Performance of computer-assisted imaging system in detection of squamous intraepithelial lesion of uterine cervix / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the performance of computer-assisted imaging system in the detection of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion and quality-assurance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Manual PAP screening (n = 140 580) and image-assisted screening (n = 32 885) were compared for the detection rates of squamous cell abnormalities, the atypical squamous cells (ASC) to squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) ratio, the positive rates of high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) test in the case of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), and the correlation between cytopathology and histopathology.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with manual screening, computer-assisted imaging system showed increased overall positive detection by 0.32%, decreased detection of ASC by 0.21%, increased detection of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) by 0.22%, increased detection of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or worse (HSIL) by 0.31%, and decreased ASC to SIL ratio from 2.59 to 1.60. Computer-assisted imaging system did not change the HR-HPV positive rate of the patients who were ASC-US, or the coincidence rate between cytopathology and histopathology. Moreover, the productivity of the laboratory operation increased 58.33%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Computer-assisted imaging system significantly increases the overall positive detection rate of cervical SIL, improves accuracy and work efficiency of screening, decreases the ASC/SIL rate, and strengths the quality-assurance of laboratory testing.</p>

Expression and significance of p-AKT, p-GSK3β and β-catenin in epithelial carcinoma of ovary / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expressions of phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT), phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-GSK3β) and β-catenin proteins and to evaluate their relationship with the clinical pathological characteristics in epithelial tumors of the ovary.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of p-AKT, p-GSK3β, and β-catenin was detected with immunohistochemical staining (EnVision method) in 10 cases of benign epithelial neoplasia, 10 cases of borderline epithelial neoplasia and 70 cases of ovarian carcinoma. The relationship of the expression of p-AKT, p-GSK3β and β-catenin with the clinical pathological features was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive expression rates of p-AKT, p-GSK3β and β-catenin in epithelial ovarian carcinoma were 67.1% (47/70), 60.0% (42/70) and 71.4% (50/70), respectively. Compared to the results of benign and borderline epithelial neoplasia, the expression of the three proteins in carcinoma of the ovary was significantly different (all P < 0.05).Positive correlation was found between p-AKT and p-GSK3β, p-GSK3β and β-catenin, and p-AKT and β-catenin in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (r = 0.546, 0.581, 0.500, respectively; all P < 0.05). Compared to the results of benign and borderline epithelial neoplasia, the expression of p-AKT protein in epithelial ovarian carcinoma was significantly different (all P < 0.05). The expression of p-AKT was correlated with the differentiation of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (P < 0.05), but no relationship was found between its expression and histological classification and FIGO staging (P > 0.05). The expression of p-GSK3β and β-catenin in epithelial ovarian carcinoma were both higher than that in benign and borderline epithelial neoplasia (P < 0.05), and correlated with tumor differentiation and FIGO staging (P < 0.05), but no relationship were found between their expression with histological classification (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Positive correlations are found between p-AKT, p-GSK3β and β-catenin in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. The activation of β-catenin is possibly correlated with inactivation of p-GSK3β that binds to p-AKT.</p>

Expression of pS2, TGF-alpha and PCNA in the gastric mucosa of young rats with endotoxemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Growth, regeneration and reparation of gastric mucosal epithelium may relate to the expression of peptides. This study aimed to investigate the effect of pS2, TGF-alpha and PCNA in endotoxin-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in young rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen-day-old Wistar rats were randomly injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg) or normal saline (control). The gastric mucosal specimens were harvested 1.5, 3, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hrs after LPS or normal saline injection (n=8 each). The pathological changes of the gastric mucosa were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression of pS2,TGF-alpha and PCNA was measured by immunohistochemistry SP method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Gastric mucosal injuries were the most serious 6 hrs after LPS injection, characterized by massive erosion, bleeding and cord necrosis of the gastric mucosa paralleling with gastric longitudinal axis. PCNA expression in the gastric mucosa in the LPS group 3, 6, 24 and 48 hrs after LPS injection was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). pS2 expression in the gastric mucosa weakened 1.5 hrs after LPS injection, recovered to the control level at 3 hrs and was significantly higher than the control at 6, 24, 48 and 72 hrs of LPS injection (P<0.01). TGF-alpha expression in the gastric mucosa in the LPS group increased significantly 6, 24 and 48 hrs after LPS injection when compared with the control group (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PCNA expression may be associated with the proliferation activity of the gastric mucosa in the process of gastric mucosal injury/reparation. pS2 and TGF-alpha might participate in the defense and reparation of gastric mucosal cells through mediating cell proliferation following acute gastric mucosal injury.</p>

Role of platelet activating factor in the injury of intestinal immuno-barrier function in young rats / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Gastrointestinal dysfunction is closely correlated with the destruction of intestinal barrier function induced by serious infection. Platelet activating factor (PAF) may induce intestinal injuries. This study aimed to investigate the effect of PAF on the injury of intestinal mucosal immuno-barrier function in young rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen-day-old Wistar rats were randomized to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg), LPS plus PAF receptor antagonist and normal saline injection (Control). PAF receptor antagonist BN52021 5 mg/kg was administered before or 30 minutes after LPS injection (pretreatment or treatment). The ileum specimens (n=8) were harvested at 1.5, 3, 6, 24, 48 and 72 hrs after LPS injection. Double antibody-PEG radioimmunoassay was used to determine the secretory IgA (sIgA) content in intestinal mucosa. Hematoxylin and erosin staining was used for histological evaluation. The ratio of wet and dry weight (W/D) of ileum tissues was calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Intestinal villi edema, capillary congestion, extension of the subepithelial lympho channel, and polymorphonuclear infiltration in enteric cavity were noted in the LPS group at 1.5, 3, 6 and 24 hrs after LPS injection. In the PAF receptor antagonist group only villi edema was found. The W/D ratio in the LPS group was significantly higher than that in the Control group at all time points, but it was slightly reduced by the PAF receptor antagonist pretreatment or treatment. The sIgA content was obviously decreased after 1.5, 3, 6, 24 and 48 hrs of LPS challenge compared with that in the Control group (P < 0.01). It reached to a nadir at 6 hrs (0.15 +/- 0.04 microg/mL). The level of sIgA in the PAF receptor antagonist group was higher than that in the LPS group at each time point. There was no statistical difference in the sIgA level between the PAF receptor pretreatment and treatment groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PAF plays roles in the injury of intestinal immuno-barrier function. Preventive and remedial use of PAF receptor antagonist BN52021 may relieve intestinal injury.</p>

Research on the mechanisms of PTEN gene inactivation in ovarian cancer / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mechanisms of PTEN gene inactivation starting from DNA, mRNA and protein levels in ovarian cancers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Tumor tissue samples were obtained from 48 patients with epithelial ovarian cancers. Using four polymorphic markers (D10s541, D10s583, D10s1687 and D10s2491) within and flanking the PTEN gene located in chromosome 10q 23.3, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) were introduced to examine LOH of PTEN gene; PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) was introduced to examine mutations of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth exons of PTEN. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (SP method) were applied to detect PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein expressions, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>LOH of PTEN gene was observed in 19 of 48 (39.6%) ovarian cancers. PTEN mutations were found only in 2 (4.2%) of the cases. Absence of PTEN mRNA expression was 18.8% (9 of 48). Immunostaining of 48 cancer samples revealed that 13 (27.1%) were PTEN immunostain negative. Of these 13 samples, only 2 (15.4%) had structural, biallelic inactivation by intragenic PTEN mutations and loss of the remaining wild-type allele; 7 (53.8%) showed evidence of LOH, 5 of these 7 samples showed deletion of PTEN mRNA expression, another 2 samples showed positive expression of PTEN mRNA; 4 (30.8%) tumors had neither PTEN gene mutation nor LOH but exhibited no PTEN protein expression, 2 of these 4 cases showed deletion of PTEN mRNA expression, another 2 showed positive expression of PTEN mRNA. For the cases of PTEN protein absent staining, the rate of LOH was 69.2% (9 of 13), higher than 28.6% (10 of 35) for the positive staining (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PTEN gene inactivation may contribute to epithelial ovarian carcinogenesis. There may be several mechanisms of PTEN gene inactivation in ovarian cancers. Protein expression deletions may be a significant mechanism.</p>

Expression of multidrug resistance-related markers in primary neuroblastoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Multidrug resistance is associated with a poor prognosis in various human cancers. However, the clinical significance of the expression of multidrug resistance-related markers in neuroblastoma is still on debate. In this study, the effect of the expression of p-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), and lung resistance protein (LRP) in neuroblastoma was evaluated.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The streptavidin-biotin immunoperoxidase (SP) technique was used to evaluate the expression of P-gp, MRP, and LRP in 70 cases of untreated primary neuroblastoma.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequencies of the expression of P-gp, MRP, and LRP were 61.4%, 38.6%, and 24.3%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between P-gp and MRP expression (P=0.001), as well as between LRP and MRP expression (P=0.01). The rates of expression of P-gp and MRP were higher in tumors from patients aged greater than one year old than in tumors from patients aged less than 1 year old at time of diagnosis (P=0.01 and 0.018, respectively). MRP expression in tumors that had metastasized was significantly more frequent than in tumors that had not metastasized (P=0.015). The expression of all tested proteins showed a significant relationship with whether or not the tumor had differentiated (P=0.006, 0.000 or 0.001, respectively). MRP expression was significantly associated with a reduction in both median survival time and 2-year cumulative survival (P=0.02). By contrast, P-gp and MRP expression did not correlate with survival. According to Cox regression analysis, only the co-expression of P-gp and MRP had significant prognostic value (relative hazard, 3.513, P=0.033).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The intrinsic, multidrug resistance of neuroblastoma involves the combined effects of P-gp, MRP, and LRP. MRP expression may be an important factor determining prognosis in neuroblastoma.</p>