GATA-3 and FOXA1 expression is useful to differentiate breast carcinoma from other carcinomas.

GATA-3, a member of the GATA family of zinc-finger DNA binding proteins, and FOXA1, a member of the forkhead transcription factor family, are both associated with estrogen receptor expression. Both GATA-3 and FOXA1 are useful markers for breast carcinoma, but their expression in the different breast cancer subtypes and other neoplasms has not been thoroughly evaluated. We examined the expression of GATA-3 and FOXA1 in estrogen receptor-positive, Her2/neu-positive, and triple-negative breast carcinomas as well as in 10 other common carcinomas, including hepatocellular, colonic, pancreatic, gastric, endometrial (endometrioid), lung, prostatic, renal cell, urothelial, and ovarian serous carcinomas. Primary and metastatic melanomas and mesotheliomas were also evaluated. GATA-3 and FOXA1 staining of estrogen receptor-positive breast carcinomas was seen in 96.6% and 96.2%, respectively. In triple-negative breast carcinomas, GATA-3 and FOXA1 staining was seen in 21.6% and 15.9%, respectively. Among the other tumors, GATA-3 staining was only seen in urothelial carcinoma (70.9%) and FOXA1 staining was only seen in prostatic (87.5%), urothelial (5.1%) carcinomas, and mesotheliomas (40.0%). In conclusion, GATA-3 and FOXA1 are excellent breast carcinoma markers; however, their utility is limited in the triple-negative subtype. The utility of FOXA1 in diagnosing prostatic carcinoma and mesothelioma warrants further investigation.

Canary in a coal mine: does the plastic surgery market predict the american economy?

BACKGROUND: Economic tools have been used in the past to predict the trends in plastic surgery procedures. Since 1992, U.S. cosmetic surgery volumes have increased overall, but the exact relationship between economic downturns and procedural volumes remains elusive. If an economic predicting role can be established from plastic surgery indicators, this could prove to be a very powerful tool. METHODS: A rolling 3-month revenue average of an eight-plastic surgeon practice and various economic indicators were plotted and compared. An investigation of the U.S. procedural volumes was performed from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics between 1996 and 2008. The correlations of different economic variables with plastic surgery volumes were evaluated. Lastly, search term frequencies were examined from 2004 to July of 2009 to study potential patient interest in major plastic surgery procedures. RESULTS: The self-payment revenue of the plastic surgery group consistently proved indicative of the market trends approximately 1 month in advance. The Standard and Poor's 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, and Standard and Poor's Retail Index demonstrated a very close relationship with the income of our plastic surgery group. The frequency of Internet search terms showed a constant level of interest in the patient population despite economic downturns. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate that examining plastic surgery revenue can be a useful tool to analyze and possibly predict trends, as it is driven by a market and shows a close correlation to many leading economic indicators. The persisting and increasing interest in plastic surgery suggests hope for a recovering and successful market in the near future.

Contribution of lip proportions to facial aesthetics in different ethnicities: a three-dimensional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lip augmentations are commonly performed procedures in the United States, with annual numbers surpassing 100 000. While lips contribute to facial beauty, the relative influence of this feature to whole facial appeal has not yet been established. What is also of increasing interest is the consideration of ethnic differences in the evaluation of beauty. However, most current anthropometric measurements refer to Caucasians, and their use in the treatment of Asian American patients would be inappropriate. METHODS: Three-dimensional models of 197 male and female Caucasian, Chinese and Korean subjects were created using surface-imaging technology. The lips and corresponding faces from these models were ranked according to subjective aesthetic appeal by 20 male and female raters of various ages, occupations and ethnicities. The raters' results were subsequently compared with individually measured lip parameters. RESULTS: Rankings between lips and their corresponding whole faces differed greatly. Lips that were rated as the most attractive were smaller than average in midline upper lip surface heights, bilateral paramedian lip surface heights, upper lip angles and volume in the lower lip. Both Asian groups exhibited significantly different lip parameters and lip-projection volumes from that of Caucasians. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that there are indeed measurable differences in the baseline Asian lip morphology as compared with Caucasians. Tailoring lip enhancement treatment to each individual's anatomy, ethnic background and personal goals can optimise outcomes. What is also of interest is that lips did not contribute as much to facial attractiveness as previously thought.