Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent a distinct and the most important subset of mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract GISTs occur throughout the GI tract but are usually located in the stomach and small intestine. The cellular origin, differentiation, nomenclature and prognosis of GISTs are controversial. Because GISTs, like the interstitial cells of Cajal, the GI pacemaker cells, express CD117 (c-kit protein), the origin of GISTs from the Cajal cells has recently been suggested. GISTs are also known for their wide variability in clinical behavior and for the difficulty to determine their malignant condition The most reproducible predictors of malignancy are mitotic count >1-5 per10 high-powered fields (HPF), size >5 cm, tumor necrosis, infiltration and metastasis to other sites. However, some tumors with mitotic activity <1/10 HPF may metastasize indicating some uncertainty in malignant potential of GISTs, especially those larger than 5 cm. Recently, mutations in c-kit gene (exon 11) preferentially occur in malignant GISTs and may be a clinically useful adjunct marker in evaluation of GISTs. In conclusion, the strong CD117 expression mostly defines primary GI mesenchymal tumors as GIST. Specific identification of GIST may become clinically important if therapies targeting the c-kit tyrosine kinase activation become available

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, because H. pylori infection considerably increases the risk of gastric cancer development. METHODS: The study involved a total of 191 patients divided into two groups. The first group comprised 117 patients who underwent endoscopy. A total of 203 biopsy specimens of the gastric mucosa were taken and analyzed using microbiological and histopathological methods. The second group comprised 74 patients with gastric cancer, who were examined for the gastric cancer type, the presence of H. pylori infection and the cancer localization. The presence of H. pylori infection in the tissue was con­firmed by staining pathohistological sections according to the method of Warthin-Starry. The microbilogical diagnosis involved the staining of direct tissue smears according to the method of Gram, as well as the cultivation of the specimens. To test the hypothesis for possible differences in H. pylori positive findings between the treatment groups, x2 test with Yates correction or Fisher exact test were used. RESULTS: The first treatment group comprised 117 patients with various clinical diagnoses. Gastric cancer was diagnosed in 8 patients, and of these 87.50% were found to have H. pylori. No statistically significant difference in H. pylori positive tests was detected between the patients with gastric ulcer and the patients with gastric cancer (Fisher exact test: p=1.00; p>0.05) nor was it established between the patients with duodenal ulcer and those with gastric cancer (Fisher exact test: p= 1.00; p>0.05). The second treatment group comprised 74 patients, of whom 52 (70.27%) had intestinal-type gastric cancer and 22 (29.72%) had diffuse-type gastric cancer. No statistically significant difference in the positive tests for H. pylori was registered between the patients with intestinal-type and those with diffuse-type gastric cancer (x2=0.07; p=0.798; p>0.05). The most frequent localization of the cancer was the antrum. CONCLUSION: The results are supportive of the hypothesis on a correlation between H. pylori infection and gastric adenocarcinoma development, but no differences between the intestinal and diffuse type of adenocarcinoma have been revealed with respect to the malignant process

Background/Aim. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a clinical syndrome in liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, which is characterized by the abnormal cardiovascular (CV) response to physiologic, pathologic, or pharmacologic stress provocation, but normal to increased cardiac output and contractility at rest. The aim of the study was to identify the structural and functional myocardial changes in patients with LC of various origins in advanced stages of the disease, by transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography Doppler imaging evaluation in the prediction of CCM. Methods. The research was performed as a prospective, nest case-control study, on carefully selected 40 patients in the advanced stage of LC and negative personal medical history on previous CV disease and 40 healthy subjects as the control, from January 2012?December 2014. There were determining significant echocardiographic parameters in LC patients as predictors for the development and/or presence of CCM. Results. Most of the LC patients were alcoholic (80%), dominantly in Child-Pough C stage of the disease (70%). The average value of QT interval in the LC patients was significantly higher (0.44 ? 0.03 ms vs 0.42 ? 0.01 ms; p < 0.001), as well as brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) serum level (284.61 ? 181.44 ng/L vs 69.41 ? 31.08 ng/L; p < 0.001) compared to those in the healthy subjects. A significant association with serum BNP level in LC patients was shown with left atrial diameter (p = 0.031), left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.014), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) (p = 0.000) and the presence of tricuspid valve regurgitation of 2+ (p = 0.000), affecting its change of 41.6%. Conclusion. The obtained results suggest that LC patients have significant echocardiographic signs of myocardial dysfunction, as well as the increased BNP serum level. Left atrial diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction, PASP and tricuspid valve regurgitation are valuable echocardiographic predictors of CCM.