A new clinical cut-off of cytokeratin 19 mRNA copy number in sentinel lymph node better identifies patients eligible for axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer.

Aims: Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA copy number predicts the probability of tumour load in axillary lymph nodes (ALN) and can help in decision-making regarding the axillary dissection. The purpose of this study was to define a new cut-off of CK19 mRNA copy number using the one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay on metastatic sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in order to identify cases at risk of having one or more positive ALN.

Methods: 1296 SLN from 1080 patients were analysed with the OSNA assay.

Expression of the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and its ligand (uPA) in brain tissues of human immunodeficiency virus patients with opportunistic cerebral diseases.

The urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and its ligand (uPA) play an important role in cell migration and extracellular proteolysis. We previously described uPAR/uPA overexpression in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain tissues of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related cerebral diseases. In this study, we examined uPAR/uPA expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in brains of HIV patients with opportunistic cerebral lesions and in HIV-positive/negative controls.

Increased susceptibility to colitis-associated cancer of mice lacking TIR8, an inhibitory member of the interleukin-1 receptor family.

TIR8 (also known as SIGIRR) is a member of the interleukin-1/Toll-like receptor family with inhibitory activity on inflammatory reactions and high expression in intestinal mucosa. Here, we report that Tir8-deficient mice exhibited a dramatic intestinal inflammation in response to dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS) administration in terms of weight loss, intestinal bleeding, and mortality and showed increased susceptibility to carcinogenesis in response to azoxymethane and DSS. Increased susceptibility to colitis-associated cancer was associated to increased permeability and local production of prostaglandin E(2), proinflammatory cytokines, and chemokines.

Sequence analysis of the JC virus transcriptional control region detected in urine from HIV-positive patients.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between transcriptional control region (TCR) types and virus replication and the role of decreased host immunity in inducing TCR changes.

Study Design: In a previous study, urine specimens from 78 unselected HIV-positive patients were independently evaluated by cytology, immunohistochemistry and nested polymerase chain reaction (n-PCR) to detect the presence of polyomaviruses. The JC virus (JCV) large T region was positive in 44/78 (56%) urine specimens by n-PCR.

Molecular characterisation of JC virus strains detected in human brain tumours.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence and significance of JC virus (JCV) in human brain tumours.

Methods: Histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular biology techniques were employed to examine specimens of tumour tissue, peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid taken from 22 patients with primary neuro-epithelial tumours. Furthermore, the coding viral protein (VP1) region and non-coding transcription control region (TCR) of JCV genome isolated from the tumours were submitted to sequence analysis in order to detect viral rearrangements or mutations.

Lytic JC virus infection in the kidneys of AIDS subjects.

Our objective was to investigate the role of the human polyomavirus JC virus as a possible cause of renal damage in AIDS subjects. Histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular biology were used to evaluate the frequency of viral infection, genotypes, viral status, and the presence of rearrangements or point mutations in specific genomic regions of strains isolated from renal tissue. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of postmortem renal specimens obtained from 111 unselected AIDS patients were stained for routine histology and with anti-SV40 antibody.