Use of serum and blood samples on filter paper to improve the surveillance of Dengue in Pacific Island Countries.

Background: In Pacific Island Countries (PICs) the epidemiology of dengue is characterized by long-term transmission of a single dengue virus (DENV) serotype. The emergence of a new serotype in one island country often indicates major outbreaks with this serotype will follow in other PICs.

Objectives: Filter paper (FP) cards on which whole blood or serum from dengue suspected patients had been dried was evaluated as a method for transportation of this material by standard mail delivery throughout the Pacific.

Histopathologic Overlap between Fibrosing Mediastinitis and IgG4-Related Disease.

Fibrosing mediastinitis (FM) and IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) are two fibroinflammatory disorders with potentially overlapping clinical and radiological features. In this paper, we looked for histopathologic features of IgG4-RD and enumerated infiltrating IgG4-positive plasma cells within mediastinal tissue biopsies from FM patients. We identified 15 consecutive FM surgical mediastinal tissue biopsies between 1985 and 2006.

Identification of estrogen receptor β as a SUMO-1 target reveals a novel phosphorylated sumoylation motif and regulation by glycogen synthase kinase 3β.

SUMO conjugation has emerged as a dynamic process in regulating protein function. Here we identify estrogen receptor β (ERβ) to be a new target of SUMO-1. ERβ SUMO-1 modification occurs on a unique nonconsensus sumoylation motif which becomes fully competent upon phosphorylation of its contained serine residue, which provides the essential negative charge for sumoylation.

Increased miR-708 expression in NSCLC and its association with poor survival in lung adenocarcinoma from never smokers.

Purpose: miRNA plays an important role in human disease and cancer. We seek to investigate the expression status, clinical relevance, and functional role of miRNA in non-small cell lung cancer.

Experimental Design: We conducted miRNA expression profiling in matched lung adenocarcinoma and uninvolved lung using 56 pairs of fresh-frozen (FF) and 47 pairs of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from never smokers.

Project management office in health care: a key strategy to support evidence-based practice change.

This article describes the contribution of a Transition Support Office (TSO) in a health care center in Canada to supporting changes in practice based on evidence and organizational performance in the early phase of a major organizational change. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with 11 members of the TSO and 13 managers and clinicians from an ambulatory sector in the organization who received support from the TSO. The main themes addressed in the interviews were the description of the TSO, the context of implementation, and the impact.

Integrin α9β1 promotes malignant tumor growth and metastasis by potentiating epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The integrin α9β1 binds a number of extracellular matrix components to mediate cell adhesion, migration and tissue invasion. Although expressed in a variety of normal human cells including endothelium, it is also expressed in cancer cells. We have previously shown that α9β1 binds VEGF-A to facilitate angiogenesis, an important component of the tumor microenvironment.

Iron excess limits HHIPL-2 gene expression and decreases osteoblastic activity in human MG-63 cells.

Unlabelled: In order to understand mechanisms involved in osteoporosis observed during iron overload diseases, we analyzed the impact of iron on a human osteoblast-like cell line. Iron exposure decreases osteoblast phenotype. HHIPL-2 is an iron-modulated gene which could contribute to these alterations.

Necrotizing granulomatous inflammation: what does it mean if your special stains are negative?

Necrotizing granulomas are commonly encountered in surgically resected specimens. The majority will be proven infectious with special stains for microorganisms. These need to be distinguished from other granulomatous processes such as Wegener's granulomatosis (WG).

Phenotypic spectrum of fetal Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

The Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is an autosomal recessive multiple congenital malformation syndrome caused by dehydrocholesterol reductase deficiency. The diagnosis is confirmed by high 7- and secondarily 8-dehydrocholesterol levels in plasma and tissues and/or by detection of biallelic mutations in the DHCR7 gene. The phenotypic spectrum of SLOS is broad, ranging from a mild phenotype combining subtle physical anomalies with behavioral and learning problems, to a perinatally lethal multiple malformations syndrome.

Recent emergence of dengue virus serotype 4 in French Polynesia results from multiple introductions from other South Pacific Islands.

Background: Infection by dengue virus (DENV) is a major public health concern in hundreds of tropical and subtropical countries. French Polynesia (FP) regularly experiences epidemics that initiate, or are consecutive to, DENV circulation in other South Pacific Island Countries (SPICs). In January 2009, after a decade of serotype 1 (DENV-1) circulation, the first cases of DENV-4 infection were reported in FP.

Worse disease-free survival in never-smokers with ALK+ lung adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: The EML4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation is a recognized oncogenic driver in non-small cell lung cancer. We investigated immunohistochemistry (IHC) screening with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmation for ALK detection and estimated the prevalence of ALK positivity in our patient cohort of never-smokers, together with differences in clinical outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with ALK-positive and ALK-negative tumors.

Methods: We designed a three-phase study (training, validation, and testing) in 300 never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma from the observational Mayo Clinic Lung Cancer Cohort.

Quality of life and symptom burden among long-term lung cancer survivors.

Introduction: Information is limited regarding health-related quality of life (QOL) status of long-term (greater than 5 years) lung cancer survivors (LTLCS). Obtaining knowledge about their QOL changes over time is a critical step toward improving poor and maintaining good QOL. The primary aim of this study was to conduct a 7-year longitudinal study in survivors of primary lung cancer which identified factors associated with either decline or improvement in QOL over time.

Whole-genome expression analysis in primary human keratinocyte cell cultures exposed to 60 GHz radiation.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate potential responses of skin cells to millimeter wave (MMW) radiation increasingly used in the wireless technologies. Primary human skin cells were exposed for 1, 6, or 24 h to 60.4 GHz with an average incident power density of 1.

Systematic evaluation of genetic variants in three biological pathways on patient survival in low-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Studies from selected candidate genes suggest that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in glutathione metabolism, DNA repair, or inflammatory responses may affect overall survival (OS) in stages I to II or low-stage non-small cell lung cancer (LS-NSCLC); however, results are inconclusive. In this study, we took a systematic pathway-based approach to simultaneously evaluate the impact of genetic variation from these three pathways on OS after LS-NSCLC diagnosis.

Methods: DNA from 647 patients with LS-NSCLC was genotyped for 480 SNPs (tag-SNPs) tagging 57 genes from the three candidate pathways.

Genetic variations in multiple drug action pathways and survival in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy.

Purpose: Variations in genes related to biological activity of anticancer drugs could influence treatment responses and lung cancer prognosis. Genetic variants in four biological pathways, that is, glutathione metabolism, DNA repair, cell cycle, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), were systematically investigated to examine their association with survival in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with chemotherapy.

Experimental Design: A total of 894 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 70 genes from the four pathways were genotyped and analyzed in a 1,076-patient cohort.

Evolution of transthoracic fine needle aspiration and core needle biopsy practice: A comparison of two time periods, 1996-1998 and 2003-2005.

To examine the performance of our large pulmonary transthoracic fine needle aspiration/core biopsy (FNA/CB) practice over time, we performed a retrospective analysis of data from 333 consecutive procedures performed in 1996-1998 and 568 consecutive procedures performed in 2003-2005. Fluoroscopic guidance was performed more frequently in the earlier cohort, while a larger majority of procedures in the later cohort were by computed tomography (CT-guidance). A follow-up histologic diagnosis of cancer or clinical evidence of disease was considered the gold-standard.

Maintaining clinical tissue archives and supporting human research: challenges and solutions.

Context: The increasing number of requests for use of clinically archived tissue in translational research poses unique challenges. Conflicts may arise between pathologists who are responsible for overseeing and preserving the tissues and investigators who need these materials for research purposes.

Objectives: To evaluate the status of our institution's Tissue Registry Archive and to develop updated written policies and procedures to support a new modern and robust tracking system with features of a library loan system.

Recurrent pulmonary intimal sarcoma involving the right ventricular outflow tract.

Intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery is commonly misdiagnosed as chronic pulmonary embolism. Rarely, it can involve the right ventricular outflow tract and the pulmonary valve. We report a patient who was treated surgically for an intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery involving the right ventricular outflow tract and the pulmonary valve.

Correlation of IHC and FISH for ALK gene rearrangement in non-small cell lung carcinoma: IHC score algorithm for FISH.

Introduction: Accurate, cost-effective methods for testing anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangement (ALK+) are needed to select patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma for ALK-inhibitor therapy. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is used to detect ALK+, but it is expensive and not routinely available. We explored the potential of an immunohistochemistry (IHC) scoring system as an affordable, accessible approach.

A 4-gene signature associated with clinical outcome in high-grade gliomas.

Purpose: Gene expression studies provide molecular insights improving the classification of patients with high-grade gliomas. We have developed a risk estimation strategy based on a combined analysis of gene expression data to search for robust biomarkers associated with outcome in these tumors.

Experimental Design: We performed a meta-analysis using 3 publicly available malignant gliomas microarray data sets (267 patients) to define the genes related to both glioma malignancy and patient outcome.

DNA methylation in glioblastoma: impact on gene expression and clinical outcome.

Background: Changes in promoter DNA methylation pattern of genes involved in key biological pathways have been reported in glioblastoma. Genome-wide assessments of DNA methylation levels are now required to decipher the epigenetic events involved in the aggressive phenotype of glioblastoma, and to guide new treatment strategies.

Results: We performed a whole-genome integrative analysis of methylation and gene expression profiles in 40 newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients.

Diagnostic concordance of histologic lung cancer type between bronchial biopsy and cytology specimens taken during the same bronchoscopic procedure.

Context: The diagnosis of lung cancer is often confirmed by cytology and biopsy specimens obtained during a bronchoscopic procedure. At our institution, these specimens are read by different pathologists, and the rate of concordance was not known.

Objectives: To evaluate the concordance rate in the diagnosis of lung cancer types between cytology and biopsy specimens and to correlate discordance with patient outcome.

Sports injuries and illnesses during the Winter Olympic Games 2010.

Background: Identification of high-risk sports, including their most common and severe injuries and illnesses, will facilitate the identification of sports and athletes at risk at an early stage.

Aim: To analyse the frequencies and characteristics of injuries and illnesses during the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010.

Methods: All National Olympic Committees' (NOC) head physicians were asked to report daily the occurrence (or non-occurrence) of newly sustained injuries and illnesses on a standardised reporting form.

Clinical features of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma with new histologic and staging definitions.

Introduction: To assess clinical features of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) based on the 1999 World Health Organization Classification ("pure BAC"), compare patients with pure BAC with patients previously diagnosed as BAC not meeting the 1999 definition, and compare survival changes of pure BAC based on the old and new (2009) staging systems.

Methods: A pulmonary pathologist reviewed each BAC tumor diagnosed between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2007, identifying cases meeting the new criteria. Cases were restaged according to the seventh edition of the tumor, node, metastasis classification introduced in 2009.