Influence of Magnolol on the bystander effect induced by alpha-particle irradiation

In this work, the influence of Magnolol on the bystander effect in alpha-particle irradiated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was examined. The bystander effect was studied through medium transfer experiments. Cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay was performed to quantify the chromosome damage induced by alpha-particle irradiation. Our results showed that the alpha-particle induced micronuclei (MN) frequencies were suppressed with the presence of Magnolol.     

Microglandular adenosis: a prime suspect in triple‐negative breast cancer development

Microglandular adenosis (MGA) and atypical MGA (AMGA) are unusual lesions of the breast. They were once regarded as benign proliferative lesions and innocent bystanders. Several lines of evidence suggested that they could be neoplastic, clonal lesions and a non‐obligate precursor for triple‐negative breast cancers (TNBC). Recent work published in The Journal of Pathology by Guerini‐Rocco and colleagues provided further evidence regarding the precursor–product relationship between MGA/AMGA and TNBC. Using a massively parallel sequencing approach, they demonstrated that MGA/AMGA, particularly those associated with TNBC, could be clonal neoplastic lesions showing clonal non‐synonymous mutations, but none in pure MGA. Importantly, those alterations were observed in the associated TNBC. They were also able to identify recurrent alterations in TP53 in those MGA/AMGA cases as well as their associated TNBC. The findings, in conjunction with others, underscore the significance for MGA in clinical diagnosis. The potential of a benign lesion to progress into an aggressive malignant tumour implies that modification of the current management approach may be necessary. Copyright © 2016 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The main trends in a complex program of rehabilitation of children with oncological diseases

The present-day therapeutical programmes allow physicians to cure as many as 70% of children with malignant neoplasms, in some tumor forms, the proportion of recovered children is much higher, which shows it urgent to elaborate comprehensive rehabilitation programmes required for the effective integration of prior patients of children's cancer clinics into a group. The paper presents a complex rehabilitation programme worked out at the Research Institute of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The basic directions of the programme are medical, psychological, pedagogical, and social rehabilitation. For medical rehabilitation, phytotherapy, medical laser, climate therapy, and therapeutical exercises are widely used. Of particular value are physical and recreational activities, which include the use of therapeutical exercises, active recreational activities, participation in sporting events, and conditioning swimming. Psychological and pedagogical rehabilitation is aimed at solving personality and familial problems, at developing intellectual abilities, and at eliminating steady-state bad habits and behavioral deviations. A psychological and pedagogical programme is based on the work of art-therapeutical shops where a child realizes his/her strivings, which promotes the recovery of his/her mental and social status. The work of psychologists and psychotherapeutists with children's parents occupies a highly important place since correction of child-parent relations serves as a necessary basis for mental recovery in a child. The most important factor of social rehabilitation is an educational programme aimed at acquiring knowledge and at stimulating cognitive activities. To implement the comprehensive programme increases life quality in children who have sustained cancer diseases, improves their social adaptation and thus facilitates integration of these children in society.     

Stress-activated protein kinases mediate cell migration in human airway epithelial cells

Airway epithelial cell (AEC) repair immediately after injury requires coordinated cell spreading and migration at the site of injury. Stress-activated protein kinases such as p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal Protein Kinase (JNK) modulate several responses to cell stress and injury, but their role in AEC migration is not clear. We examined migration in confluent 16HBE14o(-) human AEC lines and in primary AEC grown on collagen-IV. Wounds were created by mechanical abrasion and followed to closure using digital microscopy. Inhibitors of either p38 extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 (PD98059), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (SB203580), or JNK (SP600125) could block cell migration substantially. Inhibiting JNK but not p38 MAPK or ERK1/2 blocked extension of cells into the wound region from the original line of injury. Initial migration was associated with phosphorylation of ERK, p38 MAPK, and JNK within 5-15 min. The downstream effector of p38, heat shock protein 27, also was phosphorylated rapidly after injury; phosphorylation could be blocked by prior treatment with SB203580 but not SP600125. The downstream effector of JNK, c-Jun, likewise was phosphorylated rapidly after injury and could be blocked by inhibiting JNK. Our data demonstrate that p38 MAPK, JNK, and ERK1/2 participate in the early stages of AEC migration.     

Stromal CD10 expression in mammary fibroadenomas and phyllodes tumours

BACKGROUND/AIMS: CD10 (CALLA) has recently been reported to be expressed in spindle cell neoplasia, and has been used to differentiate endometrial stromal sarcoma from leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. In the breast, myoepithelial cells express CD10, but there are few studies of the expression of CD10 in mammary fibroepithelial lesions. METHODS: Stromal CD10 expression was studied in 181 mammary phyllodes tumours (102 benign, 51 borderline malignant, and 28 frankly malignant) and 33 fibroadenomas using immunohistochemistry, to evaluate whether differences in expression correlated with the degree of malignancy. RESULTS: There was a progressive increase in the patients' age and tumour size, from fibroadenoma to phyllodes tumours with an increasing degree of malignancy (p < 0.001). Stromal CD10 expression was positive in one of 33 fibroadenomas, six of 102 benign phyllodes tumours, 16 of 51 borderline malignant phyllodes tumours, and 14 of 28 frankly malignant phyllodes tumours. The difference was significant (p < 0.001) and an increasing trend was established. Strong staining was seen in subepithelial areas with higher stromal cellularity and activity. Stromal CD10 expression had a high specificity (95%) for differentiating between benign lesions (fibroadenomas and benign phyllodes tumours) and malignant (borderline and frankly malignant) phyllodes tumours. CONCLUSIONS: CD10 may be a useful adjunct in assessing malignancy in mammary fibroepithelial lesions.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology of breast cancer in women aged 70 years and older

Aims: Elderly breast cancers are associated with a more favourable biological marker profile and higher proportion of specific subtypes, some of which are of low histological grade. We reviewed the fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to assess the cytological characteristics and any clues to assist in the diagnosis. Methods: The aspirates of 140 cancers of various histological types and grades and 39 benign lesions were evaluated for 13 cytological parameters including cellularity of the direct and cytospin smears, epithelial cell clusters, cellular atypism, cytoplasmic features, vacuoles, mitotic figures, presence of myoepithelial cells, single background epithelial cells, the presence of naked nuclei, stromal fragments and necrosis. Results: We found that the presence of background single epithelial cells, atypism of such cells, absence of benign appearing epithelial fragments, nuclear atypism of the epithelial cells within the fragments, presence of moderate amount of cytoplasm of these cells, absence of myoepithelial cells within the cluster, and absence of bipolar nuclei in the background have a strong association with malignancy. Scoring only the presence of single cells in the background, single cell atypism and the absence of bipolar nuclei in a scoring system can differentiate between benign and malignant aspirates with high (>90%) sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: Assessing the presence of single cells in the background, single cell atypism and the absence of bipolar nuclei facilitates identification of malignancy in the aspiration of breast lesions from elderly patients.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia of the breast

Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) is an uncommon lesion usually found in premenopausal women. Histologically, it is characterized by complex, anatomosing, empty slit-like spaces in a dense collagenous stroma. These pseudoangiomatous spaces are lined by monomorphic spindle cells of myofibroblastic differentiation. Cytological features of PASH are rarely discussed and reported, and may pose diagnostic challenge to surgical pathologists. Two cases of PASH are reported with emphasis on the FNAC features and cytologic differentiation from other benign fibroepithelial lesions.     

Characterization of a recombinant canine coronavirus with a distinct receptor-binding (S1) domain

Canine alphacoronaviruses (CCoV) exist in two serotypes, type I and II, both of which can cause severe gastroenteritis. Here, we characterize a canine alphacoronavirus, designated CCoV-A76, first isolated in 1976. Serological studies show that CCoV-A76 is distinct from other CCoVs, such as the prototype CCoV-1-71. Efficient replication of CCoV-A76 is restricted to canine cell lines, in contrast to the prototypical type II strain CCoV-1-71 that more efficiently replicates in feline cells. CCoV-A76 can use canine aminopeptidase N (cAPN) receptor for infection of cells, but was unable to use feline APN (fAPN). In contrast, CCoV-1-71 can utilize both. Genomic analysis shows that CCoV-A76 possesses a distinct spike, which is the result of a recombination between type I and type II CCoV, that occurred between the N- and C-terminal domains (NTD and C-domain) of the S1 subunit. These data suggest that CCoV-A76 represents a recombinant coronavirus form, with distinct host cell tropism.