Expression profiling of Epstein-Barr virus-encoded microRNAs from paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed primary Epstein-Barr virus-positive B-cell lymphoma samples.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated in a range of B-cell malignancies and expresses unique microRNAs (EBV-miRNAs). Due to the requirements for high-quality RNA, studies profiling EBV-miRNA in EBV-positive lymphomas have been restricted to cell-lines or frozen samples. However, the most commonly available archived patient material is paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed (FFPE) tissue.

Stereochemically versatile synthesis of the C1-C12 fragment of tedanolide C.

A flexible synthesis of the C1-C12 fragment of Tedanolide C has been accomplished in eight steps from 2-methyl-2,4-pentadienal. Asymmetric hydroformylation of a 1,3-diene allows for the late-stage generation of either C10 epimer with complete catalyst control. Diastereoselective addition of an isobutyryl β-ketoester dianion to an α,β-disubstituted chiral aldehyde sets the C5 stereochemistry while installing the geminal dimethyl unit.

Plasmablastic posttransplant lymphoma: cytogenetic aberrations and lack of Epstein-Barr virus association linked with poor outcome in the prospective German Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder Registry.

Background: Plasmablastic posttransplant lymphoma is a rare subtype of monomorphic B-cell posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). There is little published clinical data to guide treatment.

Methods: The German prospective PTLD registry D2006-2012 records baseline features, treatment, and outcome of rare PTLD subtypes in adults after solid organ transplantation.

Low prevalence of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus isolates among Connecticut veterans.

The Etest glycopeptide resistance detection identified two potential heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) isolates from a screen of 288 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from patients at a Connecticut Veterans Hospital. However, the two isolates did not meet the criteria for hVISA by the population analysis profile-area under the curve analysis, arguing against routine screening for hVISA in this low prevalence population.

MYC gene amplification is often acquired in lethal distant breast cancer metastases of unamplified primary tumors.

In breast cancer, amplification of MYC is consistently observed in aggressive forms of disease and correlates with poor prognosis and distant metastases. However, to date, a systematic analysis of MYC amplification in metastatic breast cancers has not been reported. Specifically, whether the MYC amplification status may change in metastases in comparison to the corresponding primary breast tumor, and potential variability among different metastases within the same patient have also not been assessed.

Coordinated host responses during pyroptosis: caspase-1-dependent lysosome exocytosis and inflammatory cytokine maturation.

Activation of caspase-1 leads to pyroptosis, a program of cell death characterized by cell lysis and inflammatory cytokine release. Caspase-1 activation triggered by multiple nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs; NLRC4, NLRP1b, or NLRP3) leads to loss of lysosomes via their fusion with the cell surface, or lysosome exocytosis. Active caspase-1 increased cellular membrane permeability and intracellular calcium levels, which facilitated lysosome exocytosis and release of host antimicrobial factors and microbial products.

Plasmacytoma-like post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, a rare subtype of monomorphic B-cell post-transplant lymphoproliferation, is associated with a favorable outcome in localized as well as in advanced disease: a prospective analysis of 8 cases.

Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) with plasmacellular differentiation has been reported as a rare subtype of monomorphic B-cell post-transplant lympho-proliferation with histological and immunophenotypical features of plasmacytoma in the non-transplant population. Here we present clinical, laboratory and histopathological features, treatment and outcome of 8 patients from the German prospective PTLD registry. Clinically, extranodal manifestations were common while osteolytic lesions were rare and none of the patients had bone marrow involvement.

Managing patients with hepatitis‑B-related or hepatitis‑C-related decompensated cirrhosis.

Treatment of patients with hepatitis-B-related or hepatitis-C-related decompensated cirrhosis should focus on controlling the complications of cirrhosis, surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma and, if applicable, preparation for orthotopic liver transplant. Interferon-based regimens for the treatment of hepatitis C have been somewhat successful in patients with cirrhosis, although treatment of patients with decompensated cirrhosis should be approached with caution. Given the potential for exacerbation of decompensation and poor tolerance of adverse effects, treatment should be reserved for those patients awaiting liver transplantation.

Primary central nervous system lymphomas: a validation study of array-based comparative genomic hybridization in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor specimens.

Purpose: Only a limited number of genetic studies have been conducted in primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL), partly due to the rarity of the tumors and the very limited amount of available tissue. In this report, we present the first molecular characterization of copy number abnormalities (CNA) of newly diagnosed PCNSL by array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens and compare the results with matched, frozen tumor specimens.

Experimental Design: We conducted aCGH in FFPE tissues from PCNSL.

15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase is downregulated and exhibits tumor suppressor activity in gastric cancer.

We investigated the tumor suppressor activity and regulatory mechanism of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) in gastric cancer; 15-PGDH expression was lost in 70.1% of malignant human gastric tissues, but was preserved in normal and metaplastic gastritis. KATO III and SNU-719 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.

The role of cytokines in atopic asthma.

Atopic asthma results from airway inflammation triggered by an environmental allergen. Symptoms include wheezing, dyspnea and cough, airway narrowing and/or hyperresponsiveness to several inhaled stimuli. Inflammation develops in a two-phase fashion.

Distinct germ line polymorphisms underlie glioma morphologic heterogeneity.

Two recent genome-wide association studies reported that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in (or near) TERT (5p15), CCDC26 (8q24), CDKN2A/B (9p21), PHLDB1 (11q23), and RTEL1 (20q13) are associated with infiltrating glioma. From these reports, it was not clear whether the single nucleotide polymorphism associations predispose to glioma in general or whether they are specific to certain glioma grades or morphologic subtypes. To identify hypothesized associations between susceptibility loci and tumor subtype, we genotyped two case-control groups composed of the spectrum of infiltrating glioma subtypes and stratified the analyses by type.

Genomic scans support repetitive continental colonization events during the rapid radiation of voles (Rodentia: Microtus): the utility of AFLPs versus mitochondrial and nuclear sequence markers.

Single locus studies might not resolve phylogenetic relationships and the evolutionary history of taxa. The analysis of multiple markers promises higher resolution, and congruence among loci may indicate that the phylogenies represent the underlying species history. Here, we examine the utility of a genome-wide approach based on amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) and several DNA sequence markers in resolving phylogenetic signals in the rapidly radiating rodent genus Microtus which produced about 70 vole species within the last 1.

Tubulin polymerization promoting protein (TPPP/p25) as a marker for oligodendroglial changes in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with variable extent of remyelination. Remyelination originates from oligodendrocyte (OG) precursor cells, which migrate and differentiate into mature OG. Tubulin polymerization promoting protein (TPPP/p25) is located in mature OG and aggregates in oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions in multiple system atrophy.

Recovery of mechano-electrical transduction in rat cochlear hair bundles after postnatal destruction of the stereociliar cross-links.

Mechano-electrical transduction (MET) in the stereocilia of outer hair cells (OHCs) was studied in newborn Wistar rats using scanning electron microscopy to investigate the stereociliar cross-links, Nomarski laser differential interferometry to investigate stereociliar stiffness and by testing the functionality of the MET channels by recording the entry of fluorescent dye, FM1-43, into stereocilia. Preparations were taken from rats on their day of birth (P0) or 1-4 days later (P1-P4). Hair bundles developed from the base to the apex and from the inner to outer OHC rows.

Worst case: rethinking tertiary triage protocols in pandemics and other health emergencies.

Demand for critical care resources could vastly outstrip supply in an influenza pandemic or other health emergency, which has led expert groups to propose altered standards for triage and resource allocation. A pilot study by Christian and colleagues applied the Ontario, Canada draft critical care triage protocol to an actual retrospective cohort of intensive care unit patients. The findings are troubling.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization to visualize genetic abnormalities in interphase cells of acinar cell carcinoma, ductal adenocarcinoma, and islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas.

Objective: To use fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to visualize genetic abnormalities in interphase cell nuclei (interphase FISH) of acinar cell carcinoma, ductal adenocarcinoma, and islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas.

Patients And Methods: Between April 4, 2007, and December 4, 2008, interphase FISH was used to study paraffin-embedded preparations of tissue obtained from 18 patients listed in the Mayo Clinic Biospecimen Resource for Pancreas Research with a confirmed diagnosis of acinar cell carcinoma, ductal adenocarcinoma, islet cell carcinoma, or pancreas without evidence of neoplasia. FISH probes were used for chromosome loci of APC (see glossary at end of article for expansion of all gene symbols), BRCA2, CTNNB1, EGFR, ERBB2, CDKN2A, TP53, TYMP, and TYMS.

Sexual body esteem and mindfulness in college women.

Literature suggests that many young women hold negative perceptions of their sexual bodies and facial features. This may be related to deficits in mindfulness, manifested by rigid and automatic thoughts, feelings, and behavior about one's sexual body. The present study examined the relationships between the five factors of mindfulness measured by the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and sexual body esteem, measured by the Sexual Attractiveness subscale of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) in 79 college women.

15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase inactivation as a mechanism of resistance to celecoxib chemoprevention of colon tumors.

Pharmacologic inhibitors of the prostaglandin-synthesizing COX-2 oncogene prevent the development of premalignant human colon adenomas. However, resistance to treatment is common. In this study, we show that the adenoma prevention activity of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib requires the concomitant presence of the 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) tumor suppressor gene, and that loss of 15-PGDH expression imparts resistance to celecoxib's anti-tumor effects.

Pyroptosis: host cell death and inflammation.

Eukaryotic cells can initiate several distinct programmes of self-destruction, and the nature of the cell death process (non-inflammatory or proinflammatory) instructs responses of neighbouring cells, which in turn dictates important systemic physiological outcomes. Pyroptosis, or caspase 1-dependent cell death, is inherently inflammatory, is triggered by various pathological stimuli, such as stroke, heart attack or cancer, and is crucial for controlling microbial infections. Pathogens have evolved mechanisms to inhibit pyroptosis, enhancing their ability to persist and cause disease.

Validation of a new three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method to detect CHIC2 deletion, FIP1L1/PDGFRA fusion and PDGFRA translocations.

The PDGRFA locus has become a gene of interest based on mutational activation in various myeloid neoplasms and the availability of targeted therapies (i.e., imatinib mesylate) to its overexpression.