Modulation of Neuronal Excitability and Plasticity by BHLHE41 Conveys Lithium Non-Responsiveness.

Many bipolar disorder (BD) patients are non-responsive to lithium. The mechanisms underlying lithium (non-)responsiveness are largely unknown. By using gene-set enrichment analysis methods, we found that core clock gene-sets are significantly associated with lithium response.

Systemic amyloidosis: unusual presentation mistaken for a recurrent scabies infection.

We report the case of a 63-year-old woman with a history of undifferentiated connective-tissue disease, polyarthritis, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome who presented with generalized pruritus and erythematous and excoriated papules on the trunk and extremities. Empiric scabies treatment was unsuccessful. Patch testing and T-cell receptor gene rearrangement studies were unremarkable.

Immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors in chondrosarcomas and enchondromas.

Immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors alpha and beta was studied in chondrosarcomas and enchondromas and was correlated with chondrosarcoma grade, type, and dedifferentiation. Estrogen receptor alpha was studied in 37 chondrosarcomas, 10 enchondromas, and 2 extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcomas. Estrogen receptor beta was studied in 23 chondrosarcomas, 6 enchondromas, and 2 extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcomas.

Frequent detection of androgen receptors in spindle cell lipomas: an explanation for this lesion's male predominance?

Context: Spindle cell lipoma (SCL) is a tumor with marked male predilection. We discovered one SCL that exhibited strong immunoreactivity for androgen receptors (ARs) in the spindle cells.

Objective: The hypothesis was that ARs in SCLs would not be rare and that all or nearly all SCLs would be AR positive, perhaps explaining its male predominance.

Phospho-S6 ribosomal protein: a potential new predictive sarcoma marker for targeted mTOR therapy.

Metastatic sarcomas are commonly resistant to chemotherapy. The serine/threonine kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), is a protein kinase of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway thought to have a key role in controlling cancer growth and thus is an important target for cancer therapy. Several inhibitors of mTOR are in clinical trials, including AP23573, which is being tested on metastatic sarcomas and other tumors.

Angiostatin receptor annexin II in vascular tumors including angiosarcoma.

Inhibitors of angiogenesis, such as angiostatin, are increasingly used for targeting the tumor neovasculature and have had mixed success. Annexin II (ANX2), a 36KDa calcium and phospholipid binding protein, is a cell surface receptor for angiostatin. We hypothesized that, like normal vascular endothelium, vascular neoplasms would express ANX2, implying the potential usefulness of angiostatins in the therapy of this family of soft tissue tumors.

p16 expression in keratoacanthomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin: an immunohistochemical study.

Context: Distinguishing between keratoacanthoma (KA) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not an uncommon histologic diagnostic dilemma.

Objective: To determine if p16 expression is useful in the differential diagnosis of SCC and KA.

Design: We studied the expression of p16 by immunohistochemistry in 24 KAs, 24 infiltrating SCCs of the skin, 4 histologically indeterminate lesions, and 8 nonmalignant keratoses.

Giant cell tumors: inquiry into immunohistochemical expression of CD117 (c-Kit), microphthalmia transcription factor, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, and HAM-56.

Context: Osteoclast-like giant cells (GCs) in giant cell tumors (GCTs) are thought to derive from a monocyte-macrophage lineage. Microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF) is necessary for osteoclast gene expression and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activation; c-Kit plays a role in regulation of MITF.

Objective: To gain insight into the differentiation of GCTs of bone (GCTBs) and GCTs tendon sheath (GCTTSs) by investigating immunohistochemical staining for c-Kit, MITF, TRAP, and HAM-56 in the GCs and stroma.

Tyrosinase expression in malignant melanoma, desmoplastic melanoma, and peripheral nerve tumors.

Context: Pathologists may encounter problems in the differential diagnosis of malignant melanoma, spindle and epithelioid neoplasms of peripheral nerves, and fibrohistiocytic tumors. Tyrosinase has been demonstrated to be a sensitive marker for melanoma.

Objective: To determine the specificity of tyrosinase expression in the differential diagnosis of melanoma, desmoplastic melanoma, and peripheral nerve sheath tumors.