Quantification of Aortic Valve Fibrotic and Calcific Tissue from CTA: Prospective Comparison with Histology.

Background Quantifying the fibrotic and calcific composition of the aortic valve at CT angiography (CTA) can be useful for assessing disease severity and outcomes of patients with aortic stenosis (AS); however, it has not yet been validated against quantitative histologic findings. Purpose To compare quantification of aortic valve fibrotic and calcific tissue composition at CTA versus histologic examination. Materials and Methods This prospective study included patients who underwent CTA before either surgical aortic valve replacement for AS or orthotopic heart transplant (controls) at two centers between January 2022 and April 2023. At CTA, fibrotic and calcific tissue composition were quantified using automated Gaussian mixture modeling applied to the density of aortic valve tissue components, calculated as [(volume/total tissue volume) × 100]. For histologic evaluation, explanted valve cusps were stained with Movat pentachrome as well as hematoxylin and eosin. For each cusp, three 5-µm slices were obtained. Fibrotic and calcific tissue composition were quantified using a validated artificial intelligence tool and averaged across the aortic valve. Correlations were assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Intermodality and interobserver variability were measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Results Twenty-nine participants (mean age, 63 years ± 10 [SD]; 23 male) were evaluated: 19 with severe AS, five with moderate AS, and five controls. Fibrocalcific tissue composition strongly correlated with histologic findings (r = 0.92; P < .001). The agreement between CTA and histologic findings for fibrocalcific tissue quantification was excellent (ICC, 0.94; P = .001), with underestimation of fibrotic composition at CTA (bias, -4.9%; 95% limits of agreement [LoA]: -18.5%, 8.7%). Finally, there was excellent interobserver repeatability for fibrotic (ICC, 0.99) and calcific (ICC, 0.99) aortic valve tissue volume measurements, with no evidence of a difference in measurements between readers (bias, -0.04 cm3 [95% LoA: -0.27 cm3, 0.19 cm3] and 0.02 cm3 [95% LoA: -0.14 cm3, 0.19 cm3], respectively). Conclusion In a direct comparison, standardized quantitative aortic valve tissue characterization at CTA showed excellent concordance with histologic findings and demonstrated interobserver reproducibility. Clinical trial registration no. NCT06136689 Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Almeida in this issue.

Routine End-ischemic Hypothermic Oxygenated Machine Perfusion in Liver Transplantation From Donors After Brain Death: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether end-ischemic hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) is superior to static cold storage (SCS) in preserving livers procured from donors after brain death (DBD). BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence of the benefits of HOPE in liver transplantation, but predominantly in the setting of high-risk donors. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, livers procured from DBDs were randomly assigned to either end-ischemic dual HOPE for at least 2 hours or SCS (1:3 allocation ratio). The Model for Early Allograft Function (MEAF) was the primary outcome measure. The secondary outcome measure was 90-day morbidity (ClinicalTrials. gov, NCT04812054). RESULTS: Of the 104 liver transplantations included in the study, 26 were assigned to HOPE and 78 to SCS. Mean MEAF was 4.94 and 5.49 in the HOPE and SCS groups ( P =0.24), respectively, with the corresponding rates of MEAF >8 of 3.8% (1/26) and 15.4% (12/78; P =0.18). Median Comprehensive Complication Index was 20.9 after transplantations with HOPE and 21.8 after transplantations with SCS ( P =0.19). Transaminase activity, bilirubin concentration, and international normalized ratio were similar in both groups. In the case of donor risk index >1.70, HOPE was associated with significantly lower mean MEAF (4.92 vs 6.31; P =0.037) and lower median Comprehensive Complication Index (4.35 vs 22.6; P =0.050). No significant differences between HOPE and SCS were observed for lower donor risk index values. CONCLUSION: Routine use of HOPE in DBD liver transplantations does not seem justified as the clinical benefits are limited to high-risk donors.

Tumour microenvironment as a predictive factor for immunotherapy in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) can be divided into two subgroups depending on invasion of the muscular layer: non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Its aggressiveness is associated, inter alia, with genetic aberrations like losses of 1p, 6q, 9p, 9q and 13q; gain of 5p; or alterations in the p53 and p16 pathways. Moreover, there are reported metabolic disturbances connected with poor diagnosis-for example, enhanced aerobic glycolysis, gluconeogenesis or haem catabolism.Currently, the primary way of treatment method is transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) with adjuvant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy for NMIBC or radical cystectomy for MIBC combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. However, intravesical BCG immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors are not efficient in every case, so appropriate biomarkers are needed in order to select the proper treatment options. It seems that the success of immunotherapy depends mainly on the tumour microenvironment (TME), which reflects the molecular disturbances in the tumour. TME consists of specific conditions like hypoxia or local acidosis and different populations of immune cells including tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, natural killer cells, neutrophils and B lymphocytes, which are responsible for shaping the response against tumour neoantigens and crucial pathways like the PD-L1/PD-1 axis.In this review, we summarise holistically the impact of the immune system, genetic alterations and metabolic changes that are key factors in immunotherapy success. These findings should enable better understanding of the TME complexity in case of NMIBC and causes of failures of current therapies.

Chronic Fatigue Persists in a Significant Proportion of Female Patients After Transplantation for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Chronic fatigue and an impairment of general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are frequently reported by patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Studies on patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) suggest that, unlike pruritus, fatigue may not be ameliorated by liver transplantation (LT). However, there are few data regarding the assessment of fatigue before and after transplantation in PSC. To investigate the effect of LT on fatigue and HRQoL in patients with PSC, 81 patients with PSC (median age 33 years; 69% men) were prospectively enrolled in this study. The PBC-40 and Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires were used for assessment before and twice after LT. A total of 26 patients who received a transplant for PBC were included as controls. The potential impact of the clinical and laboratory parameters was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Although in addition to other well-being indexes the median fatigue score improved after LT (P < 0.001), a detailed analysis demonstrated that fatigue persists in one-third of patients. A significant fatigue reduction was seen in men (P < 0.001) but not women (P = 0.25). Posttransplant fatigue did not depend on concomitant inflammatory bowel disease, laboratory indexes of cholestasis, or disease recurrence. In the multivariate regression model, female sex was the only independent covariate associated with persistent fatigue. In terms of other measures of HRQoL, LT caused a substantial improvement in the majority of SF-36 and PBC-40 domains. Recurrent PSC and unemployment negatively affected the well-being of patients. Patients who received a transplant for PSC had significantly better HRQoL than those patients with PBC. LT improves various measures of HRQoL, but it does not ameliorate fatigue in female patients with PSC.

Genomic Characterization of Cholangiocarcinoma in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Reveals Therapeutic Opportunities.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lifetime risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC) in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) may exceed 20%, and BTC is currently the leading cause of death in patients with PSC. To open new avenues for management, we aimed to delineate clinically relevant genomic and pathological features of a large panel of PSC-associated BTC (PSC-BTC). APPROACH AND RESULTS: We analyzed formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from 186 patients with PSC-BTC from 11 centers in eight countries with all anatomical locations included. We performed tumor DNA sequencing at 42 clinically relevant genetic loci to detect mutations, translocations, and copy number variations, along with histomorphological and immunohistochemical characterization. Regardless of the anatomical localization, PSC-BTC exhibited a uniform molecular and histological characteristic similar to extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. We detected a high frequency of genomic alterations typical of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, such as TP53 (35.5%), KRAS (28.0%), CDKN2A (14.5%), and SMAD4 (11.3%), as well as potentially druggable mutations (e.g., HER2/ERBB2). We found a high frequency of nontypical/nonductal histomorphological subtypes (55.2%) and of the usually rare BTC precursor lesion, intraductal papillary neoplasia (18.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Genomic alterations in PSC-BTC include a significant number of putative actionable therapeutic targets. Notably, PSC-BTC shows a distinct extrahepatic morpho-molecular phenotype, independent of the anatomical location of the tumor. These findings advance our understanding of PSC-associated cholangiocarcinogenesis and provide strong incentives for clinical trials to test genome-based personalized treatment strategies in PSC-BTC.

Measurement of liver and spleen stiffness as complementary methods for assessment of liver fibrosis in autoimmune hepatitis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Liver stiffness measurements (LSM), commonly performed by transient elastography (TE) or two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE), are used to quantify liver fibrosis. Active hepatitis, a hallmark of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), could bias LSM. This bias might be overcome by measurement spleen 2D-SWE. Here, we compare liver and spleen 2D-SWE to TE and liver biopsy (LB) in prospectively recruited patients with AIH. METHODS: We analysed liver and spleen 2D-SWE in relation to liver TE in 90 patients treated ≥ 6 months for AIH. Liver and spleen 2D-SWE were also compared to LB in 63 individuals with AIH. Finally, we evaluated these tools in 220 patients with AIH and during 18 months follow-up. RESULTS: Liver 2D-SWE correlated with surrogate markers of active hepatitis (ALT and IgG, both P < .001) but there was no link between spleen 2D-SWE and ALT. Liver 2D-SWE, but not spleen 2D-SWE, was associated with histopathological inflammatory score (P < .01). When compared to LB, the optimal cut-offs for detecting cirrhosis by liver and spleen 2D-SWE were 16.1 kPa (AUROC 0.93) and 29.8 kPa (AUROC 0.95), respectively. In patients with active hepatitis the combined diagnostic approach including liver and spleen 2D-SWE had significantly better AUROC for detecting cirrhosis than liver 2D-SWE alone. CONCLUSIONS: Liver and spleen 2D-SWE are reliable complementary methods for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in AIH. Spleen 2D-SWE seems to be less biased by inflammation and could facilitate fibrosis assessment in therapy-naïve patients or in the presence of active hepatitis.

Bladder perforation during transurethral resection of bladder tumour is not a result of a deficient structure of the bladder wall.

BACKGROUND: Transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TUR) is associated with a risk of bladder perforation. The underlying mechanisms and risk factors are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to determine if the bladder wall structure affects the risk of bladder perforation during TUR. METHODS: Fifteen patients who underwent TUR complicated by a bladder perforation (group 1) and fifteen matched controls who underwent uncomplicated TUR (group 2) were retrospectively enrolled in this morphological analysis. Surgical specimens were collected from all participating patients to describe the quality and architecture of urothelium and bladder submucosa. Immunohistochemical studies were performed with primary mouse anti-human E-cadherin, beta-catenin, type IV collagen, cytokeratin 20 and epithelial membrane antigen antibodies. The intensity of the immunohistochemical reaction was assessed using an immunoreactive score (IRS). Ultrastructural examinations were performed by transmission electron microscopy. The microscopic assessment was focused on the intensity of fibrosis in the bladder submucosa and the presence of degenerative changes in the urothelium. RESULTS: Patients' age, sex distribution, tumour diameters, surgeon experience or cancer stage did not differ between study groups. The immunohistochemical analysis did not reveal statistically significant differences between group 1 and group 2. From a clinical point of view, ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy showed a higher rate of severe fibrosis in group 1 (63.6% vs. 38.5%), with no differences in the rate and degree of urothelial changes. However, these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Bladder perforation during TUR is not a result of a deficient structure of the bladder wall. Based on available evidence, the surgical technique seems to play the most important role in its prevention.

Granuloma as a complication of polycaprolactone-based dermal filler injection: ultrasound and histopathology studies.

In aesthetic medicine, there has been an ongoing search for an ideal dermal filler to offer zero complication rate. Polycaprolactone-based dermal filler (PCL) has been available since 2009. The purpose of the paper was to present a case of granuloma as a complication of PCL injection, which has not been reported so far by other researchers. A 68-year-old female was injected with PCL. One year later, nodules accompanied by bluish skin discoloration developed within the injection site. Ultrasound and histopathology studies were performed. The examinations confirmed the presence of foreign body granuloma after PCL, which makes it the first reported case worldwide. The published data analyses showed general lack of studies and case reports to address this issue. The PCL, like an injection of any soft tissue filler, may lead to serious complications, such as granuloma formation. This makes further research legitimate and necessary.

Microvascular density and hypoxia-inducible factor in intraepithelial vocal fold lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The promotion of neovascularisation is a crucial aspect of carcinogenesis. The study evaluates the microvascular density (MVD) and expression of hypoxia-induced factor (HIF-1α) in hypertrophic vocal fold (VF) lesions of different histopathological states including non-dysplastic, low-grade, high-grade dysplasia and invasive glottic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Histological specimens collected from patients diagnosed and treated in a single centre with different histological grades were immunohistochemically stained with CD31, CD34 and HIF-1α. Of the total number of 77 analysed VF specimens, 20 were non-dysplastic, 20 had low-grade dysplasia, 17 high-grade dysplasia and 20 were invasive cancers. RESULTS: The highest mean value for MVD evaluated with expression of CD31 (MVD CD31) was 21.23 ± 14.46 and identified in the low-grade dysplasia group. The average MVD CD31 was 13.74 ± 5.56 and 20.11 ± 9.28 in the high-grade dysplasia and invasive cancer group, respectively. The highest MVD evaluated with CD34 (MVD CD34) was revealed for invasive cancer 35.64 ± 17.21. The MVD CD34 was higher for low-grade than in high-grade dysplasia (25.87 ± 12.30 vs 24.65 ± 15.92, respectively). The expression of HIF-1α was strong or very strong in 60% of non-dysplastic lesions, 100% of low-grade dysplasia cases, 53% of high-grade dysplasia cases and 50% of invasive cancer cases. The comparison of MVD CD31 with MVD CD34 revealed a strong positive correlation (ρ value 0.727). The comparison of both MVD CD31 and MVD CD34 with HIF-1α resulted in no linear relationship (ρ value of 0.143 and 0.165, respectively). CONCLUSION: The stage of low-grade dysplasia in intraepithelial vocal fold lesions is related to significant advancement of angiogenesis together with the highest hypoxia level.

Normal ABL1 is a tumor suppressor and therapeutic target in human and mouse leukemias expressing oncogenic ABL1 kinases.

Leukemias expressing constitutively activated mutants of ABL1 tyrosine kinase (BCR-ABL1, TEL-ABL1, NUP214-ABL1) usually contain at least 1 normal ABL1 allele. Because oncogenic and normal ABL1 kinases may exert opposite effects on cell behavior, we examined the role of normal ABL1 in leukemias induced by oncogenic ABL1 kinases. BCR-ABL1-Abl1(-/-) cells generated highly aggressive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)-blast phase-like disease in mice compared with less malignant CML-chronic phase-like disease from BCR-ABL1-Abl1(+/+) cells. Additionally, loss of ABL1 stimulated proliferation and expansion of BCR-ABL1 murine leukemia stem cells, arrested myeloid differentiation, inhibited genotoxic stress-induced apoptosis, and facilitated accumulation of chromosomal aberrations. Conversely, allosteric stimulation of ABL1 kinase activity enhanced the antileukemia effect of ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (imatinib and ponatinib) in human and murine leukemias expressing BCR-ABL1, TEL-ABL1, and NUP214-ABL1. Therefore, we postulate that normal ABL1 kinase behaves like a tumor suppressor and therapeutic target in leukemias expressing oncogenic forms of the kinase.

Non-neoplastic adrenal pseudocysts: A clinicopathologic study of 44 cases with potential insights into pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Literature on non-neoplastic adrenal pseudocysts (NNAPC) remains limited and to date no large series have been reported. The pathogenesis of these lesions remains poorly defined, however a vascular origin is most often suggested in the literature. We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features and the spectrum of vascular changes within NNAPC, in order to better understand the mechanisms and circumstances of their pathogenesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed 44 cases of surgically resected NNAPC. There were 30 females and 14 males ranging from 23 to 82 years (median, 53 years). On the basis of histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis of the vascular changes the following types were defined: pseudocysts with lymphatic-related changes (type 1, n = 16), pseudocysts with large vein-related changes (type 2, n = 15) and pseudocysts with blood vessel microvasculature-related changes (type 3, n = 13). The median patient age of the latter group was higher than that of type 1 and 2 (64 years versus 51 and 50 years, respectively; p = 0.0002). Type 3 pseudocysts were more frequently associated with a history of systemic vascular and vascular-related disorders than type 1 and type 2 pseudocysts (92% versus 33% and 64%, respectively; p = 0.008). Type 1 pseudocysts were more frequently connected with a history of previous intra-abdominal surgical procedures than type 2 and 3 pseudocysts (60% versus 7% and 25%, respectively; p = 0.0079). CONCLUSIONS: NNAPC are clinically heterogenous and can arise on a background of various vascular changes. They may represent end-stage processes related to lymphangiomatous lesions, changes in adrenal venous structures or microvasculature.

High cytoplasmic HuR expression is associated with advanced pT stage, high grade and increased microvessel density in urothelial bladder carcinoma.

PURPOSE: HuR (human antigen R) protein is a RNA binding protein that stabilizes the mRNA and controls the translation of genes involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis. Overexpression of HuR was reported in a variety of cancers, however its clinical significance in urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) is still unknown. Our aim is to investigate the association between HuR expression and selected histopathological factors, such as tumor grade, pT stage, regional lymph nodes status and microvessel density (MVD). METHODS: We studied expression of HuR protein in 119 patients with UBC in stages pTis and pTa-pT4 using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tumor MVD was evaluated immunohistochemically using anti-CD31 antibody. RESULTS: We observed no association between nuclear HuR immunoreactivity and tumor grade, stage or MVD. We found a significant association between cytoplasmic HuR positivity and high tumor grade, pT stage and MVD (p<0,001). We also observed significantly higher MVD values in cases with positive cytoplasmic HuR expression (p<0,001). No association between HuR immunoreactivity and lymph nodes status was found. CONCLUSIONS: Our results may suggest that HuR is involved in the process of acquiring malignant histopathological features and ability to invade the muscularis propria by UBC cells. Considering frequent difficulties in diagnosing UBC in specimens obtained from transurethral tumor resection and the risk of understaging, cytoplasmic HuR expression would suggest an advanced disease and necessitate serial sectioning of the specimen in search of muscle invasion. Association between HuR expression and MVD could suggest HuR involvement in the process of angiogenesis in UBC.

Membranous glomerulonephritis - a common, unspecific pattern of glomerular injury.

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a chronic form of glomerulonephritis, associated with the presence of immune complexes beneath the podocytes on the subepithelial region of glomerular capillaries. MN is not a disease entity but one of relatively common patterns of glomerular injury that may be a manifestation of primary renal autoimmunological reaction or may evolve as a phenomenon secondary to wide spectrum of systemic processes.

HIF-1α expression is inversely associated with tumor stage, grade and microvessel density in urothelial bladder carcinoma.

Urothelial bladder carcinoma (UBC) is the most common urinary tract malignancy. The most important histopathological factors affecting prognosis are cancer stage and grade. Studies show that microvessel density (MVD) reflecting angiogenesis is also associated with clinicopathological features and affects the outcome in UBC. One of the most important regulators of angiogenesis is hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). Previous reports describing expression of the HIF-1α subunit in UBC showed unclear and inconsistent results. Our study attempted do evaluate the association between HIF-1α expression and tumor stage, grade, lymph nodes status and MVD in UBC. We performed immunohistochemical staining in 99 UBC cases, including 38 non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) and 61 muscle invasive tumors (MIBC). We observed inverse relationships between HIF-1α immunoreactivity score (IRS) and tumor stage, grade and MVD. Significantly lower HIF-1α IRS values were observed in MIBC and high grade cancers. We found a significant negative correlation between HIF-1α IRS and MVD. These results suggest that HIF-1α pathway is not involved in UBC growth and progression, and that angiogenesis in high grade MIBC is not regulated by HIF-1. Our findings contradict previous reports regarding HIF-1α, MVD and UBC which shows the necessity of additional molecular studies in this field.

Expression of E-cadherin, ß-catenin, and epithelial membrane antigen does not predict survival in patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to validate the value of E-cadherin and ß-catenin expression and to test an alternative prognostic marker, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-nine consecutive patients with primary stage T1 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) were enrolled in this study. Tissue specimens were stained with the following mouse anti-human antibodies: anti-E-cadherin, anti-ß-catenin, and anti-EMA. Reaction intensity within cancer cells was assessed according to the immunoreactive score (IRS). Finally, the association between the expression of selected proteins and patient survival was assessed. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 34.8 months. Recurrence-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) were 47.5%, 72.5%, and 72.5%, respectively. Differences in the IRS for ß-catenin and EMA were found clinically, but were not statistically significant in prediction of the risk of disease progression (p > 0.05). No difference in protein expression was observed regarding the risk of recurrence, OS, or cancer-specific mortality (p > 0.05). Stratification of patients based on the IRS into three groups (poor, moderate, and intensive reaction) failed to identify a prognostic marker among the tested proteins (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Expression of E-cadherin, ß-catenin, and EMA cannot reliably predict survival in patients with high-risk NMIBC. Further searches are needed to identify tissue markers of progression and recurrence in NMIBC.

Does transient elastography correlate with liver fibrosis in patients with PSC? Laennec score-based analysis of explanted livers.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous studies demonstrated a close correlation between transient elastography (TE) and liver histology in chronic liver diseases. Data on the accuracy of TE in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) remains scarce. Here, we investigated the association between TE, serum marker of liver injury and histology of explanted livers in PSC patients. METHODS: Thirty patients were prospectively recruited. TE (Fibroscan®) and blood sampling were performed during evaluation for liver transplantation (LT); the second blood sampling was performed on the day of LT. Fibrosis of explanted livers according to the seven-point Laennec staging system and liver collagen contents were measured. RESULTS: TE correlated with Laennec stages of fibrosis (p = .001), collagen contents (p < .001) and with diameter of thickest septa (p = .034) in explanted livers. It also correlated with serum indices of liver injury, namely AST, bilirubin as well as FIB-4 and APRI scores (all p < .05). In a multivariate model, only liver fibrosis, according to either Laennec score (p = .035) or collagen contents (p = .005), was significantly associated with TE. Finally, patients with cirrhosis had increased liver stiffness (p = .002) and the TE cut-off of 13.7 kPa showed the best predictive value (AUC = .90, 95% CI: 0.80-1.00, p < .001) for detecting cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: TE correlates with liver fibrosis and markers of liver injury in patients with PSC. However, liver fibrosis seems to be the strongest predictor of liver stiffness assessed with TE. Hence, we postulate that TE is a reliable tool for non-invasive monitoring of PSC.

Immunohistochemical differentiation between muscularis mucosae and muscularis propria for improving the staging of bladder cancer in patients undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumours.

Microscopic differentiation between muscularis mucosae (MM) and muscularis propria (MP) of the bladder in the material obtained during transurethral resection (TUR) remains difficult. The study was aimed at determination of the usefulness of immunohistochemical staining in this context. Forty-seven TUR specimens were stained with 5 mouse anti-human antibodies: anti-desmin, anti-filamin, anti-type IV collagen, anti-smoothelin, and anti-vimentin. Slides were assessed under light microscopy and the intensity of the immune reaction within MM and MP was evaluated on a four-level visual scale as follows: negative (0) and weakly (1), moderately (2), or strongly (3) positive. MM was identified in 27 patients (57.4%). The modal values of reaction intensity in MM and MP was 0 and 2 for desmin (p > 0.05), 2 and 2 for filamin (p = 0.01), 2 and 2 for type IV collagen (p > 0.05), 1 and 2 for smoothelin (p = 0.03), and 2 and 0 for vimentin (p = 0.02), respectively. Identical intensity within MM and MP was observed in 7.1%, 28.6%, 20%, 30.1%, 5.6%, respectively. Immunohistochemistry can help differentiate between MM and MP in TUR specimens. As of yet, no single marker can reliably differentiate between MM and MP; however, a combination of anti-filamin, anti-smoothelin, and anti-vimentin antibodies may be reasonable for diagnostic purposes.

(68)Ga-DOTATATE PET in juvenile angiofibroma.

BACKGROUND: As somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) may be overexpressed in rapidly growing vessels, the aim of this study was the analysis of in vivo and in vitro SSTR2A expression in juvenile angiofibroma (JA). MATERIAL & METHODS: A group of six male adolescents with a diagnosis of primary, recurrent/residual JA was enrolled in the study. All patients underwent (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/computed tomography (CT) followed by immunohistochemical staining for SSTR expression. RESULTS: (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT showed accumulation in areas matching the pathologic tissue in the nasopharynx of all patients studied with SUVmax of 5.1 ± 0.9 (ranging from 3.6 to 6.4). In all cases, the immunohistochemical examination showed a presence of SSTR2A with a high staining index. CONCLUSION: In vitro SSTR2A cytoplasm expression was found to be high in all tumor specimens. However, the uptake of (68)Ga-DOTATATE was weak in the PET/CT studies. We postulate that the intracellular localization of the SSTR2A in JA may cause this discrepancy.

The role of apelin in central cardiovascular regulation in rats with post-infarct heart failure maintained on a normal fat or high fat diet.

Based on the available literature, it can be assumed that in cases of post-infarct heart failure (HF) and obesity, a significant change in the central regulation of the cardiovascular system takes place with, among others, the involvement of the apelinergic system. The main objective of the present study was to clarify the role of apelin-13 in the central regulation of the cardiovascular system in Sprague Dawley rats with HF or sham operated (SO) and fed on a normal fat (NFD) or a high fat diet (HFD). The study was divided into two parts: Part I, hemodynamic studies; and Part II, biochemical and molecular studies. The animals were subjected to the following research procedures. Part I and II: feeding NFD or HFD; experimental induction of HF or SO; Part I: intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of the examined substances, monitoring of mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) and heart rate (HR); Part II: venous blood and tissue samples collected. ICV infusion of apelin-13 caused significantly higher changes in ΔMABP in the SO NFD group. No changes were noted in ΔHR in any of the studied groups. Apelin and apelin receptor (APJ) mRNA expression in the brain and adipose tissues was higher in the HF rats. HFD causes significant increase in expression of apelin and APJ mRNA in the left ventricle. In conclusion, HF and HFD appear to play an important role in modifying the activity of the central apelinergic system and significant changes in mRNA expression of apelin and APJ receptor.

Possible role of complement factors and their inhibitors in the myocardial infarction: an immunohistochemical study.

Ongoing development of our civilization is accompanied by a marked increase of incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular mortality. Ischemic heart disease with its extreme form - myocardial infarction - is one of the main problems of modern medicine. Despite much research devoted to this disease entity, its pathomechanism remains incompletely understood. Basing on research reports, more and more emphasis is put on immune reactions in the myocardium. Available literature lacks detailed studies examining the role of complement system and its inhibitors in the development and pathogenesis of myocardial infarction. Cells of ischemic myocardium were proven to become foreign antigens for the immune system of the patient's body. This results in complement activation of formation of so called membrane attacking complex that injures myocardial cells. By binding to its surface, it extends the myocardial destruction caused by the infarction itself. Results of immunochemistry studies presented in this paper have demonstrated the existence colocalization of complement components (C4d, C9) and membrane inhibitors (CD55, CD59) as well as soluble inhibitors (factor H) of the complement in the examined muscle tissue that underwent ischemic necrosis. Positive immunohistochemical reaction was found in the myocardial cells, intercellular matrix and blood vessels.