Ectopic expression of B and T lymphocyte attenuator in gastric cancer: a potential independent prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer.

It has been confirmed that B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA; also known as CD272) is a novel co--inhibitory molecule that exhibits a critical role in restraining cell-mediated antitumor immunity. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of BTLA in gastric adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed to investigate BTLA expression in gastric cancer tissues and normal mucosal tissues.

Clinicopathologic significance of putative stem cell marker, CD44 and CD133, in human gastric carcinoma.

Background And Objectives: CD44 and CD133 have been reported as putative stem cell markers. However, the clinicopathologic significance of CD44 and CD133 expression in patients with gastric carcinoma (GC) has not been clearly elucidated.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to investigate the CD44 and CD133 expression in gastric carcinomas and normal mucosal tissues.

Mast Cells in Adjacent Normal Colon Mucosa rather than Those in Invasive Margin are Related to Progression of Colon Cancer.

Objective: Mast cells (MC) reside in the mucosa of the digestive tract as the first line against bacteria and toxins. Clinical evidence has implied that the infiltration of mast cells in colorectal cancers is related to malignant phenotypes and a poor prognosis. This study compared the role of mast cells in adjacent normal colon mucosa and in the invasive margin during the progression of colon cancer.

Overexpression of ZEB2 in peritumoral liver tissue correlates with favorable survival after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: ZEB2 has been suggested to mediate EMT and disease aggressiveness in several types of human cancers. However, the expression patterns of ZEB2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its effect on prognosis of HCC patients treated with hepatectomy are unclear.

Methodology/principal Findings: In this study, the methods of tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were utilized to investigate ZEB2 expression in HCC and peritumoral liver tissue (PLT).

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis and poor prognosis.

Background: The aim of the present study was to analyse the expression of Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens, and to evaluate its correlation with clinicopathologic features, including survival of patients with NPC.

Methods: NPC tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC), another three centers on mainland China, Singapore and Hong Kong. Using quantitative RT-PCR and Western-blotting techniques, we detected mRNA and protein expression of SPARC in NPC cell lines and immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cells (NPECs) induced by Bmi-1 (NPEC2 Bmi-1).

Decreased expression of Beclin 1 correlates with a metastatic phenotypic feature and adverse prognosis of gastric carcinomas.

Background And Objectives: Beclin 1 plays a critical role in the regulation of autophagy, apoptosis, differentiation and the development and progression of cancer. The clinicopathological significance of Beclin 1 expression in patients with gastric carcinoma (GC) has not been yet elucidated.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to investigate the Beclin 1 expression in GCs and normal mucosal tissues.

No relationship between the distribution of mast cells and the survival of stage IIIB colon cancer patients.

Background: Mast cells promote the progression of experimental tumors and might be a valuable therapeutic target. However, the relevant clinical evidence is still controversial. This study analyzed the relationship between the distribution of mast cells and the survival of patients with colon cancer to study whether mast cells contribute to tumor progression.

miR-125b is methylated and functions as a tumor suppressor by regulating the ETS1 proto-oncogene in human invasive breast cancer.

The microRNA miR-125b is dysregulated in various human cancers but its underlying mechanisms of action are poorly understood. Here, we report that miR-125b is downregulated in invasive breast cancers where it predicts poor patient survival. Hypermethylation of the miR-125b promoter partially accounted for reduction of miR-125b expression in human breast cancer.

Knockdown of miR-21 in human breast cancer cell lines inhibits proliferation, in vitro migration and in vivo tumor growth.

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs (20 to 24 nucleotides) that post-transcriptionally modulate gene expression. A key oncomir in carcinogenesis is miR-21, which is consistently up-regulated in a wide range of cancers. However, few functional studies are available for miR-21, and few targets have been identified.

Nasopharyngeal extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type: retrospective study of 18 consecutive cases in Guangzhou, China.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and clinicopathologic features of nasopharyngeal extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NKTCL), as well as DNA sequence variation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in neoplastic cells harboring in NKTCLs from Guangzhou district.

Materials And Methods: The clinical data of 18 unselected consecutive nasopharyngeal NKTCLs in one institution were reviewed retrospectively. Immunohistochemical staining and EBV-encoded RNAs (EBERs) in situ hybridization were applied.

High expression of H3K27me3 in human hepatocellular carcinomas correlates closely with vascular invasion and predicts worse prognosis in patients.

It has been suggested that trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3) is a crucial epigenetic process in tumorigenesis. However, the expression dynamics of H3K27me3 and its clinicopathological/prognostic significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are unclear. In this study, immunohistochemical analysis (IHC) was used to examine protein expression of H3K27me3 in HCC tissues from two independent cohorts and corresponding nontumorous hepatocellular tissues by tissue microarray.

Epstein-Barr virus encoded latent membrane protein 1 regulates mTOR signaling pathway genes which predict poor prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: The oncoprotein Epstain-Barr Virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein1 (LMP1) modulates the pathological effects of the NF-kappaB, AP-1 and JAK/STAT pathways in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: Microarray analysis was performed on the NPC cell line HONE1 stably transfected with a LMP1-expression plasmid or an empty vector. Based on assigned pathways analyzed using the KEGG database, the mTOR signaling pathway was selected for verification by quantitative RT-PCR.

The density of macrophages in the invasive front is inversely correlated to liver metastasis in colon cancer.

Background: Although an abundance of evidence has indicated that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with colon cancer, it is still unknown how TAMs exert a protective effect. This study examined whether TAMs are involved in hepatic metastasis of colon cancer.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and sixty cases of pathologically-confirmed specimens were obtained from colon carcinoma patients with TNM stage IIIB and IV between January 1997 and July 2004 at the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University.

Clinicopathologic features and Epstein-Barr virus infection status of Burkitt's lymphoma in Guangzhou district.

Background And Objective: Sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma (sBL) is uncommon and its relation to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is unknown in China. This study was to investigate the clinical presentation, morphologic features, immunophenotype and EBV infection status of sBL in Guangzhou district, a prevalent area of EBV infection.

Methods: The clinical data of 21 sBL patients were reviewed.

Expression and clinical significance of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background And Objective: As signaling molecule and key component of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway respectively, Wnt-1 and beta-catenin are abnormally expressed in several malignancies and correlate with poor prognosis. This study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: The expression of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin in 111 specimens of NPC was detected by SP immunohistochemistry.

[Survivin and COX-2 expressions in giant cell tumor of bone and their relation to the prognosis].

Objective: To investigate the expression of survivin and COX-2 in giant cell tumor of bone (GCT) and explore the prognostic factors for GCT.

Methods: The expressions of survivin and COX-2 in 39 GCT tissues of three Jaffe grades and 4 normal bone tissues were detected by immunohistochemical staining, and the data were analyzed in relation to the clinicopathological features of the patients.

Results: The expressions of survivin and COX-2 were significantly higher in the GCT tissues than in normal bone tissues (P<0.

Elevated expressions of survivin and VEGF protein are strong independent predictors of survival in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignancies in southern China. The China 1992 TNM staging system has been widely used for prognosis prediction of NPC patients in China. Although NPC patients can be classified according to their clinical stage in this system, their prognosis may vary significantly.

[Expression and clinical significance of survivin and PTEN in adrenal tumors].

Background & Objective: Since the histomorphology of adrenal tumor is very special, it is difficult to assess the malignancy of the tumors. This study was to explore the expression and clinical significance of Survivin and PTEN proteins in adrenal tumors.

Methods: The expression of Survivin and PTEN in 116 specimens of adrenal tumors, including 39 cases of cortex adenoma, 22 cases of cortex adenocarcinoma, 35 cases of pheochromocytoma, and 20 cases of malignant pheochromocytoma, were detected by LSAB immunohistochemistry.

[Expression and clinical significance of TGF-beta1 and its signaling pathway proteins in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) has various biological functions, and plays important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. This study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of TGF-beta1 and its signaling pathway proteins (TGF-beta1 receptors TGFbetaRI and TGFbetaRII, cytoplasmic mediator Smad4) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: The expression of TGF-beta1, TGFbetaRI, TGFbetaRII, and Smad4 in 91 specimens of NPC was detected by SP immunohistochemistry.

[Expression and clinical significance of uPA and PAI-1 in epithelial ovarian cancer].

Background & Objective: Recent researches showed that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of solid tumors. However, their correlations to epithelial ovarian cancer have seldom been reported. This study was to investigate the roles of uPA and PAI-1 in the invasion and metastasis of epithelial ovarian cancer, to clarify their localization and relationship with prognosis.

[Expression and clinical significance of nm23-H1 and MUC-1 in peripheral T-cell lymphoma].

Background & Objective: Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a group of heterogeneous malignancy with poor prognosis. The role of international prognostic index (IPI) in PTCL remains to be determined. It is necessary to find new molecular markers for PTCL.

[Comparision of HER2/neu oncogene detected by chromogenic in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in breast cancer].

Objective: Through comparison of HER2/neu oncogene detected by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in breast cancer, to explore the effect of CISH on detecting gene amplification of HER2.

Methods: Selected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast samples whose pathological types were infiltrating ductal carcinomas (255 retrospective samples, 271 prospective samples), and these samples were detected by IHC and CISH.

Results: (1) In the retrospective study, CISH identified gene amplification in 91.

[Expression and clinical significance of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in gastric cancer].

Background & Objective: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) is correlated to the genesis, progression, invasion, metastasis, and prognosis of some malignancies. This study was to evaluate the expression of HIF-1alpha in gastric cancer, and explore its correlation to clinical features of gastric cancer.

Methods: The expression of HIF-1alpha in 96 specimens of gastric cancer was detected by SP immunohistochemistry.

[Expression and clinical significance of adhesive molecule CD44v6 in breast invasive ductal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: Many researches suggest that CD44v6 is associated with the occurrence, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer. However the reports about the relationship between CD44v6 expression and the prognosis of breast cancer are conflicting. This study was to investigate the expression of CD44v6 and its correlation to clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer.

[Correlations of biomolecular markers, such as P53 protein and vascular endothelial growth factor, to radiosensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: About 20%-40% nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, who are in the same staging group, receiving the same treatment modality and radiotherapy dose, relapse in the irradiated fields within 5 years. This is mainly due to the differences in internal radiosensitivity. This study was to analyze the proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and lymphogenesis of tumor cells, and to explore the correlation of these factors to radiosensitivity.