Immunohistochemical analysis of von Willebrand factor expression in myocardial tissues from autopsies of patients with ischemic heart disease

von Willebrand factor (VWF) plays a crucial role in hemostasis and thrombosis. VWF is involved in platelet attachment to the subendothelium, serving as a carrier protein for coagulation factor VIII. In this study, myocardial tissues from deceased patients with ischemic heart disease and a mouse model of acute myocardial infarction were subjected to immunohistochemistry to determine VWF expression. We examined 28 neutral formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded myocardial tissue samples obtained from the autopsies of patients who were diagnosed with ischemic heart disease within 48 h postmortem. Most myocardial cells were negative for VWF, although some cells showed nonspecific positivity. Elevated VWF expression was observed around myocardial cells undergoing remodeling, suggesting that endothelial proliferation occurred at these sites. In contrast, completely fibrotic myocardial foci did not show upregulated VWF expression. Positivity in fibrin deposition and hemorrhagic sites was observed. The same VWF expression characteristics as those observed in the human samples were observed in the mouse model. VWF immunostaining as an endothelial marker may be a useful supplementation to conventional staining techniques that are currently used in the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease in terms of examining the timing of myocardial remodeling in detail and highlighting the remodeling process.     

Application of computer-generated images to train pattern recognition used in semiquantitative immunohistochemistry scoring

This study aimed to clarify whether the pattern recognition involved in scoring proliferation fractions can be trained by abstract computerized images of virtual tissues. Twenty computer-generated images with randomly distributed blue or red dots were scored by 12 probands (all co-workers or collaborators of the Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn). Afterward, the probands underwent a training phase during which they received an immediate feedback on the actual rate of positivity after each image. Finally, the initial testing series was rescored. In a second round with 15 different probands, 20 Ki-67 immunohistochemistry images of tonsil tissue were scored, followed by the same training phase with computer-generated images, before the immunohistochemistry slides were scored again. Paired t-tests were used to compare the differences in mean rates pre- and post-training. Concerning computerized images, untrained probands scored the percentages of positive dots with a mean deviation from the true rates of 8.2%. Following training, the same testing series was scored significantly better with a mean deviation of 4.9% (mean improvement 3.3%, p < 0.001). Scoring real immunohistochemistry slides, the training with computerized images also improved correct estimations, albeit to a lesser degree (mean improvement 1%, p = 0.03). Abstract computerized images of virtual tissues may be a useful tool to train and improve the accuracy of pattern recognition involved in semiquantitative scoring of immunohistochemistry slides. As a side results, this study highlights the value of computer-generated images to verify the performance of image-analysis software.     

Current guidelines in the surgical management of hereditary colorectal cancers

Incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is on rise. While approximately 70% of all CRC cases are sporadic in nature, 20%-25% have familial aggregation and only < 5% is hereditary in origin. Identification of individuals with hereditary predilection for CRC is critical, as it has an impact on their overall surgical management including surgical timing, approach & technique and determines the role of prophylactic surgery and outcome. This review highlights the concept of hereditary CRC, provides insight into its molecular basis, possibility of its application into clinical practice and emphasizes the current treatment strategies with surgical management, based on the available international guidelines.     

The 2021 WHO Classification of Lung Tumors: Impact of Advances Since 2015

The 2021 WHO Classification of Thoracic Tumours was published earlier this year, with classification of lung tumors being one of the chapters. The principles remain those of using morphology first, supported by immunohistochemistry, and then molecular techniques. In 2015, there was particular emphasis on using immunohistochemistry to make classification more accurate. In 2021, there is greater emphasis throughout the book on advances in molecular pathology across all tumor types. Major features within this edition are (1) broader emphasis on genetic testing than in the 2015 WHO Classification; (2) a section entirely dedicated to the classification of small diagnostic samples; (3) continued recommendation to document percentages of histologic patterns in invasive nonmucinous adenocarcinomas, with utilization of these features to apply a formal grading system, and using only invasive size for T-factor size determination in part lepidic nonmucinous lung adenocarcinomas as recommended by the eighth edition TNM classification; (4) recognition of spread through airspaces as a histologic feature with prognostic significance; (5) moving lymphoepithelial carcinoma to squamous cell carcinomas; (6) update on evolving concepts in lung neuroendocrine neoplasm classification; (7) recognition of bronchiolar adenoma/ciliated muconodular papillary tumor as a new entity within the adenoma subgroup; (8) recognition of thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor; and (9) inclusion of essential and desirable diagnostic criteria for each tumor.     

直肠癌患者组蛋白甲基转移酶hSETD1A表达水平的临床预后价值

背景与目的:组蛋白修饰是非常重要的表观遗传修饰形式,组蛋白甲基化修饰酶基因的异常表达与多种疾病及癌症的发生、发展有关。探讨直肠癌患者肿瘤组织的组蛋白甲基转移酶hSETD1A表达水平与临床预后的相关性。方法:选取2012年1月-2014年6月福建省肿瘤医院有详细临床资料和预后随访信息的直肠癌患者肿瘤组织切除标本141例及癌旁组织标本50例。采用免疫组织化学法检测h SETD1A的表达情况,分析其与直肠癌临床病理学特征(年龄、性别、肿瘤大小、T分期、淋巴结转移、神经累及等参数)及预后的关系。结果:肿瘤组织中h SETD1A的阳性表达率明显高于癌旁组织(75.2%vs26.0%,P<0.001)。此外,其阳性率的高低还与患者性别及肿瘤分化程度的不同相关(P=0.009)。而与年龄、肿瘤大小、T分期、淋巴结转移、TNM分期、神经累及、脉管癌栓、血清癌胚抗原(carcinoembryonic antigen,CEA)及CA19-9水平无关。生存分析结果显示,h SETD1A阳性组的5年生存率明显低于h SETD1A阴性组(64.4%vs 76.5%,P=0.036)。多因素COX回归分析显示,h SETD1A表达和T分期、淋巴结转移状况(N分期)是直肠癌的独立预后因素。结论:肿瘤组织hSETD1A的表达水平与直肠癌患者的预后密切相关。     

先天性色素痣伴增生性结节10例临床病理分析

【摘要】 目的 探讨先天性色素痣伴增生性结节的临床特点及组织病理特征。方法 收集第四军医大学西京皮肤医院2015—2019年经临床和病理确诊的10例先天性色素痣伴增生性结节患者的临床及病理资料，并进行回顾性分析。结果 10例患者年龄2～45岁（平均15岁），9例增生性结节发生于婴儿，1例发生于成人。皮损位于四肢4例，头面部3例，躯干2例，躯干及四肢同时受累1例。临床表现为黑色斑片或斑块中出现1个或多个结节，6例增生性结节为多发，4例为单发，单个结节直径0.2～1.5 cm，仅1例出现溃疡。组织病理检查显示增生性结节内黑素细胞均存在成熟现象，核分裂象少，细胞无明显异型性，无坏死现象，免疫组化检查显示痣细胞弥漫表达Melan-A，不表达或仅部分表达HMB45，Ki67增殖指数 < 5%。结论 先天性色素痣伴增生性结节可发生于四肢、头面部及躯干；临床表现为原先天性色素痣皮损上的单发或多发结节；病理上增生性结节内黑素细胞可见成熟现象，免疫组化HMB45及Ki67染色有助于诊断，其预后有待长期随访。     

Relation Between Tumor Size and Lymph Node Metastasis According to Subtypes of Breast Cancer

PurposeTumor size and lymph node metastasis are important factors that contribute to the progression of breast cancer. We aimed to analyze the relationship between tumor size and lymph node metastasis molecular subtype and examine the effects of nodal metastasis on overall survival (OS).MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the data of 16,552 patients who underwent breast surgery in Samsung Medical Center between 2000 and 2015. Information on tumor size (largest diameter of the invasive component), number of positive lymph nodes, and molecular subtype were obtained. We constructed a linear regression model to evaluate the relationship between tumor size and lymph node metastasis. To determine the effect of nodal metastasis on OS, we performed a Cox proportional regression analysis with Np/T (number of metastatic lymph nodes [n]/tumor size [cm]).ResultsThis study included 12,007 patients with a median follow-up of 62 months. The linear regression coefficients were 1.043 for luminal A, 1.024 for luminal B, 0.656 for HER2, and 0.435 for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. No significant difference was observed in the coefficients between the luminal A and B subtypes (p = 0.797), while all other coefficients showed significant difference. After adjusting for other risk factors, the hazard ratio (HR) of Np/T for each subtype was significant for OS: luminal A (HR, 1.134; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.097–1.171; p < 0.001), luminal B (HR, 1.049; 95% CI, 1.013–1.086; p = 0.007), HER2 (HR, 1.069; 95% CI, 1.014–1.126; p = 0.013), and TNBC (HR, 1.038; 95% CI, 1.01–1.067; p = 0.008).ConclusionThe incidence of lymph node metastasis differed according to molecular subtype. Luminal types have higher incidence of nodal metastasis than HER2 and TNBC. The HR of Np/T was highest in luminal A subtypes and lowest in TNBC subtypes.