Immunostaining with melanocytic differentiation markers revealed the presence of pagetoid-disseminated cancerous cells into the epidermis, in addition to deep dermis invasion and the extension of cancerous cells in and around the hair follicles. In most cases, malignant melanoma develops on pre-existent nevi, but it can also appear de novo with accelerated evolution, mainly at phototype I young people. The importance of this particular case consists in the fact that the tumors presented some unusual particularities: appearing on healthy skin tissue, with slow evolution, at an age when this pathology is rarely encountered; the patient was phototype III and the cutaneous territory had been rarely exposed to ultraviolet radiations. Therefore, the case has proven interesting and worthy of being taken into consideration by the appropriate literature.

Fluorimetric study of the selenium course in the dam-calf relationship.

This study was conducted in a southeast region of Romania, known to be selenium (Se) deficient. The fluorimetric method for the determination of Se in biological samples was used in a study on the serum Se content in time in a group of 10 cows with a high milk yield and in their calves. The same cows were sampled antepartum (late pregnancy) and postpartum (1, 7, 21, 30, and 60 d), and the calves were sampled on d 1 of life and 7, 21, 30, and 60 d postcalving. Colostrum and milk samples were also collected and analyzed at the same times. Throughout the study, the serum Se content in both the cows and the calves was below the reference values (0.040-0.100 microg/mL), except the control conducted 7 d postpartum, for which it was 0.044 +/- 0.017 and 0.023 +/- 0.007 mg/mL in cows and calves, respectively. The most significant drops were recorded 21 (p<0.01) and 60 d postpartum (p<0.05). The colostrum Se was higher (0.036 +/- 0.022 microg/mL), decreasing progressively throughout the study to the normal low limit (0.005 microg/mL). The milk Se concentration was lower by approx 78% than the colostrum one on d 1 postcalving. These data demonstrate the course of hyposelenosis both in the cows and their calves. The maternal body proved to "mobilize," even in case of deficiency, important Se amounts in the colostrum, during the first days in particular.