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Objective: To evaluate the effects of mast cell count and angiogenesis on the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma., Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey, and included 64 cases with diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma between 2002 and 2012. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on paraffin sections using the standard streptavidin-biotin immunoperoxidase method. CD31 antibodies were used to identify microvessels in tumoural tissues. The microvessel density was calculated using a serological method. The mean vascular density was equivalent to the vascular surface area (in mm2) per unit tissue volume (in mm3) (MVD = mm3). Mast cells tryptase antibody was used to evaluate the mast cell count in tumoural and non-tumoural tissues. The relationship between mast cell count and microvessel density was evaluated and compared with stage, grade, tumour diameter, and age., Results: The mast cell count in the tumoral tissue of renal cell carcinoma was significantly higher compared with non-neoplastic renal tissue (p < 0.001). A significant relationship was found between the mast cell count in tumoral tissue and stage, grade, and tumour diameter (p < 0.001). However, no relation was found with age (p > 0.05). The intratumoural mast cell count in clear cell renal carcinoma was significantly higher compared with non-clear variety (p = 0.001). No significant relationship was found between microvessel density, age, stage, diameter, or grade of the tumour and tumoral mast cell count (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: No significant association was found between the number of mast cells in tumoral tissue and microvessel density. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the effect of mast cells on angiogenesis in renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: Colorectal adenocarcinomas take second place among the causes of death from carcinoma, and account for 98% of colorectal carcinomas. There is a need to determine new prognostic factors because of high frequency and significance., Material and Method: 204 colorectal carcinomas diagnosed between 01.01.2005 - 31.12.2008 at Uludağ University Medical Faculty Pathology Department were studied for Factor VIII and c-erbB-2 immunohistochemically and with toluidine blue stain histochemically. Association of mast cell number, microvessel density, and c-erbB-2 staining pattern with survival and known prognostic factors was evaluated., Results: Follow-up period was 4-60 months. A total of 111 cases were alive, and 65 had died. The mean number of mast cells was 8.00 (1-21) and the mean density of microvessels was 10.00 (2-21). Five-year survival rate of the mast cell group was 48.3% for values under 10 and 57.9% for values of 10 and higher. Five-year survival rate was 58.2% in the group with a microvessel density of 10 and above and 45.9% for values under 10. Five-year survival rate was 53.9% for the group with c-erbB-2 cytoplasmic staining and 48.2% for the group with membranous staining., Conclusion: The grade increased with the number of mast cells, while survival decreased with an increase in the number of mast cells. The ratio of c-erbB-2 staining increased as the grade and stage increased. There was an association between mast cell number and microvessel density. We found no relationship between prognosis and c-erbB-2, mast cell number, and microvessel density.

Aim: To investigate the role of fexofenadine, a mast cell blocker, on semen quality in the treatment of infertile men., Methods: The study included 16 Turkish idiopathic infertile men with azoospermia or oligozoospermia who underwent testicular biopsy to examine mast cells containing tryptase. In all patients, a complete medical history, clinical examination, semen analysis and serum hormone assay were carried out. The biopsy specimens were immunohistochemically stained with antihuman tryptase for mast cells. The number of total mast cells per seminiferous tubule was calculated and recorded as mast cell index. The patients were divided into two groups according to their mast cell index: the higher (> or =1, n=9) and the lower (<1, n=7) index groups. Fexofenadine was administered orally at a dose of 180 mg/day for 4 to 9 months. Pre- and post-treatment semen parameters, including total motile sperm counts (TMC) were recorded and compared. Spontaneous pregnancies after the treatment were registered., Results: There was no statistically significant difference in TMC between the pre-treatment and post-treatment values in patients with higher and lower mast cell index (P> or =0.05). In both groups, nobody had a significant response to the treatment and there was no spontaneous pregnancy after the treatment., Conclusion: Although testicular dysfunction is closely associated with increased number of testicular mast cells, fexofenadine, a mast cell blocker, appears not having any benefit in the treatment of Turkish infertile men with a significant increase in testicular mast cells.