Discrimination between benign and malignant prostate biopsies using three-dimensional chromatin texture analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of computing three-dimensional (3-D) nuclear texture features on prostate biopsy specimens to discriminate among benign, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), and malignant specimens.

Study Design: Twelve prostate cancer biopsy specimens were selected, diagnosed as either benign (N = 4), PIN (N = 4), or malignant (N = 4). Sections 14 microm thick were stained.

Integrin expression during reverse remodeling in the myocardium of heart failure patients.

Background: The main anchoring proteins of myocardial cells with each other and with the extracellular matrix are integrins present in the membranes of myocardial cells. These integrins are important for maintaining the architecture of the myocardial tissue and the mechanotransduction in the heart. Heart failure leads to various alterations in the myocardium, such as changes in morphology, and in expression of mRNAs, miRNAs, and proteins.

Intimal fibrosis in human cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Human Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy (CAV) is one of the major complications for patients after heart transplantation. It is characterized by a concentric luminal narrowing due to (neo) intimal expansion in the coronary arteries of donor hearts after heart transplantation. In this process fibrosis plays an important role.

Osteopontin: a potential biomarker for heart failure and reverse remodeling after left ventricular assist device support.

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support in end-stage heart failure (HF) leads to recovery of the patient's condition, size reduction of cardiomyocytes, and also volume reduction and change in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Myocardial expression of ECM osteopontin (OPN) protein increases with the severity of HF. We analyzed whether OPN messenger RNA expression in heart tissue and/or OPN protein in plasma are associated with reverse remodeling during LVAD support.

Changes in regulatory microRNA expression in myocardium of heart failure patients on left ventricular assist device support.

Background: Left ventricular assist device support in heart failure patients leads to changes in mRNA and protein expression in the myocardium.

Methods: MicroRNA's are important regulators of various cellular processes, so changes in their expression were tested by Q-PCR methods.

Results: LVAD support (independently of the duration) leads to a decrease of the expression of miR-1, miR-133a and miR-133b in DCM patients but to an increase in expression in IHD patients.