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Cryostorage techniques have been developed to preserve the most valuable genotype from an endangered native population of Populus × canescens Aiton Sm. (grey poplar), which is located in the floodplain forest in the South Moravia region of the Czech Republic and which is difficult to propagate using cuttings. The prevailing genotype with valuable traits was selected by the simple sequence repeats method. This genotype was used to determine the most effective pre-cultivation conditions (cold hardening, and cold hardening combine with osmotic treatment) on dehydration tolerance and post-thaw recovery of the grey poplar shoot tips. The pre-cultivation and application of a modified plant vitrification solution 3 (PVS3) considerable reduced the freezable water content in shoot tips. Evaluation after eight weeks of regrowth revealed that simultaneous effect of cold and osmotic pre-treatments and application of PVS3 for 120 min enabled 93.3 ± 5.8 % recovery. The results emphasize the importance of the pre-cultivation conditions, which significantly improved the post-thaw recovery of the grey poplar explants.

Background: Transport protein particle (TRAPP) is a multiprotein complex that functions in localising proteins to the Golgi compartment. The TRAPPC11 subunit has been implicated in diseases affecting muscle, brain, eye and to some extent liver. We present three patients who are compound heterozygotes for a missense variant and a structural variant in the TRAPPC11 gene. TRAPPC11 structural variants have not yet been described in association with a disease. In order to reveal the estimated genesis of identified structural variants, we performed sequencing of individual breakpoint junctions and analysed the extent of homology and the presence of repetitive elements in and around the breakpoints., Methods: Biochemical methods including isoelectric focusing on serum transferrin and apolipoprotein C-III, as well as mitochondrial respiratory chain complex activity measurements, were used. Muscle biopsy samples underwent histochemical analysis. Next-generation sequencing was employed for identifying sequence variants associated with neuromuscular disorders, and Sanger sequencing was used to confirm findings., Results: We suppose that non-homologous end joining is a possible mechanism of deletion origin in two patients and non-allelic homologous recombination in one patient. Analyses of mitochondrial function performed in patients' skeletal muscles revealed an imbalance of mitochondrial metabolism, which worsens with age and disease progression., Conclusion: Our results contribute to further knowledge in the field of neuromuscular diseases and mutational mechanisms. This knowledge is important for understanding the molecular nature of human diseases and allows us to improve strategies for identifying disease-causing mutations., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) represents the most common cause of drug-resistant epilepsy in adult and pediatric surgical series. However, genetic factors contributing to severe phenotypes of FCD remain unknown. We present a patient with an exceptionally rapid development of drug-resistant epilepsy evolving in super-refractory status epilepticus. We performed multiple clinical (serial EEG, MRI), biochemical (metabolic and immunological screening), genetic (WES from blood- and brain-derived DNA), and histopathological investigations. The patient presented 1 month after an uncomplicated varicella infection. MRI was negative, as well as other biochemical and immunological examinations. Whole-exome sequencing of blood-derived DNA detected a heterozygous paternally inherited variant NM_006267.4(RANBP2):c.5233A>G p.(Ile1745Val) (Chr2[GRCh37]:g.109382228A>G), a gene associated with a susceptibility to infection-induced acute necrotizing encephalopathy. No combination of anti-seizure medication led to a sustained seizure freedom and the patient warranted induction of propofol anesthesia with high-dose intravenous midazolam and continuous respiratory support that however failed to abort seizure activity. Brain biopsy revealed FCD type IIa; this finding led to the indication of an emergency right-sided hemispherotomy that rendered the patient temporarily seizure-free. Postsurgically, he remains on antiseizure medication and experiences rare nondisabling seizures. This report highlights a uniquely severe clinical course of FCD putatively modified by the RANBP2 variant. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We report a case summary of a patient who came to our attention for epilepsy that could not be controlled with medication. His clinical course progressed rapidly to life-threatening status epilepticus with other unusual neurological findings. Therefore, we decided to surgically remove a piece of brain tissue in order to clarify the diagnosis that showed features of a structural brain abnormality associated with severe epilepsy, the focal cortical dysplasia. Later, a genetic variant in a gene associated with another condition, was found, and we hypothesize that this genetic variant could have contributed to this severe clinical course of our patient., (© 2023 The Authors. Epilepsia Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.)

Mazabraud's syndrome represents rare benign disorder characterized by simultaneous occurrence of fibrous dysplasia of bone and intramuscular myxomas within surrounding soft tissue. Mutations of GNAS1 gene were proven to be causative for this condition. Here, we present a case report of a patient with unusual manifestation of this disease, who developed a pathological fracture of the femur in the setting of monostotic fibrous dysplasia. The intramuscular myxoma of the thigh was discovered during the following orthopedic operation, where the intraoperative diagnosis became a pitfall of the case, as the intramuscular myxoma was initially diagnosed as a low-grade sarcoma from the frozen section. Apart from clinical findings, the diagnosis of Mazabraud's syndrome was further proven by histopathological evaluation and molecular studies of GNAS1 gene. This case raises awareness of such condition as it can easily become a diagnostic pitfall., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Purpose: Intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture results in one of the most severe forms of stroke, with severe neurological sequelae. Inflammation appears to drive aneurysm formation and progression with macrophages playing a key role in this process. However, less is known about their involvement in aneurysm rupture. This study is aimed at demonstrating how relationship between the M1 (pro-inflammatory) and M2 (reparative) macrophage subtypes affect an aneurysm's structure resulting in its rupture., Methods: Forty-one saccular aneurysm wall samples were collected during surgery including 13 ruptured and 28 unruptured aneurysm sacs. Structural changes were evaluated using histological staining. Macrophages in the aneurysm wall were quantified and defined as M1 and M2 using HLA-DR and CD163 antibodies. Aneurysm samples were divided into four groups according to the structural changes and the M2/1 ratio. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test., Results: This study has demonstrated an association between the severity of structural changes of an aneurysm with inflammatory cell infiltration within its wall and subsequent aneurysm rupture. More severe morphological changes and a significantly higher number of inflammatory cells were observed in ruptured IAs (p < 0.001). There was a prevalence of M2 macrophage subtypes within the wall of ruptured aneurysms (p < 0.001). A subgroup of unruptured IAs with morphological and inflammatory changes similar to ruptured IAs was observed. The common feature of this subgroup was the presence of an intraluminal thrombus., Conclusions: The degree of inflammatory cell infiltration associated with a shift in macrophage phenotype towards M2 macrophages could play an important role in structural changes of the aneurysm wall leading to its rupture., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Compelling evidence supports the health benefits of physical exercise on the immune system, possibly through the molecules secreted by the skeletal muscles known as myokines. Herein, we assessed the impact of exercise interventions on plasma Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) levels in 27 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) compared with 23 IIM patients treated with standard-of-care immunosuppressive therapy only, and in 18 healthy subjects undergoing strenuous eccentric exercise, and their associations with the traditional serum markers of muscle damage and inflammation. In contrast to IIM patients treated with pharmacotherapy only, in whom we demonstrated a significant decrease in Hsp90 over 24 weeks, the 24-week exercise program resulted in a stabilization of Hsp90 levels. These changes in Hsp90 levels were associated with changes in several inflammatory cytokines/chemokines involved in the pathogenesis of IIM or muscle regeneration in general. Strenuous eccentric exercise in healthy volunteers induced a brief increase in Hsp90 levels with a subsequent return to baseline levels at 14 days after the exercise, with less pronounced correlations to systemic inflammation. In this study, we identified Hsp90 as a potential myokine and mediator for exercise-induced immune response and as a potential biomarker predicting improvement after physiotherapy in muscle endurance in IIM.

The new WHO classification of CNS tumors is largely based on molecular diagnostic. Without molecular methods some entities can no longer be diagnosed. We are trying to show a rational approach to the CNS tumors diagnostics, which is based on conventional molecular methods such as RT-PCR, Sanger sequencing, MLPA, extended by the next generation sequencing (NGS) and methylation SNP array.

The aim of the presented communication is to clearly inform the general professional public about the newly approved modifications in this classification, including the newly approved types of tumours. A significant change is the new grading system for these tumours, including the innovative involvement of tumour profiling at the molecular level in the system for determining the degree of tumour differentiation and the application of the principle of integrated diagnostics, i. e. the synthesis of available histopathological and molecular findings in CNS tumors.

Background: Childhood thalamopeduncular gliomas arise at the interface of the thalamus and cerebral peduncle. The optimal treatment is total resection but not at the cost of neurological function. We present long-term clinical and oncological outcomes of maximal safe resection., Methods: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data: demography, symptomatology, imaging, extent of resection, surgical complications, histology, functional and oncological outcome., Results: During 16-year period (2005-2020), 21 patients were treated at our institution. These were 13 girls and 8 boys (mean age 7.6 years). Presentation included progressive hemiparesis in 9 patients, raised intracranial pressure in 9 patients and cerebellar symptomatology in 3 patients. The tumour was confined to the thalamus in 6 cases. Extent of resection was judged on postoperative imaging as total (6), near-total (6) and less extensive (9). Surgical complications included progression of baseline neurological status in 6 patients, and 5 of these gradually improved to preoperative status. All tumours were classified as low-grade gliomas. Disease progression was observed in 9 patients (median progression-free survival 7.3 years). At last follow-up (median 6.1 years), all patients were alive, median Lansky score of 90. Seven patients were without evidence of disease, 6 had stable disease, 7 stable following progression and 1 had progressive disease managed expectantly., Conclusion: Paediatric patients with low-grade thalamopeduncular gliomas have excellent long-term functional and oncological outcomes when gross total resection is not achievable. Surgery should aim at total resection; however, neurological function should not be endangered due to excellent chance for long-term survival., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Uterus transplantation is a new experimental treatment method of absolute uterine factor infertility which affects 3-5% of infertile women. Absolute uterine factor infertility includes infertile women with agenesis or severe malformation of the uterus, several acquired uterine diseases causing infertility, and patients of fertile age after hysterectomy because of various causes. Uterus transplantation is considered a new method of assisted reproduction which allows women with absolute uterine factor infertility to have own biological offspring. However, uterus transplantation is considered a radical method of reproduction by some ethicists. Nevertheless, recent analysis of newborns from transplanted uterus has shown high level of childbirths of mature and near-to-term newborns and did not confirm increased risk for both babies and mothers. Therefore, together with gestational surrogacy and adoption, uterus transplantation is nowadays considered promising and unique solution for women with absolute uterine factor infertility. Similarly to other solid organ transplants, the pathologist should be an integral part of the multidisciplinary uterus transplantation research teams. The primary role of the pathologist is histopathological evaluation of rejection changes in the biopsy samples from the ectocervix of the uterine allografts that is based on the provisional scoring system suggested by Swedish pioneers in uterus transplantation research. As the word provisional suggests, this scoring system is continuously studied and the principles of the evaluation of rejection after uterus transplantation could be adjusted in the future.

Background: Heat shock proteins (Hsp) are chaperones playing essential roles in skeletal muscle physiology, adaptation to exercise or stress, and activation of inflammatory cells. We aimed to assess Hsp90 in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and its association with IIM-related features., Methods: Hsp90 plasma levels were analyzed in a cross-sectional cohort (277 IIM patients and 157 healthy controls [HC]) and two longitudinal cohorts to assess the effect of standard-of-care pharmacotherapy (n=39 in early disease and n=23 in established disease). Hsp90 and selected cytokines/chemokines were measured by commercially available ELISA and human Cytokine 27-plex Assay., Results: Hsp90 plasma levels were increased in IIM patients compared to HC (median [IQR]: 20.2 [14.3-40.1] vs 9.8 [7.5-13.8] ng/mL, p<0.0001). Elevated Hsp90 was found in IIM patients with pulmonary, cardiac, esophageal, and skeletal muscle involvement, with higher disease activity or damage, and with elevated muscle enzymes and crucial cytokines/chemokines involved in the pathogenesis of myositis (p<0.05 for all). Plasma Hsp90 decreased upon pharmacological treatment in both patients with early and established disease. Notably, Hsp90 plasma levels were slightly superior to traditional biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and creatine kinase, in differentiating IIM from HC, and IIM patients with cardiac involvement and interstitial lung disease from those without these manifestations., Conclusions: Hsp90 is increased systemically in patients with IIM. Plasma Hsp90 could become an attractive soluble biomarker of disease activity and damage and a potential predictor of treatment response in IIM., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Štorkánová, Oreská, Špiritović, Heřmánková, Bubová, Kryštůfková, Mann, Komarc, Slabý, Pavelka, Šenolt, Zámečník, Vencovský and Tomčík.)

Symplastic haemangioma is a rare vascular tumor presented with regressive and degenerative atypia in stromal cells. Its morphology represents a challenge in classification of vascular tumors, regarding their biological behaviour in particular. We present a case report of a 47-years-old female with a history of left-sided breast adenocarcinoma treated by resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Three years after the primary diagnosis a tumorous mass appeared in the region of upper margin of left scapula, in subcutaneous tissues and the trapezius muscle. Histologically, the tumor was formed by multiple blood vessels of varied diameter and wall thickness. Endothelial lining was bland, without atypia; thromboses were observed in vascular spaces. In the interstitium, a population of spindle and pleomorphic cells with distinctive atypia and bizarre nuclei was found. These cells showed positivity in immunohistochemical expression of smooth muscle actin, further extensive immunohistochemistry including cytokeratines was negative. Mitoses were absent, proliferating activity was minimal. Signs of infiltrative growth pattern were not found and the tumor lacked hallmarks of malignant behaviour. A diagnosis of symplastic haemangioma was established. Above mentioned atypical stromal cells show myofibroblastic and sporadically smooth muscle differentiation. Their atypical appearence is associated with degenerative alterations similar to changes in leiomyomas with bizarre nuclei or ancient schwannomas. Etiopathogenesis of these changes is not clear, there are hypotheses considering long-lasting persistence of the lesion, regression of ischaemic or postinflammatory origin, or, like in our case, postirradiative degeneration. Differential diagnosis of symplastic haemangioma is widespred and contains many histological entities of variant histogenesis and biological potential. For proper classification, an extensive investigation including immunohistochemistry, clinical and anamnestic data and imaging methods is necessary.

Objectives: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the circulating and skeletal muscle expression of clusterin (CLU) in inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and its potential implication in pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease., Methods: A total of 85 IIM patients and 86 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. In addition, 20 IIM patients and 21 HC underwent a muscle biopsy. Circulating CLU was measured by ELISA. Serum cytokine profile of patients and HC was assessed by Cytokine 27-plex Assay. Immunohistochemical localisation of CLU was assessed in 10 IIM and 4 control muscle tissue specimens. The expression of CLU and myositis related cytokines in muscle was determined by qPCR., Results: Serum levels of CLU were significantly increased in IIM patients compared to controls (86.2 (71.6-99.0) vs. 59.6 (52.6-68.4) μg/mL, p<0.0001) and positively correlated with myositis disease activity assessment (MYOACT) (r=0.337, p=0.008), myositis intention-to-treat activity index (MITAX) (r=0.357, p=0.004) and global disease assessment evaluated by physician (r=0.309, p=0.015). Moreover, serum CLU correlated with cytokines and chemokines involved in IIM and their combined effect on disease activity was revealed by multivariate redundancy analysis. In muscle tissue, CLU mRNA was increased in IIM patients compared to controls (p=0.032) and CLU accumulated in the cytoplasm of regenerating myofibres., Conclusions: We suggest that the up-regulation of clusterin in circulation and skeletal muscle of IIM patients may be an inflammation and atrophy induced response of the organism intended to limit the environment, favouring further muscle damage.

Molecular assays for translocation detection in different tumors have gradually been incorporated into routine diagnostics. However, conventional methods such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and reverse transcriptase-PCR come with several drawbacks. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can provide in-depth detection of numerous gene alterations. The anchored multiplex PCR assay proved to be a fast and easy-to-analyze approach for routine diagnostics laboratories. Next-generation sequencing-based anchored multiplex PCR technique (Archer FusionPlex Panels) is beneficial in both diagnosis for patient care and in identification of a novel fusion breakpoint in tumors. NGS is useful in identifying targetable molecular changes (point mutations, fusion genes, etc.) in tumors that can serve as a rationale for inclusion of patients with advanced disease in ongoing clinical trials and allow for better risk stratification.

Examination of changes in the methylation profile of DNA in cancer is currently used to determine the diagnosis or prognostic and predictive biomarkers. It complements histological or molecular biological examinations. At the same time, it helps to identify new diagnostic groups and subgroups. Currently, this diagnosis is most common in brain tumors, where it has become a routine examination. The established methylation profile may help even where the diagnosis or subgroup classification of the disease cannot be determined in any other way, as is the case with medulloblastoma.

Background: Interleukin-35 (IL-35) is a recently described heterodimeric cytokine that belongs to the IL-12 family and consists of p35 (IL-12a) and EBI3 (IL-27b) subunits. The expression of IL-35 in humans is inducible in response to inflammatory stimuli. Increased IL-35 levels were documented in several autoimmune inflammatory diseases, suggesting a possible immunomodulatory role in their pathogenesis., Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore a potential role of IL-35 in the pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) by studying the expression of IL-35 subunits in muscle biopsy samples and by evaluating serum levels of IL-35 and their association with disease activity in IIM patients., Methods: The expression of IL-35 subunits was studied in serial sections of 9 muscle biopsy samples [4 polymyositis (PM), 5 dermatomyositis (DM)] and in 7 non-inflammatory control muscle biopsies. Serum levels of IL-35 were measured in 23 PM, 28 DM and 15 cancer associated myositis (CAM) patients as well as in 40 healthy controls. Disease activity was evaluated using the Myositis Disease Activity Assessment Tool (MDAAT) and by serum muscle enzymes., Results: Expression of both IL-35 subunits was evident in the inflammatory infiltrates in IIM muscle biopsies, while no IL-35 expression was observed in control muscle samples. IL-35 serum levels were increased in all IIM patients compared to healthy controls [median 119.5 (range 32.1-1074.5) vs 36.2 (range 1.5-86.5) pg/ml, P < 0.001]. There were no differences in IL-35 serum levels between myositis subgroups (DM, PM or CAM). Serum IL-35 levels correlated significantly with physician's assessment of global (r = 0.29, p = 0.021), muscle (r = 0.30, p = 0.017) and extramuscular (r = 0.30, p = 0.016) disease activity as well as creatine kinase (r = 0.26, p = 0.044) and lactate dehydrogenase (r = 0.40, p = 0.003) levels. There was a significant correlation with pulmonary activity in patients with interstitial lung disease (r = 0.39, p = 0.037). Serum IL-35 correlated negatively with duration of treatment (r = -34, p = 0.009)., Conclusions: IL-35 is overexpressed in inflammatory infiltrates in muscle tissue and serum in IIM patients and there is correlation with several disease activity parameters. These data suggest potential role of locally produced IL-35 in the pathogenesis of inflammatory myopathies., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: In this retrospective study, we analysed clinical, biochemical and molecular genetic data of 47 Czech patients with Single, Large-Scale Mitochondrial DNA Deletions (SLSMD)., Methods: The diagnosis was based on the long-range PCR (LX-PCR) screening of mtDNA isolated from muscle biopsy in 15 patients, and from the buccal swab, urinary epithelial cells and blood in 32 patients., Results: A total of 57% patients manifested before the age of 16. We did not find any significant difference between paediatric and adult manifestation in either the proportion of patients that would develop extraocular symptoms, or the timespan of its progression. The survival rate in patients with Pearson Syndrome reached 60%. Altogether, five patients manifested with atypical phenotype not fulfilling the latest criteria for SLSMD. No correlation was found between the disease severity and all heteroplasmy levels, lengths of the deletion and respiratory chain activities in muscle., Conclusions: Paediatric manifestation of Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia (PEO) is not associated with a higher risk of multisystemic involvement. Contrary to PEO and Kearns-Sayre Syndrome Spectrum, Pearson Syndrome still contributes to a significant childhood mortality. SLSMD should be considered even in cases with atypical presentation. To successfully identify carriers of SLSMD, a repeated combined analysis of buccal swab and urinary epithelial cells is needed.

Background: The pleomorphic clinical presentation makes the diagnosis of desminopathy difficult. We aimed to describe the prevalence, phenotypic expression, and mitochondrial function of individuals with putative disease-causing desmin (DES) variants identified in patients with an unexplained etiology of cardiomyopathy. Methods: A total of 327 Czech patients underwent whole exome sequencing and detailed phenotyping in probands harboring DES variants. Results: Rare, conserved, and possibly pathogenic DES variants were identified in six (1.8%) probands. Two DES variants previously classified as variants of uncertain significance (p.(K43E), p.(S57L)), one novel DES variant (p.(A210D)), and two known pathogenic DES variants (p.(R406W), p.(R454W)) were associated with characteristic desmin-immunoreactive aggregates in myocardial and/or skeletal biopsy samples. The individual with the novel DES variant p.(Q364H) had a decreased myocardial expression of desmin with absent desmin aggregates in myocardial/skeletal muscle biopsy and presented with familial left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC), a relatively novel phenotype associated with desminopathy. An assessment of the mitochondrial function in four probands heterozygous for a disease-causing DES variant confirmed a decreased metabolic capacity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes in myocardial/skeletal muscle specimens, which was in case of myocardial succinate respiration more profound than in other cardiomyopathies. Conclusions: The presence of desminopathy should also be considered in individuals with LVNC, and in the differential diagnosis of mitochondrial diseases.

Amoebic colitis represents a common parasitic infection in developing countries. In western world, it is encountered only sporadically. The clinical presentation is usually non-specific, non-invasive laboratory tests are often false negative and endoscopic and histopathological appearance may mimic other illnesses, especially Crohns disease. The disease therefore harbours a huge risk of misdiagnosing and a proper diagnosis is usually challenging. We present a case of an amoebic colitis with Crohn-like features and negative parasitological testing in a 53-years-old woman, in which the final diagnosis was established on the basis of its histopathological examination.

Birk Barel syndrome also known as KCNK9 imprinting syndrome is a rare developmental disorder associated with a loss-of-function variant in KCNK9, an imprinted gene with maternal expression on the 8th chromosome encoding the TASK3 (TWIK-related acidity inhibited K + -channel 3). Only two variants of KCNK9 have been associated with this condition before, both of them leading to the same amino-acid exchange p.Gly236Arg (Barel, 2008, Graham, 2016). We describe a case of a 17-year-old girl presenting with very similar phenotype and pure motor neuropathy with a novel variant c.710C > A: p.Ala237Asp (NM&#95;001282534.1) in KCNK9 found by whole exome sequencing. Our case suggests that Birk Barel syndrome may not be caused only by variants leading to amino-acid exchange p.Gly236Arg but also by other missense variant in this gene and that peripheral motor neuropathy might be a feature of this syndrome., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The histopathological diagnosis of sellar tumors is a difficult area of the diagnostic surgical pathology. The most common sellar tumor is a pituitary adenoma. The histomorphology of pituitary adenomas is very heterogeneous, and in the sellar area, we can encounter practically any other tumor known from human pathology, either primary or secondary. Exact histopathological classification requires many immunohistochemical antibodies: pituitary hormones, pituitary transcription factors, and several other antibodies. At present, electron microscopy is no longer necessary for the routine diagnosis of the pituitary gland adenomas. The important aspect of the precise classification is to screen pituitary adenomas for aggressive histological types. The latest edition of the WHO classification of tumours of endocrine organs, published in 2017, involves several changes in the chapter of pituitary adenomas, including the abolition of the concept of atypical adenoma. In the short review, we discuss the practical approach to the diagnosis and the changes in the latest WHO classification of pituitary adenomas from 2017.

Expanding amount of knowledge about inflammatory bowel diseases has changed current therapeutic goals. In the past times, the main effort of the gastroenterologists was to alleviate patients symptoms. But nowadays, one of the hot topics is a mucosal healing and achieving the endoscopic, eventually even microscopic remission. Therefore, the objective assessment of the microscopic intensity and activity of the inflammation starts to assume its importance and histopathological scoring systems can represent an useful tool. However, their actual contribution is ill-defined. The aim of this review is to inform about available histopathological scoring systems for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD) and discuss their benefits and limitations. A systematic literature search in databases OVID SP MEDLINE, OVID EMBASE a The Cochrane library found 19 scoring indexes for UC and 4 for CD were found. The vast majority of them are not validated and their benefit for prediction of the clinical outcome is controversial. Endoscopy still represents a gold standard in the assessment of the extent of the bowel inflammation.

Background: S100A11 (calgizzarin), a member of the S100 family, is associated with oncogenesis, inflammation and myocardial damage. Our aim was to analyse S100A11 in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) and its association with disease activity features and cancer development., Methods: S100A11 in muscle was determined by immunohistochemistry in polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), myasthenia gravis (MG) and in subjects without autoimmune inflammatory disease (HC). S100A11 in plasma was measured in 110 patients with IIMs (PM, DM, and cancer associated myositis (CAM) patients) and in 42 HC. Disease activity was assessed by myositis disease activity assessment (MYOACT), muscle enzymes and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured by routine laboratory techniques; autoantibodies by immunoprecipitation or by immunoblot., Results: We observed an accumulation of S100A11 in the cytoplasm of regenerating and necrotizing muscle fibres of PM and DM patients. S100A11 was increased in plasma of all myositis patients compared to HC (3.8 (1.5-16.8) vs 2.8 (1.7-11.2) ng/ml, p = 0.011) and in DM and CAM patients compared to HC (4.0 (2.2-14.9) and 4.5 (1.5-9.1) vs 2.8 (1.7-11.2) ng/ml, p < 0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively). In all myositis patients, S100A11 correlated with the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (r = 0.256, p = 0.011), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (r = 0.312, p = 0.002), CRP (r = 0.254, p = 0.022) and MYOACT (r = 0.245, p = 0.022). S100A11 was associated with MYOACT (r = 0.377, p = 0.030) and pulmonary and cutaneous disease activity in DM patients (r = 0.408, p = 0.017 and r = 0.417, p = 0.01, respectively). S100A11 was related to the levels of AST (r = 0.412, p = 0.027) in PM and to the levels of creatine phosphokinase (r = 0.432, p = 0.028) in CAM patients., Conclusions: We show for a first time a potential implication of S100A11 in the local inflammatory and tissue remodelling processes in myositis and an association of circulating S100A11 with disease activity and extra muscular manifestations in DM., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), also known as glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), is an important diagnostic and therapeutic target in prostate cancer. PSMA/GCPII is also expressed in many healthy tissues, but its function has only been established in the brain and small intestine. Several research groups have attempted to produce PSMA/GCPII-deficient mice to study the physiological role of PSMA/GCPII in detail. The outcomes of these studies differ dramatically, ranging from embryonic lethality to production of viable PSMA/GCPII-deficient mice without any obvious phenotype., Methods: We produced PSMA/GCPII-deficient mice (hereafter also referred as Folh1 -/- mice) by TALEN-mediated mutagenesis on a C57BL/6NCrl background. Using Western blot and an enzyme activity assay, we confirmed the absence of PSMA/GCPII in our Folh1 -/- mice. We performed anatomical and histopathological examination of selected tissues with a focus on urogenital system. We also examined the PSMA/GCPII expression profile within the mouse urogenital system using an enzyme activity assay and confirmed the presence of PSMA/GCPII in selected tissues by immunohistochemistry., Results: Our Folh1 -/- mice are viable, breed normally, and do not show any obvious phenotype. Nevertheless, aged Folh1 -/- mice of 69-72 weeks exhibit seminal vesicle dilation, which is caused by accumulation of luminal fluid. This phenotype was also observed in Folh1 +/- mice; the overall difference between our three cohorts (Folh1 -/- , Folh1 +/- , and Folh1 +/+ ) was highly significant (P < 0.002). Of all studied tissues of the mouse urogenital system, only the epididymis appeared to have a physiologically relevant level of PSMA/GCPII expression. Additional experiments demonstrated that PSMA/GCPII is also present in the human epididymis., Conclusions: In this study, we provide the first evidence characterizing the reproductive tissue phenotype of PSMA/GCPII-deficient mice. These findings will help lay the groundwork for future studies to reveal PSMA/GCPII function in human reproduction., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)