Background

Serine protease inhibitor kazal type 1 (SPINK1) was highly expressed in many cancer types and in colon,SPINK1 was involved in inflammation-induced colon cancer, proliferation and carcinogenesis. In this study, SPINK1 proteinexpression in colorectal cancer specimens was evaluated and correlated its expression with clinicopathological variables.

Material and methods

Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections from 87 colorectal cancer specimens werestained with SPINK1 antibody using immunohistochemistry technique. Expression of SPINK1 was then analysed to evaluate itsassociation with clinicopathological variables.

Results

High SPINK1 protein expression was detected in 75 (86.2%) of CRC specimens and was significantly associated withlymph-vascular invasion (p < 0.001), and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.005), and advanced clinical stage (p= 0.003).

Conclusion

High SPINK1 protein expression is associated with lymph-vascular invasion and lymph node metastasis incolorectal cancer suggesting its role in invasion and metastases

The present work focused on the detection of immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, IgM and C3 complement in a wide variety of thyroid diseases as well as in normal thyroid tissue to evaluate the immunologic nature of these lesions. The study was encountered on 111 thyroid specimens selected from the biopsies received at the Pathology Laboratory over a period of 5 years. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections were prepared and stained by H and E and immunoperoxidase technique. IgG, IgA and IgM were detected in varying degrees in all types of thyroid lesions and also in normal thyroid tissue. While, positivity for C3 complement was detected in [6/10] cases of toxic nodular goiter, all cases of cretinism with goiter 8, in 11 out of 13 cases of Graves disease, in 14 out of 19 cases of thyroiditis and in 10 out of 16 cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland. However, no C3 complement could be detected in normal thyroid tissue, in cases of simple goiter, in all cases of thyroid adenoma and in all cases of follicular, anaplastic and medullary carcinoma examined. Results indicated that immunoglobulins are not predictors for diagnosis of autoimmunity in thyroid diseases, but are best considered as indicators for the gland activity. However, C3 and immunoglobulins may be used as useful markers for the diagnosis of papillary carcinoma and its follicular variant from follicular carcinoma

This work was done to study the variant histopathological pictures of the endometrium of postmenopausal bleeding [PMB] patients. 150 endometrial specimens of PMB cases were received at the Gynecological Laboratory of Assiut University Hospital. They were routinely processed, stained by hematoxylin and eosin and examined. PMB causes were classified into organic and non-organic. The former was 41% while, the later was 59% of the cases. The most common organic cause of bleeding was endometrial hyperplasia [36%]. Proliferative endometrium was the commonest cause of non-organic PMB [31%]. Endometrial carcinoma was found in 4% of the cases. The majority of PMB patients were in age ranging from 45 to 50 years [55%]

Corneal ulcers me major problems in our country, the patients usually seek medical advice late, so most of these ulcers usually resist medical treatment and therapeutic keratoplasty may be the only procedure to preserve the eye both anatomically and functionally. In this study we examined 30 corneal buttons removed by therapeutic keratoplasty from patients suffering from corneal ulcers resistant to medical therapy Examination was done using light microscopy for sections stained with H and E, PAS and silver stains. Bacterial infection was suspected in 43.3% of the specimens, viral etiology in 33.3%. and Acanthamoeba in [13.4%]. Three buttons [100%] proved to be of fungal aetiology [as demonstrated by PAS stain] This study indicates the importance of Histopathologic examination of corneal buttons inpatients undergoing therapeutic keratoplasty for resistant corneal ulcers and this may help the physician to know the etiology of these ulcers and to select the ideal post operative antimicrobial therapy

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. Despite therapeutic advances, the majority of gliomas do not respond to either chemo or radiotherapy. CD117, the gene product of c-kit has been expressed in glial tumors. Because gastrointestinal stromal tumors [GISTs] that express CD117 respond dramatically to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, identification of glial tumors that express CD117 might open new therapeutic approaches for treatment of these tumors. This work was planned to study the role of CD117 [KIT] in the development and progression of gliomas mainly astrocytomas. Also, to assess if CD117 might serve as a biomarker for those gliomas that might respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We studied 71 cases of gliomas. They were 59 astrocytomas, 9 ependymomas, 2 mixed oligoastrocytomas and single case of anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Paraffin embedded sections were immunostained using primary antibodies against CD117. Antigen antibody reaction was detected by streptavidin-biotin kit. In the present work, CD 117 immunoreactivity was noted in different grades of astrocytomas. The CD 117 average weighted scores showed gradual upregulation with increasing grade from pilocytic astrocytoma [16.7%]-diffuse astrocytoma grade II [33.3%]-anaplaslic astrocytoma [66.7%]-glioblastoma multiforme [79.3%.]. Majority of the gliomas [57.7%.] were found to express CD117 to varying degrees, and high grade tumors [78.6%] had a higher proportion of CD117 expression than low grade tumors [27.6%]. In 21.12% of studied cases, the CD117 was expressed in endothelial cells of tumor blood vessels. Twelve cases of them [80%] were most prominent in microvascular proliferations of high grade tumors and eleven cases of them showed strong intensity. High grade astrocytomas [especially glioblastoma multiforme] showed more frequent and strong expression of CD117, this indicate that CD] 117 may has possible role in early astrocytoma tumorigenesis and in progression. Also, CD117 may serve as a biomarker for those gliomas that respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs

This study highlights the prognostic impact of FOXP3 and CD68 expression in DLBCL, NOS and in its GCB and non‐GCB subtypes. This may help the development of individualized therapy, prognostic prediction and therapy stratification.

Thrombomodulin [TM] is a surface glycoprotein involved in the regulation of intravascular coagulation that has been reported to be expressed in a variety of tumours including mesothelimas, endothelial vascular tumours, squamous carcinomas and transitional mesothelimas. This study was conducted to evaluate TM expression in a variety of urinary bladder carcinomas [Bilharzial and non-Bilharzial] using immunohistochemical techniques. Fifty eight bladder carcinomas were examined [20 were squamous cell carcinomas [SCC], 24 transitional cell carcinomas [TCC] and 14 adenocarcinomas]. Of these 58 cases, 26 were Bilharzial associated bladder cancer [BBC]. TM immunostaining was noticed in 24/26 [92%] of BBC compared to 50% in non-Bilharzial. In cases of SCC positivity for TM was 100% either Bilharzial or non-Bilharzial and the intensity of staining decreased with the grade of the tumour. In TCC, TM immunostaining was slightly higher in Bilharzial than in non-Bilharzial associated tumours, 80% compared to 71% respectively but, the intensity of sttaining increased with the grade of the tumour. Only 2 of the 14 adenocarcinomas of the bladder examined showed focal TM immunostaining in the areas of squamous cell differentiation. No explanation could be found for the predominance of TM expression in Bilharzial than in non-Bilharzial bladder cancer and so, long term studies onlarge number of cases may be able to explain such observation