Early prediction of acute kidney injury in patients with acute myocardial injury.

Introduction: Previous studies have revealed that acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with acute kidney injury (AKI), about 17%, is strongly related to long-term mortality and heart failure. The dynamic changes in renal function during AMI are strongly related to long-term mortality and heart failure.

Objectives: Our study used clinical parameters and AKI biomarkers including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, and cystatin C to evaluate prognostic relevance of AKI in the setting of AMI.

Survivin expression in cardiac myxoma.

Background: Cardiac myxoma, the most common primary tumor of the heart, has variable clinical presentations and an immunohistochemical profile. Survivin, an antiapoptosis protein, may play an important role in the causes of cardiac myxoma. This investigation will report the expression pattern of survivin in cardiac myxomas.

Deletion of the FHL2 gene attenuates the formation of atherosclerotic lesions after a cholesterol-enriched diet.

Aims: FHL2, a member of the four and a half LIM domain (FHL) family of proteins, may play an important role in the circulatory system and in particular atherosclerosis.

Main Methods: To investigate the role of FHL2 in atherogenesis, FHL2-null and wild-type control male mice were fed either a normal chow (NC) or a cholesterol-enriched diet (CED).

Key Findings: At 3 months post CED, aortic atherosclerotic plaques were observed in both control and FHL2-null mice.

Polycythemia vera as a presentation of renal angiomyolipoma: a case report.

Introduction: Angiomyolipoma is a common benign renal tumor composed of thick-walled blood vessels, smooth muscle, and adipose tissue. It may be found incidentally during workup for suspected renal disease. Although angiomyolipoma may present as a palpable, tender renal mass with flank pain and gross or microscopic hematuria, many patients are asymptomatic.

MUC1, MUC2 and MUC5AC expression in hepatocellular carcinoma with cardiac metastasis.

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma is characterized by a poor prognosis, and the choice of therapy is complicated in cases with cardiac metastasis due to the questionable benefits of surgery. Since many studies have indicated that mucin (MUC) expression plays an important role in cancer metastasis and recurrence, we investigated mucin expression in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cardiac metastasis compared with primary hepatocellular carcinoma to confirm the nature of the malignancy. Over a 6-year period, the expression patterns of MUC1, MUC2 and MUC5AC in tumor samples from hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cardiac metastasis were assessed using immunochemistry.

Expression of caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in mural thrombi leukocytes.

Failure of arteriovenous access is mostly due to graft thrombosis and multifactorial, with medical and surgical etiologies. Apoptosis of blood cells, such as macrophages, lymphocytes and eosinophils, may play an important role in thrombus formation. We also investigated caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in thrombi.

Deletion of the FHL2 gene attenuating neovascularization after corneal injury.

Purpose: The four-and-one-half LIM domain-containing protein2 (FHL2) is a member of the four-and-a-half LIM domain-only (FHL) gene family. Although FHL2 is expressed in the cornea, its role in angiogenesis is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the FHL2 gene in corneal angiogenesis after chemical injury.

Hepatoma with cardiac metastasis: an advanced cancer requiring advanced treatment.

Aim: To investigate the clinical and pathologic findings, and to discuss the pathophysiology of hepatocellular carcinoma with cardiac metastasis.

Methods: Eight hepatoma patients with cardiac metastasis, who were treated by surgical excision from 1993 to 2006, were retrospectively studied. Detailed clinical parameters were analyzed.

Expression of OCT4 in the primary germ cell tumors and thymoma in the mediastinum.

Primary germ cell tumors (GCTs) and thymoma are both located in the anterior mediastinum. A previous study has postulated that octamer binding transcription factor (OCT4) is a nuclear transcription factor that is expressed in pluripotent embryonic germ cells. This study examined OCT4 expression in GCTs and thymoma originating from the mediastinum.

Expression of cell cycle-regulatory proteins, MIB-1, p16, p53, and p63, in squamous cell carcinoma of conjunctiva: not associated with human papillomavirus infection.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the most common primary malignant tumor of the conjunctiva, has a variable clinical presentation and immunohistochemical profile. Abundant cell cycles exist, including MIB-1 (Ki67 antigen), p16, p53, and p63, within the conjunctiva SCC. This investigation first reports the expressions of cell cycle markers in SCC.

Caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in cardiac myxoma: not associated with human papillomavirus or Epstein-Barr virus.

Cardiac myxoma is the most common tumor of the heart, has a variable clinical presentation and immunohistochemical profile. Viral infections, such as herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), may play an important role in the causes of cardiac myxoma. This investigation will demonstrate caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in cardiac myxoma without HPV or EBV infection.