Giant Myelolipoma in the Spleen: A Rare Case Report and Literature Review.

Myelolipomas are benign tumors, consisting of hematopoietic cells and mature adipose tissue, which mainly occur within the adrenal gland. Extra-adrenal myelolipomas are rare, and fewer than 60 cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of intrasplenic myelolipoma in a 42-year-old man with more than 1 month of abdominal pain. Computed tomography scanning revealed a giant, heterogeneous, well-demarcated mass in the spleen. Splenectomy was performed, and an intrasplenic giant mass was completely excised. The diagnosis of myelolipoma was made based on morphological examination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third reported case of myelolipoma in the human spleen.

Elevated expression of APE1/Ref-1 and its regulation on IL-6 and IL-8 in bone marrow stromal cells of multiple myeloma.

A number of growth factors secreted by bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), including interleukin-6 and -8 (IL-6/8), are important for the initiation and progression of multiple myeloma (MM). However, the mechanisms that regulate the production of IL-6/8 by BMSC have not yet been well characterized. Human dual functional protein apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1/redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) is essential for cell survival and proliferation. Previous studies showed that APE1/Ref-1 was overexpressed in tumor cells, but few studies showed its expression in supportive cells in the tumor microenvironment. We first detected APE1/Ref-1 expression in BMSCs of normal, initial, and recurrent MM patients, and then explore the correlation between APE1/Ref-1 level and IL-6/8 secretion of BMSCs. A marked increase of APE1/Ref-1 expression and abnormal subcellular distribution were observed in MM BMSCs. APE1/Ref-1 overexpression was related to higher secretary level of IL-6/8 by MM BMSCs and the IL-6/8 secretion was blocked significantly by adenovirus-mediated APE1/Ref-1-specific (small interfering RNA) siRNA. Our results also demonstrated that APE1/Ref-1-specific siRNA significantly inhibited DNA binding activity of AP-1 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), 2 important transcription factors in the regulation IL-6/8 secretion in MM BMSCs. The results provided by the present study indicate APE1/Ref-1, which plays a regulatory role in IL-6/8 production by BMSCs, may be a potential therapeutic target of MM.

Extranodal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the pharyngeal region: a potential diagnostic pitfall, with literature review.

Extranodal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) of the pharyngeal region is a rare malignant tumor recognized in recent years, with approximately 37 cases so far reported in the literature. It is often not considered at the initial evaluation and may be misdiagnosed in a small biopsy specimen. We report 4 cases of extranodal FDCS, 2 cases in the nasopharynx that were diagnosed as undifferentiated carcinomas because they were characterized by syncytial epithelial cells with sheet or nest-like distribution and 2 cases in the tonsil and soft palate that were characterized by vaguely concentric whorls consisting of spindle to ovoid cells. The latter case was diagnosed as ectopic meningioma. The analysis of all cases from the literature and ours shows that 58% (21/36) of the cases are misdiagnosed initially, often as undifferentiated carcinoma or meningioma, which the differential diagnoses should be mostly focused on. With a median follow-up of 27 months, the recurrence, metastasis, and mortality rates are 23%, 21%, and 3%, respectively, suggesting that extranodal FDCS of the pharyngeal region remains a low-grade sarcoma. Radical surgery is recommended, whereas there is no evidence to support adjuvant therapy.

[Characteristic and clinicopathologic significance of lymphangiogenesis in colorectal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution patterns and proliferative activity of lymphatic vessels in colorectal carcinomas (CRC) and their relationship with tumor metastasis and disease prognosis. METHODS: The microlymphatic density (MLD) and microvascular density in tumoral and non-tumoral areas of 96 cases of CRC were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, using monoclonal antibodies for podoplanin and CD34 respectively. The Ki-67 expression of the lymphatic and blood vessels was detected by double-labeling immunohistochemistry. The relationship between MLD and clinicopathologic features and prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS: The lymph vessels at central and superficia1 portions of CRC often had a reticular architecture with numerous tiny and ill-defined lumina, while those at the tumor borders had large and open lumina. The MLD at tumor borders (51.2 +/- 25.5) was significantly higher than that in normal colorectal mucosa (29.4 +/- 9.0) and other portions of CRC (P < 0.01). The Ki-67 labeling index of the lymphatic lining cells at tumor borders (0.23 +/- 0.17) was significantly higher than that in other portions of CRC (P < 0.05). The MLD significantly correlated with lymphatic involvement by tumor cells, regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (P < 0.01). The 5-year survival rate was also significantly lower in patients with high MLD (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Neolymphatic vessels are commonly seen in CRC, especially at tumor borders. High MLD at tumor borders is associated with metastasis. The detection of MLD at tumor borders may thus be useful in predicting lymph node metastasis and prognosis in patients with CPC.

Effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells in vitro.

AIM: To study the effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and expression of beta-catenin in cultured human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line HCT116. METHODS: HCT116 cells were treated with CAPE at serial concentrations of 80, 40, 20, 10, 5, 2.5 mg/L. The proliferative status of HCT116 cells was measured by using methabenzthiazuron (MTT) assay. Cell cycle was analyzed by using flow cytometry (FCM) with propidium iodide (PI) labeling method. The rate of apoptosis was detected by using FCM with annexin V-FITC and PI double labeling method. beta-catenin levels were determined by Western blotting. beta-catenin localization in HCT116 was determined by indirect immunofluorescence. RESULTS: After HCT116 cells were exposed to CAPE (80, 40, 20, 10, 5, and 2.5 mg/L) for 24, 48, 72, 96 h, CAPE displayed a strong growth inhibitory effect in a dose- and time-dependent manner against HCT116 cells. FCM analysis showed that the ratio of G(0)/G(1) phase cells increased, S phase ratio decreased and apoptosis rate increased after HCT116 cells were exposed to CAPE (10, 5, and 2.5 mg/L) for 24 h. CAPE treatment was associated with decreased cytoplasmic beta-catenin, nuclear beta-catenin and a concurrent increase in beta-catenin protein expression at cell-cell junctions. CONCLUSION: CAPE could inhibit HCT116 cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Decreased beta-catenin protein expression may mediate the anti-proliferative effects of CAPE.