Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic factors of ovarian fibrosarcoma: the results of a multi-center retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ovarian fibrosarcomas are very rare tumors, and therefore, few case studies have evaluated the prognostic factors of this disease. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest study to evaluate the clinical and pathologic factors associated with ovarian fibrosarcoma patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-one cases of ovarian fibrosarcoma were retrospectively reviewed, which included medical records for eight patients, and 23 published case reports from 1995 through 2009. Patient treatment regimens included total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy and an omentectomy (BAO) (n = 9), oophorectomy (OR) (n = 8), chemotherapy (CT) (n = 1), BAO followed by chemotherapy (BAO+CT) (n = 11), BAO followed by radiotherapy (BAO+RT) (n = 1), and oophorectomy followed by radiotherapy (OR + RT) (n = 1).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The patients of this cohort were staged according to the guidelines of the Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), with 15, 6, 9, and 1 stage I-IV cases identified, respectively. Mitotic count values were also evaluated from 10 high-power fields (HPFs), and 3 cases had an average mitotic count < 4, 18 cases were between 4 and 10, and 10 cases had an average mitotic count value ≥ 10. The Ki-67 (MIB-1) proliferation index values were grouped according to values that as follows: < 10% (n = 5), between 10% and 50% (n = 9), and ≥ 50% (n = 5). Positive expression of vimentin (100%, 22/22) and negative expression of CD117 (0%, 5/5) were also detected. Moreover, expression of smooth muscle actin (2/18), desmin (1/13), epithelial membrane antigen (0/11), S-100 (1/19), CD99 (0/6), CD34 (1/5), α-inhibin (7/15), estrogen receptor (1/6), and progesterone receptor (1/6) were reported for subsets of the cases examined. After a median follow-up period of 14 months (range, 2-120), the 2-year overall survival rates (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for all patients were 55.9% and 45.4%, respectively. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis of survival showed that FIGO stage (<it>P </it>= 0.007) and treatment (<it>P </it>= 0.008) were predictive of poor prognosis. Furthermore, patients with stage I tumors that received BAO+CT were associated with a better prognosis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Mitotic activity, and cells positive for Ki-67 were identified as important factors in the diagnosis of ovarian fibrosarcoma. Furthermore, FIGO stage and treatment modalities have the potential to be prognostic factors of survival, with BAO followed by adjuvant chemotherapy associated with an improved treatment outcome.</p

Myosin Light Chain Kinase Mediates Intestinal Barrier Disruption following Burn Injury

Background: Severe burn injury results in the loss of intestinal barrier function, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation mediated by MLC kinase (MLCK) is critical to the pathophysiological regulation of intestinal barrier function. We hypothesized that the MLCK-dependent MLC phosphorylation mediates the regulation of intestinal barrier function following burn injury, and that MLCK inhibition attenuates the burn-induced intestinal barrier disfunction. Methodology/Principal Findings: Male balb/c mice were assigned randomly to either sham burn (control) or 30 % total body surface area (TBSA) full thickness burn without or with intraperitoneal injection of ML-9 (2 mg/kg), an MLCK inhibitor. In vivo intestinal permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran was measured. Intestinal mucosa injury was assessed histologically. Tight junction proteins ZO-1, occludin and claudin-1 was analyzed by immunofluorescent assay. Expression of MLCK and phosphorylated MLC in ileal mucosa was assessed by Western blot. Intestinal permeability was increased significantly after burn injury, which was accompanied by mucosa injury, tight junction protein alterations, and increase of both MLCK and MLC phosphorylation. Treatment with ML-9 attenuated the burn-caused increase of intestinal permeability, mucosa injury, tight junction protein alterations, and decreased MLC phosphorylation, but not MLCK expression

Remote neuropsychological assessment of elderly Japanese population using the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale: A validation study

© The Author(s) 2019. Introduction: Studies have demonstrated the high agreement of several remote neuropsychological tests using video teleconferencing (VTC) with face-to-face (FTF) tests. However, the reliability of the remotely administered Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), one of the most commonly used neuropsychological tests to detect cognitive decline, has not been substantially elucidated, particularly in Japanese populations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the reliability of the remotely administered ADAS-cog compared with FTF-administered ADAS-cog among elderly Japanese participants. Methods: Participants aged ≥60 years with and without cognitive impairment, i.e. those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), those with dementia and healthy controls (HCs), were assessed with the ADAS-cog using VTC and FTF testing at an interval of \u3e2 weeks and (VTC or FTF) was randomized by participants. Participants’ scores were compared among the entire sample, as well as subgroups, using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) in a mixed-effects model. Results: A total of 73 participants were included in the study (36 men; age, 76.3 ± 7.6 years). The ICC for the ADAS-cog total score was high in the entire sample (0.86), whereas ICCs were moderate to high for the subgroups (MCI: 0.63, dementia: 0.80 and HC: 0.74). Discussion: The results indicate that a VTC-administered ADAS-cog could be an alternative for an FTF-administered ADAS-cog, although further replication studies with larger sample sizes and a wider range of cognitive functionalities are warranted