Relationship of Galectin-3 Expression in Canine Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas with Histopathological Grading and Proliferation Indices.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a frequent malignant neoplasm of the skin that usually arises from areas of solar dermatosis. It is characterized by local invasiveness and regional lymph node metastasis, mainly in poorly differentiated tumours. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a lectin that is expressed in the nucleus or cytoplasm and has been identified as a prognostic tool for human neoplasms. The purpose of this study was to characterize Gal-3 expression in canine cutaneous SCCs and to investigate its relationship with tumour differentiation and cell proliferation indices. Immunohistochemical analysis of 50 SCCs for Gal-3 revealed no correlation between the localization or intensity of immunolabelling, or number of immunopositive cells, with histological grade of tumour or proliferative activity. The results suggest that Gal-3 expression is not a reliable prognostic marker for cutaneous SCC in dogs.

Metástase de seminoma em região orbital em cão - relato de caso / Metastatic seminoma in the orbital region in a dog - case report

O seminoma é uma neoformação testicular originária de células germinativas de ocorrência comum em cães, com maior prevalência em animais senis. Em geral, o comportamento biológico do seminoma canino é benigno. Relata-se neste trabalho um caso de seminoma com metástase em região orbital em um cão com 14 anos de idade. O animal foi atendido com queixa de aumento de volume em órbita esquerda, com posterior detecção de nódulo testicular. A punção aspirativa por agulha fina da massa orbital sugeriu tratar-se de linfoma de alto grau, contudo o diagnóstico definitivo de seminoma difuso foi estabelecido pela avaliação histopatológica, a qual revelou tratar-se de neoplasia maligna pouco diferenciada, sendo o diagnóstico de seminoma difuso confirmado pelo exame imunoistoquímico. Relatos de seminomas metastáticos em cães são incomuns. Objetivou-se com este trabalho relatar um caso de seminoma anaplásico difuso em cão cujo foco principal de metástase ocorreu em região orbital, além de descrever e discutir as dificuldades diagnósticas encontradas.(AU)

Seminoma is a testicular neoformation originating from germ cells, commonly occurring in dogs. With higher prevalence in senile animals, the biological behavior of canine seminomas generally benign. This case reports seminoma with mestastasis in the orbital region in a 14-year-old dog. The animal was treated with a complaint of increased volume in the left orbit, and later a nodule in the testicle was discovered. Fine-needle aspiration of the orbit mass initially indicated a high-grade lymphoma. The definitive diagnosis of diffused seminoma was established by histopathological examination, resulting in poorly differentiated malignant neoplasia. Finally, the diagnosis was confirmed through immunohistochemistry, being the result compatible with diffused seminoma. Metastatic seminomas reported in dogs are quite uncommon. In this work we report a case of diffused anaplastic seminoma in dogs, where the main focus of metastasis was observed in the orbital region, and we also describe and discuss the difficulties encountered in the diagnostic.(AU)

E-cadherin expression in estrogen receptor-positive and negative breast carcinomas of postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Preservation of E-cadherin expression is usually related to non-invasive and well differentiated breast carcinomas. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate E-cadherin immunohistochemical expression in estrogen receptor (ER) positive and negative infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas. METHODS: Twenty-three postmenopausal patients with Stage II, operable, infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas were divided into groups A (ER+; n = 13) and B (ER-; n = 10). E-cadherin immunohistochemical expression was assessed semiquantitatively according to membrane staining intensity and classified as negative (< 10% of cells with stained membranes), positive + (10-50% of cells stained) or positive ++ (> 50% of cells stained). Fisher's exact test was used to compare the distribution of staining intensity in the two groups (p < 0.05). RESULTS: In group A (ER+), E-cadherin staining was positive in all cases: + (n = 3; 23%) and ++ (n = 10; 77%) compared to three cases (30%) in group B (ER-), + (n = 2; 20%) and ++ (n = 1; 10%). This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that E-cadherin expression loss is significantly associated with ER-negative tumors and therefore with a more aggressive phenotype of invasive ductal breast carcinoma.

Evaluation of DNA damage by the alkaline comet assay of the olfactory and respiratory epithelia of dogs from the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

Animals kept as pets may be considered sentinels for environmental factors to which humans could be exposed. Olfactory and respiratory epithelia are directly subjected to airborne factors, which could cause DNA lesions, and the alkaline comet assay is considered a reliable tool for the assessment of DNA damage. The objective of this work is to evaluate the extent of DNA damage by the comet assay of the olfactory and respiratory epithelia of dogs from different regions of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Thirty-three clinically healthy dogs, aged 5 years or more, were used in the study, with 7 from the North region of São Paulo, 7 from the South region, 3 dogs from the East region, and 16 dogs from the West city region. Three dogs younger than 6 months were used as controls. DNA damage was analyzed by the alkaline comet assay. We observed no difference in histopathological analysis of olfactory and respiratory epithelia between dogs from different regions of São Paulo. Dogs older than 5 years presented significantly higher comet length in both olfactory and respiratory epithelia, when compared with controls, indicating DNA damage. When separated by regions, olfactory and respiratory epithelia presented similar DNA damage in dogs from different regions of São Paulo, corroborating with similar levels of particulate matter index (PM10) in all regions of the city. In this study, we report for the first time that the comet assay can be used to quantify the extent of DNA damage in dog olfactory and respiratory epithelia, and that comet length (DNA damage) increases with age, probably due to environmental factors. Air pollution, as measured by PM10, can be responsible for this DNA damage.

Comparison of three vascular endothelial markers in the evaluation of microvessel density in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the microvessel density by comparing the performance of anti-factor VIII-related antigen, anti-CD31 and anti-CD34 monoclonal antibodies in breast cancer. METHODS: Twenty-three postmenopausal women diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer submitted to definitive surgical treatment were evaluated. The monoclonal antibodies used were anti-factor VIII, anti-CD31 and anti-CD34. Microvessels were counted in the areas of highest microvessel density in ten random fields (200 x). The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Mean microvessel densities with anti-factor VIII, anti-CD31 and anti-CD34 were 4.16 +/- 0.38, 4.09 +/- 0.23 and 6.59 +/- 0.42, respectively. Microvessel density as assessed by anti-CD34 was significantly greater than that detected by anti-CD31 or anti-factor VIII (p < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between anti-CD31 and anti-factor VIII (p = 0.4889). CONCLUSION: The density of stained microvessels was greater and staining was more intense with anti-CD34 compared to anti-CD31 and anti-factor VIII-related antigen.

Ovarian dermoid cyst with malignant transformation and rupture of the capsule associated with chemical peritonitis: a case report and literature review.

Malignant transformation of ovarian dermoid cysts is rare and spontaneous rupture provoking chemical peritonitis is even rarer. Laparotomy in a 75-year-old Brazilian woman with abdominal pain and signs of peritoneal irritation revealed a voluminous right ovarian cyst with rupture of the capsule, an abundant quantity of fatty material in the abdominal cavity, and signs of peritonitis. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with partial omentectomy were performed. Histopathology confirmed a dermoid cyst with a well-differentiated area of epidermoid carcinoma. The patient refused additional treatment and is currently in the seventh year of follow-up with no signs of recurrence. Rupture of a dermoid cyst of the ovary resulting in chemical peritonitis is very rare and may be associated with malignant transformation.

Effect of raloxifene on vascular endothelial growth factor expression in breast carcinomas of postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of raloxifene on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in breast carcinomas of postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen postmenopausal patients with operable stage II, oestrogen receptor-positive, infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma were treated with raloxifene at a dose of 60 mg/day, for a period of 28 days prior to definitive surgery. Tumour size varied from 3 to 5 cm (mean 3.7 cm) and mean age of patients was 61.8 years (range 49-72 years). Tumour samples were obtained by incisional biopsy at the time of diagnosis and again at the time of surgery. Immunohistochemical evaluation of VEGF expression was assessed semiquantitatively based on fraction of stained tumour cells and on intensity of staining. McNemar's test of symmetry was used to evaluate agreement between positive or negative classification of VEGF expression prior to and following raloxifene treatment (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Fourteen of the 16 patients (88%) were classified as positive for VEGF expression prior to raloxifene treatment, while only 5 (31%) were classified as positive following treatment (P < 0.007). CONCLUSION: Raloxifene significantly reduced VEGF expression in these oestrogen receptor-positive breast carcinomas of postmenopausal women.

Expression of connexins in normal and neoplastic canine bone tissue.

Previous studies showed that intercellular communication by gap junctions has a role in bone formation. The main connexin involved in the development, differentiation, and regulation of bone tissue is connexin (Cx) 43. In addition, Cx46 is also expressed, mostly localized within the trans-Golgi region. Alterations in the expression pattern and aberrant location of these connexins are associated with oncogenesis, demonstrating a deficient gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) capacity in neoplastic tissues. In this study, we evaluated normal and neoplastic bone tissues regarding the expression of Cx43 and Cx46 by immunofluorescence, gene expression of these connexins by real-time PCR, and their correlation with cell proliferation index and deposition of collagen. Fourteen neoplastic bone lesions, including 13 osteosarcomas and 1 multilobular tumor of bone, were studied. The mRNA levels of Cx43 were similar between normal and neoplastic bone tissue. In normal bone tissue, the Cx43 protein was found mainly in the intercellular membranes. However, in all bone tumors studied here, the Cx43 was present in both cell membranes and also aberrantly in the cytoplasm. Regarding only tumor samples, we determined a possible inverse correlation between Cx43 expression and cellular proliferation, although a positive correlation between Cx43 expression and collagen deposition was also noted. In contrast, Cx46 had lower levels of expression in neoplastic bone tissues when compared with normal bone and was found retained in the perinuclear region. Even though there are differences between these two connexins regarding expression in neoplastic versus normal tissues, we concluded that there are differences regarding the subcellular location of these connexins in normal and neoplastic dog bone tissues and suggest a possible correlation between these findings and some aspects of cellular proliferation and possibly differentiation.

Tuberculosis of the breast: analysis of 20 cases and a literature review.

Tuberculosis (TB) of the breast is a very rare pathology. The clinical presentations of this disease are manifold, often mimicking carcinoma of the breast. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 women with TB of the breast receiving care at the mastology clinic at Getúlio Vargas Hospital, PI, Brazil, between 1994 and 2007. The clinical presentation of the disease, the diagnosis and the response to specific treatment were analyzed. Most of the patients were of reproductive age, with the disease affecting the right breast in eleven patients (55%) and the left breast in nine patients (45%). Palpable nodules were present in five patients (25%) and fistulae in 15 (75%). The mean time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 7.7 months (range 3-12 months). Skin testing with purified protein derivative of tuberculin was strongly reactive in all patients, six (30%) of whom were breastfeeding. Diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology and all patients were satisfactorily treated with a combination of rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide. In the present study, TB of the breast presented predominantly as breast abscesses and fistulae and responded satisfactorily to treatment with anti-TB drugs.

Effects of raloxifene on the urethra of adult castrated female rats.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of raloxifene on the weight and epithelial thickness of the urethra of castrated female rats. METHODS: Forty castrated female rats were randomly separated into two groups: group I (control, n = 20) received only the vehicle, and group II (raloxifene, n = 20) received 750 microg/day of raloxifene for 30 days. On the 31st day, the animals were sacrificed and the urethras were removed for the study. A model for categorical data using the weighted minimum mean square error method and Student's t test were used for the data analysis (p < 0.05). RESULTS: The mean weights of the urethras in groups I and II were 22 +/- 1.6 mg and 24 +/- 1.7 mg, respectively (p = 0.371). There was an increase in the mean epithelial thickness of the distal segments in group II compared to group I (50.7 +/- 1.9 microm vs. 45.3 +/- 1.6 microm, respectively) (p < 0.04). No statistically significant difference was found in the mean epithelial thickness of the proximal urethra between the two groups (p = 0.187). CONCLUSION: Raloxifene administered to castrated female rats for 30 days increased the distal urethral epithelial thickness and did not alter the weight of the urethra.

Ectopic breast cancer in the anterior chest wall: a case report and literature review.

Ectopic breast cancer is rare and when situated in the chest wall, it is even rarer. This report describes the case of an 86-year old Brazilian woman with a palpable carcinoma, located in the right inframammary fold, and right axillary adenopathy. The patient was submitted to excision of the accessory breast and to right axillary lymphadenectomy. All 28 resected lymph nodes contained metastatic cells. Diagnosis and treatment of ectopic breast cancer should be carried out early in view of its aggressivity.