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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a family of structural and functional related endopeptidases, calcium-dependent, zinccontaining which are responsible for the tissue remodeling and degradation of the extracellular matrix. We performed a retrospective study on 20 patients with poly/dermatomyositis with the aim of detecting the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 in these patients. Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of MMP-9 in degenerate muscle fibers was absent in 4 cases. All other cases (16 cases) had positive weak or moderate intensity in the cytoplasm of degenerate striated muscle fibers. In all cases analyzed of unaffected striated muscle fibers MMP 9 was negative. MMP 9 was intense expressed in lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate, and intense or moderate expressed in the vessel walls. The overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases 9 on degenerated muscle fibers may be an important event in the multistep process of dermatomyositis and polymyositis and may play an important role in the development of new therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis plays a key role in the development and dissemination of colorectal cancer. In advanced stages this malignancy has a poor prognosis due to the inefficacy of the existent treatment and at this point the outcome cannot be completely predicted by common prognostic factors such as lymph node involvement, tumor size or local extension of the disease. For the management of these patients, a vast number of studies about appropriate biomarkers have been reported and they have been classified into prognostic biomarkers, predictive biomarkers, pharmacodynamic biomarkers and surrogate endpoints. The evaluation of prognostic biomarkers using immunohistochemistry, is increasingly used in the histopathologic diagnosis, having the potential to predict responsiveness to standard chemotherapy or novel molecular targeted therapy. The aim of this article is to address current immunohistochemical angiogenesis-based prognostic markers for patients with colorectal cancer, to summarize their current state and to discuss future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was the clinical and histo-immunohistochemical analysis of two cases: a cutaneous pigmented facial malignant melanoma and a lumbar congenital nevus with malignant transformation. A series of clinical elements raised the suspicion of some malignant melanocytic lesions and the histopathological analysis through the paraffin embedding technique confirmed the clinical suspicion. The immunohistochemical analysis using the streptavidin-biotin-peroxydase method of the facial malignant melanoma showed: S100 protein intense and diffuse positive, Tyrosinase diffuse positive, HMB45 strong and focal positive, Cyclin D1 positive in approximately 40% and Ki-67 positive in almost 70% of the tumor cells. The malignant melanoma developed on the nevocellular nevus displayed: S100 protein intense and diffuse positive, both in the nevus cells and in the malignant melanocytes as well, Tyrosinase intense and diffuse positive in the malignant melanocytes, poor and focal positive in the nevus cells and HMB45 intense and focal positive in the malignant cells and positive in the isolated nevus cells. Cyclin D1 was positive in about 70% of the malignant cells, but negative in the nevus area and Ki-67 was found positive in relatively 30% of the malignant melanocytes, also in less than 1% of the nevus cells. The pattern and the intensity of the Tyrosinase and HMB45 immunoexpression are important in the differentiation of the nevus cells from the malignant melanocytic cells. The immunoexpression of Cyclin D1 does not correlate directly with the proliferating activity of the malignant melanocytic cells in all types of malignant melanomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]