The effect of serum and follicular fluid vitamin D on intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcome

Vitamin D is a cholesterol derived, fat soluble, steroid substance present in the body. It plays an important role in the female reproductive system and regulating its functions. It is believed that vitamin D improves the endometrial thickness. The relationship between the level of vitamin D and fertilization, embryo quality and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcome remains controversial till now. The aim of the study to assess the relation of vitamin D levels in serum and follicular fluid with Intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcome. Eighty-eight women were enrolled in this study. They were classified according to the cause of infertility into case group with female factor and control group with male factor. All women were undergoing Intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure. Serum and follicular fluid vitamin D levels were measured on the day of oocyte retrieval. It was found that no significant differences in either serum or follicular fluid level of vitamin D between the case and control groups and higher serum and follicular fluid levels of vitamin D are associated with better pregnancy rates after Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Further studies on vitamin D in male are required to prove its role in the Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The present study concluded that no significant differences in either serum or follicular fluid level of vitamin D between the case and control groups and higher serum and follicular fluid levels of vitamin D are associated with better pregnancy rates after Intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Immunohistochemical expression of PCNA and CD34 in colorectal adenomas and carcinomas using specified automated cellular image analysis system: A clinicopathologic study

Background/Aim: To evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and CD34 in colorectal adenomas and carcinomas, and to correlate this expression with different clinicopathologic parameters. Materials and Methods: The study was retrospectively designed. A total of 86 tissue samples, including 33 paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenomas, 33 paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas, and a control group of 20 samples of nontumerous colonic tissue, were included in the study. From each block, 3 sections of 5 ΅m thickness were taken, 1 section was stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) and the other 2 sections were stained immunohistochemically for PCNA and CD34. Scoring of the immunohistochemical staining was performed using a specified automated cellular image analysis system (Digimizer). Results: PCNA expression was significantly increased in a sequence of normal mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma. It was significantly higher in adenomas ≥ 1 cm and those with severe dysplasia, and it showed a significant positive correlation with grade and lymph node involvement in colorectal carcinoma. CD34 showed significantly higher expression in carcinoma than adenoma and in adenoma than in the control group. CD34 expression showed a significant correlation with adenomas carrying severe dysplasia and large-sized adenomas (≥1cm). It was significantly correlated with tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, and lymph node involvement in colorectal carcinoma. Conclusion: PCNA plays an important role in colorectal neoplastic progression and can be utilized as ancillary marker for the risk of malignant transformation in colorectal adenomas as it correlates with high grade dysplasia and size. Intratumoral quantification of the mean (A and N) of CD34 in colorectal carcinoma reflects the grade of tumors and can predict lymph node involvement and lymphovascular invasion, to make a useful additional prognostic factor

Immunohistochemical expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 in human colorectal adenomas using specified automated cellular image analysis system: A clinicopathological study

Background/Aim: To evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) in colorectal adenomas, and to correlate this expression with different clinicopathological parameters. Patients and Methods: The study was retrospectively designed. Thirty three paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenoma and 20 samples of non-tumerous colonic tissue taken as control group were included in the study. MMP-7 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry method. The scoring of immunohistochemical staining was conducted utilizing a specified automated cellular image analysis system (Digimizer). Results: The frequency of positive immunohistochemical expression of MMP-7 was significantly higher in adenoma than control group (45.45% versus 10%) (P value < 0.001). Strong MMP-7 staining was mainly seen in adenoma cases (30.30%) in comparison with control (0%) the difference is significant ( P < 0.001). The three digital parameters of MMP-7 immunohistochemical expression (Area (A), Number of objects (N), and intensity (I)) were significantly higher in adenoma than control. Mean (A and I) of MMP-7 showed a significant correlation with large sized adenoma (≥ 1cm) ( P < 0.05), also a significant positive correlation of the three digital parameters (A, N, and I) of MMP-7 expression with villous configuration and severe dysplasia in colorectal adenoma had been identified ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: MMP-7 plays an important role in the growth and malignant conversion of colorectal adenomas as it is more likely to be expressed in advanced colorectal adenomatous polyps with large size, severe dysplasia and villous histology. The use of automated cellular image analysis system (Digmizer) to quantify immunohistochemical staining yields more consistent assay results, converts semi-quantitative assay to a truly quantitative assay, and improves assay objectivity and reproducibility

Association of global DNA hypomethylation with clinicopathological variables in colonic tumors of Iraqi patients

Background/Aim: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks sixth among the most common 10 cancers in Iraq. It is a foremost public health dilemma and there is improved interest in understanding the fundamental principles of its molecular biology. DNA methylation in cancer has become the issue of passionate investigation. As compared with normal cells, the malignant cells show major disruptions in their DNA methylation patterns. We aimed to assess the association of global DNA hypomethylation in colonic adenomas and carcinomas of Iraqi patients, measured by immunohistochemistry of 5-methylcytosin, with different clinicopathological variables. Patients and Methods: Thirty tissue paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenomas, 30 tissue paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas, and 30 samples of apparently normal colonic tissue taken from autopsy cases as a control group were included in the present study. From each block, two sections of 5 μm thickness were taken, one section was stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin for revision of histopathological diagnosis and one section was immunohistochemically stained for 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and digitally analyzed by AperioImageScope software. Results: The mean digital value of 5mC immunohistochemical expression was sequentially decreased during neoplastic progression from normal colonic tissue into adenoma and then to carcinoma. The mean digital value of 5mC expression was significantly lower in large size adenomas (≥1 cm), and those with severe dysplasia. Concerning carcinoma cases, 5mC expression was significantly lower in stage C2. Conclusions: The immunohistochemical evaluation of 5mC yields refined information on colorectal tumor biology in adenoma and carcinoma. Global DNA hypomethylation reflected by low immunohistochemical expression of 5-mC is associated with advanced colorectal adenomatous polyps suggesting that it is an early event in colorectal carcinogenesis. Also this hypomethylation can reflect bad prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer by its correlation to higher tumor stage

Immunohistochemical Expression of Xenophagy Proteins in Helicobacter pylori and None Helicobacter pylori Gastritis

The complex interplay between H. pylori and autophagy was elucidated in gastritis in term of host defense and survival of microbe. However, H. pylori frequently succeed in their survival and develops more aggressive tissue damage by different ways. A total of 80 gastritis patients undergoing gastroscopy during September, 2013 to August, 2014. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded gastric tissue were prepared for immunohistochemistry evaluation of ATG16L1, LC3C and vacA protein expression. Rapid urease test was used to discriminate between H. pylori or none H. pylori gastritis. Xenophagy index was elevated among both urease and IgG positive cases (29.86% and 27.13%) compared with negative cases (13.43% and 17.6% respectively (p<0.001). vacA have been found in 62.5% of urease positive cases and 55.88% of IgG positive cases. The higher xenophagy index score found to be associated with vacA positive cases (p=0.002). Xenophagy index to be associated with chronic H. pylori infection and this might be related to vacA positivity

Diagnostic roles of calretinin in hirschsprung disease: A comparison to neuron-specific enolase

Background/Aim: Diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease (HD) can be hard and requires good experience, principally for pathologists who infrequently encounter the disease. However, diagnosis is not always possible with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) because staining has limitations in the identification of immature ganglion cells in neonates and the submucosal area. Aim: To assess the diagnostic role of calretinin immunostaining in HD in comparison to neuron-specific enolase. Patients and Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin tissue blocks of full-thickness distal colonic and rectal biopsies for 48 patients who clinically presented with symptoms suspicious for HD were collected for the period from December 2012 to January 2016. All biopsies were already studied by routine H and E histopathological examination for the presence or absence of ganglion cells. Further confirmation of ganglion cells and nerve fibers was performed by immunohistochemical study for neuron-specific enolase and calretinin, respectively, in a private pathology laboratory. Results: According to the histopathological assessment, cases with absent ganglionic cells were considered to be HD, which comprised 40 cases out of the total 48 cases. The mean age for HD cases was 19.43 months. The male-to-female ratio in HD cases was 2.34:1. All HD cases showed negative expression of calretinin in small nerve fibers of the lamina propria, musularis mucosae, and submucosa, and negative expression of neuron-specific enolase in ganglionic cells. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values for both the markers in the confirmation of diagnosis of HD were all 100%. Conclusion: Calretinin immunostaining, similar to that of neuron-specific enolase, is a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic aid to histopathological examination in suspected HD

Visually induced nausea causes characteristic changes in cerebral, autonomic and endocrine function in humans

An integrated understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in the genesis of nausea remains lacking. We aimed to describe the psychophysiological changes accompanying visually induced motion sickness, using a motion video, hypothesizing that differences would be evident between subjects who developed nausea in comparison to those who did not. A motion, or a control, stimulus was presented to 98 healthy subjects in a randomized crossover design. Validated questionnaires and a visual analogue scale (VAS) were used for the assessment of anxiety and nausea. Autonomic and electrogastrographic activity were measured at baseline and continuously thereafter. Plasma vasopressin and ghrelin were measured in response to the motion video. Subjects were stratified into quartiles based on VAS nausea scores, with the upper and lower quartiles considered to be nausea sensitive and resistant, respectively. Twenty-eight subjects were exposed to the motion video during functional neuroimaging. During the motion video, nausea-sensitive subjects had lower normogastria/tachygastria ratio and cardiac vagal tone but higher cardiac sympathetic index in comparison to the control video. Furthermore, nausea-sensitive subjects had decreased plasma ghrelin and demonstrated increased activity of the left anterior cingulate cortex. Nausea VAS scores correlated positively with plasma vasopressin and left inferior frontal and middle occipital gyri activity and correlated negatively with plasma ghrelin and brain activity in the right cerebellar tonsil, declive, culmen, lingual gyrus and cuneus. This study demonstrates that the subjective sensation of nausea is associated with objective changes in autonomic, endocrine and brain networks, and thus identifies potential objective biomarkers and targets for therapeutic interventions. KEY POINTS: Nausea is a highly individual and variable experience. The reasons for this variability are incompletely understood although psychophysiological factors have been proposed. . Herein we describe objective psychophysiological changes induced by the subjective sensation of motion sickness. . In comparison to subjects who did not develop nausea, nausea-sensitive subjects demonstrated electrogastrographic and autonomic changes, which included an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity with a concomitant reduction in parasympathetic activity. Furthermore, differences were also evident in plasma ghrelin, and subcortical and cortical activity. . The physiological, hormonal and cortical patterns identified herein represent potential biomarkers of the physiological mechanisms of nausea. . Reverse translation of the physiological factors identified may facilitate refinement of animal models used to investigate novel anti-emetic agents and emetic liability of candidate drugs, increasing their validity and translation of finding to humans.