Correlation of serum vascular endothelial growth factor-D concentration with clinical presentation and course of lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Background: Increased serum vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) concentration has been accepted as a diagnostic marker in lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). The study was performed to evaluate the correlation of VEGF-D with clinical presentation and course of LAM.

Material: The study group comprised of 48 women with LAM (27 with sLAM, 9 with sLAM and lymphangioma (sLAM-LYM) and 12 patients with TSC/LAM).

The efficacy of EGFR gene mutation testing in various samples from non-small cell lung cancer patients: a multicenter retrospective study.

Introduction: Testing for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations requires considerable multidisciplinary experience of clinicians (for appropriate patient selection), pathologists (for selection of appropriate cytological or histological material) and geneticists (for performing and reporting reliable molecular tests). We present our experience on the efficacy of routine EGFR testing in various types of tumor samples and the frequency of EGFR mutations in a large series of Polish non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods: Deletions in exon 19 and substitution L858R in exon 21 of EGFR gene were assessed using real-time PCR techniques in 1,138 small biopsies or cytological specimens and in 1,312 surgical samples.

Role of serum vascular endothelial growth factor D in discrimination of patients with polycystic lung diseases.

Introduction: Polycystic lung diseases (PLDs) include numerous rare diseases including lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH), and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia. In these cases, diagnosis is based on a histological examination of open lung biopsy samples; however, it is not always possible to perform this procedure. Serum markers characteristic for a given entity are still being sought.

EGFR activating mutations detected by different PCR techniques in Caucasian NSCLC patients with CNS metastases: short report.

EGFR mutation testing has become an essential determination to decide treatment options for NSCLC. The mutation analysis is often conducted in samples with low percentage of tumour cells from primary tumour biopsies. There is very little evidence that samples from metastatic tissues are suitable for EGFR testing.

Simple flow cytometric protocol of CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte ratio assessment in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from patients with interstitial lung diseases.

Objective: To validate the fast and accurate flow cytometric (FCM) protocol using blood-standardized antibodies for alveolar lymphocyte subtyping with respect to standard immunocytochemistry (IC).

Study Design: FCM and IC were applied to immunophenotype T cell subsets in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids from patients with interstitial lung diseases. Diagnostic BAL specimens from 50 patients with suspected sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis were evaluated by both IC and FCM.

[Probiotics in the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases].

Physiological gastrointestinal microflora dominated by lactic acid bacteria is crucial for the maturation and proper functioning of human immune system. Thus, lactic acid bacteria eradication followed by intestinal colonization by other anaerobes seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, including allergy. This paper discusses the effect of physiological intestinal microflora on the physiological immune reactivity as well as its immunomodulatory potential.

[Cell phenotype determines PAI-1 antiproliferative effect - suppressed proliferation of the lung cancer but not prostate cancer cells].

Introduction: Plasminogen inhibitor activator type 1 (PAI-1) is an important regulator of tumor growth and metastasis formation acting directly via specific urokinase complexing or indirectly due to its affinity to vitronectin. We have shown previously that PAI-1 modifies angiogenic activity of endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner but also in close relationship to the cell phenotype. Present study aimed on evaluating the PAI-1 effect on the proliferative activity of lung cancer cells (A549), prostate cancer cells (DU145) as well as endothelial cells (HUVEC).

[Diagnostics of selected respiratory virus infections].

Viral infections are the most common infectious diseases of the respiratory tract characterized by the considerable mortality (especially among children and elderly people) and considered as the significant economic burden. It has been demonstrated that implementation of rapid diagnostic methods enabled more appropriate treatment of respiratory viral infections, reduced mean hospitalization time and cost, as well as resulted in the significantly decreased mortality. Modern diagnostic methods effectively identify respiratory virus, its antigen or nucleic acids in biological samples by means of the immunological and molecular techniques.