CYLD expression in endometrial carcinoma and correlation with clinicohistopathological parameters.

OBJECTIVE: Endometrial cancer is a threat to women health worldwide. Cylindromatosis (CYLD) enzyme is a tumour suppressor, considered an effective prognostic marker in various malignancies, but its role in endometrial carcinoma is not fully elucidated. Here, we sought to estimate the prognostic value of CYLD expression in endometrial carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CYLD levels were immunohistochemically evaluated in 65 patients with endometrial carcinoma and inferential statistics were applied. RESULTS: Low or negative CYLD expression significantly correlates with older ages, non-endometrioid and invasive carcinomas, tumours with moderate or poor differentiation and advanced stages. Moreover, non-endometrioid and invasive carcinomas are independent risk factors for weaker CYLD expression. Kaplan-Meier analysis illustrated that negative or low CYLD expression is statistically significantly associated with increased death risk, compared to moderate or high expression. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates for the first time a clear correlation between CYLD expression and clinicohistopathological parameters of endometrial carcinoma patients, suggesting its use as a potential prognostic/predictive marker for Endometrial Carcinoma.

Intravenous Heroin Abuse and Acute Myocardial Infarction: Forensic Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate chronic intravenous heroin abuse and its potential to induce acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It also aims to examine the causative factors and the incidence of heroin-induced myocardial infarction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The hearts of 113 intravenous heroin abusers were studied for a duration exceeding 3 years. The parameters studied included sex, age, time of intravenous heroin abuse, medical history, and body and heart weight. Macroscopic histological studies of the heart were also performed. RESULTS: The histological examination revealed only 1 case of AMI. The victim was an intravenous heroin abuser for the last 7 years. The age and the medical history of the victim do not act as dissuading factors for the potential of an AMI. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of heroin-induced myocardial infarction is rare, and the actual mechanism remains unclear. The increased heart weight in relation to the increased thickness of the heart walls may be an aggravating factor, and thus, it is a fact that should be investigated.

Co-expression of galectin-3 and CRIP-1 in endometrial cancer: prognostic value and patient survival.

Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women. Galectin-3 (GAL-3) and CRIP-1 are multifunctional proteins which seem to be involved in many neoplasias. This study aims to point out correlations between clinicopathological findings and endometrial cancer patient survival to GAL-3 and CRIP-1 expression in order to enfold their diagnostic/prognostic potential. Tissues from 46 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer were studied by immunohistochemistry, using monoclonal antibodies for GAL-3 and CRIP-1, and expression levels were correlated with clinicopathological findings and survival. Analysis was performed at single protein level or as co-expression. High expression of GAL-3 and CRIP-1 was independently associated with tumor depth and histological grade, respectively. Also, there was a significant correlation between high co-expression of the two proteins and the histological grade (aOR 2.66), the tumor depth (aOR 0.32) and the histological type (aOR 1.32), but not with the patients' age. Moreover, high expression of both proteins was observed in patients with shorter survival times. Interestingly, the co-expression of the two proteins exhibited some degree of monotony (Spearman's ρ = 0.768), indicating a common molecular pathway. This study provides evidence for a prognostic clinical potential of the combined study of GAL-3 and CRIP-1 in endometrial cancer. These factors are poorly studied in endometrium, and their role in the carcinogenetic process and on effective therapy awaits further elucidation.