[Expression of MSI1 and HER2 in mammary Paget's disease and their correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis]

Objective: To investigate the expression of MSI1 and HER2 in mammary Paget's disease, and the correlation between the expression levels of MSI1 and HER2 and the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of the patients. Methods: Clinical data and paraffin-embedded specimens of 34 pairs of mammary Paget's disease and underlying breast cancer were collected at the Department of Pathology, Affiliated Lianyungang Oriental Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from March 2011 to December 2019. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MSI1 and HER2 in mammary Paget's disease and the accompanying breast cancer, and to analyze the correlation between the expression levels of MSI1 and HER2 and their clinicopathologic features, as well as their influence on prognosis. Results: In mammary Paget's disease, the positive rate of MSI1 was 91.2% (31/34) and the positive rate of HER2 was 88.2% (30/34); the expression of MSI1 and HER2 was positively correlated (P=0.001, r=0.530). The expression of MSI1 was positively correlated with menopausal status (r=0.372, P=0.030) and lymph node metastasis (r=0.450, P=0.008). HER2 expression was positively correlated with menopausal status (r=0.436, P=0.010), and negatively correlated with ER expression (r=-0.365, P=0.034). The co-expression of MSI1 and HER2 was positively correlated with age (r=0.347, P=0.044) and menopausal status (r=0.496, P=0.003), and negatively correlated with ER expression (r=-0.461, P=0.006). Conclusions: MSI1 and HER2 are highly expressed in mammary Paget's disease and their expression levels are positively correlated. The correlation analysis between clinicopathological features and prognosis suggests that both of them may be involved in the occurrence and development of mammary Paget's disease and are potential therapeutic targets for mammary Paget's disease.

[ALK-positive large B-cell lymphoma with EBV infection or cyclin D1 expression: a clinicopathological analysis of 3 cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and misdiagnosis factors of ALK positive large B-cell lymphoma (ALK⁺LBCL). Methods: The clinicopathological data of 3 patients with ALK⁺LBCL in the Department of Pathology, the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from 2010 to 2021 were collected retrospectively. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used for immunophenotyping, in-situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) detection, in-situ fluorescence hybridization (FISH, break-apart probes) for ALK, MYC, and CCND1 translocations. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used for the detection of gene fusions and mutations. And clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients were analyzed. Results: Among the 3 ALK⁺LBCL patients, there were 2 males and 1 female, aged 42, 59, and 39 years, respectively, none of which presented with B symptoms. Case 1 showed systemic lymphadenopathy with elevated serum EBV DNA loading, while cases 2 and 3 presented with extranodal lesions in the nasal and hard palate, respectively. Bone marrow biopsies were performed in cases 1 and 3, and neither showed involvement. Case 1 was at clinical stage Ⅲ while both cases 2 and 3 were at stage Ⅰ, and IPI score ranged 0-1 in all cases. The morphology of these cases was similar. The architecture was effaced by sheets of cohesive large cells growing in extensive infiltration and intra-sinus growth pattern. The neoplastic cells showed immunoblastic or plasmablastic morphology, and large anaplastic cells were easily found. The tumor cells expressed ALK protein cytoplasmically in almost all cells, with ALK gene translocations detected by FISH. Common B-cell and T-cell markers, including CD20, PAX5, CD19, CD2, CD3, CD5, CD7, CD43, CD56, and bcl-2, were negative, while plasmacytic differentiation markers, including CD138, CD38, and MUM1, were positive; CD22, BOB1 and OCT2 were variably expressed. CD10 was strongly expressed only in case 3. All cases were negative for bcl-6 but positive for CD4, perforin, CD30 (partial cells), pSTAT3 (diffusely), and MYC (40%-50%). The Ki-67 index was ranged 60%-70%. MYC translocation was not detected in any case by FISH. In case 1, EBER was strongly positive in>90% of tumor cells. Case 3 was diffusely positive for cyclin D1 but negative for SOX11 expression and CCND1 translocation. All cases harbored ALK fusion genes detected by NGS. In case 1, the fusion partner was TFG, which had not been reported in DLBCL, while in the other 2 cases, ALK fused with the CTCL gene, which was commonly seen in ALK⁺LBCL. Cases 1 and 3 were treated with ECHOP-based chemotherapy for six cycles and were followed up for 70 and 27 months, respectively, and both achieved complete remission. Conclusions: ALK⁺LBCL cases with diffuse EBER-positivity reported in this study show TGF as a new fusion partner of ALK in DLBCL, together with cyclin D1 expression. These rare cases are easily confused with EBV positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (EBV⁺DLBCL, NOS), cyclin D1 positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (cyclin D1⁺DLBCL) and ALK positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK⁺ALCL), resulting in misdiagnosis. Being aware of these rare phenotypes is essential for pathologists to diagnose ALK+LBCL and guide appropriate treatment accurately.

The clinical significance of spondin 2 eccentric expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in bronchial asthma

Background

Bronchial asthma (BA) was a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation. Spondin 2 (SPON2) was reported to be implicated in the integrin pathway, protein metabolism, and drug‐induced lupus erythematosus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of SPON2 in BA diagnosis and treatment.

Methods

Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 137 BA pediatric patients (61 mild‐to‐moderate BA and 76 severe BA) and 59 healthy children. Subject's information, clinical indexes, pulmonary ventilation functions were recorded in the two groups. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from patients’ samples. qRT‐PCR and ELISA assays were employed to examine the levels of SPON2 and inflammatory cytokines, respectively. Pearson's correlation analysis confirmed the association between SPON2 and inflammatory cytokines. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the potentials of SPON2 in terms of BA detection and discriminating against the severity of BA.

Results

Bioinformatics analysis showed that SPON2, OLFM4, XIST, and TSIX were significantly upregulated, while KDM5D and RPS4Y1 were reduced in BA. GO analysis verified that these six genes were mainly involved in neutrophil degranulation, neutrophil activation involved in immune response, neutrophil activation, and neutrophil‐mediated immunity. After isolating PBMCs, we found that SPON2 was remarkably increased in BA pediatric group compared with healthy children, and the relative levels of SPON2 were related to the severity of BA. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed the high potentials of SPON2 in BA diagnosis (AUC was 0.8080) and severity distinctions (AUCs were 0.7341 and 0.8541, respectively). Also, we found that there were significant differences in fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)%, FEV1/ forced vital capacity (FVC)%, immunoglobulin E (IgE), serum eosinophils, and serum neutrophils between mild‐to‐moderate BA group and severe BA group. Finally, SPON2 was negatively correlated with IL‐12 while positively associated with IL‐4, IL‐13, and IL‐17A.

Conclusions

SPON2 was a viable biomarker for diagnosing and degree of severity in BA, providing more insight into exploring BA and treatment's pathogenesis.