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Parathyroid carcinoma is uncommon and no reliable histological markers are available for predicting the clinical outcome of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between survival, histopatological markers, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Ki-67 antigen and the expression of the p53 nuclear protein in patients with confirmed parathyroid carcinoma (PC). The routine histological specimens from 15 patients (11 men, 4-women, median age 65 years) with confirmed PC who had died of the disease were reviewed. New specimens were also stained with the streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex standard technique. The labelling index (LI) of PCNA was quantified by counting 1000 cells from multiple areas in a random fashion, while immunostaining of both Ki-67 and p53 was evaluated as the percentage of positive cells. The PCNA-LI, Ki-67 (%) and p53 (%) values were 14.9 +/- 4.1 (median 13, range 2-70), 13.9 +/- 3.9 (median 11%, range 3-65%) and 38.5 +/- 4.6 (median 29%, range 19-65%), respectively. There was an inverse correlation between age of the patients and p53 (R = -0.73, p = 0.002), but no correlation with both PCNA-LI (R = 0.07, p = 0.72) and Ki-67 (R = -0.07, p = 0.79). A significant relationship (R = 0.93, p < 0.01) between PCNA-LI and Ki-67 was found, while p53 did not correlate with either PCNA-LI (R = -0.11, p = 0.71) or Ki-67 (R = -0.05, p = 0.86). An inverse correlation (R = -0.63, p = 0.01) between survival and the presence of spindle cells and coagulation necrosis together in the standard slides was observed, but there was no correlation (p = NS) between survival and PCNA-LI (R = 0.05), Ki -67 (R = 0.05) or p53 (R = 0.25). In conclusion, none of the tested immunohistochemical markers were useful in predicting the clinical outcome of patients with PC. However, the presence of spindle cells and coagulation necrosis together in the standard specimens should be considered as a negative prognostic factor.

Thermal homeostasis represents the major issue during liver transplantation (OLT) since severe hypothermia may have a deleterious effect on both liver recipient organism and postoperative graft functioning. Because of the known negative influence of hypothermia on intraoperative cardiovascular activity and coagulation system, numerous methods have been suggested to reduce intraoperative heat loss and promote active warming (continuous temperature monitoring, external heat sources, improvement in surgical technique and technologies). A good intraoperative OLT course has an obvious influence on post OLT graft function recovery, but thermal homeostasis has also an essential direct effect on the graft as a constitutive component of conventional cold preservation methods. Hypothermia, however, contributes directly to the graft ischemia-reperfusion injury particularly in marginal and partial organs by several angiogenic mechanisms. For these reasons, on the light of the development of new strategies to increase the donor pool, clinical research is focusing on new preservation methods such as extracorporeal circuits with normothermic oxygenated perfusion.