Os autores declaram que para esta investigação não se realizaram

Os autores declaram que para esta investigação não se realizaram experiências em seres humanos e/ou animais. Os autores declaram ter seguido os protocolos de seu centro de trabalho acerca da publicação dos dados de pacientes e que todos os pacientes incluídos no estudo receberam informações suficientes e deram o seu consentimento informado por escrito para participar nesse estudo. Os autores declaram que não aparecem dados de pacientes selleck products neste artigo. Os autores declaram não haver conflito de interesses. “
“Barrett’s esophagus

(BE) is a premalignant condition that results from the replacement of the normal squamous lining of the esophagus by a columnar epithelium containing intestinal metaplasia (IM) on biopsy. A 53-year-old man was followed at our institution for long-segment BE (Prague classification C1 M4) since 2007. His past medical history was unremarkable. There were no visible nodules

or ulcerations within the BE at endoscopy in 2007 and 2008. Biopsies, performed according to the Seattle protocol, were negative for dysplasia. The patient returned in 2011 for surveillance endoscopy. At this exam a flat, slightly elevated, lesion (Paris classification 0-IIa) with 8 mm of diameter was noted near the gastroesophageal junction (Fig. 1A). Targeted biopsies were compatible with intramucosal adenocarcinoma. Biopsy specimens of the remainder BE were negative for dysplasia. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) was performed Natural Product Library order with the patient under deep sedation with propofol. We used the Duette Multiband Mucosectomy Kit™ (Cook Medical, Limerick, Ireland), which consists Galactosylceramidase of a modified variceal band ligator that allows passage of a hexagonal 1.5 cm × 2.5 cm snare made of braided wire alongside the releasing wires for the bands. The area to be resected was previously delineated with coagulation markings (Fig. 1B). The lesion was first suctioned into the ligating barrel, and the rubber band was deployed creating

a pseudopolyp. Resection was carried out, in two fragments, with the ESG-100 electrosurgical unit (Olympus Europe, Hamburg, Germany), using pure coagulation current (Fig. 1C–F). There were no early or delayed complications. Specimens were pinned on cork and fixed in formalin. Pathologic examination revealed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma limited to the lamina propria (Fig. 2A–C). Lateral margins were not evaluable given the piecemeal technique. At 6-weeks follow-up endoscopy there were no signs of residual lesion (Fig. 3A). Biopsies of the resection scar and Barrett’s segment showed no dysplasia. Due to high risk of metachronous lesions ablation of the remaining BE was scheduled.

Currently, new technologies which provide sensitive detection and

Currently, new technologies which provide sensitive detection and reliable measurements of EVs are being developed. These new

technologies as well as the preparation of EVs from body fluids also need to be standardized to make the measurements of EVs feasible in the clinical settings. In the near future, EVs may serve as potential clinical biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, and therapy of certain diseases. All human body fluids including blood, urine, saliva, mother milk, and cerebrospinal and synovial fluid contain surprising numbers of extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are now thought to selleck compound contribute to both physiology and pathology. The underlying mechanisms of the formation of EVs are still largely unexplored. None of the authors ( YY, AS, RN) of this manuscript has a conflict of interest. “
“Over 100 years ago Paul Bert and Denis Jourdanet described the association between reduced atmospheric O2 pressure and elevated rbc numbers in humans and in animals,[1], [2] and [3] which in 1890, during a high-altitude expedition to the Peruvian Andes led by Francois-Gilbert Viault, was shown to result from an acute physiologic response rather than being an inherited condition.4 It was the interest in understanding the molecular basis of this erythropoietic response that first led to check details the discovery of erythropoietin (EPO) and later on to the identification of the

molecular machinery that senses pO2. The hypoxic induction of EPO serves as a paradigm of O2-dependent gene regulation and the search for the transcription factor that regulates EPO resulted in the identification

of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which controls a wide spectrum SSR128129E of tissue-specific and systemic hypoxia responses. Recent experimental data indicate that HIF promotes erythropoiesis at multiple levels and coordinates cell type-specific hypoxia responses. These include renal and hepatic EPO synthesis, enhanced iron uptake and utilization, as well as changes in the bone marrow microenvironment that facilitate erythroid progenitor maturation and proliferation. Because of its central role in the hypoxic regulation of erythropoiesis, pharmacological targeting of the HIF O2-sensing pathway has therapeutic potential for the treatment of anemia, in particular anemia associated with inadequate EPO production, e.g. in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This review discusses recent insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie O2-dependent regulation of EPO synthesis, iron metabolism and erythroid progenitor maturation, and examines their relevance to clinical disorders and anemia therapy. Surgical organ removal in animals identified the kidney as the major site of EPO synthesis in adults.5 Although initially debated, EPO is produced by peritubular interstitial fibroblasts and not by renal tubular epithelial cells or peritubular endothelial cells.

To investigate the feasibility of AIS noise modelling in the Mora

To investigate the feasibility of AIS noise modelling in the Moray Firth, the sound exposure attributable to AIS-identified and unidentified noise periods for each day of uninterrupted AIS coverage was calculated for The Sutors. These periods were computed as the cumulative sound exposure from the period surrounding a noise peak during which the noise level was above see more the adaptive threshold. So for example, the ‘above threshold’ and ‘peak above threshold’ data in Fig. 7e were counted towards the cumulative sound exposure of the AIS-identified component for that day. The 24-h sound exposure level (SEL) of each

component (total SEL, AIS-identified SEL, and SEL from unidentified peaks) is presented in Fig. 8a for the range 0.1–1 kHz. SEL is a cumulative measure of sound exposure appropriate for the assessment of potential acoustic impacts to marine mammals from sources such as shipping (Southall et al., 2007). Note that SEL is a logarithmic measure, so the sum of the component parts of the total SEL does approximate the whole, but in linear space. During the presence of the rig-towing vessels operating with DP from June 16–23 (see Fig. 3b) the noise level was consistently high, such that only two peaks were recorded by the adaptive threshold (both of which were AIS-identified vessels). ATR activation As the rig-towing vessels were using AIS, their presence would be included in an AIS-based noise model, though

their source levels are likely to be significantly elevated by the use of DP, which may not be accounted for by a generic ship source level database. For all

but four of the remaining days with uninterrupted AIS coverage, the AIS-identified peaks generated the vast majority of sound exposure recorded in this range (Fig. 8a). On two of the four days (24 June and 8 September), unidentified peaks produced marginally greater sound exposure than AIS-identified peaks. This may have been caused by the particularly close presence of a non-AIS vessel or vessels in combination with only small or relatively distant AIS-tracked vessels on these days. On 7 July and 23 July, no peaks were recorded at all, and total sound exposure was ∼20 dB lower than the minimal levels recorded with detectable ship passages. Since small vessels (which are not Rapamycin price obliged to carry AIS transceivers) may emit noise with peak levels at up to several kHz (Kipple and Gabriele, 2003 and Matzner et al., 2010), the 24-h SEL in the 1–10 kHz bandwidth was also computed (Fig. 8b) to analyse whether higher frequencies were more dependent on unidentified peaks, which are likely to originate from small vessels. This analysis retained the peak classification data used for the 0.1–1 kHz range. As expected, the recorded levels were consistently lower than at 0.1–1 kHz. Only one day (26 June) showed a significant difference, with unidentified sound exposure more dominant than in the lower frequency band.

This understanding of validation is more appropriate for systems

This understanding of validation is more appropriate for systems and models where it is unfeasible to compare the output of a risk model with observations or experiments. In this Section, the overall framework for the construction of the Bayesian network is introduced. First, some basic issues concerning Bayesian networks are briefly outlined, showing how BNs can accommodate the adopted risk perspective.

In mathematical terms, Bayesian networks (BNs) represent a class of probabilistic graphical models, defined as a pair Δ = G(X, A), P ( Koller and Friedman, 2009 and Pearl, 1988), where G(X, A) is the graphical component and P the probabilistic component of the model. G(X, A) is in the form of a directed

acyclic graph (DAG), where the nodes (X) represent the variables X = X1, …, Xn in the considered problem buy Cyclopamine and the arcs (A) represent the probabilistic conditional (in)dependence relationships between the variables. P consists of a set of conditional probability tables (CPTs) P(Xi|Pa(Xi)) for each variable Xi, i = 1, …, n in the problem. Pa(Xi) signifies the set of parents of Xi in G: Pa(Xi) = (Y, Xi) ∊ A. Thus: P = P(Xi. A Bayesian network encodes a factorization of the joint probability distribution (JDP) over all variables in X: equation(5) P(X)=∏i=1nP(Xi|Pa(Xi))From Eq. (5), it follows that BNs have desirable properties 17-AAG for describing uncertainty about oil spills in ship–ship collisions, conditional to impact scenarios.

In particular, when an assessor expresses his uncertainty about the impact scenarios using a set of parent nodes, this uncertainty can be propagated through the model to attain an expression of uncertainty about the possible oil spill sizes. To achieve a full assessment of uncertainty and bias in line with the risk perspective of Eq. (4), a qualitative description of Niclosamide U and B supplements the BN. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the BN is constructed from an integration of two main elements: a submodel GI linking the damage extent to ship particulars and oil outflow and a submodel GII linking the impact scenarios to the damage extent. First, the resulting oil outflow for product tankers is determined from outflow calculations in a range of damage scenarios using a set of representative product tankers. For these tankers, limited data is available concerning cargo tank number and configuration. The more detailed tank arrangement needed for oil outflow calculations is estimated based on a model presented by Smailys and Česnauskis (2006). The data obtained from subsequent oil outflow calculations is applied in a Bayesian learning algorithm to construct the first submodel of the BN. This submodel GI(XI, AI) consists of nodes and arcs related to the ship particulars, damage extent and oil outflow. Its construction is elaborated in Section 4.

In view of this, we here study the variations in the values of δ1

In view of this, we here study the variations in the values of δ18O and δ13C of the calcareous tests of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides in surface sediment

samples collected buy NVP-BKM120 along a north-south transect from latitude 9.69°N to 55.01°S in an attempt to understand the influence of the various frontal systems operating in the study area. A total of 25 surface sediment samples (comprising Peterson Grab, Gravity and Piston core top samples) were collected on board ORV Sagar Kanya during her 199th and 200th cruises along a N-S transect between latitudes 9.69°N and 55.01°S and longitudes 80°E and 40°E ( Figure 1, Table 1) of the Southern Ocean (Indian sector). The study area lies above the general lysocline and Carbonate Compensation Depth (CCD) reported in this region below 4400–4700 m water depth ( Banakar et al. 1998), thus the possibility of any

dissolution effect on planktonic foraminifera this website can be ruled out. The planktonic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides has been reported as a thermocline dweller ( Bée & Tolderlund 1971). The thermocline in our study area has been reported to vary within the range of 75–150 m ( Anilkumar et al. 2005). All the sediment samples (top 1 cm of the sediment core/grab) were immediately stained with Rose Bengal and preserved in 10% formalin to differentiate living specimens of benthic foraminifera. Even though all possible efforts were made to collect surface sediments so as to sample recent sediments, we believe that at a few locations, slightly older sediments may have been collected. Without the exact dating of these sediment samples, the presence of living benthic foraminiferal specimens at various stations may be considered an indicator of modern ambient conditions. All the sediment samples were processed using standard procedures ( Khare & Chaturvedi 2006). G. bulloides (a non-symbiotic planktonic species) was selected for oxygen and carbon isotope analyses of its tests because of its ubiquitous presence in all the samples. 10–12 specimens

of G. bulloides were selected and thoroughly PAK6 cleaned, then analysed through a Finnigan MAT 251 isotope ratio gas mass spectrometer, which was coupled to an automatic carbonate preparation device (Kiel I) and calibrated via NBS 19 to the PDB scale at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany. The values are given in δ notation versus VPDB (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite). The precision of the oxygen isotope measurements based on repeated analyses of a laboratory standard over a one-year period was better than 0.09% for oxygen. Similarly, the precision of the carbon isotope measurements based on repeated analyses of a laboratory standard over a one-year period was better than 0.06%. The average annual temperature and salinity data at 75 m water depth across the transect of the study area was obtained from the dataset in Levitus et al. (1994). The minimum value of δ18O was − 2.

Both these studies included patients with dementia but did not sp

Both these studies included patients with dementia but did not specifically investigate the outcomes associated to

DSD compared with the dementia or delirium-alone subgroups. These results provide new knowledge about the possible prognostic role of DSD in patients undergoing rehabilitation, in that DSD was strongly linked to adverse outcomes. The association between DSD and adverse outcomes underlines the clinical importance of its effect. It remains uncertain if DSD is worse than delirium or dementia alone, as suggested by the differences in the ORs and as described by the distribution of mobility dependence in Figure 1. A larger study would be required to test this association adequately. Previous investigations have reported that patients with DSD, compared with patients with dementia and delirium alone, have a twofold increased risk of being institutionalized at discharge and more than a twofold increase in the risk of mortality in the 12 months after discharge from Tacrolimus mouse a rehabilitation setting.3 and 25 Additionally, in acute hospitals, patients with DSD compared with patients with dementia alone were exposed to a higher risk of short-, medium-, and long-term functional decline and short-term mortality.17 and 18 Acutely hospitalized patients with DSD carry a significantly higher risk of institutionalization at 1-year follow-up than those with neither delirium nor dementia.18

In our population, the presence of DSD at the time of admission was associated with increased selleck chemicals 1-year mortality and institutionalization rates, consistent with previous data on the effect of DSD on mortality in a smaller cohort25 and the reported effect of DSD on institutionalization in acutely hospitalized elderly patients.17 and 18 Similar to the effect on institutionalization and mortality, in our population, DSD had an additive effect on the ability

to walk independently at discharge and at 1-year follow-up for the patients with DSD and dementia alone. The findings of worse outcomes related to DSD might be explained by reference to the pathophysiology of delirium in patients with dementia. Dementia is one of the biggest predisposing risk factors for delirium, and in this population, systemic inflammation, caused by infection, injury or surgery, is one of the major triggers.35 and 36 According to the model proposed by Inouye and colleagues,37 severe precipitants Aldol condensation are required to precipitate delirium in healthy populations, whereas much milder stimuli can trigger a delirious episode in patients with preexisting dementia. In these patients, even a mild infection can be the main trigger for delirium and the occurrence of DSD could lead to a more rapid cognitive decline than dementia alone, suggesting that the primary insult that causes delirium may directly exacerbate the underlying cognitive impairment.38 and 39 The worsening of the cognitive impairment due to delirium could then be responsible for the worse functional outcomes seen in our study.

Self-directed strategy training is recommended for the remediatio

Self-directed strategy training is recommended for the remediation of mild memory deficits after TBI. For impairments of higher cognitive functioning after TBI, interventions that promote self-monitoring and self-regulation for deficits in executive functioning (including impaired self-awareness) and social communication skills interventions for interpersonal and pragmatic conversational problems are recommended after BAY 73-4506 TBI. Comprehensive-holistic neuropsychologic rehabilitation is recommended to improve postacute participation and quality of life after moderate or severe TBI. A number of recommended Practice Standards reflect the lateralized nature

of Omipalisib cognitive dysfunction that is characteristic of stroke. Visuospatial rehabilitation

that includes visual scanning training for left visual neglect is recommended after right hemisphere stroke. Cognitive-linguistic interventions for aphasia and gestural strategy training for apraxia are recommended after left hemisphere stroke. The Practice Standards for metacognitive strategy training for executive deficits and comprehensive-holistic neuropsychologic rehabilitation after TBI represent upgraded recommendations from our prior reviews. The Practice Options for errorless learning for memory deficits after TBI and for group treatments for cognitive and communication deficits after TBI or left hemisphere stroke represent new recommendations since our prior reviews. Together with our prior reviews, we now have evaluated a total of 370 interventions (65 class I or Ia, 54 class II, and 251 class III studies) that provide evidence for the comparative effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation.

Among the 65 class I and Ia studies, there were 15 comparisons (which included Selleckchem Venetoclax 550 participants) of cognitive rehabilitation with no active treatment. In every one of these comparisons, cognitive rehabilitation was shown to be of benefit. There were 17 comparisons (with 696 participants) between cognitive rehabilitation and conventional forms of rehabilitation. Cognitive rehabilitation was shown to be of greater benefit than conventional rehabilitation in 94.1% of these comparisons. Examining this evidence base, there is clear indication that cognitive rehabilitation is the best available form of treatment for people who exhibit neurocognitive impairment and functional limitations after TBI or stroke. Additional research needs to elucidate the mechanisms of change underlying the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation and the comparative effectiveness of different interventions. Although not the primary focus of our reviews, there are some indications regarding consideration of patient characteristics in cognitive rehabilitation.

9% NaCl, 0 1 ml/100 g, s c ; control group) At the end of the 7-

9% NaCl, 0.1 ml/100 g, s.c.; control group). At the end of the 7-day period, the rats were killed by decapitation and the hearts were immediately removed. Wet weights of left ventricles were recorded, normalized for body weight and then expressed as cardiac mass index (mg/g). The left ventricles were GSK126 cell line used for histology and western blot analysis. SD rats (n = 8–10) were nephrectomized (left kidney) under tribromethanol (0.25 g/kg, i.p.) anesthesia. Part of the animals (DOCA)

were implanted with a subcutaneous pellet (Silicone rubber encapsulant, Down-Corning) containing deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA; 200 mg/kg; Sigma) and had a solution of 0.9% NaCl and 0.2% KCl to drink for 6 weeks, as previously described [21]. Control rats were only uninephrectomized. Systolic arterial pressure (SAP) was evaluated by tail-cuff plethysmography (RTBP2000, Kent Scientific) 1 day before and each 7 days of treatment during 6 weeks. Rats were submitted to echocardiographic evaluation, as previously described [14]. Left ventricular wet weights were recorded, normalized for tibial length and then expressed as cardiac mass index (g/cm). In addition, left ventricles were also APO866 order used for western blot analysis. Under anesthesia

with 10% ketamine/2% xylazine (4:3, 0.1 ml/100 g, i.p.), Wistar rats (n = 3–5) were placed in the supine position on a surgical table, tracheotomized, intubated and ventilated with room air using a respirator for small rodents. The chest was opened by a left thoracotomy at the fourth or fifth intercostal space. To expose the heart, a small-sized retractor was used to maintain the ribs separated. After incision of the Sodium butyrate pericardium, the heart was quickly removed from the thoracic cavity and turned left to allow access to the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. A 4-0 silk suture was snared around the LAD and tightly

ligated to occlude the vessel. The heart was then placed back and the chest was closed with 4-0 silk sutures. Sham-operated rats were treated in the same manner, but the coronary artery was not ligated. At 7 and 21 days after MI, left ventricular samples were used for western blot analysis. Before the sacrifice, the animals were injected with 30 mM KCl to cause cardiac arrest in diastole. Left ventricular samples were kept in 4% Bouin fixative for 24 h at room temperature, dehydrated and imbedded in paraffin. Transversal sections (6 μm) were cut at intervals of 40 μm and stained with Masson’s trichrome to confirm the presence of infarct or with hematoxylin and eosin for cell morphometry, as previously described [6] and [14]. Left ventricular samples were homogenized in lysis buffer containing 50 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 50 mM NaF, 50 mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, 5 mM EGTA, 2 mM Na3VO4, 10 mM HEPES pH 7.4, 0.5% Triton 100, 1 mM PMSF, 1 μg/ml leupeptin and 1 μg/ml aprotinin.

The results were expressed as pg/mL for each cytokine Neutrophil

The results were expressed as pg/mL for each cytokine. Neutrophils (2 × 105 cells/50 μL) were incubated with different concentrations of BbV (1.5, 3, 6, 12.5, 25, 50 e 100 μg/mL) or RPMI (control) or PMA (500 ng/mL, positive control) for 4 and 15 h at 37 °C in a humid atmosphere (5% CO2). After centrifugation, the supernatant was used to determine NETs release accordingly to the procedure described in kit Quant-iT™ Picogreen dsDNA (Invitrogen).

Briefly, 50 μL of samples were incubated with 100 μL of PI (Quant-iT) and 50 μL of PE buffer in a 96-well dark plate. After 15 min of incubation, absorbances at 520 nm emission and 480 nm excitation were recorded and NETs release was estimated from a standard curve. The results were represented as ng/mL of DNA. Means and S.E.M. of all data were obtained and compared by one-way ANOVA, followed Erastin supplier by a Tukey test with significance probability levels less than 0.05. In order to investigate the effect of BbV on neutrophil

function we isolated these cells using a density gradient. The purity of the isolated neutrophils obtained with the density gradient was 98.5% as determined by flow cytometry using the pan-granulocyte marker CD66b (Mannoni et al., 1982) and by Panotic staining Rapamycin supplier of cytospin preparations (Inserted). We used an MTT assay to test the toxicity of BbV on isolated human neutrophils. To this end, the effect of 2 and 15 h of incubation on several concentrations of BbV was investigated. As shown in Fig. 1, incubation of BbV at all concentrations used did not affect human neutrophil viability in comparison with control cells incubated with culture medium alone at all-time intervals. This finding is evidence that BbV is not toxic to human neutrophils for these periods of time and at these concentrations. To verify the ability of BbV to induce the production of hydrogen peroxide by human neutrophils, the cells were incubated with the venom in

non-cytotoxic concentrations or PMA (positive control) or RPMI (negative control). As shown in Fig. 2 incubation of neutrophils ID-8 at concentrations from 6.2 up to 100 μg/mL resulted in a significant increase in hydrogen peroxide production. These findings demonstrated the ability of BbV to stimulate human neutrophils to produce hydrogen peroxide. To investigate the ability of BbV to induce the release of PGE2 by human neutrophils, the concentration of this lipid mediator in the supernatant of neutrophils incubated with BbV (1.5, 3.1, 6.2, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 μg/mL) or PMA (positive control; 500 ng/mL) or RPMI (negative control) was measured. Incubation of neutrophils with BbV for 4 h induced a significant increase in the basal levels of PGE2 in the supernatant of all concentrations examined in comparison to controls (Fig. 3) suggesting that PGE2 has a role in acute inflammation inducing the activation of neutrophils.

The study included 364 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) pr

The study included 364 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) primary tumor samples retrospectively collected from a cohort of EC patients who were operated in the Department of Gynaecology, Gynaecological Oncology and Gynaecological Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdańsk (Gdańsk, Poland) between 2000 and 2010. Each patient was primarily treated by surgery, with the possible option of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy administration. The inclusion criteria were operable

EC (stage IVB patients underwent cytoreductive surgery) confirmed by histologic examination and a signed consent form. The study was accepted by the Independent Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Gdańsk (NKEBN/269/2009, date: 14 September BMS-354825 nmr 2009). Procedures involving human subjects were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 1983. The tumor samples included all stages of endometrial carcinoma, from stage IA to IVB, as distinguished by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) in 2009 [7]. We analyzed all primary carcinomas of the uterine corpus, separating them into endometrioid and non-endometrioid tumors. The latter included serous, clear find more cell, mucinous, mixed, squamous cell, and undifferentiated carcinomas [8]. Metastases included lymph node and distant metastases. The patients’ characteristics are summarized in Table 1. The median age was 63 (range, 26-89 years). Patients

with a body mass index higher than 30 were classified as obese [9]. A survival analysis was performed for 362 (99.5%) patients. After a median follow-up of

72.5 months (range, 0-158), 107 (29.4%) patients had died. The last follow-up data were collected in September 2013. The study was performed in accordance with the REcommendations for Tumor MARKer Prognostic Studies (REMARK) criteria [10]. Samples were collected by surgical excision before any systemic treatment and were fixed in 10% (vol/vol) neutral buffered formalin for up to 24 hours, dehydrated in 70% ethanol, and embedded in paraffin. FFPE tissue blocks were stored at room temperature for up to 14 years. The percentage of tumor cells in each FFPE specimen was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining reviewed by a certified pathologist. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed from FFPE surgical enough resection tumor specimens and control samples. Four 1.5-mm-diameter cores from each tumor were obtained from the most representative areas (well-preserved fragments of invasive carcinoma, without necrosis, autolysis, and squamous metaplasia) using a tissue-arraying instrument (MTA-I; Beecher Instruments, Sun Prairie, WI), and then reembedded in microarray blocks. Punches of normal tissues were added to each array to introduce built-in internal controls to the system. Consecutive 4-μm-thick TMA sections were cut and placed on charged polylysine-coated slides (Superfrost Plus; BDH, Braunschweig, Germany) for subsequent IHC analysis.