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Background: The epidermal growth factor receptors participate in the physiological processes such as regulation of morphogenesis, proliferation and cell migration, but when overexpressed or overactivated they may play an important role in neoplastic progression. Melanoma is the most aggressive skin neoplasm and is characterized by elevated invasion and low survival rates in both humans and dogs. In human melanomas the overexpression of EGFR, HER3 or HER4 is associated with poor prognosis. In canine melanomas the epidermal growth factor receptors expression has not been evaluated. Therefore, this study evaluated the expression of epidermal growth factor receptors by immunohistochemistry and investigated their relationship with morphological characteristics and proliferative indices in cutaneous and oral canine melanoma. Results: In cutaneous melanoma an increased proliferative index was associated with increased cytoplasmic HER4 and reduced EGFR and HER3 protein expression. In oral melanomas, membranous HER2 protein expression correlated with occurrence of emboli, but ERBB2 gene amplification wasn't observed. Conclusion: Thus, our work evidenced the relationship between HER4 and the stimulus to cell proliferation in cutaneous melanomas, in addition to the relationship between HER2 and the occurrence of emboli in oral melanomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the importance of the stratum corneum as a protective barrier of the skin this study compares the Sudan Red staining and Oil Red for detection of intracellular lipids in the stratum corneum of dogs, with the technical analysis of digital images. Thirty biopsies were photographed and subjected to qualitative method of visual assessment graduating both colors (0 to 4+). In the digital analysis ImageJ was used, analyzing the width, depth and area of the selected image. Statistical significance was found in: interclass correlation coefficient of Oil Red was slightly better than Sudan Red in the agreement of pathologists, the Spearman coefficient correlation of the Sudan Red was slightly higher than the Oil Red. The parameters presented here can be applied to routine analysis in the measurement of lipids in the stratum corneum of the epidermis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]