The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world recently caused numerous changes affecting the health system in every department. Reduced staff numbers, mostly due to illness, led to an increase in automation at every stage of laboratory work. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) laboratory conducts a high volume of slide staining every day. Therefore, we analyzed time and total costs required to obtain IHC slides in both the manual and automated way, comparing their efficiency by processing the same sample volume (48 microscope slides—the maximum capacity that an automated immunostainer—DAKO, Autostainer Link 48, Part No AS48030—can process over a single cycle). The total IHC procedure time to run 48 slides manually by one technician was 460 min, while the automated process finished a cycle within 390 min (15.22% less time). The final cost of a single manual IHC slide was 12.26 EUR and 7.69 EUR for slides labeled in the automated immunostainer, which reduced final costs by 37.27%. Thus, automation of the IHC procedure reduces the time and costs of the IHC process, contributing significantly to the sustainability of the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic, overcoming insufficient human resources.

Approximately 20% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) are diagnosed with a mucinous subtype of this tumor, have a worse prognosis, and often show resistance to available therapies. Molecules from the mucin family are involved in the regulation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which significantly determines the cancer aggressiveness. This study aimed to examine the diagnostic and prognostic significance of mucinous histology and EMT markers in patients with early-onset CRC and their association with disease severity and tumor characteristics. This study included tumor tissue samples from 106 patients diagnosed with CRC before the age of 45, 53 with mucinous and 53 with non-mucinous tumors. The EMT status was determined by immunohistochemical analysis of E-cadherin and Vimentin in tissue sections. Mucinous tumors had significantly higher Mucin-1 (p < 0.001) and cytoplasmic E-cadherin (p = 0.043) scores; they were significantly less differentiated (p = 0.007), more advanced (p = 0.027), and predominately affected right the colon (p = 0.039) compared to non-mucinous tumors. Epithelial tumors were significantly better differentiated (p = 0.034) and with less prominent tumor budding (p < 0.001) than mesenchymal tumors. Mucin-1 and Vimentin were independent predictors of tumor differentiation (p = 0.006) and budding (p = 0.001), respectively. Mucinous histology and EMT markers are significant predictors of disease severity and tumor characteristics in early-onset colorectal cancer.

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.

A characteristic tumor suppressor protein 53 (p53) mutational profile of genotoxic action of aristolochic acid was identified in the upper urothelial carcinoma (UUTT) associated with Balkan nephropathy (BEN). In the present study, we examined the prognostic value of tissue-based molecular markers in overall-survival (OS) risk after surgical treatment of UUTT, adjusted for gender, age and urological characteristics in 32 patients with BEN. Immunohistochemical examination of p53, the proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (c-ErbB2; also known as HER-2/neu) proto-oncogene and the in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay for apoptosis detection were used to examine serial tumor sections. The median OS-time was 60 months for UUTT operation; the mortality rate (18.7%) was related to (new) disease (re)occurrence or invasion in 12-216 months. High-grade (p=0.029), TUNEL>0.36%+ cells (p=0.010), and c-ErbB2+ cells (p=0.014) can define the risk of tumor invasion. Patients with Balkan nephropathy that develop UUTT at a stage greater than pT1 (with apoptosis TUNEL+ cells >0.36% and p53+ cells greater than 10%) were at high risk of poor-OS after the tumor surgery (h(x)=6.35; p=0.045). The obtained data present evidence for p53, cErbB2 and apoptosis deregulation, as a result of environmental toxin action. This is the first report of molecular biomarker linkage with OS for BEN-associated UUTT.

IgA nephropathy is the most common primary glomerulonephritis, with pathohistological changes described by the Oxford classification, while the Banff classification is used in transplant pathology. This study included 253 patients with IgA nephropathy in native kidneys, divided into the pediatric (n = 105) and adult (n = 148) groups. It aimed to examine clinical, and Oxford and Banff morphological parameters in relation to age, correlations of clinical data with pathohistological parameters, and predictors of the disease outcome. Pediatric patients more frequently presented with macroscopic hematuria, while adults showed higher urea and creatinine levels, and lower eGFR. Examining Oxford classification parameters, chronic glomerular and tubulointerstitial lesions were more common in adults. Banff parameters revealed more frequent chronically active glomerular, inflammatory, chronic tubulointerstitial, and vascular lesions in adults. All inflammatory, chronic tubulointerstitial, and vascular parameters correlated with serum urea levels, eGFR and CKD stage in adults, while less frequent in pediatric patients. Tubulointerstitial Oxford and Banff parameters were strong predictors of CKD and proteinuria progression in children, while such predictors were fewer in adults; segmental glomerulosclerosis predicted hematuria progression in adults. Banff parameters (cg, t, ti, i, i-IFTA, ptc, cv), not in Oxford classification, significantly predict outcomes and are recommended for incorporation into IgA nephropathy reports.