Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography and Laboratory Parameters as Non-Invasive Diagnostic Markers of Pancreatic Fibrosis.

Pancreatic fibrosis (PF) is a part of the pathogenesis in most pancreatic disorders and plays a crucial role in chronic pancreatitis development. The aim of our study was to investigate a relationship between PF grade and signs in resected pancreatic specimens, and the results of both multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) post-processing parameters and fibronectin (FN), hyaluronic acid (HA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, and MMP-9 serum levels. The examination results of 74 patients were analyzed. The unenhanced pancreas density (UPD) value and contrast enhancement ratio (CER) showed statistically significant differences in groups with peri- and intralobular fibrosis grades, an integrative index of fibrosis, inflammation in pancreatic tissue, and pancreatic duct epithelium metaplasia, while the normalized contrast enhancement ratio in the venous phase (NCER VP) significantly differed with the perilobular fibrosis grade, integrative fibrosis index, and inflammation (p < 0.05). The blood FN level showed a weak positive correlation with the intralobular fibrosis grade (rho = 0.32, p = 0.008). The blood level of HA positively correlated with the presence of prominent and enlarged peripheral nerves (rho = 0.28, p = 0.02) and negatively correlated with the unenhanced pancreas density value (rho = -0.42, p = 0.0001). MMP-1 and MMP-9 values' intergroup analysis and correlation did not show any statistical significance. The UPD value, NCER VP, and CER, as well as blood levels of FN and HA, could be used in non-invasive PF diagnosis.

Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancer: Features of infection and their correlations with long-term results of treatment.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral-shaped bacterium responsible for the development of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric cancer (GC), and MALT-lymphoma of the stomach. H. pylori can be present in the gastric mucosa (GM) in both spiral and coccoid forms. However, it is not known whether the severity of GM contamination by various vegetative forms of H. pylori is associated with clinical and morphological characteristics and long-term results of GC treatment. AIM: To establish the features of H. pylori infection in patients with GC and their correlations with clinical and morphological characteristics of diseases and long-term results of treatment. METHODS: Of 109 patients with GC were included in a prospective cohort study. H. pylori in the GM and tumor was determined by rapid urease test and by immunohistochemically using the antibody to H. pylori. The results obtained were compared with the clinical and morphological characteristics and prognosis of GC. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 10.0 software. RESULTS: H. pylori was detected in the adjacent to the tumor GM in 84.5% of cases, of which a high degree of contamination was noted in 50.4% of the samples. Coccoid forms of H. pylori were detected in 93.4% of infected patients, and only coccoid-in 68.9%. It was found that a high degree of GM contamination by the coccoid forms of H. pylori was observed significantly more often in diffuse type of GC (P = 0.024), in poorly differentiated GC (P = 0.011), in stage T3-4 (P = 0.04) and in N1 (P = 0.011). In cases of moderate and marked concentrations of H. pylori in GM, a decrease in 10-year relapse free and overall survival from 55.6% to 26.3% was observed (P = 0.02 and P = 0.07, respectively). The relationship between the severity of the GM contamination by the spiral-shaped forms of H. pylori and the clinical and morphological characteristics and prognosis of GC was not revealed. CONCLUSION: The data obtained indicates that H. pylori may be associated not only with induction but also with the progression of GC.

Morphological Characteristics and Clinical Significance of Different Types of Tumor Vessels in Patients with Stages I-IIA of Squamous Cervical Cancer.

The determination of factors associated with progression of cervical cancer is important, both for a recurrence risk assessment and for determining optimal treatment tactics. Previously, we showed the prognostic value of different types of tumor microvessels (MVs) in gastric and breast cancer. The object of this research was to study the morphology and clinical significance of different tumor microvessels in early cervical cancer. A total of 65 archived paraffin blocks of patients with I-IIA stages of squamous cervical cancer were investigated. Samples were stained with Mayer hematoxylin and immunohistochemically using antibodies to CD34, podoplanin, HIF-1a, and Snail. The eight types of tumor MVs differed in morphology were identified. It was established that only the dilated capillaries (DСs) with weak expression of CD34, the contact type DCs, the capillaries in tumor solid component, and the lymphatic vessels in the lymphoid and polymorphic cell infiltrates of tumor stroma are associated with clinical and pathological characteristics of early cervical cancer. Preliminary results also suggest that a combination of fragmentation in tumor solid component and the contact type DCs may predict a recurrence of early cervical cancer. Given the small number of cervical cancer recurrences, the predictive significance of the described markers requires a more thorough examination.