Combined expression of protein disulfide isomerase and endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductin 1-α is a poor prognostic marker for non-small cell lung cancer.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is one of the most abundant proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and is known as a primary ER resident target of cigarette smoke-induced oxidation. PDI dysfunction triggers unfolded protein response and ER stress. Endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductin 1-α (ERO1A) is a major regulator of PDI, and recent evidence implicates PDI and ERO1A as tumor prognostic factors.

Epigenetic activation of LY6K predicts the presence of metastasis and poor prognosis in breast carcinoma.

The role of lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus K (LY6K) in breast cancer has been studied, whereas the epigenetic control of LY6K transcription is not fully understood. Here, we report that breast cancer patients with increased LY6K expression had shorter disease-free and overall survival than the patients with low levels of LY6K by multivariate analysis. LY6K also was upregulated in breast cancer patients with distant metastases than those without distant metastases, downregulating E-cadherin expression.

IgG4-related inflammatory pseudotumor of the renal pelvis involving renal parenchyma, mimicking malignancy.

Background: IgG4-related disease is a recently recognized systemic disease characterized by storiform fibrosis with infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells. In rare incidences, IgG4-related renal disease can present as a solitary mass lesion at renal pelvis and can pose a diagnostic challenge since these lesions mimic malignancy. Herein, we present a rare case of IgG4-related disease presenting as inflammatory pseudotumor lesion, involving the renal pelvis and also neighboring renal parenchyma.

Clinical Usefulness of PCR for Differential Diagnosis of Tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection in Paraffin-Embedded Lung Tissues.

The need for isolation of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) from clinical specimens has increased in recent years. Our aim was to determine the clinical usefulness of PCR for differential diagnosis of tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in lung tissue that show chronic granulomatous inflammation. A total of 199 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens, including 137 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), 17 NTM cases, and 45 other than mycobacterial cases were collected.

CK2α phosphorylates DBC1 and is involved in the progression of gastric carcinoma and predicts poor survival of gastric carcinoma patients.

CK2α has diverse effects on the tumorigenesis owing to its kinase activity, which phosphorylates various proteins involved in tumorigenesis. We, therefore, investigated the expression and role of CK2α in the phosphorylation of deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1) in gastric carcinomas. We used 187 gastric carcinomas and human gastric cancer cells to investigate the roles and relationship between CK2α and DBC1 in gastric carcinomas.

Tumor infiltrating PD1-positive lymphocytes and the expression of PD-L1 predict poor prognosis of soft tissue sarcomas.

Recently, the possibility of PD1 pathway-targeted therapy has been extensively studied in various human malignant tumors. However, no previous study has investigated their potential application for soft-tissue sarcomas (STS). In this study, we evaluated the clinical impact of intra-tumoral infiltration of PD1-positive lymphocytes and PD-L1 expression in tumor cells in 105 cases of STS.

Expression of nerve growth factor and heme oxygenase-1 predict poor survival of breast carcinoma patients.

Background: Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophin and has been suggested to induce heme oxygenase-1 (HO1) expression. Although the role of HO1 in tumorigenesis remains controversial, recent evidence suggests NGF and HO1 as tumor-progressing factors. However, the correlative role of NGF and HO1 and their prognostic impact in breast carcinoma is unknown.

Expression of peptidyl-prolyl isomerase PIN1 and its role in the pathogenesis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

The phosphorylation of proteins on serine/threonine residues that immediately precede proline (pSer/Thr-Pro) is a key signaling mechanism by which cell cycle regulation and cell differentiation and proliferation occur. The peptidyl-prolyl isomerase PIN1-catalyzed conformational changes of the pSer/Thr-Pro motifs may have profound effects on the function of numerous oncogenic and cell signaling pathways. To date, no studies have examined the expression of PIN1 and its potential role in the pathogenesis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC).

Expression of SIRT1 and DBC1 is associated with poor prognosis of soft tissue sarcomas.

Unlabelled: Recently, the roles of SIRT1 and deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1) in human cancer have been extensively studied and it has been demonstrated that they are involved in many human carcinomas. However, their clinical significance for soft-tissue sarcomas has not been examined. In this study, we evaluated the expression and prognostic significance of the expression of SIRT1, DBC1, P53, β-catenin, cyclin D1, and KI67 in 104 cases of soft-tissue sarcomas.

Multicystic biliary hamartoma of the liver.

Multicystic biliary hamartoma (MCBH) is a very rare hamartomatous cystic nodule of the liver, which has recently been described as a new entity of a hepatic nodular lesion. We report a unique case of MCBH with a review of the literatures. A hepatic multicystic mass of segment 3 was detected in a 52-year-old male by abdominal computed tomography, and resection of this lesion was performed.