[Diagnostic value of mult-detector CT for papillary renal cell carcinoma and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of multi-detector CT (MDCT) in differential diagnosis of papillary renal cell carcinoma and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: Clinical data of forty-one cases of renal cancers confirmed pathologically were collected, including 21 cases of papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) (14 type I, 7 type II) and 20 cases of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC). Their morphological and MDCT characteristics were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the value of MDCT in differential diagnosis of PRCC and ChRCC. Two senior radiologists analyzed the morphological and the dynamic enhancement characteristics of the images. The attenuation of the lesions and the adjacent renal parenchyma were measured. The morphological indexes were compared with chi-square test and the quantitative indexes were compared with independent sample T-test. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of diagnosis of PRCC and ChRCC. RESULTS: Angioid enhancement and filled enhancement were more common in ChRCC than in PRCC, while delayed enhancement was more often seen in PRCC than in ChRCC. Calcification was more common in type I than type II PRCC. The enhancement value (ΔCT value) in corticomedullary phase was (29.08 ± 20.12) Hu for PRCC, significantly lower than the (48.29 ± 26.70) Hu for ChRCC (t = -2.611, P = 0.013). The ΔCT value of type I PRCC in corticomedullary phase was (26.36 ± 18.16) Hu, showing a significant difference from that of ChRCC (t = -2.666, P = 0.012). The lesion to kidney ratio (LKR) in corticomedullary phase was 0.44 ± 0.19 for PRCC and 0.58 ± 0.15 for ChRCC, with a significant difference between them (t = -2.587, P = 0.014). The LKR of type I PRCC in corticomedullary phase was 0.39 ± 0.15, showing a significant difference from that of ChRCC (t = -3.628, P = 0.001). The difference value (D-value) of the attenuation of lesion between corticomedullary and nephrographic phases was (-3.69 ± 8.90) Hu for PRCC and (8.39 ± 21.98) Hu for ChRCC, with a significant difference between them (t = -2.285, P = 0.031). The D-value of type I PRCC was (-4.55 ± 9.82) Hu, showing a significant difference from that of ChRCC (t = -2.323, P = 0.028). There was no significant difference between the ΔCT, LKR and D-value of the type II PRCC and ChRCC (P > 0.05 for all). The area under the curve (AUC) for ΔCT value, LKR value in corticomedullary phase, and D-value were 0.718, 0.751 and 0.668, respectively, and there were no significant differences among them (z values were 0.896, 0.683 and 0.559, respectively, and P values were 0.370, 0.495 and 0.576, respectively). Using 49.350 Hu as the cutoff value for ΔCT value in corticomedullary phase, resulted in a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 50.0%, 90.5% and 70.7%, respectively. Corresponding values were 65.0%, 81.0% and 73.2%, when using a cutoff value of 0.532 for LKR in corticomedullary phase, and were 60.0%, 76.2% and 68.3%, when using a D-value of 0.400 Hu. CONCLUSIONS: The ΔCT value, LKR value in corticomedullary phase, and the D-value are all useful indexes for the differentiation of PRCC and ChRCC.

Expression of amyloid-ß protein and amyloid-ß precursor protein after primary brain-stem injury in rats.

Amyloid-ß (Aß) protein and its precursor, amyloid-ß precursor protein (ß-APP), have traditionally been used in the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. Their use in diagnosis of traumatic brain injury by forensic analysis is becoming more widespread. However, to date, no reliable small animal model exists to evaluate these brain injury indicators. To address this, we have studied primary brain-stem injury in rats to assess the appearance of diffuse axonal injury in brain sections and correlate these findings with appearance of Aß and relative ß-APP mRNA levels. Using an EnVision 2-step immunohistochemical staining method to measure axon diameter, we found that there was significant difference in axon diameters within the medulla oblongata and several time points after brain injury, ranging from 3 to 24 hours. In addition, mRNA expression levels of ß-APP increased following brain injury, peaking 3 hours following injury and decreasing back to baseline levels by 24 hours after injury. These results suggest that using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect changes in Aß-associated axonal changes and ß-APP mRNA levels, respectively, can be useful for the diagnosis of diffuse axonal injury during autopsy at early time points following fatal brain injury.

The interaction between Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in lung ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI) is the life-threatening complication occurring after lung transplantation. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) are intimately involved in the development and progression of various inflammatory and hypoxia diseases; however, the relationship of them in LIRI in vivo is still far from clear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly distributed in nine groups: (1) Sham group, (2) LIRI group, (3) LIRI + saline control group, (4) LIRI + dimethyl Sulfoxide control group, (5) LIRI + lipopolysaccharide group, (6) LIRI + TAK-242 group (TAK-242 is a TLR4 inhibitor, ethyl (6R)-6- [N-(2-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)sulfamoyl]cyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxylate), (7) LIRI + thioredoxin group (thioredoxin is an apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitor), (8) LIRI + SB203580 group (SB203580 is a p38 inhibitor), and (9) LIRI + chetomin group (chetomin is a HIF-1α inhibitor). The interaction between TLR4 signaling pathway (including TLR4, myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88), TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-ß (TRIF), ASK1, and p38) and HIF-1α and the role of TLR4-dependent HIF-1α were analyzed. RESULTS: In LIRI, HIF-1α accumulation was induced in a TLR4-dependent fashion, and MyD88, but not TRIF, and activation of ASK1 and p38 were found to be critical for TLR4-mediated HIF-1α accumulation. HIF-1α protein played a critical role in TLR4-mediated lung injury of LIRI (including inflammation, cell apoptosis, and lung damage). HIF-1α protein upregulated TLR4 expression of LIRI in a positive feedback manner. CONCLUSIONS: We identify that the TLR4-HIF-1 loop may be existed in LIRI. Therefore, we suggest that the interaction between them may represent a novel therapeutic target for the development of novel target-based therapies of LIRI.

The autopsy study of 553 cases of sudden cardiac death in Chinese adults.

Despite a recent epidemiological study reporting a lower incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in China as compared with that in Western countries, the exact causes of SCD are still unknown. Using a uniform review protocol and diagnostic criteria, a retrospective autopsy study identified 553 cases of SCD in 14,487 consecutive autopsies from eight regions in China representing different geographic and population features. Their ages ranged from 18 to 80 years (median 43.0 years) with a ratio of 4.3/1.0 for male/female. Out-of-hospital deaths and unwitnessed cases accounted for 74.3 and 22.6 %, respectively. The main causes of death were coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD 50.3 %), myocarditis (14.8 %), and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (4.5 %), with unexplained sudden death accounting for 12.1 % of the cases. CAD had a proportion of 10.4 % in victims <35 years, lower as compared with 59.0 and 83.0 % in victims aged 35-54 and in victims ≥55 years. On the other hand, myocarditis and unexplained sudden death were major causes and accounted for 34.7 and 22.5 % in victims <35 years. In order to differentiate the degree of the cause-effect relationship between autopsy findings and sudden death, a grading method was used in this series and characterized 24.3 % of findings as certain, 52.9 % as highly probable, and 22.8 % as uncertain. Our data indicated that there most likely are less CAD but more myocarditis and unexplained sudden death in Chinese youth with SCD than in populations from Western countries. Molecular genetic testing should be conducted in those cases with uncertain findings and unexplained sudden death in routine autopsy.

Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma: a clinical and pathological analysis.

The goal of this study was to assess the pathological and differential diagnoses of sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma (SNTCS) in order to ultimately improve the diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease. Data from 2 cases of sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma from the Wuxi People's Hospital (China) were analyzed. The clinical presentation for these patients consisted of nasal obstruction, epistaxis, and headache. On further physical examination, the presence of a polypoid mass was identified and, despite surgery and radiotherapy, both cases experienced recurrence. Histologically, the tumors showed a heterogeneous mixture of components from the 3 germ layers, primitive neuroepithelial elements, diagnostic immature squamous cell nests (clear cell nests), and various epithelial and mesenchymal components. Staining of the different germ layers corresponded with the appropriate immune markers. In case 1, the postradiotherapy resection specimen was completely dominated by a mature teratoma, with a complete absence of the corresponding adenocarcinoma and fibrosarcoma components. To date, this is the first study describing this composition within an SNTCS recurrent tumor. In summary, SNTCS is a rare tumor characterized by the presence of benign and malignant epithelial, mesenchymal, and dysembryomal components. Owing to its heterogeneous histologic appearance, adequate sampling and recognition of all SNTCS components are needed for future diagnosis. Currently, surgical removal, postoperative radiotherapy, and a histology-specific multidrug chemotherapy appear to be the best therapeutic approach. Future individualized therapy may also hold promise.

Dural angioleiomyoma of the middle cranial fossa: a case report and review of the literature.

We describe a case of dural angioleiomyoma (ALM) of the middle cranial fossa. A 62-year-old man was referred to our center for fracture of the left clavicle because of a fall, and he had a sudden seizure during admission. The mass was completely resected. The tumor base was located at the bottom of the temporal lobe in the front of the petrous apex and near the cavernous sinus. After 7 months, the postoperative course demonstrated no tumor recurrence. The lesion had the typical appearance of ALM. Mitoses and necrosis were not identified. The lesion contained multifocality of fat in some areas of spindle-shaped cells, and markedly myxoid change was present. The spindle cells were positive for SMA and DES and negative for EMA, HMB-45, p53 and p16. A small focus of fat was positive for S-100. Less than 1% of the tumor cells showed immunoreactivity for Ki-67. EBV-encoded RNA was negative for tumor cells. Stainings for p53, p16, Ki-67 and EBV infection need to be carried out in cases of intracranial ALM because they are correlated with the biological behavior and prognosis of the tumor.

[Clinicopathological analysis of sudden cardiac death cases by autopsy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the major correlation factors and cardiac pathological changes of sudden cardiac death (SCD). METHODS: The clinical and pathological profiles of 119 SCD cases at Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 1985 to March 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. And the parameters of gender, age, causes of death and pathological changes of SCD were included. RESULTS: Among them, the primary etiologies were coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (n = 53, 44.5%), hypertensive heart disease (n = 9, 7.6%), myocarditis (n = 13, 10.9%), acute pulmonary embolism (n = 8, 6.7%) and myocardiopathy(n = 3, 2.5%). The heart weights of male and female cases were (407 ± 126) and (349 ± 101) g respectively. Among 53 cases of coronary heart disease, there were 28 cases (52.8%) of grade IV coronary artery atherosclerotic stenosis and 17 were involved with multiple branches. The differences of coronary artery stenosis were insignificant between gender and age (P > 0.05). Acute myocardial infarction occurred in 18 cases and 15 of them were complicated with old myocardial infarction (OMI) while there were 27 cases of simple OMI. Twenty cases (16.8%) without obvious cardiac organic pathological changes were classified as juvenile sudden unexplained death. CONCLUSIONS: Sudden and dangerous SCD frequently occurs in elders. Multiple severe coronary atherosclerotic stenosis is an important pathological hallmark of SCD.

Interdigitating dendritic cell tumor of the lymph node in the right submaxillary region: a case report and review of the literature.

Interdigitating dendritic cell tumor/sarcoma is an extremely rare neoplasm that mainly occurs in the lymph node, with only 51 cases reported in the literature to date. The authors report the case of a 41-year-old woman who presented with a 4-month history of a gradually enlarging painless mobile lymphadenopathy in the right submaxillary region. The lymph node mass was completely resected and was treated with 1 cycle of CHOP chemotherapy. After 10 months, she was alive with no evidence of disease. Because interdigitating dendritic cell sarcomas are rare and can show morphologic and immunohistochemical heterogeneity, correct diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion and complete pathological study.

Giant-cell anaplastic carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells of the chest cavity: a distinctive form of thymic carcinoma?

Here, the authors describe a case of giant-cell anaplastic carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells of the chest cavity-which could be a distinctive form of thymic carcinoma-which expressed CD5 and CD45. To the authors' knowledge, there has been no previous report on this subject. A 62-year-old woman presented with continuous pain in the left back associated with coughing and shortness of breath for more than 2 months prior to referral to the hospital. Palliative resection of a mediastinal tumor was performed. During the operation, it was found that the mass occupied most of the chest invading the chest wall, aorta, vena cava, and lung tissue. The patient soon died from diabetic complications in spite of anti-infection treatment. The tumor was composed of large areas of necrosis and anaplastic neoplastic giant cells with high mitotic activity, and osteoclast-like cells; there was marked inflammatory cell infiltration. The anaplastic neoplastic giant cells were immunoreactive for CKpan, CD5, CD45, VIM, and p53. Approximately 50% to 60% of the tumor cells showed immunoreactivity for Ki-67. In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA was negative for tumor cells and nonneoplastic osteoclastic giant cells. Because this tumor is very rare, extensive clinical, radiological, and morphological examinations as well as immunohistochemical studies are essential to make the diagnosis.

The expression and clinical significance of TGF-beta1 and MMP2 in human renal clear cell carcinoma.

The expression and clinical significance of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) in human renal clear cell carcinoma (RCCC) were investigated. The intensity of TGF-beta1 and MMP2 expression in RCCC kidneys was significantly higher than that in normal kidneys. Expression of TGF-beta1 and MMP2 in RCCC tissues was positively correlated with pathological grade and clinical stage. There was also a significant correlation between TGF-beta1 and Msshese analyses indicate that upregulation of TGF-beta1 and MMP2 expression may occur during the progression of RCCC. Thus, TGF-beta1 and MMP2 may be useful molecular markers for evaluating prognosis in RCCC patients.

[Pathologic and immunohistochemical study on lethal primary brain stem injury].

OBJECTIVE: To study the histopathologic changes of primary brain stem injury and to investigate their significance in the diagnosis of primary brain stem injury. METHODS: Sixty-five autopsy cases died of primary brain stem injury and other diseases were enrolled into this study. The cases were subdivided into brain stem injury group (n = 25) and control group (including 20 cases died of cardiovascular disease and 20 cases died of non-cardiovascular diseases). The brain stem tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and silver impregnation techniques. Immunohisto chemical study for glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament, amyloid-beta and myelin basic protein was carried out. The widest cross diameters of 10 axons highlighted by immunostaining were measured in each low power field (x 100) through light miscroscopy in all the cases studied. RESULTS: In comparing with that of the control group, there were differences in the degree of contusion lesion, reactive astrocytosis, edema and pathologic changes of neuronal cells present in the brain stem injury group and was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The axons locating in the brain stem injury group showed a distinctive histology by the appearance of significantly larger diameters (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Primary brain stem injury demonstrates certain distinctive histopathologic changes and measurement of axonal diameters provides an additional quantitative index useful in autopsy diagnosis.