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Background Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death, and adenocarcinoma is the most common histologic subtype. MicroRNA is a small non-coding RNA that inhibits multiple target gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and is commonly dysregulated in malignant tumors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression of microRNA-374a (miR-374a) in lung adenocarcinoma and correlate its expression with various clinicopathological characteristics. Methods The expression level of miR-374a was measured in 111 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lung adenocarcinoma tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. The correlation between miR-374a expression and clinicopathological parameters, including clinical outcome, was further analyzed. Results High miR-374 expression was correlated with advanced pT category (chi-square test, p=.004) and pleural invasion (chi-square test, p=.034). Survival analysis revealed that patients with high miR-374a expression had significantly shorter disease-free survival relative to those with low miR-374a expression (log-rank test, p=.032). Conclusions miR-374a expression may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for predicting recurrence in early stage lung adenocarcinoma after curative surgery.

Abstract Background Primary intraosseous meningioma is a subset of extradural meningioma that arises in the bone, and only a few cases have been reported to date. Case presentation An 80-year-old man presented with decreased hearing on the right side accompanied by a disturbance of balance 10 months prior to admission. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an 8 × 7 cm osteolytic mass in the right posterior fossa related to the petrous bone, with extension to the cervical region. During surgery, the tumor was found to be located extradurally, with no invasion of the dura. The tumor was removed entirely, apart from a small portion around the jugular foramen to avoid lower cranial nerve injury. Conclusion The final diagnosis was primary intraosseous osteolytic meningioma with atypical pathology. Here, we report a rare case of an osteolytic skull lesion in the skull base not invading the dura and with extensive bone destruction.

Primary pulmonary meningioma is a rare disease, and chordoid meningioma is an uncommon variant of meningioma in the central nervous system (CNS) with a high recurrence rate. We report a case of primary pulmonary chordoid meningioma that presented as a solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). The SPN was resected by thoracoscopic wedge resection and was revealed to have characteristics of chordoid meningioma. After confirming the absence of a meningioma in the CNS by brain imaging, the nodule was diagnosed as a primary pulmonary chordoid meningioma. The patient remained disease-free after 26 months postoperatively. To our knowledge, this is the third case of primary pulmonary chordoid meningioma to be reported.

Background BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) mutations are frequently reported in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); however, very few studies have evaluated the role of these mutations in other renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes. Therefore, we analyzed BAP1 protein expression using immunohistochemistry in several RCC subtypes and assessed its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics of patients. Methods BAP1 expression was immunohistochemically evaluated in tissue microarray blocks constructed from 371 samples of RCC collected from two medical institutions. BAP1 expression was evaluated based on the extent of nuclear staining in tumor cells, and no expression or expression in < 10% of tumor cells was defined as negative. Results Loss of BAP1 expression was observed in ccRCC (56/300, 18.7%), chromophobe RCC (6/26, 23.1%), and clear cell papillary RCC (1/4, 25%), while we failed to detect BAP1 expression loss in papillary RCC, acquired cystic disease-associated RCC, or collecting duct carcinoma. In ccRCC, loss of BAP1 expression was significantly associated with high World Health Organization (WHO)/International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade (p = .002); however, no significant correlation was observed between loss of BAP1 expression and survival in ccRCC. Loss of BAP1 expression showed no association with prognostic factors in chromophobe RCC. Conclusions Loss of BAP1 nuclear expression was observed in both ccRCC and chromophobe RCC. In addition, BAP1 expression loss was associated with poor prognostic factors such as high WHO/ISUP grade in ccRCC.

Background Smad4 and PTEN are prognostic indicators for various tumor types. Smad4 regulates tumor suppression, whereas PTEN inhibits cell proliferation. We analyzed and compared the performance of Smad4 and PTEN for predicting the prognosis of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma. Methods Combined expression patterns based on Smad4+/– and PTEN+/– status were evaluated by immunostaining using a tissue microarray of colorectal adenocarcinoma. The relationships between the protein expression and clinicopathological variables were analyzed. Results Smad4–/PTEN– status was most frequently observed in metastatic adenocarcinoma, followed by primary adenocarcinoma and tubular adenoma (p

BACKGROUND:Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is associated with remodelling of the extracellular matrix and invasion in various cancers. Identifying proteins connected to high MMP-9 expression is important in explaining its mechanisms. Our study aims to shed light on genes associated with high MMP-9 expression and to discuss their clinical impact in breast cancer. METHODS:We evaluated 173 breast cancer cases from the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, with 1964 cases from the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium database serving as a validation cohort. We investigated relationships between MMP-9 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. We then used gene set enrichment analyses to detect the association of genes with MMP-9 overexpression, and performed survival analyses to determine the significance of the gene in three independent cohorts. RESULTS:High MMP-9 expression correlated with poor prognosis in univariate and multivariate analyses. Using gene set enrichment analysis, we found that tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 12A (TNFRSF12A) was linked to high MMP-9 expression. In the survival analysis of three published data sets (METABRIC, GSE1456, GSE20685), high TNFRSF12A was relevant to a poor survival rate. CONCLUSIONS:High levels of TNFRSF12A associated with MMP-9 overexpression may be important to explain the progression of breast cancer, and survival could be improved using therapy targeting TNFRSF12A.

Our objective was to investigate whether inflammatory microenvironment induced by Trichomonas vaginalis infection can stimulate proliferation of prostate cancer (PCa) cells in vitro and in vivo mouse experiments. The production of CXCL1 and CCL2 increased when cells of the mouse PCa cells (TRAMP-C2 cell line) were infected with live T. vaginalis. T. vaginalis-conditioned medium (TCM) prepared from co-culture of PCa cells and T. vaginalis increased PCa cells migration, proliferation and invasion. The cytokine receptors (CXCR2, CCR2, gp130) were expressed higher on the PCa cells treated with TCM. Pretreatment of PCa cells with antibodies to these cytokine receptors significantly reduced the proliferation, mobility and invasiveness of PCa cells, indicating that TCM has its effect through cytokine-cytokine receptor signaling. In C57BL/6 mice, the prostates injected with T. vaginalis mixed PCa cells were larger than those injected with PCa cells alone after 4 weeks. Expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers and cyclin D1 in the prostate tissue injected with T. vaginalis mixed PCa cells increased than those of PCa cells alone. Collectively, it was suggested that inflammatory reactions by T. vaginalis-stimulated PCa cells increase the proliferation and invasion of PCa cells through cytokine-cytokine receptor signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) is a proto-oncogene that encodes a heterodimeric transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase for the hepatocyte growth factor. Aberrant MET signaling has been described in several solid tumors--especially non-small cell lung cancer--and is associated with tumor progression and adverse prognosis. As MET is a potential therapeutic target, information regarding its prevalence and clinicopathological relevance is crucial. Materials and Methods We investigated MET expression and gene amplification in 113 gallbladder cancers using tissue microarray. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate MET overexpression, and silver/fluorescence in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to assess gene copy number. Results MET overexpression was found in 37 cases of gallbladder carcinoma (39.8%), and gene amplification was present in 17 cases (18.3%). MET protein expression did not correlate with MET amplification. MET amplification was significantly associated with aggressive clinicopathological features, including high histological grade, advanced pT category, lymph node metastasis, and advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. There was no significant correlation between any clinicopathological factors and MET overexpression. No difference in survival was found with respect to MET overexpression and amplification status. Conclusion Our data suggested that MET might be a potential therapeutic target for targeted therapy in gallbladder cancer, because MET amplification was found in a subset of tumors associated with adverse prognostic factors. Detection of MET amplification by ISH might be a useful predictive biomarker test for anti-MET therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In branchial lymphoepithelial cyst (BLEC), which is also known as branchial cleft cyst, the remnants of a branchial arch develop into a cyst, causing swelling. The first case of BLEC in the parotid gland was reported by Hildebrant in 1895. Since then, BLEC in the parotid gland has continued to be reported, but in rare cases. A 45-year-old man presented to our hospital with a swelling of the left cheek of approximately 6 months' duration. The patient underwent a superficial parotidectomy and was pathologically diagnosed with BLEC. Of note, this was the first case of non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related BLEC of the parotid gland in South Korea. BLEC is a benign condition, but its treatment depends on the presence of HIV infection. In HIV-negative patients, BLEC does not require a further work-up to evaluate metastasis. Our case report describes the diagnosis and treatment of BLEC in a patient without HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to measure the pixel-by-pixel flow velocity and shear stress from phase-contrast MR images. An optimized method was suggested and the use of the method was confirmed. A self-developed, straight steady flow model system was scanned by MRI with a velocity-encoded phase-contrast sequence. In-house developed software was used for the pixel-by-pixel flow velocity and shear stress measurements and the measurements were compared with physically measured mean velocity and shear stress. A comparison between the use of the in-house velocimetry software and a commercial velocimetry system was also performed. Curved steady flow models were scanned by phase-contrast MRI. Subsequently, velocity and shear stress were measured to confirm the shifted peak flow velocity and shear stress toward the outer side of the lumen. Peak velocity and shear stress were calculated for both the inner and outer half of the lumen and were statistically compared. The mean velocity measured with the use of in-house software had a significant correlation with the physical measurements of mean velocity; in addition, the measurement was more precise compared to the commercial system ( R2 = 0.85 vs. 0.75, respectively). The calculated mean shear stress had a significant correlation with the physical measurements of mean shear stress ( R2 = 0.95). The curved flow model showed a significantly shifted peak velocity and shear stress zones toward the outside of the flow ( P < 0.0001). The technique to measure pixel-by-pixel velocity and shear stress of steady flow from velocity-encoded phase-contrast MRI was optimized. This technique had a good correlation with physical measurements and was superior to a commercially available system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]