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Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) has an important role in invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the roles of EMT-associated proteins on progression and metastasis as a prognostic/predictive factor in curatively-resected (R0) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
A total of 118 patients who received curative surgery for HNSCC at Inha University Hospital between January 1996 and December 2011 were included. We used protein immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, and EZH2 on tissue microarrays. Also, we reviewed all medical records and analyzed the relationship between the expression of EMT-associated proteins and prognosis.
The E-cadherin-negative group showed more moderate/poor differentiation of cancer cell type than the higher E-cadherin-expressing group (p=.016) and high EZH2 expression was significantly correlated with nodal metastasis (p=.012). Our results demonstrate a significant association between high expression of EZH2 and vimentin and presence of distant progression (p=.026). However, expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, and EZH2 was not significantly associated with overall survival.
These findings suggest that an EMT-associated protein expression profile is correlated with aggressiveness of disease and prognosis, and could be a useful marker for determination of additional treatment in curatively-resected HNSCC patients.
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Self-made tissue punches can be effectively used to punch holes in blank recipient paraffin blocks and extract tissue cores from the donor paraffin blocks for the low-cost construction of tissue microarrays (TMAs). However, variable degrees of section distortion and loss of the tissue cores can occurs during cutting of the TMAs, posing technical problems for in-house manual construction of high-density TMAs. We aimed to update the method for in-house manual TMA construction to improve the quality of high-density TMAs.
Blocks of agarose gel were subjected to the standard tissue processing and embedding procedure to prepare recipient agarose-paraffin blocks. The self-made tissue punches and recipient agarose-paraffin blocks were used to construct TMAs, which were completely melted and re-embedded in paraffin to make finished TMA blocks.
The donor tissue cores were completely integrated into the surrounding paraffin of the recipient blocks. This method enabled us to construct high-density TMAs with significantly less section distortion or loss of tissue cores during microtomy.
Simple and inexpensive construction of high-density and high-quality TMAs can be warranted by using paraffinized agarose gels as recipient blocks.
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A case of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the small bowel mesentery with osseous component is reported. A 23-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of acute severe abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a large solid and cystic, oval shaped mass, measuring 11.0×6.0 cm in the pelvic cavity. Histologically the resected lesion consisted of sheets of undifferentiated small round cells forming Homer-Wright rosettes and perivascular pseudorosettes, and showed areas of osteoid and bone formation. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that tumor cells expressed positivity against CD99 (MIC2), CD57, neuron-specific enolase, and vimentin. Fluorescence
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Advances of tissue microarray (TMA) technology have enabled simultaneous
Ordinary cannula piercing needles, hypodermic needles, bone marrow biopsy needles, metallic ink cartridges of ballpoint pens, and disposable skin biopsy punches were used to construct self-made manual TMA kits. The recipient blocks were manufactured by boring holes in the conventional bare paraffin blocks. A mini electric hand drill and a microcompound table assembled on a drill stand were used to maximize the capacity of the recipient blocks.
By using TMA kits made from cannula piercing needles (16- and 18-gauge), it was possible to construct TMAs with 1 mm×140 cores, 0.6 mm×320 cores, 2 mm×70 cores, 3 mm×35 cores, and 5 mm×12 cores. The capacity of the recipient blocks could be dramatically increased by drilling holes.
Construction of TMAs using self-made TMA kits is an inexpensive alternative to construction of TMAs using commercial devices.
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We report here a rare case of granular cell astrocytoma. A 75-year-old man was admitted to Inha University Hospital with a three-month history of language deterioration. In a magnetic resonance imaging, a 6.5 cm-sized heterogeneous enhancing mass was seen in both the frontal lobes and the anterior genu of the corpus callosum. A stereotactic biopsy was performed. The tumor was composed of large and small round cells with abundant intracytoplasmic granules. The nuclei were bland, round to oval, and often eccentrically located. The cytoplasm of the tumor cells was positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and S-100 protein.
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A 74-year-old man suffered from jejunal perforation and adhesion to sigmoid colon due to adenocarcinoma associated with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) arising in a jejunal heterotopic pancreas. The jejunal lesion showed direct extension to the sigmoid colon, which was mistaken as sigmoid colon cancer by surgeons. Malignant transformation is a rare complication of a heterotopic pancreas. About half of malignancies in reported cases were ductal adenocarcinoma arising in the stomach, and the jejunal location is extremely rare. Furthermore, IPMN is also uncommon finding in a heterotopic pancreas.
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