Assessment of salivary alpha amylase and mucin-4 before and after non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis.

BACKGROUND: The present study was based on the null hypothesis that there is no difference in clinicoradiographic parameters and whole salivary alpha amylase (AA) and mucin-4 levels before and after non-surgical mechanical debridement (NSMD) of patients with peri-implant mucositis (PM). The aim was to assess whole salivary AA and mucin-4 levels before and after treatment of PM. METHODS: Patients with PM (Group-1) and individuals without peri-implant diseases (Group-2) were included. Demographic data was collected and peri-implant modified plaque and bleeding indices (mPI and mBI, respectively), probing depth (PD) and crestal bone loss were measured at baseline. Levels of AA and mucin-4 were assessed in unstimulated whole saliva samples. All patients underwent full-mouth non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) and NSMD; and clinical parameters and salivary biomarkers were re-assessed after 3 months. Level of significance was set at P < 0.01. RESULTS: Twenty-six and 32 individuals were included in groups 1 and 2, respectively. None of the participants had periodontitis. At baseline clinical periodontal parameters (PI [P < 0.001], GI [P < 0.001], clinical AL [P < 0.001] and PD [P < 0.001]) were significantly high in Group-1 than Group-2. At 3-month follow-up, there was a statistically significant reduction in clinical periodontal and peri-implant parameters (PI [P < 0.01], GI [P < 0.01], and PD [P < 0.01]) in Group-1 compared with their baseline values. At baseline, salivary AA levels were significantly high in Group-1 than Group-2 (P < 0.01). At 3-month follow-up, there was no significant difference in whole salivary AA levels among patients in groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS: The AA and mucin-4 levels are potential biomarkers for evaluation of peri-implant diseases including PM. Mechanical instrumentation continues to be the most predictable treatment option for the management of peri-implant diseases.

Immunohistochemical Coexpression of MUC1 and MUC4 in Oral Leukoplakia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

MUC1 and MUC4 are two transmembranous proteins, which have been seen to express aberrantly in various human neoplasms and advocated as independent prognostic markers. Till now no extensive studies have been carried out on combined expression of MUC1 and MUC4 in oral leukoplakia and Oral squamous cell carcinoma. This study is an endeavour to evaluate Immunohistochemical coexpression of MUC1 and MUC4 in Oral Leukoplakia and Oral squamous cell carcinoma and furthr establish them as prognostic markers. Immunohistochemical analysis of MUC1 and MUC4 was done on 24 cases of Oral squamous cell carcinoma, 24 cases of leukoplakia and 12 normal oral mucosal tissues. Chi square test and one way ANOVA test were employed for statistical analysis. Normal oral mucosa and leukoplakia group showed higher frequency of negative immunoexpression compared to oral squamous cell carcinoma group. Furthur in Oral squamous cell carcinoma group, higher frequency of double positive coexpression in well and moderately differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma and single positive coexpression in poorly differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma was obtained. A definite rise of immunoexpression of MUC1 and MUC4 was observed from normal oral mucosa to leukoplakia to oral squamous cell carcinoma indicative of their contribution as diagnostic and prognostic markers.

MUC4 is a valuable marker for distinguishing secretory carcinoma of the salivary glands from its mimics.

AIMS: Secretory carcinoma (SC) (synonym: mammary analogue secretory carcinoma) is a low-grade salivary gland tumour that occurs in both major and minor salivary glands. SC is known for its wide morphological, architectural and immunohistochemical spectrum, which overlaps with those of several salivary gland neoplasms, including acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) and intercalated duct-type intraductal carcinoma (IDC) in major salivary glands, and polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PAC) in minor salivary glands. These tumours share with SC some morphological features and SOX10 immunoreactivity; also, with the exception of AciCC, they all coexpress S100 and mammaglobin. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared MUC4 and mammaglobin expression in 125 salivary gland carcinomas (54 genetically confirmed SCs, 20 AciCCs, 21 PACs, and 30 IDCs) to evaluate the potential of these two markers to differentiate these entities. Moderate to strong diffuse MUC4 positivity was detected in 49 SCs (90.7%), as compared with none of the IDCs and PACs. In contrast, mammaglobin was frequently expressed in SCs (30 of 36 cases; 83.3%), IDCs (24/28; 85.7%), and PACs (7/19; 36.8%). Two of three high-grade SCs lost MUC4 expression in the high-grade tumour component. No significant correlation was found between MUC4 expression and the fusion variant in SC (ETV6-NTRK versus non-ETV6-NTRK). CONCLUSION: The results of our study identify MUC4 as a sensitive (90.7%) and specific (100%) marker for SC, with high positive (100%) and negative (93.4%) predictive values. Thus, MUC4 may be used as a surrogate for SC in limited biopsy material and in cases with equivocal morphology.

Expression of CD117, CK17, CK20, MUC4, villin and mismatch repair deficiency in pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.

Among pancreatic intraductal papillary neoplasms, gastric, intestinal, and pancreatobiliary intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasm (IOPN), and intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm (ITPN) have been defined, differing regarding association with invasive carcinoma and prognosis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) can help in the distinction of these neoplasms, but a proportion is unclassifiable using recommended markers. Hence, additional markers useful for the typing of pancreatic intraductal papillary neoplasms are needed. The reported frequencies of the different types of IPMNs in surgical series vary to some extent, and such data based on Danish patients are currently lacking. Besides, the role of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency in these neoplasms has not been fully elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of different types of pancreatic intraductal papillary neoplasms in a Danish cohort. Furthermore, we aimed to examine the utility of CD117, CK17, CK20, MUC4, and villin as markers for their distinction, in addition to the recommended markers MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6 and CDX2, and to evaluate the frequency of MMR deficiency. We typed 40 consecutively resected pancreatic intraductal papillary neoplasms according to the WHO criteria from 2019. IHC for CD117, CDX2, CK17, CK20, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUC1 (H23), MUC1 (Ma695), MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC6, PMS2, and villin was performed and evaluated using a five-tiered semiquantitative scale. A subset of the tumours was examined with PCR for microsatellite instability (MSI). Most tumours were intestinal (40 %) and gastric (40 %) IPMNs, followed by pancreatobiliary (17 %) IPMNs and IOPN (3 %). All cases were MMR proficient. We found a higher expression of MUC4, CK20 and villin in intestinal compared to gastric IPMNs (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). MUC4 was more strongly expressed in intestinal compared to pancreatobiliary IPMNs, while the opposite was found for CK17 (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05). IOPN showed strong CD117 expression (score 4), while all gastric IPMNs were negative and 50 % and 29 % of intestinal and pancreatobiliary IPMNs only showed weak expression (score 1). Our data suggest that CK20, MUC4 and villin may aid in the identification of intestinal IPMNs, while CK17 and CD117 may aid in the identification of pancreatobiliary IPMNs and IOPN, in some cases. However, additional studies evaluating these markers in pancreatic intraductal papillary neoplasms are needed.

Altered mucins and aquaporins indicate dry eye outcome in patients undergoing Vitreo-retinal surgery.

Vitreo-retinal (VR) surgeries induce conjunctival changes. However, there are no study reports regarding prevalence and severity of dry eye after these surgeries. This study evaluated dry eye outcome after VR surgery. Patients undergoing VR surgery classified as scleral buckle and microincision vitrectomy surgery (n = 44, mean age: 56.09±10.2 years) were recruited. Dry eye evaluation was done before and 8 weeks after surgery (2 weeks after omitting topical eye drops). Conjunctival imprint cytology for goblet cell count and tear Mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) protein estimation was done. Gene expressions of MUC5AC, MUC4, MUC16, Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and AQP5 were analyzed in the conjunctival imprint cells by qPCR. None of the patients exhibited clinical signs of dry eye after VR surgery. But the conjunctival goblet cell density (GCD) was significantly lowered post-VR surgery (63% cases, **p = 0.012) with no alterations in the tear MUC5AC protein. Post-VR surgery, the conjunctival cell gene expression of MUC4, MUC16 and AQP4 were significantly increased (*p = 0.025, *p = 0.05 and *p = 0.02 respectively) and AQP5 was significantly lowered (*p = 0.037), with no change in MUC5AC expression. Tear cytokines were significantly increased post-VR surgery (anti-inflammatory: IL1RA, IL4, IL5, IL9, FGF; PDGFbb and pro-inflammatory: IL2, IL6, IL15, GMCSF and IFNg). Though clinical signs of dry eye were not observed after VR surgery, ocular surface changes in the form of reduced GCD, altered MUC5AC, MUC4, MUC16, AQP4, AQP5 and cytokines are suggestive of dry eye outcome at the molecular level especially inpatients aged above 51 years, especially female gender and those who are diabetic.

Evaluation of Lineage Changes in the Gastric Mucosa Following Infection With Helicobacter pylori and Specified Intestinal Flora in INS-GAS Mice.

Gastric adenocarcinoma develops in metaplastic mucosa associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach. We have sought to evaluate the precise lineage changes in the stomachs of insulin-gastrin (INS-GAS) mice infected with H. pylori and/or intestinal flora (Altered Schaedler's Flora; ASF). Stomachs from groups infected with H. pylori contained progressive spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) compared with germ-free and mice infected with ASF alone. The overall phenotype of the H. pylori-infected mice was dominated by Ulex europaeus lectin (UEAI)-positive foveolar hyperplasia that was distinct from GSII/CD44v9-positive SPEM. However, in the mice with H. pylori co-infected with ASF, we identified a subpopulation of UEAI-positive foveolar cells that co-expressed intestinal mucin 4 (MUC4). These regions of foveolar cells were variably positive for CD44v9 as well as TFF3. Interestingly, an intravascular lesion identified in a dual H. pylori/ASF-infected mouse expressed both UEAI and Muc4. Finally, we identified an increase in the number of tuft cells within the mucosa of H. pylori-infected groups. Our findings suggest that H. pylori infection promotes foveolar hyperplasia as well as metaplasia, while co-infection may promote progressive foveolar and metaplastic lesions as well as dysplasia. Grading of gastric lesions in mice as preneoplastic requires multiple immunostaining markers to assign lineage derivation and behavior.

Immunohistochemical expression profiles of mucin antigens in salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma: MUC4- and MUC6-negative expression predicts a shortened survival in the early postoperative phase.

In mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), the most common salivary gland carcinoma, there is a lack of novel prognostic markers, but post-operative early recurrence strongly affects the clinical course and a poor outcome. It is critical to predict which MEC patients are prone to develop recurrence/metastases. Mucins play pivotal roles in influencing cancer biology, thus affecting cell differentiation, adhesion, carcinoma invasion, aggressiveness and/or metastatic potential. Our aim is to elucidate the significance of expression profiles for mucins, particularly MUC4 and MUC6, and their correlations with various clinicopathological features and recurrence in salivary gland MECs. We performed immunohistochemical analyses on patients with surgically resected primary MEC using antibodies against mucin core proteins MUC4/8G7 and MUC6/CLH5 in 73 paraffin-embedded samples. Recurrence was noted in 15 of 73 (20.5%) patients. MUC4 or MUC6 expression was considered to be negative when <30% or 0% of the MEC cells showed positive staining, respectively. MUC4- and/or MUC6-negative expression respectively and variably showed a significant relationship to pathological tumor high-grade, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis and/or tumor-related death. In addition, MUC4 showed significantly negative co-expression with MUC6. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that not only single MUC4/6-negative expression but also the combination of both predicted significantly shorter disease-free and disease-specific survivals in MECs, especially within the first two years postoperatively. Therefore, each mucin plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of MEC progression. The detection of MUC4 and/or MUC6 might be a powerful parameter in the clinical management of MECs in the early postsurgical phase.

MUC4, a novel immunohistochemical marker identified by gene expression profiling, differentiates pleural sarcomatoid mesothelioma from lung sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma, a histological subtype of malignant pleural mesothelioma, is a very aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. Histological diagnosis of sarcomatoid mesothelioma largely depends on the histomorphological feature of spindled tumor cells with immunohistochemical reactivity to cytokeratins. Diagnosis also requires clinico-radiological and/or macroscopic evidence of an extrapulmonary location to differentiate it from lung sarcomatoid carcinoma. Although there are promising immunohistochemical antibody panels to differentiate mesothelioma from lung carcinoma, a consensus on the immunohistochemical markers that distinguish sarcomatoid mesothelioma from lung sarcomatoid carcinoma has not been reached and requires further study. We performed whole gene expression analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from sarcomatoid mesothelioma and lung sarcomatoid carcinoma and observed significant differences in the expression of MUC4 and other genes between sarcomatoid mesothelioma and lung sarcomatoid carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that MUC4 was expressed in the spindled tumor cells of lung sarcomatoid carcinoma (21/29, 72%) but was not expressed in any sarcomatoid mesothelioma (0/31, 0%). To differentiate sarcomatoid mesothelioma from lung sarcomatoid carcinoma, negative MUC4 expression showed 100% sensitivity and 72% specificity and accuracy rate of 87%, which is higher than immunohistochemical markers such as calretinin, D2-40 and Claudin-4. Therefore, we recommend to include MUC4 as a novel and useful negative immunohistochemical marker for differentiating sarcomatoid mesothelioma from lung sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Mucin 4 and matrix metalloproteinase 7 as novel salivary biomarkers for periodontitis.

AIM: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by irreversible destruction of tooth-supporting tissue including alveolar bone. We recently reported mucin 4 (MUC4) and matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) as highly associated with periodontitis in gingival tissue biopsies. The aim of this study was to further investigate the levels of MUC4 and MMP7 in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples of patients with periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Saliva and GCF samples were collected from periodontitis patients and healthy controls. The levels of MUC4, MMP7, and total protein concentrations were analysed using ELISA or Bradford assay. RESULTS: MUC4 levels were significantly lower in saliva and GCF from periodontitis patients relative to healthy controls. MMP7 levels were significantly higher in saliva and GCF from periodontitis patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that MUC4 was significantly associated with periodontitis after adjusting for age and smoking habits and, moreover, that the combination of MUC4 and MMP7 accurately discriminated periodontitis from healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: MUC4 and MMP7 may be utilized as possible novel biomarkers for periodontitis.

Unique Cellular Lineage Composition of the First Gland of the Mouse Gastric Corpus.

The glandular stomach has two major zones: the acid secreting corpus and the gastrin cell-containing antrum. Nevertheless, a single gland lies at the transition between the forestomach and corpus in the mouse stomach. We have sought to define the lineages that make up this gland unit at the squamocolumnar junction. The first gland in mice showed a notable absence of characteristic corpus lineages, including parietal cells and chief cells. In contrast, the gland showed strong staining of Griffonia simplicifolia-II (GSII)-lectin-positive mucous cells at the bases of glands, which were also positive for CD44 variant 9 and Clusterin. Prominent numbers of doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) positive tuft cells were present in the first gland. The first gland contained Lgr5-expressing putative progenitor cells, and a large proportion of the cells were positive for Sox2. The cells of the first gland stained strongly for MUC4 and EpCAM, but both were absent in the normal corpus mucosa. The present studies indicate that the first gland in the corpus represents a unique anatomic entity. The presence of a concentration of progenitor cells and sensory tuft cells in this gland suggests that it may represent a source of reserve reparative cells for adapting to severe mucosal damage.

[A hybrid lesion: Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) and sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF)]. / Une lésion hybride : sarcome fibromyxoïde de bas grade (SFBG) et fibrosarcome épithélioïde sclérosant (FES).

We report the case of a 34-year-old woman presenting a 10cm axillary mass diagnosed as hybrid tumor low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma/sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma. Microbiopsy for morphological and immunohistochemical analyses was associated with molecular analysis (FISH and PCR) to confirm the diagnosis.

Comparison of Gene Expression in Peri-implant Soft Tissue and Oral Mucosal Tissue by Microarray Analysis.

PURPOSE: Implant placement entails disruption of the epithelial continuity, which can lead to various complications. Therefore, the area of mucosal penetration is of particular interest clinically. The goal of the present study was to compare gene expression in peri-implant soft tissue (PIST) with that in oral mucosal tissue (OMT) using microarray analysis, and to investigate which genes were specifically expressed in PIST. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bilateral upper first molars were extracted from 4-week-old rats and titanium alloy implants placed only in the left-side extraction sockets. Four weeks after surgery, samples were harvested from the left-side PIST and right-side OMT and total RNA samples isolated. Microarray analysis was used to compare gene expression in PIST and OMT, which was then confirmed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemical staining was also performed to confirm protein level expression. RESULTS: The number of genes expressed with more than a twofold change in PIST compared with OMT was 1,102, of which 750 genes were upregulated and 352 genes were downregulated. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of three selected genes-Ceacam1, Ifitm1, and MUC4-were more significantly expressed in PIST than in OMT(P < .01). Immunohistochemical localization of CEACAM1, IFITM1, and MUC4 was observed in PIST, but no immunoreaction was recognized in OMT. CONCLUSION: The result of microarray analysis showed that, because of implant placement, 750 genes were upregulated in PIST compared with OMT. CEACAM1, IFITM1, and MUC4 were specifically upregulated in PIST.

Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma of the thigh: report of two cases with synchronous bone metastases.

We report two cases of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma occurring in the deep soft tissue of the thigh, confirmed by molecular analysis and associated with bone metastases in the lumbar vertebrae and the iliac wing at the time of diagnosis. Synchronous bone metastases of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma are extremely difficult to diagnose because clinical and radiological features are not specific. In addition, the range of differential diagnoses is very wide, including metastatic carcinoma and osteosarcoma. At present, all but three published cases of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma with bone metastases showed bone metastases during follow-up. We confirm in our two cases that the distinct pattern of immunohistochemical staining for MUC4, associated with the absence of staining for both SATB2, a marker of osteoblastic differentiation, and pan-cytokeratin, allows differentiating between sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma and metastatic carcinoma or osteosarcoma.

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma of the sigmoid colon.

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is a rare soft tissue tumor with a slight male predominance. The tumor has a tendency to arise from deep soft tissue of the trunk and lower extremities. Rare cases are reported to arise from the mediastinal and retroperitoneal areas. Its deceptively bland histologic appearance makes this tumor difficult to diagnose. Also, there are several histologic mimics that may hinder in its diagnosis. We report a case of low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma from a 48-year-old woman, first documented herein to arise from the sigmoid. We also report the value of CD99, BCL2 and MUC4 stains in the diagnosis of this tumor.

Primary renal sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma: report of 2 cases with EWSR1-CREB3L1 gene fusion.

We report the first 2 genetically confirmed cases of primary renal sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF), occurring in a 17-year-old boy and a 61-year-old woman. In both cases, the tumors demonstrated the typical epithelioid clear cell morphology associated with extensive hyalinizing fibrosis, raising the differential diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor, metanephric stromal tumor, and the sclerosing variant of clear cell sarcoma of the kidney. Both neoplasms demonstrated diffuse immunoreactivity for MUC4, a highly specific marker for SEF, and both demonstrated evidence of rearrangement of both the EWSR1 and CREB3L1 genes, which have recently been shown to be fused in this entity. Both neoplasms presented with metastatic disease. Primary renal SEF represents yet another translocation-associated sarcoma now shown to arise primarily in the kidney.

MUC4 regulates cellular senescence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma through p16/Rb pathway.

The limited effectiveness of therapy for patients with advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) or recurrent disease is a reflection of an incomplete understanding of the molecular basis of HNSCC pathogenesis. MUC4, a high molecular weight glycoprotein, is differentially overexpressed in many human cancers and implicated in cancer progression and resistance to several chemotherapies. However, its clinical relevance and the molecular mechanisms through which it mediates HNSCC progression are not well understood. This study revealed a significant upregulation of MUC4 in 78% (68/87) of HNSCC tissues compared with 10% positivity (1/10) in benign samples (P=0.006, odds ratio (95% confidence interval)=10.74 (2.0-57.56). MUC4 knockdown (KD) in SCC1 and SCC10B HNSCC cell lines resulted in significant inhibition of growth in vitro and in vivo, increased senescence as indicated by an increase in the number of flat, enlarged and senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-Gal)-positive cells. Decreased cellular proliferation was associated with G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and decrease expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins like cyclin E, cyclin D1 and decrease in BrdU incorporation. Mechanistic studies revealed upregulation of p16, pRb dephosphorylation and its interaction with histone deacetylase 1/2. This resulted in decreased histone acetylation (H3K9) at cyclin E promoter leading to its downregulation. Orthotopic implantation of MUC4 KD SCC1 cells into the floor of the mouth in nude mice resulted in the formation of significantly smaller tumors (170±18.30 mg) compared to those (375±17.29 mg) formed by control cells (P=0.00007). In conclusion, our findings showed that MUC4 overexpression has a critical role by regulating proliferation and cellular senescence of HNSCC cells. Downregulation of MUC4 may be a promising therapeutic approach for treating HNSCC patients.

Combination of MUC1 and MUC4 expression predicts clinical outcome in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Both MUC1 and MUC4 are high molecular weight glycoproteins and are independent indicators of worse prognosis in many human epithelial cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, there has been no investigation of the clinical importance of the co-expression of MUC1 and MUC4 in OSCC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the co-expression profile of MUC1/MUC4 and analyze the prognostic significance in OSCC. METHODS: We examined the expression profile of MUC1 and MUC4 in OSCC tissues from 206 patients using immunohistochemistry. The co-expression profile of MUC1/MUC4 and its prognostic significance in OSCC was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: MUC1 and MUC4 overexpression were strongly correlated with each other (p < 0.0001) and a combination of both MUC1 and MUC4 expression was a powerful indicator for tumor aggressiveness such as tumor size (p = 0.014), lymph node metastasis (0.0001), tumor stage (p = 0.006), diffuse invasion (p = 0.028), and vascular invasion (p = 0.014). The MUC1/MUC4 double-positive patients showed the poorest overall and disease-free survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that MUC1/MUC4 double-positivity was the strong independent prognostic factor for overall and disease-free survival (p = 0.007 and (p = 0.0019), in addition to regional recurrence (p = 0.0025). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these observations indicate that the use of a combination of MUC1/MUC4 can predict outcomes for patients with OSCC. This combination is also a useful marker for predicting regional recurrence. MUC1 and MUC4 may be attractive targets for the selection of treatment methods in OSCC.

Sclerosing Muc-4-positive sarcoma with glandular differentiation resembling sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma.

Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor that is composed of epithelioid fibroblasts embedded in an abundant extracellular collagenous matrix. They have been shown to be weakly epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) positive by immunohistochemistry and may contain intercellular junctions ultrastructurally. We present a case of a 52-year-old female who presented with a sclerosing Muc-4-positive sarcoma with glandular differentiation of the sciatic nerve, resembling sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma. The glandular component showed strong expression of keratin and EMA and ultrastructurally showed numerous intercellular junctions and intraluminal microvilli, supportive of true glandular differentiation. The patient received preoperative radiotherapy (50 Gray) and subsequent resection of the mass with negative margins. She is currently disease free at 20-month follow-up. This case report describes an unusual sclerosing Muc-4-positive sarcoma with glandular differentiation, distinctive expression of epithelial immunohistochemical markers, and glandular differentiation by electron microscopy.

Membrane-bound mucins and mucin terminal glycans expression in idiopathic or Helicobacter pylori, NSAID associated peptic ulcers.

AIM: To determine the expression of membrane-bound mucins and glycan side chain sialic acids in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-associated, non-steroidal inflammatory drug (NSAID)-associated and idiopathic-gastric ulcers. METHODS: We studied a cohort of randomly selected patients with H. pylori (group 1, n = 30), NSAID (group 2, n = 18), combined H. pylori and NSAID associated gastric ulcers (group 3, n = 24), and patients with idiopathic gastric ulcers (group 4, n = 20). Immunohistochemistry for MUC1, MUC4, MUC17, and staining for Erythrina cristagalli agglutinin and Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) lectins was performed on sections from the ulcer margins. RESULTS: Staining intensity of MUC17 was higher in H. pylori ulcers (group 1) than in idiopathic ulcers (group 4), 11.05 ± 3.67 vs 6.93 ± 4.00 for foveola cells, and 10.29 ± 4.67 vs 8.00 ± 3.48 for gland cells, respectively (P < 0.0001). In contrast, MUC1 expression was higher in group 4 compared group 1, 9.89 ± 4.17 vs 2.93 ± 5.13 in foveola cells and 7.63 ± 4.60 vs 2.57± 4.50 for glands, respectively (P < 0.0001). SNA lectin staining was increased in group 4, in parallel to elevated MUC1 expression, indicating more abundant α2-6 sialylation in that group. CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic MUC17 staining was significantly decreased in the cases with idiopathic ulcer. The opposite was observed for both MUC1 and SNA lectin. This observation may reflect important pathogenic mechanisms, since different mucins with altered sialylation patterns may differ in their protection efficiency against acid and pepsin.

Universal antibody conjugation to nanoparticles using the Fcγ receptor I (FcγRI): quantitative profiling of membrane biomarkers.

Antibodies are a class of molecules widely used in bioengineering and nanomedicine for applications involving protein recognition and targeting. Here we report an efficient method for universal conjugation of antibodies to lipid-coated nanoparticles using radially oriented FcγRIs. This method is performed in physiological solution with no additional coupling reagents, thereby avoiding problems with antibody stability and functionality. Coupling to the Fc region of the antibody avoids aggregation and polymerization allowing high yield. In addition, the antibody is oriented perpendicular to the surface so that the binding sites are fully functional. Using this method we demonstrate quantitative profiling of a panel of four membrane-bound cancer biomarkers (claudin-4, mesothelin, mucin-4, and cadherin-11) on four cell lines (Panc-1, MIA PaCa-2, Capan-1, and HPDE). We show that by designing the lipid coating to minimize aggregation and nonspecific binding, we can obtain absolute values of biomarker expression levels as number per unit area on the cell surface. This method is applicable to a wide range of technologies, including solution based protein detection assays and active targeting of cell surface membrane biomarkers.