BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and their receptors (VEGFRs) in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its correlation with the prognosis for patients with lung cancer.METHODS: The expression status of VEGFs and VEGFRs was examined in 48 nonconsecutive specimens of primary lung cancer by immunohistochemistry. Correlations between the expression of VEGFs and VEGFRs and clinicopathologic parameters were analyzed.RESULTS: Nineteen of 48 samples (39.6%) were moderately/highly immunoreactive for VEGF‐A, 6 samples (12.5%) were reactive for VEGF‐B, 14 samples (29.2%) were reactive for VEGF‐C, 11 samples (22.9%) were reactive for VEGF‐D, 20 samples (41.7%) were reactive for VEGFR1, 26 samples (54.2%) were reactive for VEGFR2, 20 samples (41.7%) were reactive for VEGFR3, and 19 samples (39.6%) were reactive for nuclear expression of VEGFR3. Patients with moderate/high VEGF‐C, VEGFR1, and VEGFR2 expression had worse survival, whereas patients with moderate/high VEGF‐D and nuclear VEGFR3 expression had better survival. After adjusting according to tumor stage, VEGF‐B and VEGF‐D expression had a significant correlation with worse survival in patients with stage I and II disease. Patients with stage III and IV disease who had VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression had worse survival, whereas the expression of VEGF‐D was correlated significantly with better survival. Finally, stage, VEGF‐D expression, and VEGFR1 expression were significantly independent prognostic predictors.CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study indicated that the over‐expression of VEGFs and VEGFRs plays an important role in the survival of patients with NSCLC. The inclusion of angiogenic factors in the standard pathologic study of lung cancer may improve the clinical evaluation of patients with NSCLC. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.

Neural stem cells proliferate in liquid culture as cell clusters (neurospheres). This study was undertaken to characterize the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-expanded free-floating neurospheres derived from rat fetal striatum. We examined the ultrastructural and antigenic characteristics of these spheres. They consisted of two cell types, electron-dense and electron-lucent cells. Lucent cells were immunopositive to actin, vimentin, and nestin, whereas dense cells were immunopositive to actin, weakly positive to vimentin, and nestin-negative. Neurospheres contained healthy, apoptotic, and necrotic cells. Healthy cells were attached to each other by adherens junctions. They showed many pseudopodia and occasionally a single cilium. Sphere cells showed phagocytic capability because healthy cells phagocytosed the cell debris derived from dead cells in a particular process that involves the engulfment of dying cells by cell processes from healthy cells. Sphere cells showed a cytoplasmic and a nuclear pool of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors. They expressed E- and N-cadherin, α- and β-catenin, EGF receptor, and a specific subset of FGF receptors. Because sphere cells expressed this factor in the absence of exogenous FGF-2, we propose that they are able to synthesize FGF-2.

Challenges of bone tissue engineering in orthopaedic patients