Immunohistochemical analysis of Bax and AIF in colorectal tumors.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study had three aims. The first was to determine whether Bax (Bcl-2-associated X protein) and AIF (apoptosis-inducing factor) are expressed in tissue sections of colorectal tumors. The second was to ascertain whether there is any difference in Bax and AIF expression between colorectal polyps, adenomas, and carcinomas. The third aim was to determine whether there is any difference between Bax and AIF expression in colorectal tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bax and AIF expression were determined in 20 hyperplastic polyps (HPs), 20 adenomatous polyps (APs), 20 samples of colorectal carcinomas, and 20 samples of normal mucosa by immunohistochemical methods. RESULTS: The staining level of Bax and AIF in adenomas and carcinomas was significantly higher than in normal tissues (P<0.01). There was also a significant difference between HPs and APs (P<0.01). The level of Bax and AIF in carcinomas was higher than in adenomas, and the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: This study may be of interest in future research to confirm whether the changed expression of Bax and/or AIF between benign and malignant tumors can provide valuable information for the evaluation of colon or other tumors.

Effects of hypoxia and its relationship with apoptosis, stem cells, and angiogenesis on the thymus of children with congenital heart defects: a morphological and immunohistochemical study.

INTRODUCTION: The thymus slowly involutes with age after puberty. Various stress conditions accelerate the involution of the thymus and cause changes in the histologic structure of the gland. OBJECTIVE: The present study performed histomorphological and immunohistochemical (IHC) evaluations of the thymus glands removed during surgical repair in patients with cyanotic or acyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD). The thymus glands in the hypoxic group were compared to those in the non-hypoxic group. This study suggested that the activation of HIF-1 alpha promotes tumor progression and impair prognosis due to the inhibition of apoptosis, increased population of stem cells, and induction of angiogenesis also suggested that inactivation of HIF-1 alpha in tumor-infiltrated tissues could halt tumor progression and improve prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 76 thymus glands removed from patients who underwent an operation due to CHD. Of these cases, 38 had cyanotic CHD, and constituted the hypoxic group. The remaining 38 patients had acyanotic CHD, and constituted the non-hypoxic group. IHC procedures were performed for HIF-1 alpha, FoxP3, CD44, Bcl-2, and CD34. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between the hypoxic and non-hypoxic groups only in terms of medullary enlargement toward the cortex and effacement of the corticomedullary junction. In the immunohistochemical examination for five markers, staining intensity and staining rates increased with decreasing oxygen saturation. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the activation of HIF-1 alpha promotes tumor progression and impair prognosis due to the inhibition of apoptosis, increased population of stem cells, and induction of angiogenesis.

An Unusual Location of Neuroendocrine Tumour: Primary Hepatic Origin.

Although neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of primary hepatic origin are extremely rare, most of NETs present with liver metastasis. When a NET is found in the liver, it must be treated to exclude metastasis from extrahepatic primary sites. The patient was a 38-year-old female. Abdominal ultrasound showed an 8 cm tumour in liver during a routine examination. Liver biopsy was done. The tumour was first considered a metastatic hepatic tumour on histopathological examination. No clues to the origin of a primary tumour were found. Upper and lower endoscopy of the GI tract and chest CT were performed to search for a primary tumour and were negative for any tumour. One month later, more extensive areas of the tumour were seen on histopathological examination of second liver biopsy with the same morphologic characteristics as the first biopsy. Immunohistochemically, there was positive staining for synaptophysin, CD 56, and S-100 in the tumour cells. These findings suggested the diagnosis of NET. The diagnosis of primary liver NET was considered in a multidisciplinary meeting. Then, left hepatectomy was performed. The final pathologic diagnosis of the tumour in the resected liver specimen was Grade II NET. The patient was doing well at postoperative 28-month follow-up.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the thyroid with multiple cervical lymph node involvement accompanying metastatic thyroid papillary carcinoma.

A 37-year-old male case was admitted with goiter. Ultrasonography of thyroid showed a 5 cm cystic nodule in the left lobe with a 1.5 cm solid component. Fine needle aspiration biopsy revealed atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion. The patient was operated on. The pathological diagnosis was reported as papillary thyroid carcinoma. The immunohistochemical examination showed multiple foci of Langerhans cell histiocytosis involving both lobes. The patient died due to cardiac arrest with respiratory causes in the early postoperative period. Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare primary condition which involves abnormal clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells in various tissues and organs. Thyroid involvement is infrequently seen. Although the etiology is unknown, genetic components may be linked to the disease. It is also associated with a family history of thyroid disease. Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common malignant epithelial tumor of the thyroid gland. Langerhans cell histiocytosis presenting with papillary thyroid carcinoma is rare. The privilege of our case is langerhans cell histiocytosis of the thyroid with multiple cervical lymph node involvement accompanying cervical lymph node metastatic thyroid papillary carcinoma.

The effect of high dose melatonin on cardiac ischemia- reperfusion Injury.

PURPOSE: Melatonin, the most potent scavenger of toxic free radicals, has been found to be effective in protecting against pathological states due to the release of reactive oxygen species. This study was performed to establish the effect of high dose melatonin on protection against ischemia- reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat hearts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. They were separated into four groups of ten rats each. A left coronary artery occlusion was induced in the rats by ligating the artery for 20 minutes and then releasing the ligation (reperfusion) afterwards. The control group was Group A. Group B was subjected to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion without any treatment, while Group C underwent myocardial ischemia-reperfusion with a melatonin treatment before the ischemia. Group D was subjected to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion with a melatonin treatment before the reperfusion. After 20 minutes of reperfusion, blood samples were obtained from each group for biochemical studies, and the animals were sacrificed for histological and, immunohistochemical examinations of the myocardial tissue. RESULTS: We found that the cardiac troponin T(cTn-T) levels were significantly increased in Group B when all groups were compared. In the Group C rats treated with melatonin, the cTn-T values were significantly lower than those in Groups B and D. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes including, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were lower than those in Group B in the melatonin treated groups. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Histopathologic and immunohistopathologic studies also supported the effectiveness of melatonin. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that high dose melatonin, appears to offer protection against cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injuries in rats by scavenging the free radicals and could have a potential clinical use in the management of myocardial ischemia.