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We enrolled 264 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We performed immunohistochemical detection of p16 and determined the degree of interstitial fibrosis (IF). The expression of p16 was associated with pathological tumor-node-metastasis (pTNM) stage and age (p0.05). The cancer-specific survival (CSS) was longer in p16-negative patients (195.73 vs. 181.78 months, p = 0.007). p16 was significantly related to the degree of IF (r = 0.130, p = 0.035). PTC patients with no or mild fibrosis tended to have a larger tumor (p = 0.045). The degree of fibrosis was related to the proportion of papillary structure components (p = 0.025). Univariate and multivariate survival analyses showed that relapse-free survival (RFS) was longer in patients with moderate/severe IF (p0.05). In summary, p16 was correlated with prognosis and IF of PTC. Patients with moderate/severe IF tend to have better prognosis in RFS.

Objective To develope a deep learning algorithm for pathological classification of chronic gastritis and assess its performance using whole-slide images (WSIs). Methods We retrospectively collected 1,250 gastric biopsy specimens (1,128 gastritis, 122 normal mucosa) from PLA General Hospital. The deep learning algorithm based on DeepLab v3 (ResNet-50) architecture was trained and validated using 1,008 WSIs and 100 WSIs, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the algorithm was tested on an independent test set of 142 WSIs, with the pathologists' consensus diagnosis as the gold standard. Results The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for chronic superficial gastritis (CSuG), chronic active gastritis (CAcG), and chronic atrophic gastritis (CAtG) in the test set, respectively.The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of the algorithm for CSuG, CAcG, and CAtG were 0.882, 0.905 and 0.910, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the deep learning algorithm for the classification of CSuG, CAcG, and CAtG were 0.790 and 1.000 (accuracy 0.880), 0.985 and 0.829 (accuracy 0.901), 0.952 and 0.992 (accuracy 0.986), respectively. The overall predicted accuracy for three different types of gastritis was 0.867. By flagging the suspicious regions identified by the algorithm in WSI, a more transparent and interpretable diagnosis can be generated. Conclusion The deep learning algorithm achieved high accuracy for chronic gastritis classification using WSIs. By pre-highlighting the different gastritis regions, it might be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool to improve the work efficiency of pathologists.

Background Low-grade malignant endolymphatic sac tumor (ELST) is a rare neoplasm, occurring in the inner ear and invading the temporal bone. This study aims to investigate the clinicopathological features of low-grade malignant ELSTs. Methods The clinicopathological data of 21 patients with low-grade malignant ELSTs were collected and analyzed. Results The patients were aged 16–71 years, with an average age of 40.3 years and a median age of 39 years, and the male to female ratio was 1:1.6. There were 13 cases (61.9%) of ELSTs occurring on the left side, 7 cases (33.3%) on the right side, and 1 case (4.8%) on both sides. Blood types O and B were noted in 71.4% of the patients. Immunohistochemistry showed that CK, EMA and Vim were all positive, and S-100 (71.4%, 10/14), CD56 (75.0%, 9/12), NSE (50.0%, 2/4), and GFAP (11.1%, 1/9) were also positive, while Syn, CgA, TTF-1, TG, CD34, and calcitonin were negative. The Ki-67 index was 4.3% on average. Histologically, cells were arranged in a papillary shape often with branches and abundant fibrous axial vessel. Some cells had an expanded different-sized thyroid-follicle-like structure, with the follicles containing red-stained colloids and scallop-like secretary vacuoles. There were expanded cavities. Some cases were in a glandular arrangement, and a few in a nest-like, gland-cystoid arrangement. Most tumors were coated with a monolayer of cubic epithelium, a few cells were flat or columnar, with translucent cytoplasm and light staining. The nuclei were oval, nucleolus was not obvious, chromatin was delicate, and a few nucleoli were small. The tissue was prone to bleeding, with fresh and old bleeding. Approximately half of the patients had necrotic bones, and in some cases the tumor tissue had destroyed the surrounding bone. The background fibrous tissue showed hyperplasia with hyaline degeneration, some had calcification and formation of sandy-gravel bodies. The clinical manifestations were hearing reduction or loss, followed by tinnitus, and accompanied by varying degrees of cranial nerve injury. No patients died during follow-up. Conclusions Low-grade malignant ELSTs occur most frequently on the left side, with a female preponderance. The disease progressed slowly, with no death, and but relapse in two patients in this series. These tumors are often misdiagnosed.

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes and influential factors of renal damage in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Clinical data and pathological findings at autopsy of 161 elderly T2DM patients died between October 1994 and August 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of these patients was 80.8 ± 8.3 years (range 60-105 years). The incidences of diabetic nephropathy (DN), non-diabetic renal diseases (NDRD), and DN complicated with NDRD were 31.1, 62.7, and 16.2 %, respectively. In patients with NDRD, the incidence of hypertensive renal damage (HRD) was 54.7 %. In the factors causing renal damage, DN and NDRD accounted for 1/3 and 2/3, respectively. HRD accounted for the largest proportion of NDRD. Blood pressure control may provide additional benefits for elderly T2DM patients by preventing and delaying the occurrence and development of renal disease.

Objective To explore the expression of cyclin D1, p21WAF1, p53 and Ki-67 protein in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with prognosis of HCC patients. Methods Liver specimens were collected from 80 HCC patients who received hepatectomy in the General Hospital of PLA from Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2005, and the expressions of cyclin D1, p21WAF1, p53 and Ki-67 protein were determined by immunohistochemical staining (EliVision method) to investigate the relationship between the protein expressions and the clinicopathologic characteristics of HCC, and their relationship with the survival rate of the patients was analyzed. Results The positive expression rates of cyclin D1, p21WAF1, p53 and Ki-67 in HCC were 38.8%, 40.5%, 65.4% and 80.0% respectively, and they were significantly higher than those in matched normal tissues (19.0%, 11.5%, 0.0% and 6.3% respectively, P

Objective To analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics of T lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) and type B1 thymoma in the mediastinum, and to improve the accuracy of differential diagnosis between two diseases. Methods Pathology of consecutive 34 cases of T-LBL and 10 cases of type B1 thymoma were reviewed in this study. All the initial diagnosis was made with core needle biopsy specimens of mediastinal masses and confirmed by subsequent chemotherapy and/or excision biopsy specimens. The clinical and pathological features of T-LBL and type B1 thymoma were compared by reviewing clinical records and analysis of HE and immunohistochemical staining sections. The chi-square test was used for statistic analysis. Results The mean age of the patients with type B1 thymoma was 43 years, and the ratio of male to female was 2:3, while the patients with T-LBL were much younger (with mean age of 25, 73% of them younger than 30 years old) and the male to female ratio was 3.3:1. All the T-LBL cases presented symptoms including chest tightness, shortness of breath and cough. Three patients of thymoma complained of chest tightness and shortness of breath, and 2 cases presented symptoms of myasthenia gravis. Imaging examination showed solitary mass in anterior mediastinum in patients of both groups, 88% of the T-LBL patients had mass>10cm, while accounting for 50% in B1 thymoma patients. Concurrent pleural effusion was only observed in the T-LBL patients. Histopathologically, T-LBL and thymoma showed significant differences, including the infiltration of tumor cells in fibrous tissue (65% in T-LBL vs 0% in thymoma), invasion of peripheral fat tissue (59% vs 20%), invasion of skeletal muscle (41% vs 0%), tumor necrosis (21% vs 0%), and remaining of thymus lobular structure was found in only 3% of T-LBL. Intact cytokeratin network was shown in B1 thymoma (100%) by immunohistochemical staining. Conclusions Patients' gender, age, clinical features and imaging features, especially pathological characteristics were remarkable different between T-LBL and type B1 thymoma. Combining clinical manifestations and pathological changes will help to improve the accuracy of core needle biopsy in differential diagnosis of T-LBL and thymoma.

The aim of this study was to find the independent risk factors related with gallbladder (GB) adenoma compared to cholesterol polyp by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Between January 2010 and September 2014, a total of 122 consecutive patients undergoing cholecystectomy for GB polypoid lesions were enrolled. Before cholecystectomy, each patient underwent conventional US and CEUS examination and all image features were documented. The patients were divided into adenoma group and cholesterol polyp group according to the pathological findings. All the image features between two groups were statistically compared. There were differences in patient age, lesion size, echogenicity, and vascularity of lesion between two groups (P

Objective To explore the histological morphous,immunohistochemical and clinical features,differential diagnosis and prognosis of hepatic inflammatory angiomyolipoma(AML).Methods The clinical and pathological data of 5 patients with inflammatory hepatic AML were retrospectively analyzed followed by follow-up.The typical tissue was observed by immunohistochemical staining.Results Five patients(1 male and 4 females) aged from 21 to 48 years.Tumors were situated in left lobe of liver in 3 patients,and in right lobe in 2 patients.The tumors had a diameter of 5.5-10.0cm averaged 7.5cm.Generally,the tumors were grey-white on cut surface,without hemorrhage,necrosis and cystic degeneration.Microscopically,the tumors were consisted of spindle and epithelioid myocytes,irregular thick-walled blood vessels and adipose tissue in different proportion.A prominent infiltration of inflammatory cells,including lymphocytes,plasmocytes and histiocytes,in the background was noted in all cases.No obvious atypia and mitotic figure,and no hemorrhage,necrosis and cystic degeneration were noted in the tumor cells.It was immunohistochemically revealed that the tumor cells of all the 5 patients were positive in HMB-45,Melan-A,SMA and Vimentin,while negative in CD21,CD35,CK18,CK19,hepatocyte paraffin-1,AFP,EMA and CK.All the patients were undergone local hepatectomy without recurrence during a 3 to 9 years follow-up.Conclusion Inflammatory hepatic AML is one of the sub-types of AML,demonstrating a similar benign biologic behavior with classical AML.

To investigate the clinic-pathological characteristics and prognosis of 48 female cases with peritoneal pseudomyxoma(PMP).The clinicopathologic features and follow-up data of 48 female patients with PMP diagnosed in the General Hospital of People's Liberation Army from Jan.1982 to Dec.2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The relationship between clinic-pathological characteristics and prognosis were analyzed using log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.(1) Clinicopathologic features: the mean age of the 48 cases was 58.8 years (range from 24 to 79 years).abdominal distention and abdominal discomfort were the main symptoms. Imaging examinations showed nonspecific abdominal and pelvic lesions in most cases.all the 48 patients underwent laparotomy and cytoreductive surgery (CRS), in which 15(31%) patients with completeness of the cancer resection (CCR) -1, 24(50%) cases with CCR-2, and CCR-3 in 9(19%) cases. Six (12%) cases were treated by intraoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with cisplatin, 20(42%) patients were treated with different options postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Pathological types:the cases were histologically classified into 3 subcategories:disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis (DPAM), peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis (PMCA), and PMCA with intermediate or discordant features (PMCA-I/D), which were 22(46%) cases, 9 (19%)cases and 17 (35%)cases, respectively. Appendiceal tumors: 44(92%) cases underwent appendectomy, in which 38 cases presented appendiceal tumors (including 20 cases of low-grade appendiceal mucinous adenoma and 18 cases of appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma), 2 cases were diagnosed as appendicitis, 4 cases with unknown pathologic diagnosis. And the other 4(8%) cases, who didn't undergo appendectomy at the first operation, presented peritoneal tumor recurrence and appendiceal mucinous tumors 1, 11, 32 and 85 months after surgery, respectively. Parenchymal organs involved: ovarian involving was happened in 34 (71%) patients including 15 cases with the right ovary involving, 13 cases in both sides, and 6 cases involving the left side. The other parenchymal organs in 10(21%) cases. (2) Prognostic factors: 11 patients died, 31 survived and 6 cases were lost to follow-up. The mean survival time was 99 months(ranged from 1 to 312 months). The 3-year, 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 73.3%, 68.0% and 46.6%, respectively. Univariate statistical analysis showed that age, pathological type and parenchymal involvement were significantly relationship with the survival time (all P0.05). But the operation times, appendiceal tumor type, ovarian involvement, CCR, intraperitoneal HIPEC and post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy were not significantly correlate with survival time (all P0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age and pathologic type were independent prognostic factors(P0.05).No specific clinical features presented in PMP. CRS with HIPEC should the recommended treatment. Both ovaries exploration and appendectomy should be carried out routinely in CRS. The 10-year overall survival of PMP is low. Age, pathological type and parenchymal organs involvement other than ovarian are correlated with the prognosis. And the pathological type and age are independent prognostic factors of PMP.

We investigated the prognostic value of pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) expression according to clinicopathological features among localized or locally advanced prostate cancer cases receiving hormone therapy. A retrospective study involved 64 patients receiving combined androgen blockade treatment was performed. PTTG1 expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining using initial needle biopsy specimens for diagnosis. Associations of PTTG1 with various clinicopathological features and disease-free survival were examined via uni- and multivariate analyses. No association between PTTG1 expression and clinical T stage, Gleason score, pretreatment PSA levels, risk groups was found (p =0.682, 0.184, 0.487, 0.571, respectively). Univariate analysis revealed that increased PTTG1 expression, T3 stage and high risk group were associated with increased risk of disease progression (p =0.000, 0.042, and 0.001), and high PSA level had a tendency to predict disease progression (p =0.056). Cox hazard ratio analysis showed that PTTG1 low expression (p =0.002), PTTG1 high expression (p =0.000) and high risk group (p =0.0147) were significantly related to decreased diseasefree survival. In conclusion, PTTG1 expression determined by immunohistochemical staining in needle biopsy specimens for diagnosis is a negative prognostic factor for progression in localized or locally advanced prostate cancer receiving hormone therapy.

To explore prognostic factors and the expression of glypican-3, hepatocyte antigen (HEP), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), CD34 and CD10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their prognostic value.Clinicopathologic data were analyzed in 375 cases of HCC, in which 80 cases with follow-up were examined by immunohistochemical staining to detect the expression of glypican-3, HEP, AFP, CD34 and CD10 proteins. The relationship between the proteins expression and clinicopathologic features was also evaluated.Tumor number (P = 0.000), tumor size (P = 0.025), tumor differentiation (P = 0.001) and vessel invasion (P = 0.000) were closely related to prognosis of HCC patients; the expression of glypican-3 (66/80,82.5%; P = 0.002), HEP (64/80,80.0%; P = 0.021), AFP (38/80,47.5%; P = 0.014) and CD10 (28/80,35.0%; P = 0.002) was significantly related to tumor differentiation; that of glypican-3 was significantly correlated with tumor number and presence of satellite nodules (P = 0.028) and that of AFP and CD10 was significantly correlated with portal vein thrombi (P = 0.000, P = 0.010). On Kaplan-Meier regression analysis, both low expression of HEP and high expression of AFP were closely related to poor prognosis.Tumor number, size, differentiation and vessel invasion were important factors affecting the prognosis of patients with HCC. HEP and AFP have prognostic significance in HCC.

To investigate the clinical and pathological features, differential diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma.The clinical manifestations, histopathological features, immunohistochemistry, treatment and prognosis were analyzed retrospectively in 10 cases of granulocytic sarcoma.The age of patients ranged from 10 to 56 years (means = 35.8 years). The male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. Histologically, the malignant cells of granulocytic sarcoma grew in a diffuse pattern. The cytoplasm was scanty, with eosinophilic fine granularity in some cells. The nuclei were round or focally irregular, and had finely dispersed chromatin. The mitotic figures were visible. Immunohistochemical stains for MPO, CD43, CD117, CD34 and CD99 were positive.Granulocytic sarcoma can occur in patients of all ages with a male predominance. The diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma is assisted by the cytochemical stain for naphthol-ASD-chloroacetate esterase and/or immunophenotypic analyses for MPO, CD43, CD117, CD34, CD99. These stains aid in the distinction of granulocytic sarcoma from: lymphoblastic lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, small round cell tumours, particularly in children, and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm.

To study the clinicopathologic features of primary thymic extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT).The clinical and pathologic findings were evaluated in 3 cases of biopsy confirmed thymic MALT lymphoma. The clincopathologic features, treatment and prognosis were discussed and literatures reviewed.One male and two female patients presented with asymptomatic mediastinal masses with a history of Sjögren syndrome. They were aged 36, 35 and 41 years respectively, and only one patient had B symptoms. Grossly, all three tumors were encapsulated and had multiple variable-sized cysts on cut-surface. Histopathologically, the normal thymic lobular architecture was effaced by abnormal dense lymphoid infiltration. Prominent lymphoepithelial lesions were formed by centrocyte-like cells infiltrating and expanding Hassall's corpuscles and epithelial cyst lining. All cases showed apparent plasmacytic differentiation. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CD20, CD79a, bcl-2 and negative for CD3, CD5, cyclin D1, CD43, CD10, bcl-6, and CD23. The plasma cells showed kappa light chain restriction. Immunoglobulin heavy chain rearrangement in three cases was confirmed by PCR. All patients were at early stage and received routine chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy after surgical removal. All patients achieved complete remission with 24, 18 and 3 months follow-up, respectively.Primary thymic MALT lymphoma may be a rare distinctive lymphoma. It can be diagnosed by HE and immunohistochemical study and should be differentiated from reactive lymphoid proliferation, other types of lymphoma and mediastinal thymoma.

To study the clinical and pathologic features of gastric schwannomas.The macroscopic and microscopic features of 9 cases of gastric schwannoma were analyzed. Immunohistochemical study for S-100 protein, CD117, CD34, neurofilament, desmin, nestin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, platelet derived growth factor-alpha (PDGFR-α) and vimentin was carried out. Mutation analysis of c-kit gene (exon 9, 11, 13 and 17) and PDGFR-α gene (exon 12 and 18) in 1 case was examined by PCR amplification and direct sequencing.The patients included 5 males and 4 females. The age of patients ranged from 42 to 81 years (median = 56.5 years). The size of the tumors ranged from 2 to 9 cm in greatest diameter. Follow-up data in 8 cases (from 1 month to 65 months) showed no evidence of recurrence or metastasis. Gross examination showed that gastric schwannomas were homogeneous, firm, yellow-white and bore no true fibrous capsule. Histologically, all cases were composed of fascicles of spindle cells associated with nuclear palisading, Verocay body formation and peripheral cuff of reactive lymphoid aggregates. Some of them showed degenerative changes including cyst formation, calcification, hemorrhage, necrosis and hyalinization. Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells were strongly positive for S-100 protein and vimentin. There was various degree of staining for nestin (8/9) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (6/9). They were negative for CD117, CD34, neurofilament, desmin and smooth muscle actin. One case showed focal positivity for PDGFR-α (1/9), with no mutations found.Gastric schwannomas share similar histologic features with conventional soft tissue schwannomas, in addition to the presence a reactive lymphoid cuff. The clinical, macroscopic, histologic and immunohistochemical features of gastric schwannomas were different from those of gastrointestinal stromal tumors and leiomyomas.

To examine granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) expression in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well as discuss its clinicopathological significance.Specimens were obtained from 114 cases (53 cases with granulocyte infiltration) diagnosed pathologically as NSCLC in General Hospital of PLA. Paraffin-embedded tissues from these 114 cases of NSCLC were examined for expression of G-CSF by immunohistochemical staining. Correlation between G-CSF expression and pathological features, clinical manifestation, prognosis of patients with NSCLC was analyzed statistically. All the patients were retrospectively followed-up.Fifty-five of the 114 NSCLC specimens expressed G-CSF, and among these 41 (41/54, 75.9%) were large cell carcinoma, nine (9/30, 30.0%) were adenocarcinoma and five (5/30, 16.7%) were squamous cell carcinoma. The expression was significantly correlated with infiltration of tumor mass by neutrophilic granulocytes, histological type, necrosis, differentiation, lymph node metastases, distant metastases, recurrence and survival period (P0.01). There was no significant correlation with primary tumor size (P0.05). Logistic multi-factor analysis revealed that necrosis, lymph nodes metastases and distant metastases RR (risk ratio) in G-CSF positive group was 5.57, 6.28 and 5.24 times higher than those of G-CSF negative group (P0.05). There were remarkable difference of 5-year survival rates (0 and 12.1% respectively) and survival period (42 and 62 months respectively) between positive and negative groups (P0.01).NSCLC with G-CSF excretion are mainly large cell lung cancer. The pathologic characteristics of these cases with G-CSF expression included poor differentiation, remarkable atypia, prominent necrosis and infiltration of tumor mass by neutrophils or emperipolesis. These tumors are usually more aggressive in biological behavior and have worse prognosis than those without G-CSF expression.

Background Elasticity is an important characteristic of tissue. During an elastography examination, various strain images of lesions are observed, and a suitable classification of strain patterns (SP) may provide vital diagnostic information about lesions. Numerous studies have shown that ultrasound elastography can improve the detection of prostate cancer, but the diagnostic value of SP classification has not yet been fully evaluated. Purpose To investigate the contribution of SP on the characterization of prostate peripheral zone lesions by transrectal real-time tissue elastography (TRTE) in combination with conventional transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS). Material and Methods One hundred and seventy-one patients with suspected prostate cancer underwent TRUS and TRTE examinations. The SPs of the suspicious lesions were classified into five scores by TRTE according to the degree and distribution of strain. All findings were confirmed by transrectal systematic 12-core biopsies and targeted biopsies for suspicious areas detecting by TRUS and/or TRTE. Results One hundred and forty-eight of 171 patients had high-quality TRTE imaging and were included into the study. When a cut-off point of SP score III was used, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was, respectively, 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67–0.83), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78–0.91) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77–0.91) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer by TRUS, TRTE and TRTE + TRUS. A linear tendency of SP and Gleason scores was observed in scores III-V. The detection rate of prostate cancer using TRTE-targeted biopsy (75.8%) was significantly higher than that of systematic 12-core biopsy plus TRUS-targeted biopsy (14.5%) ( P = 0.00). Conclusion This study suggests the significant contribution of SP on characterization of prostate peripheral zone lesions and the improvement of TRTE-targeted biopsy on detection of prostate cancer.

To analyze the clinicopathologic features and prognostic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma.Clinicopathological data of 185 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma treated in our hospital between 2000 and 2005 were collected and their follow up information was obtained. The clinicopathological features and prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analysis.The 185 patients had a median age of 51.0 ± 11.0 (range, 19 - 72) years. The apparent peak incidence age was 40 to 60 years old, and the ratio of male to female was 10.6:1; the 3- and 5-year postoperational survival rates were 52.0% and 38.0%; respectively. The tumour numbers (P = 0.000), tumor size (P = 0.025), histological pattern (P = 0.000), nuclear features (P = 0.000), differentiation (P = 0.001) and vascular invasion (P = 0.000) were significantly correlated with prognosis. The postoperational survival times of patients with thin trabeculae pattern, compact pattern and pseudoglandular pattern were significantly longer than that of thick trabeculae, scirrhous pattern, and solid pattern (P ≤ 0.009). The postoperational survival time of patients with nuclear features grade 1 and 2 was significantly longer than that of grade 3 and 4 (P = 0.000). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the tumor number (P = 0.001), tumor size (P = 0.042), nuclear features (P = 0.023) and vascular invasion (P = 0.000) were independent prognostic factors.The postoperational survival rate of HCC patients is low. The tumor size, tumor number, differentiation and vascular invasion are major prognostic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma, The higher is the tumor number, tumor size, degree of differentiation and presence of vascular invasion, the higher risk of mortality is.

Objective This study was to assess the diagnostic value of strain index (SI) for transrectal real-time tissue elastography (TRTE) on differentiating malignant from benign lesions in the prostate peripheral zone. Methods 83 patients suspected of having prostate cancer (PCa) underwent transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and TRTE examinations. The lesions in the prostate peripheral zone detected by TRTE were set as the regions of interest (ROI) for strain ratio (SR) measurement (SRA). The moderate texture tissues without lesion were set as the reference ROI for SR measurement (SRB). Then, SI (SRB/SRA) of total lesions (ASI) and local lesion (PSI) were calculated, and the diagnostic values of ASI and PSI on differentiating benign from malignant lesions were assessed respectively. Results The range of PSI was 2.23–67.21 (29.97 ± 15.58) in malignant tumors and 0. 4–43.6 (7.79 ± 8.75) in benign lesions (AUC = 0.90), while the range of ASI was 2.84–47.9 (8.38 ± 12.20) in malignant tumors and 0.4 –2.79 (5.85 ± 7.29) in benign lesions (AUC = 0.62). There was significant difference of PSI values between the benign and malignant lesions (P

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Metastatic alveolar soft tissue sarcoma (ASTS) of the central nervous system is rare and is easy to be misdiagnosed as other primary tumors of central nervous system. This study was to analyze the clinical and pathological features of four patients with ASTS of the central nervous system and to clarify their differential diagnosis as well as prognosis. METHODS HE slices and clinical data of the four cases were reviewed and immunohistochemical staining was performed. Antibodies included Vimentin, Myosin, Myoglobin, S-100, Actin, Desmin, CgA, Syn, NSE, and CK. RESULTS All four patients had a skin nodule of the extremities removed previously. Clinical symptoms included headache and sight blurring. The metastatic lesions were located in the posterior cranial fossa, closely associated with the meninges. The tumor cells had clear or eosinophilic cytoplasm and prominent nucleoli, arranged in alveolar structures, which were surrounded by delicate blood sinuses. The immunohistochemical staining results showed that the positive stainings of Actin, Desmin and S-100 were in 2 cases; the weakly positive stainings of NSE and Vimentin were in 1 case; the positive staining of PAS was in all four cases. The follow-up data showed that one case died during one year after surgery, two cases died during three years. The fourth case had half year after operation and had been alive without tumour. CONCLUSION ASTS of the central nervous system was mostly metastatic and should be differentiated from other CNS tumors such as meningioma, melonocytic tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma and paraganglioma. Metastatic ASTS of the central nervous system had poor prognosis and the five-year survival rate was low.

To determine the cardiac and renal arteriolar pathological changes in autopsied elderly hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).Autopsy samples from 25 essential hypertension (EH) patients with LVH aged over 60 years and age-matched 8 controls were analyzed. LVH was further divided into three degrees from I to III according to left ventricular free wall thickness in EH patients. Quantitative measurements of arteriolar morphometric parameters in heart and kidney were performed under light microscope with computer image analysis post HE and Masson staining. The lesion index and plasma albumen infiltration of arteriole were evaluated by the semiquantitative method.The inner diameter (ID) and luminal cross-sectional area (LCSA) were significantly decreased while wall thickness (WT), wall cross-sectional area (WCSA), ratio of WCSA to LCSA (WCSA/LCSA) and ratio of WT to ID (WT/ID) were significantly increased in EH patients in proportion to LVH degree. Both cardiac and renal arterioles WCSA/LCSA and WT/ID were significantly decreased with increasing outer diameters (OD). Under the same OD rang, the pathological changes were more significant in the renal arterioles compared to those in the cardiac arterioles (P0.05). The arteriolar lesion index and the plasma albumen infiltration index of cardiac and renal arterioles in EH group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P0.01) and the arteriolar lesion index and the plasma albumen infiltration of arteriole in the renal tissue were significantly higher than those in the cardiac tissue (P0.01).Concentric remodeling occurs in the cardiac and renal arterioles of EH patients in proportion to LVH degree and renal arterioles lesions were significantly severer than that of cardiac arterioles in EH patients with LVH.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the vascularization of zonal location of hypoechoic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) nodules and to evaluate the clinical value of contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound (CETRUS) for assessing vascularity of hypoechoic BPH nodules. Sixty-two patients with hypoechoic biopsy-proven BPH nodules in transition zone (TZ) (32 patients) or peripheral zone (PZ) (30 patients) of the prostate gland underwent CETRUS examination between January 2006 and September 2006. The enhancement characteristics of hypoechoic BPH nodules were observed and time to enhancement (AT), time to peak intensity (TTP) and peak intensity (PI) were measured with ACQ time-intensity curve analysis software. In addition, microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunoreactivity were determined in the biopsy specimens. Microvessels were identified by immunohistochemical staining of endothelial cells for CD34. Findings were compared between hypoechoic BPH nodules located in PZ and TZ. The most common enhancement characteristic of hypoechoic BPH nodules in PZ was nonenhanced area inside (21/30), while most of hypoechoic BPH nodules in TZ appeared homogeneous enhancement (28/32). The average AT and TTP were significantly longer, the average PI was significantly lower in hypoechoic BPH nodules located in PZ than TZ (p < 0.01). The VEGF expression and MVD were significantly higher in hypoechoic BPH nodules located in TZ than PZ (p < 0.01). PI was found to be an important parameter strongly correlated with degree of vascularity of hypoechoic BPH nodules. Hypoechoic BPH nodules located in PZ and TZ showed significant difference in vascularization, which indirectly verified our finding that BPH nodule could occur in the peripheral zone. CETRUS could afford information on the vascularity of hypoechoic BPH nodules in a noninvasive manner and this could be used to improve selection of nodules for biopsy.

To analyze and evaluate the characteristics of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound.Forty-eight BPH patients confirmed by transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Contrast pulse sequencing technique (CPS) and quantitative software-ACQ were used, and the parameters of beginning enhancement time, disappearing and transit time and peak intensity (PI) of the inner gland and outer gland were recorded and analyzed.The prostate was rich with blood and enhanced significantly on contrast-enhanced ultrasound. The beginning enhancement time of the prostatic inner gland, especially the area around the urethra, was much earlier than that of the outer gland, (26.68 +/- 3.76) and (31.24 +/- 5.33) s, respectively (P = 0.000). The contrast disappeared later in the inner gland than in the outer gland, (200.68 +/- 59.40) and (157.56 +/- 50.66) s, respectively (P = 0.000). The transit time of the contrast in the inner gland was much longer than in the outer gland, (173.94 +/- 60.14) and (129.21 +/- 56.91) s, respectively (P = 0.000). PI of the inner gland was much higher than that of the outer gland, (90.45 +/- 42.19) and (65.32 +/- 25.15) dB, respectively (P = 0.000).Contrast-enhanced ultrasound makes it possible to continuously observe the blood perfusion process of BPH, and promises to be an effective means for observing the blood supply in BPH.

The expression of BAX in carotid atherosclerosis 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 Twenty-five 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 Five cases 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(P0.05) , 11 cases by ISH and 9 cases by TUNEL were detected in instable/vulnerable carotid plaque ( P0.01 ), 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 mechanism 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.

To study the morphologic features and clinical significance of atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) suspicious but not diagnostic of cancer in prostatic biopsies.The slides of 11 cases of prostatic needle biopsies collected during a two-year period with the diagnosis of ASAP were reviewed. Immunohistochemical study for 34betaE12, p63 and P504S was performed on the archival paraffin sections.All the 11 ASAP cases were characterized by the presence of a few compacted small acini in the prostatic stroma. Six cases had acini of less than three in number. The acini were round or slightly irregular in shape. The nuclei were enlarged, round or irregular, arranged in single layer and focally separated by broad interval. The nucleoli were usually prominent. Cytoplasm was amphophilic or pale and the lumen border was often well-defined. Basophilic mucus was also seen in some of the lumen. Immunohistochemical study for 34betaE12 and p63 was negative, while that for P504S was positive. In 4 of the 11 cases, the acini were more than three in number, round or slightly irregular, but without cytologic atypia. The nuclei were slightly enlarged with small or inconspicuous nucleoli. Immunohistochemical study for 34betaE12 and p63 was negative or at most focally positive. P504S staining was either negative or weakly positive. Second repeat biopsy was carried out in all cases, and 4 of them (36%) showed definite adenocarcinomatous changes. The positive cases were those with fewer acini but definite cytologic atypia in the initial biopsy.ASAP is a morphologic interpretation closely associated with prostatic adenocarcinoma. The histologic features are suspicious of but not diagnostic of cancer, due to insufficient criteria in terms of acinar number, cytologic or architectural abnormalities. The positive rate in subsequent repeat biopsy is higher than that for cases with usual nodular hyperplasia.

To analyze the relationship between oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL), angiogenesis and stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques in human coronary arteries; and to investigate the role of oxLDL in creating vulnerable sites in atherosclerotic plaques.Samples of coronary arteries were obtained at autopsies of 42 patients with acute coronary syndrome. Eighty randomly selected blocks were studied by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against oxLDL and endothelial cells (factor VIII). Computer-aided planimeter was used for quantitative analysis.In unstable plaques, percentage of immunoreactive areas for oxLDL was significantly higher than that in stable plaques. Most of the oxLDL were located in shoulder region of these plaques, as compared to the fibrous cap and basal regions. The details of distribution of oxLDL were as follows: shoulder region (20.43 +/- 3.12 for unstable plaques and 17.65 +/- 4.22 for stable plaques), fibrous cap (4.77 +/- 2.03 for unstable plaque and 2.80 +/- 0.22 for stable plaques) and basal region (5.65 +/- 1.65 for unstable plaques and 3.22 +/- 1.02 for unstable plaques). OxLDL was also a main component in the lipid core. In the shoulder region, there was a significant positive correlation between neovascularization and oxLDL (r = 0.8247, P = 0.000).The amount of oxLDL is significantly higher in unstable atherosclerotic plaques, especially over the shoulder region. OxLDL in coronary atherosclerotic plaques is thus an important factor in determining stabilization of the plaques. OxLDL may induce influx of inflammatory cells which subsequently leads to decreased plaque stabilization.

To investigate Bcl-2/Bax gene expression in different types of carotid plaque, and examine the relationship between gene expression and atherosclerotic plaque instability and the main cause of brain ischemic events.Totally 42 human carotid plaque specimens obtained during carotid endarterectomy were divided into stable group (n=19) and unstable group (n=23) based on histopathological studies (HE staining). Eight aortic arteries and their branches from hepatic transplantation donors were taken as control group. Bcl-2/Bax was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining (n=42) and in situ hybridization (ISH) (n=25, stable 13/unstable 12).Bcl-2 gene expression, which was expressed in smooth muscle cells (SMC), endothelial cells (EC), macrophages (MP) and foam cells, was detected in 20 and 9 cases in unstable plaque while 11 and 4 cases in stable plaque by IHC and ISH, respectively (P0.05). Bax, which was expressed in SMC and MP, was detected in 18 and 11 cases in unstable plaque, while 8 and 5 cases in stable plaque by IHC and ISH, respectively (P0.05).The expression rate of Bcl-2/Bax in unstable plaques was higher than in stable plaques. Bcl-2 was one of the elements that maintain plaque stability whereas Bax was one element that facilitates plaque instability. Therefore, Bcl-2/Bax expression in different stage of atherosclerosis may be one of the molecule regulation mechanisms in carotid atherosclerosis.

To explore the morphotic characteristics of hypoechoic nodules in the outer gland of the prostate with benignTwenty-two hyperplastic hypoechoic nodules in the prostatic outer gland were biopsied guided by prostatic hyperplasia. transrectal ultrasound. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry combined with computer assisted quantitative image analyses were adopted to examine the mean percentages of the area densities of stroma, epithelium, glandular lumen and smooth muscle cells.The area densities of stroma, epithelium, glandular lumen and smooth muscle cells were (72.52 +/- 13.14)%, (20.57 +/- 9.01)%, (6.85 +/- 4.51)% and (24.14 +/- 6.31)%, respectively.Hyperplastic hypoechoic nodules may develop in the outer gland as well as in the inner gland of the prostate, but the mean percentages of the components are different between the two kinds of nodules.

To evaluate the methods of surgery for extraperitoneal pelvic neoplasms.Clinical data related to surgery of 84 cases of extraperitoneal pelvic neoplasms were extracted and retrospectively analyzed.All 84 patients underwent operations, including one of them who received 4 operations within 6 months for resection of a single tumor. 58 abdominal, 16 buttock and 10 combined incisions were made in the series. Pelvic organs and structures were co-resected in 35 cases, including total pelvic exenteration in 2 cases and anterior pelvic exenteration in 2 cases. Common and/or external iliac vessels were resected and transplantations of artificial vessel were carried in 5 cases. Internal iliac arteries were ligated in 10 cases. The mean blood lose was 2 385 ml in our series and the largest was 15 000 ml. The complete resection rate of tumor was 81% for 84 operations and the largest resected tumor was 30 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm. There was no hospitalized death, and postoperative complication rate was 7% (6/84) in our series. Only 1 death were seen during the mean period of postoperative follow-up of 54 months, 22 operations were carried for 21 cases of recurrence, including 7 operations for 7 recurrences in a case within 12 years.Making adequate abdominal or/and buttock incisions, exenterations of involved pelvic organs and structures, total pelvic exenteration if necessary, appropriate management of iliac vessels, planned re-operation for one tumor, and re-operation for recurrences are important methods for the treatment of extraperitoneal pelvic neoplasms.

In the case of hypertension, lesions in the microvessels of the target organs precede and deteriorate further after arteriosclerosis in the small arteries. Thus coronary microvascular lesion (CML) was considered the crucial factor contributing to damage to the target organs. The purpose of this study is to observe the characteristics and differences of CML in autopsies of elderly patients with essential hypertension (EHT), coronary heart disease (CHD), or EHT with CHD, given the same degree of left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT).A retrospective study was performed on 246 cases of patients over 60 years old with EHT, CHD, or EHT with CHD, and on 26 cases without cardiovascular disease as controls, out of a total of 3195 consecutive autopsied cases. The arterioles (with diameter 10 - 60 microm) and the capillaries in the cardiac muscle layer were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining, elastic van Gieson staining, and CD31 immunohistochemistry. To quantify CML severity, measurements were taken of arteriole density (AD), the ratio of wall-to-lumen area of arteriole (RWL), and capillary density (CD), using light microscopy and computer image analysis. Based on LVWT, the cases were divided into four degrees, from I to IV. The EHT, CHD, and EHT with CHD groups all rated LVWT I-IV, and the control group rated LVWT I. SAS software was used for statistical analysis.With the aggravation of LVWT, both AD and RWL increased while CD decreased significantly in the EHT group (P0.05 - 0.0001); there were similar but more severe changes in the EHT with CHD group (P0.001 - 0.0001); and AD increased (P0.001) while RWL and CD did not change significantly in the CHD group.Comparing EHT with CHD patients, there are similar patterns of change to AD, but different patterns of change to RWL and CD. CML is much more severe in EHT patients with CHD. We conclude that CML is one of the main causes of decreased coronary flow reserve and myocardial damage in both EHT patients and EHT patients with CHD.

To compare the angiogenesis in unstable and stable plaques and to investigate the potential role of neovessels in creating vulnerable sites for atherosclerotic plaques.Specimens of coronary arteries were obtained from 52 autopsy cases with acute coronary syndromes. Plaque morphology was studied by use of stained slides. 922 tissue blocks of late-stage lesions were classified into two groups: (1) unstable plaque (n = 153), the plaque was characterized by a large extracellular lipid core (more than 40% of the plaque area); (2) stable plaque (n = 769), lipid core less than 40% of the plaque area. Forty blocks were selected randomly from each group and serial sections were stained immunohistochemically with a polyclonal antibody against F VIII RAg. Computer-aided planimeter was used for quantitative analysis.In unstable plaques, the occurrence of neovessels was more frequent and the neovessel density (number/mm(2)) was significantly increased as compared to that of stable plaques (frequency: 80.4% vs 66.6%, P0.01; shoulder: 22.16 +/- 19.96 vs 10.04 +/- 11.52, base: 21.68 +/- 20.44 vs 9.68 +/- 11.52, fibrous cap: 3.80 +/- 5.32 vs 1.48 +/- 2.28, P0.05). Most neovessels were located in the shoulder region and at the base of plaques.These findings suggest that neovessels in coronary atherosclerotic plaques are closely associated with the decreased stabilization of the plaques.