Prognostic and therapeutic value of the Hippo pathway, RABL6A, and p53-MDM2 axes in sarcomas.

Additional prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers effective across different histological types of sarcoma are needed. Herein we evaluate expression of TAZ and YAP, the p53-MDM2 axis, and RABL6A, a novel oncoprotein with potential ties to both pathways, in sarcomas of different histological types. Immunohistochemical staining of a tissue microarray including 163 sarcomas and correlation with clinical data showed that elevated YAP and TAZ independently predict worse overall and progression-free survival, respectively.

Impact of Nuclear Interleukin-1 Alpha and EGFR Expression on Recurrence and Survival Outcomes in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in inflammation and immune response and is upregulated in many solid tumors including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Although IL-1 expression is generally associated with poor prognosis, the implications of the subcellular localization of IL-1 expression in patient outcomes are poorly understood. This study is aimed at investigating the prognostic value of nuclear and cytoplasmic immunohistochemical IL-1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs).

Glycogen depletion can increase the specificity of mucin detection in airway tissues.

Objective: Mucin is an important parameter for detection and assessment in studies of airway disease including asthma and cystic fibrosis. Histochemical techniques are often used to evaluate mucin in tissues sections. Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) is a common technique to detect neutral mucins in tissue, but this technique also detects other tissue components including cellular glycogen.

Immunohistochemical Markers for Prospective Studies in Neurofibromatosis-1 Porcine Models.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common, cancer-predisposing disease caused by mutations in the NF1 tumor gene. Patients with NF1 have an increased risk for benign and malignant tumors of the nervous system (e.g.

TAZ and YAP are frequently activated oncoproteins in sarcomas.

TAZ (WWTR1) and YAP are transcriptional coactivators and oncoproteins inhibited by the Hippo pathway. Herein we evaluate 159 sarcomas representing the most prevalent sarcoma types by immunohistochemistry for expression and activation (nuclear localization) of TAZ and YAP. We show that 50% of sarcomas demonstrate activation of YAP while 66% of sarcomas demonstrate activated TAZ.

A method for histopathological study of the multifocal nature of spinal cord lesions in murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a well-established mouse model for multiple sclerosis and is characterized by infiltration of mononuclear cells and demyelination within the central nervous system along with the clinical symptoms of paralysis. EAE is a multifocal and random disease, which sometimes makes histopathologic analysis of lesions difficult as it may not be possible to predict where lesions will occur, especially when evaluating cross sections of spinal cord. Consequently, lesions may be easily missed due to limited sampling in traditional approaches.

Immunohistochemical Detection of Markers for Translational Studies of Lung Disease in Pigs and Humans.

Genetically engineered pigs are increasingly recognized as valuable models for the study of human disease. Immunohistochemical study of cellular markers of disease is an important tool for the investigation of these novel models so as to evaluate genotype and treatment differences. Even so, there remains a lack of validated markers for pig tissues that can serve as a translational link to human disease in organs such as the lung.