The MAPK signalling genes KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF, as well as the PIK3CA gene are routinely investigated for mutations in the diagnostic routine of colorectal cancer. Few studies have reported co‐existing mutations in these genes with clinical relevance, whilst some have been previously regarded as mutually exclusive. We set to investigate the frequency and co‐occurrent mutations in these targets, and

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) is an immune checkpoint receptor which plays an important role in a patient's immune responses to microbial and cancer antigens. It is expressed in tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with many different malignancies. The aim of the study was to evaluate PD‐1 expression and its prognostic value in tongue cancer. The data of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC)

Salivary gland tumours (SGT) are a vast and heterogenous group of neoplasms. There is a relative lack of comprehensive nationwide epidemiological studies on the subject. The aim of this nationwide analysis was to gain insight into epidemiological traits, such as site, incidence and histological subtypes of SGT in general.

The aim of this study was to investigate the appearance of a disturbed oropharyngeal microbiota during hospitalization and explore the patient characteristics that maybe associated with such a disturbance. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 134 patients at hospital admission and every 3–4 days thereafter. The samples were cultivated to determine the presence of a disturbed microbiota, which, in

The Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) is a molecular assay used for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in clinical specimens. In this study, we aimed to assess the accuracy of the Xpert assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in TB suspected patients from the northern region of Iran. The obtained results were compared with the culture method. The sputum specimens were examined using

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are often diagnosed from the metastases of an unknown primary tumor. Specific immunohistochemical (IHC) markers indicating the location of a primary tumor are needed. The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 2 (PCSK2) is found in normal neural and neuroendocrine cells, and known to express in NETs. We investigated the tissue microarray (TMA) of 86 primary tumors

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene status and overexpression, occurring in ~ 13.6% of primary breast cancers, is essential for identifying patients likely to benefit from biological treatment. In this method of evaluation study, we tested and compared the HER2 gene–protein assay (GPA) with routine HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The GPA

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune‐mediated inflammatory disease which affects the central nervous system (CNS). In the present study, the in vivo effects of ATRA, calcitriol, and their combinations on the expression of murine CD4+ T cell cytokines and their specific transcription factors in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)‐induced mice were explored. Thirty‐two EAE induced inbred

Induction of broad Th1 cellular immune responses and cytokines is crucial characteristics for vaccines against intracellular infections such as hepatitis C virus (HCV). Plants (especially oilseed tissues) and plant‐immunomodulators (like oil bodies) offer cost‐effective and scalable possibilities for the production of immunologically relevant and safe vaccine antigens and adjuvants, respectively. Herein

IL‐2 is a pro‐inflammatory and a Th1 inducing cytokine, which is important for activation of the cell‐mediated immunity. IL‐2 in serum and sputum has been observed to be reduced in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The present IL‐2 treatment study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lung infected mice was performed in order to evaluate the effect of IL‐2 supplement. One hundred‐and‐twenty female BALB/c mice

High‐risk HPVs (HR‐HPVs) are DNA viruses considered as primary etiologic factors in malignancies of the low female genital tract. Their presence has also been documented in oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancers. However, HPV infection is considered a necessary but not sufficient cause of tumoral development; meantime, increasing evidences on the tumorigenic role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been

The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella is an increasingly popular and consolidated alternative infection model to assess microbial virulence and the effectiveness of antimicrobial compounds. The lack of G. mellonella suppliers aiming at scientific purposes and a lack of well‐established protocols for raising and testing these animals may impact results and reproducibility between different laboratories

In late 2019, pneumonia due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged in Wuhan, China, which has immediately spread around the world. The major clinical manifestations of COVID‐19 include a range from asymptomatic presentation to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (1). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients usually manage with immunosuppressive agents; hence, they

Rumora L, Hlapčić I, Hulina‐Tomašković A, Somborac‐Bačura A, Bosnar M, Grdić Rajković M. Pathogen‐associated molecular patterns and extracellular Hsp70 interplay in NLRP3 inflammasome activation in monocytic and bronchial epithelial cellular models of COPD exacerbations.

Human Adenoviruses(HAdVs) are responsible for various clinical diseases. Molecular epidemiological studies of respiratory HAdVs are limited in Turkey.

Surgeons, who documented what they had seen and felt in the abdomen of the patient, made the earliest descriptions of Crohn’s disease (CD). Dalziel wrote the first pathology description in 1913. Crohn and his coworkers reinvented what Dalziel had written about and called it by a different name, ‘regional enteritis’. Later others elaborated on the histologic features, at first the lymphoid follicles

Extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD) is a rare malignant skin neoplasm characterized by intraepidermal proliferation of tumor cells. The tumor cells of EMPD may sometimes invade into the dermis or metastasize into the regional lymph nodes. Several studies have proposed mechanisms underlying the increased invasiveness of EMPD; however, molecular markers indicating invasiveness have yet to be well characterized

The Hippo pathway is a tumor suppressive pathway regulating Yes‐associated protein‐TEA domain‐containing sequence‐specific transcription factor (YAP‐TEAD) complex. VGLL (Vestigial‐like) proteins are transcriptional cofactors competing with YAP for TEAD binding and interfering oncogenic activity of YAP‐TEAD complex. We evaluated the expression of VGLL4, YAP, and TEAD4 and assessed their correlations

Barbour‐Stoenner‐Kelly II (BSK‐II) and BSK‐H media were used for cultivation and isolation of fastidious Borrelia species ‐ the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis. Culture media have a limited shelf life and require adequate storage. Our goal was to assess how the growth of Borrelia would be affected by prolonged storage of media and inadequate storage conditions (BSK‐H stored at +4 °C for 2.5 years

The recent French observation that daily tobacco smokers have a substantially reduced risk of developing symptomatic infection with COVID‐19 (1) is intriguing, since no healthcare professional would recommend smoking. So, what are the mechanisms and could something else be at play than tobacco smoking? The French study suggested that nicotine may be the protective agent in tobacco, as nicotine has

Superficial fungal infections of the skin, nails, hair and mucocutaneus membranes are common(1, 2) and the treatment depends on the aetiology.Treatment options include e.g. azoles, allylamines, and polyenes(3).Antifungal resistance isan increasing world‐wideproblem possibly caused by anincreased use of antifungals both as prophylactic and empiric therapy in a medical care setting as well as through

The article by Jakobsen et al. (1) titled “Implants induce a new niche for microbiomes” published in the Journal of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology is of great interest. They found that 66% of 106 clinically uninfected implants were colonized by bacteria, whereas 40% of those implants were colonized by fungi (1). Moreover, among 20 implants of patients with healed fractures, 19 (95%) showed

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors may occur sporadically or related to neurofibromatosis (NF). Unless the mechanisms of tumorigenesis in NF related malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are better understood, it remained unclear in sporadic cases. We aimed to investigate the genetic route for malignancy in both individuals with NF‐1 and sporadic ones to open a way for targeted therapies in

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease that is still to be fully understood. In female breast cancer, molecular subtyping by gene expression has proven its significance. In this study, we characterize a consecutive cohort of MBC patients surgically treated from 1997 to 2017, identified at our institution (N = 37), and report the association between molecular subtypes found by a surrogate panel

Despite the interest of researchers in IgG4‐related disease (IgG4‐RD), many questions still remain unanswered regarding the thyroid gland. We aimed to clarify the relationship between IgG4‐positive plasma cells and the histopathological pattern in the Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) in a Finnish series. HT specimens (n = 280) were retrieved from the Department of Pathology, Fimlab Laboratories. After re‐evaluation

Metastatic thyroid cancers are more difficult to treat and have a significantly worse prognosis than localized thyroid cancers. Previous studies have shown that follicular helper T cells (Tfh) may participate in antitumor immune responses. Here, we investigated the characteristics of Tfh cells in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) at various severities, including patients with localized

Primary high‐risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) DNA testing has been introduced in several countries worldwide, including The Netherlands. The objective of this study was to compare three automated workflow procedures for hrHPV testing of which the hrHPV detection assays meet the international guidelines for HPV testing. To mimic a realistic screening situation, we aimed to process 15 000 residual PreservCyt

This case report discusses a patient with nephrotic syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, and repeated episodes of infections. He had a history of intravenous drug abuse. Kidney biopsy revealed the rare finding of numerous foam cells, mainly in glomeruli. The solvent used for the drugs is thought to be responsible for the foam cells. In line with previous reports, we suspect that the pulmonary hypertension

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major health threat compromising the gonorrhoea treatment globally. AMR surveillance including whole genome sequencing (WGS)‐based epidemiology provides ideal resolution to identify and describe AMR gonococcal clones, AMR determinants and populations, which can inform management guidelines and antimicrobial stewardship policies. Our aims

Acinetobacter baumannii , one of the most life‐threatening nosocomial drug‐resistant pathogens, imposes high morbidity and mortality rates, thus highlighting immunization‐based treatments or prevention measures. The selection of appropriate antigens can elicit protective immunity. The gene encoding a fimbrial protein introduced via reverse vaccinology was cloned, expressed and evaluated for immunogenicity

Coronaviruses are a class of RNA viruses that can cause respiratory and intestinal infections in animals and humans. SARS‐CoV, MERS‐CoV, and a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2 [2019‐nCoV]) belong to the family Coronaviridae and the genus Betacoronavirus. At present, the understanding of SARS‐CoV‐2 is getting deeper and deeper. In order to better prevent and treat SARS‐CoV‐2, this article compares the

Bacteria and viruses were analysed in the upper respiratory tract of symptomatic pig farmers and their domestic pigs. Eighty six human nasal and 495 (50 pools) porcine snout swabs were collected in Schleswig‐Holstein, Germany. Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (62.8%, 54/86), human rhino‐ and coronaviruses (HRV, 29.1%, 25/86; HCoV, 16.3%, 14/86) were frequently detected in humans, while Haemophilus parasuis

Pneumonia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of disease requiring treatment and hospitalization (1,2). The standard procedure for confirming pneumococcal pneumonia is positive culture of S. pneumoniae from blood. However, it is estimated that only around 25% of cases are culture positive (1,2). Detection of pneumococcal antigens in urine is recommended as an alternative method, which

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is associated with the development of gastric cancer. Although the prevalence of gastric cancer has declined throughout years due to improvement in early screening strategy, mortality due to gastric cancer has not changed. Incidence and mortality due to gastric cancer are higher in developing countries as compared to developed countries. Diagnosis and prognosis of

Exhausted and dysfunctional T cells triggered by infection and cancer render the immune system unable to eliminate these pathogens. Pharmacologic blockade of the surface receptors that inhibit T-cell function has shown remarkable success in patients with various malignancies. In this Review, we discuss the emerging evidence of inhibiting checkpoint pathways as a potential role in controlling or clearing

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the association between gut microbiota and prognosis after colorectal cancer surgery. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Studies examining the association between gut microbiota and survival after colorectal cancer surgery were identified

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are a rare heterogeneous disease group with a dismal prognosis and limited treatment options. The mutational landscape consists of genetic aberrations both shared by and characteristic for anatomical location. Here, we present exome sequencing data on 22 genes from a phase 2 trial using a clinically validated panel used in patients with colorectal cancer. A total of 56 patients

Atherogenesis is associated with chronic gut infections; however, the mechanisms are not clear. The aim of the study was to determine whether lipopolysaccharide of E. coli (E. coli LPS) may affect endothelial barrier and modify IL-10 expression in dendritic cells (DCs). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and monocyte-derived DCs were treated with E. coli LPS, apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100)

A case of bacteremia with the fastidious bacteria Actinomyces urogenitalis following lengthy urinary retention is reported in a sixty-year-old man. In 2013, the first case of bacteremia due to A. urogenitalis was presented, secondary to a tubo-ovarian abscess following transvaginal oocyte retrieval. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first male bacteremic episode involving A. urogenitalis related

Eradication failure of Helicobacter pylori infection could play a causal role in progression of gastric disorders. In this study, infection with H. pylori was followed in gastric biopsies of symptomatic adult patients at two phases during 1-year period. Analyses were done to show association of therapeutic regimens with the refractory infection, changes in sequence types (STs) and minimum inhibitory

Kingella kingae colonizes the upper airways in children and has been recognized as the most common causative agent of osteoarticular infections (OAI) in children below 4 years of age. This is the first Scandinavian study to investigate oropharyngeal K. kingae carriage in healthy children. From June 2015 to August 2016, we recruited 198 healthy children aged 11-14 months from routine consultations at

Campylobacteriosis is one of the most frequently reported zoonoses worldwide. The well-documented increase in the ciprofloxacin resistance has increased the importance of rapid detection of the resistance. The incidence of ciprofloxacin resistance was investigated using real-time PCR. Identification of one hundred and fifty-eight strains was performed by PCR. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important opportunistic pathogen with significant potential for virulence and multidrug resistance. Treatment failure often occurs because the pathogen may couple virulence and drug resistance with the stringent response. This study assessed the role of the spoT gene in environmental and nutritional stress tolerance, exopolysaccharide capsule production and biofilm formation

Francisella tularensis is a zoonotic bacterium which causes the infection tularemia. It colonizes invertebrates and vertebrates, counting wildlife animals and rodents. Humans can become infected through several pathways including contaminated food, water, and handling animals and due to bites from vectors. Ticks are known to cause tularemia in humans, though their role as a disease transferring vector

The purpose was to evaluate the eradicative effect of acetic acid on bacterial biofilm grown on tympanostomy tubes by an in vitro experiment. Biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were grown on sterile tympanostomy tubes for 24 h. The tubes were treated with acetic acid solutions at various concentrations for 24 h. Main outcome was viability of bacteria after treatment. The presence

Anoikis is a form of apoptosis induced when a cell loses contact with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Anoikis resistance is essential for metastasis formation, yet only detectable by in vitro experiments. We present a method for quantitation of putative anoikis-resistant (AR) subpopulations in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and evaluate their prognostic significance. We studied 137 CRC cases and identified

In areas of low tuberculosis (TB) prevalence, laboratory diagnosis of TB may essentially cover non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in addition to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). In this study, a semi-automated PCR workflow distinguishing MTB and NTM (Anyplex™ MTB/NTMe, Seegene) and subsequently detecting MTB isoniazid/rifampicin resistance (Allplex™ MTB/MDRe, Seegene) was evaluated for replacing smear

The aim was to investigate oral health in randomly selected patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Data obtained by structured interview (self-reported lifestyle, oral symptoms and regularity of dental visits) and oral examination of patients with CKD from the Copenhagen University Hospital. Fourteen patients with CKD were screened. Only half of the patients reported regular dental visits and

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection globally, and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are recommended for highly sensitive and specific diagnosis. In early 2019, the Finnish new variant of Chlamydia trachomatis (FI‐nvCT) was identified. The FI‐nvCT has a C1515T mutation in the 23S rRNA gene, making it escaping detection in the Aptima Combo

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV)-E consist of a family of more than 1300 elements, stably integrated in the human genome. Some of them are full-length proviruses able to synthesize the viral proteins gag, pol and env. The reactivation of HERV-E elements has been associated to placentation, cancer and autoimmunity. In this narrative review, we aimed to report the status of the art concerning the

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The prevalence of BL is ten-fold higher in areas with stable transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, where it is the most common childhood cancer, and is referred to as endemic BL (eBL). In addition to its association with exposure to P. falciparum infection, eBL is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (>90%)

The purpose of this study was to compare the Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus test analysed with chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) to immunoassay (EIA). One hundred and twenty-five clinical specimens submitted to Karolinska University Hospital for Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus analysis were used to analyse agreement of the CLIA and EIA assays. The imprecision on CLIA was determined by analysis of pooled clinical

Minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring has a strong prognostic value in childhood lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and is currently utilized in all major pediatric ALL protocols. MRD monitoring is done by multiparameter flow cytometry, IG/TCR quantitative PCR or reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR of leukemic fusion transcripts providing a reliable measurement of treatment response. However, occasionally

The increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases cannot adequately be explained by traditional risk factors. Recently, accumulating evidence has suggested that gut microbiota-derived numerous metabolites are contributors to atherosclerotic events. Among them, the role of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) in promoting atherosclerosis has gained attention. TMAO is reported to exert the proatherogenic

Vascular access to tumour tissue limits oxygenation, but also availability to nutrition and penetration of drugs. The development of an increased interstitial fluid pressure in the tumour may obstruct the perfusion capacity of the fragile capillaries, thereby preventing the antitumoral drugs from reaching the target. The haphazard vascular network in tumours seems to become gradually better organized

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with wide range of clinical behaviour. Tumour angiogenesis and metastasis have been considered as prognostic markers of the breast carcinoma, and c-Met, a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase has been implicated in both these processes of tumour progression. This study was conducted to elucidate c-Met and downstream signalling pathways in breast cancer and

EZH2 is an important epigenetic regulator, but its role in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) pathogenesis and its relationship with MYC, BCL2, and TP53 expression, chromosomal rearrangements, and clinical features are still poorly understood. So, we investigated EZH2 expression and its associations with the immunophenotypic presentations, including MYC, BCL2, and TP53 expression, MYC, BCL2, and

The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are frequently activated in breast cancer. We recently demonstrated the importance of analyzing multiple proteins as read-out for pathway activation in ER+/HER2- breast cancer, since single proteins are known to provide insufficient information. Here, we determined pathway activation in other primary breast

We aimed to investigate whether the gene polymorphisms of TLR10 were associated with risk and severity of pneumococcal meningitis (PM) and serum cytokine levels in children. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TLR10 rs4129009 (2676A > G), rs10004195 (1018T > A) and rs11466617 (40735A > G) were studied in 95 laboratory-confirmed PM pediatric patients and 330 healthy controls by PCR-based

Bone infections are difficult to diagnose and treat, especially when a prosthetic joint replacement or implant is involved. Bone loss is a major complication of osteomyelitis, but the mechanism behind has mainly been investigated in cell cultures and has not been confirmed in human settings. Inflammation is important in initiating an appropriate immune response to invading pathogens. However, many