Apopotic gene Bax expression in carotid plaque

The expression of BAX in carotid atherosclcrosis and its regulation is far from defined. Objectives To investigate BAX expression in stable/fibrous and instable/vulnerable carotid plaque and its clinical significance. Methods 25 cases of carotid plaque specimens obtained from endarterectomy were divided into two groups, stable/fibrous 14 cases, vulnerable/instable 11 cases; aortic artery and its branches from hepatic transplantation donors 6 case as control. The expression of proapoptotic BAX was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), in situ hybridization(ISH) and in situ TdT dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). Results 5 eases of BAX (+) were detected by ICH and ISH, 4 case of TUNEL (+) were detected by TUNEL in stable/fibrous carotid plaque, while 10 cases were BAX (+)by IHC(P<0.05) , 11 case by ISH and 9 case by TUNEL were detected in instable/vulnerable carotid plaque (P<0.01), respectively. The intensity of BAX (+) cells by IHC and ISH was 8.63±2.62 and 10.32±3.12 in fibrous plaques, whereas 122±21.64 and 152±23.35 in vulnerable plaques, respectively. No expression of BAX was found in controlled group. Conclusion The higher expression of Bax in vulnerable carotid plaque may be one mechanisms in molecular pathogenesis of carotid atherosclerosis which affect plaque stability and be the cause of higher incidence of stroke than fibrous carotid plaques, the regulation of BAX expression in different stage of atherosclerosis may provide targets in gene therapy for carotid atherosclerosis.

Clinicopathological features of atypical lipomatous tumors of the laryngopharynx

Atypical lipomatous tumor (ALT) of the laryngopharynx is rare.Here we report five cases to demonstrate their clinicopathological features.The patients were four males and one female,aged 41 to 69 years (median 53.6 years).All tumors (two in the hypopharynx and three in the larynx) presented as a slowly growing,painless mass.Symptoms included dysphagia (2/5),dysphonia (3/5),and the feeling of a foreign body in the throat (5/5).Tumors were well circumscribed or focally infiltrative,ranging from 2.0 to 5.0 cm (median,3.4 cm) in size,and microscopically showed the typical features of lipoma-like ALT.Immunohistochemically,tumor cells were stained with S-100,vimentin,murine double minute 2 (MDM-2),and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4).Two patients had local tumor recurrences at 6 and 14 months after initial surgery during follow-up.ALT of laryngopharynx is an indolent tumor.Immunohistochemical staining for MDM-2 and CDK4 is helpful in pathological diagnosis.

Clinically applicable Gleason grading(GD)system for prostate cancer based on deep learning

To the Editor:Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the male genital system,with approximately 1.1 million new cases in 2012.[1]The accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer leads to a better chance of successful treatment when it is still confined to the prostate gland.The Gleason grading(GD)system was first established by Donald Gleason during 1966 to 1974.[2,3]The Gleason pattern ranges from 1 to 5.A higher score corresponds to poorer differentiation,which indicates a worse prognosis and higher metastasis possibility.The total score is calculated with the first half of the dominant Gleason pattern and the second half based on the non-dominant one.