Sex Hormone Receptor Expression in Craniopharyngiomas and Association with Tumor Aggressiveness Characteristics

Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) are rare tumors of the sellar and suprasellar regions of embryonic origin. The primary treatment for CPs is surgery but it is often unsuccessful. Although CPs are considered benign tumors, they display a relatively high recurrence rate that might compromise quality of life. Previous studies have reported that CPs express sex hormone receptors, including estrogen and progesterone receptors. Here, we systematically analyzed estrogen receptor α (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression by immunohistochemistry in a well-characterized series of patients with CP (n = 41) and analyzed their potential association with tumor aggressiveness features. A substantial proportion of CPs displayed a marked expression of PR. However, most CPs expressed low levels of ERα. No major association between PR and ERα expression and clinical aggressiveness features was observed in CPs. Additionally, in our series, β-catenin accumulation was not related to tumor recurrence.

Key genetic disorders in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a malignant neoplasm of the sympathetic nervous system of embryonic origin, consisting of undifferentiated neuroectodermal cells of the neural crest.In the structure of the incidence of malignant neoplasms in patients under one year of age, NB is the most common tumor. At the same time, mortality of this disease ranks third, behind leukemias and tumors of the central nervous system, and amounts to 13% in the structure of child mortalityfrom malignant tumors in developed countries. The stratification of patients to the risk groups and the subsequent determination of treatment tactics depends on several prognostic factors, including genetic aberrations identified in tumor cells. Moreover, processes such as spontaneous regression and transformation into benign tumors are due to the genetic characteristics of NB. Thus, the study of genetic disorders underlying the pathogenesis of NB is necessary for adequate subdivision of patients into risk groups and developing of new methods of treatment.

Benign ovarian teratoma in the dog with predominantly nervous tissue: A case report

Ovarian teratomas are rare neoplasms in female dogs, and they are characterised by the proliferation of tissues of embryonic origin. Most teratomas are benign, but a histological diagnosis is important for clinicians. The objective of this article is to describe a benign ovarian teratoma in a dog, which was found on the street and was appearing like pregnant. A veterinary inspection by palpation documented an enlarged abdomen with a mass of tough matter located on the right side in the abdominal-pelvic part. An ultrasound examination presumed neoplastic mass in region of ovary. A bilateral ovariohysterectomy was performed and the subsequent histological evaluation revealed a benign ovarian teratoma with a histochemically and immunohistochemically verified nervous tissue. After one year, no distant metastases were found and the dog was recognised as being clinically healthy without problems. On the basis of the ultrasonography diagnostics and histopathological analyses, we have demonstrated the occurrence of a benign ovarian teratoma in a dog.

Internal Angular Dermoid Indenting on the Globe

Angular dermoid cysts are common periorbital tumours in children. They are tumours of embryonic origin that arise along bony sutures as a result of abnormal ectodermal sequestration during development. Angular dermoid cysts usually present in early childhood, are characteristically small benign and slow growing lesion. External angular dermoid present in the superotemporal quadrant is more common compared to internal angular dermoid in the superonasal quadrant. Early surgical excision is recommended and performed in the majority of cases, particularly to restore facial cosmesis. Here we report an unusual case of a large internal angular dermoid cyst indenting the globe in a 3-year-old girl presented with left upper eyelid mass at medial angle since one year of age. The cyst was excised completely by anterior orbitotomy through a small superior lid crease incision.

Craniopharyngioma in children: Report of three cases and review of the literature

Craniopharyngioma is a rare benign epithelial tumor, originating in the pituitary stem or pituitary gland and developing in the sellar and / or suprasellar region. Of embryonic origin, craniopharyngiomas are considered to develop from epithelial remains of Rathke's pouch. It affects children as well as adults. All ages combined, craniopharyngiomas represent between 3 to 4% of intracranial tumors worldwide, or 0.5 to 2 new cases per year and per million inhabitants. In children, they represent 10% of all intracranial tumors with a peak frequency between 7 and 13 years and a predominance of men. Although benign, this tumor remains a serious pathology because of the frequent visual, endocrine, neuro-intellectual sequelae and the risk of recurrence that it entails, involving the visual and vital functional.The management of this pathology is multidisciplinary and involves several modalities such as surgery, radiotherapy and medical treatment of hormonal deficits very often associated. We report in this article three cases of boys aged 9, 10 and 12; treated for symptomatic craniopharyngiomas with a favorable clinical and radiological outcome after partial surgical excision and adjuvant external radiotherapy. The aim of this article is to review the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of these benign tumors of the sellar and / or suprasellar region, with an emphasis on the interest of radiotherapeutic treatment.

PROFILE OF MALIGNANT IN CHILDREN OF VINNITSIA REGION, CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Introduction. The structure of cancer incidence inchildren has its own characteristics. The majority of tumorsthat appear in childhood are of embryonic origin. Malignantneoplasms (MN) remain one of the most serious diseases ofchildhood. At present, it is obvious that it is impossible totake measures aimed at reducing morbidity and mortalityfrom MN and to improve the quality of life of cancerpatients without proper accounting and registration of thispatients’ group. The structure of oncopathology in childrenof different age groups of Vinnitsia region is given.The purpose of the study is to provide medical andstatistical assessment of malignant neoplasms in children ofVinnitsia region and to highlight the experience of treatmentof a newborn with giant teratoblastoma of external-internallocalization and teratoma of internal localization.Results. The profile of malignant neoplasms in childrenof Vinnitsia region has been presented and the clinical caseof giant teratoblastoma of external-internal localizationand teratoma of internal localization has been described.Conclusions. The most informative diagnostic methodis computed tomography with contrast enhancement, whichallows you to clearly determine the topographic location ofthe tumor and its relationship to the surrounding anatomicalstructures, considering the complexity of the anatomicallocation of sacrococcygeal teratoblastoma (SCT). Earlysurgical treatment of SCT, namely removal of the tumorwith the coccyx, is the only correct and justified treatmenttactic.

Retinal Lineage Therapeutic Specific Effect of Human Orbital and Abdominal Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Retinal degenerative diseases are one of the main causes of complete blindness in aged population. In this study, we compared the therapeutic potential for retinal degeneration of human mesenchymal stem cells derived from abdominal subcutaneous fat (ABASCs) or from orbital fat (OASCs) due to their accessibility and mutual embryonic origin with retinal tissue, respectively. OASCs were found to protect RPE cells from cell death and were demonstrated to increase early RPE precursor markers, while ABASCs showed a raise in retinal precursor marker expression. Subretinal transplantation of OASCs in a mouse model of retinal degeneration led to restoration of the RPE layer while transplantation of ABASCs resulted in a significant restoration of the photoreceptor layer. Taken together, we demonstrated a lineage-specific therapeutic effect for either OASCs or ABASCs in retinal regeneration.

Microglia and CD206+ border-associated mouse macrophages maintain their embryonic origin during Alzheimer’s disease

Brain microglia and border-associated macrophages (BAMs) display distinct spatial, developmental, and phenotypic features. Although at steady state, the origins of distinct brain macrophages are well-documented, the dynamics of their replenishment in neurodegenerative disorders remain elusive, particularly for activated CD11c+ microglia and BAMs. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive fate-mapping analysis of murine microglia and BAMs and their turnover kinetics during Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression. We used a novel inducible AD mouse model to investigate the contribution of bone marrow (BM) cells to the pool of fetal-derived brain macrophages during the development of AD. We demonstrated that microglia remain a remarkably stable embryonic-derived population even during the progression of AD pathology, indicating that neither parenchymal macrophage subpopulation originates from, nor is replenished by, BM-derived cells. At the border-associated brain regions, bona fide CD206+ BAMs are minimally replaced by BM-derived cells, and their turnover rates are not accelerated by AD. In contrast, all other myeloid cells are swiftly replenished by BM progenitors. This information further elucidates the turnover kinetics of these cells not only at steady state, but also in neurodegenerative diseases, which is crucial for identifying potential novel therapeutic targets.

Tumor-Associated Microbiota in Proximal and Distal Colorectal Cancer and Their Relationships With Clinical Outcomes

The proximal and distal subsites of colorectal cancer (CRC) have distinct differences in their embryonic origin, epidemiology, and prognosis. Therefore, they are not considered as the same disease. However, the possible difference in microbial characterization of the two subsites of CRC is still unclear. In this study, we explored tumor microbiota diversity and composition difference in patients with proximal (N = 187) and distal CRCs (N = 142). This was carried out on cancer tissues and adjacent tissues using bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to analyze the correlation between differential flora and overall survival rate of the patients. It was found that there were significant differences in tumor microbial characteristics between the proximal and distal CRC tissues. The microbiota communities were distinctly richer in the proximal colon tumor tissues than in the distal CRC tissues. Microbial diversity and structure were relatively constant in the paracancerous normal tissues of the proximal and distal colorectum. Generally, microbial communities of CRC tumor tissues were composed of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Alpha diversity in the proximal and distal CRC tumor tissues was closely related to specific microflora. The abundance of Fusobacteria was associated with age of patient, tumor diameter, and tumor microsatellite instability (MSI) status of the patients. Moreover, Fusobacteria enrichment was associated with poor prognosis especially in patients with proximal colon cancers, but not in patients with distal CRC. In conclusion, proximal and distal subsites of the CRC present distinct microbiota diversity and community structures. The differences indicate that there are different risk factors across anatomical subsites of CRC, which may provide a new strategy for precise prevention and treatment of CRC in the future.

Gut Microbiota in Lung Cancer: Where Do We Stand?

The gut microbiota (GM) is considered to constitute a powerful “organ” capable of influencing the majority of the metabolic, nutritional, physiological, and immunological processes of the human body. To date, five microbial-mediated mechanisms have been revealed that either endorse or inhibit tumorigenesis. Although the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts are distant physically, they have common embryonic origin and similarity in structure. The lung microbiota is far less understood, and it is suggested that the crosslink between the human microbiome and lung cancer is a complex, multifactorial relationship. Several pathways linking their respective microbiota have reinforced the existence of a gut–lung axis (GLA). Regarding implications of specific GM in lung cancer therapy, a few studies showed that the GM considerably affects immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy by altering the differentiation of regulatory T cells and thus resulting in changes in immunomodulation mechanisms, as discovered by assessing drug metabolism directly and by assessing the host immune modulation response. Additionally, the GM may increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatment in lung cancer. The mechanism underlying the role of the GLA in the pathogenesis and progression of lung cancer and its capability for diagnosis, manipulation, and treatment need to be further explored.