ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Objective: The invasive mammary cancer is the most frequent malignant tumor of a woman. Among the potential prognostic factors are included the biomarkers which measure or are associated with biological processes involved in the tumoral progression.We studied the prognostic importance of the oncoprotein c-erbB2 in the invasive mammary cancer.\r\nMaterials and methods: We included in the study 56 female patients suffering from invasive mammary cancer.The tissue fragments were fitted in formol, included to paraffin, commonly stained with hematoxylin-eosine (HE); for the determination of the c-erbB2 we\r\nused the immunohistochemical method of the avidin-biotin (ABC) complex.\r\nResults: From the total of 56 tumors, 38 (67.9%) presented different degrees of positivity; 18 (32.1%) did not express the oncoprotein c-erbB2.\r\nConclusions: The positivity of oncoprotein c-erbB2 was correlated with the size of the tumor; the carcinomas which are not infiltrative ductal, known as having a better prognostic, were c-erbB2 negative.

Introduction: Obesity, a disease whose morphological background has as main problem the “dysfunctional” adipocyte, continues to raise scientific interest for the completion of the existing data and the verification of the hypothetic ones. Material and method: We determined insulinemia and glycemia within the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and we analyzed the relation between the fat mass and cortisolemia in a group of 50 obese patients aged between 4 months –18 years. In 19 obese patients, between 5 ½ -17 ½ years old, we determined the basal leptin and resistin serum levels, comparatively to a control group of 19 normal weight children. In 14 obese and 10 normal weight controls, we determined the number of androgenic and estrogenic adipocyte receptors, which we correlated with the degree of obesity, the Tanner stage and respectively the testosterone, progesterone and estradiol serum levels. We studied the cellularity, morphohistochemical and ultrastructural features of the adipose tissue in 42 obese and 20 normal weight controls. Leptin and resistin were determined by ELISA. The measurement of the fat mass was done by bioelectric impedance. For the study of the adipose tissue we took 1g of tissue from the retro-trochanterian area. We identified the estrogenic (ER) and androgenic (AR) receptors by LSAB2 technique. We interpreted the data statistically by the linear regression analysis and variance test “t” for two unequal parameters using Microsoft Excel 2002. Results: A positive correlation was demonstrated between glycemias and insulinemias for the entire group (r=0.927, p=0.002), as well as between cortisolemia and fat mass excess (r=0.917; p=0.001). Serum leptin levels were significantly high in the obese (mean values: 81.07 ng/ml) comparatively to normal weight individuals (mean values: 4.17 ng/ml). Resistin serum levels did not show significant differences between the obese and normal weight individuals. We cannot talk about the existence of any correlation between resistin and leptin.

Background. Usually, silver stain is needed to differentiate between normal or hyperplastic hypophysis and pituitary adenomas. Many papers reported the lack of reticular fibers network as mandatory for pituitary adenoma diagnosis. \r\nAim. Differences between the architecture of reticular fibers in normal pituitary and pituitary adenomas \r\nMethods. Gordon- Sweet silver staining of pituitary specimens, prelevated during pituitary surgery performed in 138 patients with the endocrine and imagistic diagnosis of pituitary macro-adenomas. \r\nResults.Pituitary specimens of pituitary adenomas was confirmed in 133 cases; 3 specimens were with normal pituitary tissue, 1 with pituitary hyperplasia, 1 with pituitary apoplexy.Twelve of 133 pituitary adenomas specimens were associated also with normal pituitary tissue.There was a loss of acinar network of reticular fibres in 115 cases, but the present study describes the persistence of reticular fibers networks in 18 (13,53%) of 133 pituitary adenomas. We identified five distribution patterns of remanent reticular fibers network in pituitary adenomas using silver staining. \r\nIn conclusion, persistence of reticular fibers in a small number of pituitary adenomas could be a possible pitfall in the discrimination between the normal hypophysis and pituitary adenoma.

We highlight here in a human pituitary prolactinoma, by double immunohistochemistry, clusters of cells with strong reactivity for Sox2 and prolactin The colocalization was mainly distributed at the periphery of the tumor. In contrast, in the central part of the same tumor, only\r\nisolated cells expressed Sox 2 colocalised with prolactin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first microscopic evidence of Sox2 positivity in prolactin secreting cells from human pituitary and from such type of human pituitary adenoma.

Background. Androgen receptor (AR) plays a crucial role in the homeostasis of\r\nmammary tissue. In the present study we investigated the immunohistochemical expression\r\nof AR in breast cancer and its relationships with clinico-pathological parameters of\r\nprognosis, hormone receptors status and HER2 overexpression.\r\nMethods. There were investigated 124 patients admitted with invasive breast cancer,\r\nand from these 48 had lymph node metastasis and 9 had distant metastasis. In all specimens\r\nthere were performed immunohistochemical staining for AR, estrogen receptors (ER),\r\nprogesterone receptor (PR) and HER2. Results were correlated with pathological findings\r\nand the molecular profile of the tumors.\r\nResults. The immunohistochemical expression for AR was found in 92 cases. A\r\nsignificant correlation was found between AR expression and pathological type, grade and\r\nlymph node status, but not with distant metastasis and the expression of ER, PR and HER2.\r\nAn inverse correlation was found between AR expression and triple negative breast cancers.\r\nConclusion. Our data suggest that AR is an individual factor of prognosis and is a\r\nuseful marker to stratify patients with triple negative tumors. AR could be a potential target\r\nfor specific therapy in individuals excluded from the conventional hormone therapy.

for non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas (NFMAs) is still under debate. Aim. To appreciate the best timing for postoperative high voltage radiotherapy (hRT) in different type of NFMAs (classified using immunohistochemistry (IHC)). Subjects and Methods. Of 97 patients with a remnant (>1 cm) and IHC for anterior pituitary hormones, 41 patients (groups A & B) were submitted to hRT and followed up at least 5 years. RT was performed in 20/41 patients (Group A) within the first year after surgery, 21/41 patients (Group B) afterwards while in control group C, 56 patients were followed up without hRT. The progression of postoperative remnant was defined as a change of minimum of 25% of any diameter (transversal or vertical) by serial imaging studies. Results. The IHC of NFMAs revealed the following: 38 (39%) null cell, 29 (30%) gonadotropinomas, 12 (12%) silent plurihormonal, 11 (11%) silent corticotroph and 7 (7%) silent GH/PRL adenomas. Immunoreactive adenomas have relapse rate higher than null cell adenomas (ACTH> GH/ PRL> FSH/ LH> null cell) with a significant rate for silent ACTH 6/8 (75%). The null cell adenoma relapse rate was 6/23 (26%), p<0.009 in group without hRT. The relapse rate was significantly lower in group AB with hRT than in group without RT (p=0.025), at five years. Immediate hRT (applied within in first years) improved the control of the tumour growth in 90% (18/20) cases. In the group A, 10 % (2/20) patients relapsed than 24% (5/21) patients in group B and 39% (22/56) patients, Group C. Conclusion. An optimal time for radiotherapy is within the first year after the partial surgical removal of NFMAs, particularly if a large amount of residual tumour remains. Patients with silent corticotroph adenoma require special attention.