Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a very aggressive tumor. The prognostic value of PD-L1 and BAP1 expression has been investigated in many studies. A retrospective study was conducted that analyzed PD-L1 and BAP1 expression as prognostic biomarkers in patients with MPM. The study included 53 patients with MPM. PD-L1 expression ≥ 1% was found in 39.6%, and BAP1 loss was found in 81.1% of patients. The median overall survival (mOS) was 11 months. Subtype of MPM (p = 0.045), early tumor stage (p = 0.049), therapy (p = 0.002), and good PS (0–1) (p = 0.012) were associated with better survival. Expression of PD-L1 and BAP1 did not show statistical significance regarding OS, but OS was numerically shorter in patients with PD-L1 ≥ 10% (5 vs. 12 months) and longer in patients with BAP1 loss (12 vs. 4 months). In patients with PD-L1 ≥ 1% and BAP1 loss, the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was numerically longer (10 vs. 7 months) but in patients with PD-L1 ≥ 1% and BAP1 positivity, PFS was statistically significantly shorter (1 vs. 7 months, p = 0.048). Our results did not show that PD-L1 and BAP1 are prognostic biomarkers for MPM, but positive PD-L1 expression and BAP1 loss were associated with worse survival in patients with MPM.

Introduction: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among all cancers. The discovery of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations led to an increased survival rate in patients with locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results of the ALTA 1L study showed superior outcomes for patients treated with brigatinib compared to patients treated with crizotinib. Background: We conducted research including 23 patients with ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma who were treated with brigatinib in first or further lines of therapy. The median follow-up was 22 months (4–66 months). Results: There were no significant differences in patient population between the first and further lines of treatment regarding sex distribution (p = 0.692), smoking status (p = 0.554), ECOG performance status (p = 1.000), and baseline presence of brain metastases (p = 0.862). The response rate was 47.8%, and disease control was 95.6%. The 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 85.3% and 86.5%, respectively, while the 60-month PFS rate was not reached, and the 60-month OS rate was 27.1%. The mPFS and mOS were 32 months. Conclusions: The results of this analysis are promising, as our patients experienced better outcomes compared to those in the ALTA 1L study, which may be attributed to the small sample size. However, the effectiveness of brigatinib has been confirmed in our clinical practice.

Out of the total number of 632 tumor specimens obtained from dogs of different breeds over the period of last 66 months, cutaneous tumors were diagnosed in 211 cases, i.e., in 123 (58.3%) male dogs and 88 (41.7%) bitches, aged on average 7 years. Among the total number of 211 skin tumors 32 types of cutaneous neoplasms were diagnosed, with epithelial and melanocytic tumors being the most predominant (58.3%), followed by hematopoietic tumors (22.3%) and mesenchymal tumors of the skin and soft tissues (19.4%). Cutaneous hematopoietic tumors comprising the total of 47 cases and mesenchymal tumors of the skin and soft tissues (41 cases) were subjected to detailed histological analysis, as well as immunohistochemical analysis if necessary, and the tumors were classified based on the most recent WHO classification of cutaneous neoplasms. The large number of cutaneous hematopoietic tumors is the result of a large number of mastocytomas and histiocytomas. These tumors were benign in 14 (29.79%) cases, while the remaining 33 (70.21%) were malignant. Out of the total number of canine tumors examined based on the biopsy and section materials over the last five years at the Department of Pathology, skin tumors and mammary gland tumors were proved to be the two largest groups diagnosed in 33.4% and 36% of cases, respectively

Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (ACAD) is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, characterized as an inflammatory process due to damage to blood vessel walls by risk factors like aging, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, smoking, and diabetes. Infectious agents, including Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Helicobacter pylori (HP), have been implicated in ACAD’s pathophysiology. A study with 56 subjects undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) aimed to detect Cpn, CMV, and HP DNA in unaffected artery segments and explore associations with disease progression and inflammation markers. The study found infectious agents’ DNA in 21.4% of samples, HP in eight samples, and CMV and Cpn in four samples each. Significant correlations were observed between HP and overweight or obese subjects, as well as between the presence of infectious agents and inflammation marker values. An association between HP and renal function was also noted. The findings reaffirm previous discoveries of infectious agents in non-clinically affected arteries used as CABG grafts. Correlations identified between the presence of HP, CMV, and Cpn DNA in grafts and several biomarkers of inflammation and obesity emphasize the potential role of these infectious agents in ACAD pathogenesis.

Baclgrpund/Aim. Heart transplantation is the most effective way to treat patients in the terminal stage of heart failure. Endomyocardial biopsy has proven to be a safe and appropriate technique, with little sampling error and remains to this day one of the most commonly used methods for diagnosing of acute rejection. In 1990, ISHLT defined a standardized system for grading the severity of acute transplant rejection regarding endomyocardial sampling histopathological analysis. The aim of study is assessment of morphological, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent markers of cellular and antibody-mediated rejection of heart transplant in patients monitored during 2020. Methods. From 31 patients transplanted at the Clinic for Cardiac Surgery of the Clinical Center of Serbia, endomyocardial biopsy material was obtained, then processed and analyzed at the Institute of Pathology of the Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade. Results. The average Transplant Rejection Score (TRS) value was 0.42. Spearman 's correlation test didn’t show a statistically significant relationship between the TRS score value and the difference between the ejection fraction values three and twelve months after transplantation. Conclusion. The mean TRS score value obtained in this study suggests dominant cell graft rejection.

Introduction. Without a comprehensive postmortem investigation it is impossible to determine the cause of death among the SARS-CoV-2-suspected and -positive patients. We present two cases to discuss the postmortem detectability of SARS-CoV-2 virus and RNA stability in biological samples. Outline of cases. Case No. 1: a 40-year-old man on whom the autopsy was performed four days after death. The body was stored at 4?C. Bilateral pneumonia was confirmed grossly and histopathologicaly. Molecular testing was positive for IgM antibodies, but negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Case No. 2: a 28-year-old professional basketball player who suffered from SARS-CoV-2 about a month earlier. The autopsy was performed two days after death. The body was stored at 15?C. Gross autopsy findings revealed advanced putrefactive changes and an enlarged heart, with visible fibrotic focuses. The histopathological finding corresponded to the sudden cardiovascular death due to the cardiac dysrhythmia most probably formed in one of the fibrotic focuses. Tests for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies (IgM, IgG) were positive in the analyzed samples. Conclusion. This report suggests that SARS-CoV-2 virus can be isolated in the biological samples even after a long post-mortem prolongation of molecular analyses. We emphasize the necessity of wider studies that will define the infectiveness and biological stability of the virus in postmortem tissues.