A quantitative study of the size of benign and malignant lymphoid follicles.

The mean areas of lymphoid follicles have been determined in 20 specimens of malignant follicular (centrocytic-centroblastic) lymphoma, 15 specimens of reactive follicular hyperplasia and 10 palatine tonsils. In all of the benign specimens and whenever possible for those showing malignancy, the areas of both the whole follicles (including the "mantle" zones) and of the follicle centres were measured; this procedure was facilitated by means of the Reichert-Jung (Kontron) MOP-AMO3 image-analyser. Reactive lymph nodes were found to have larger mean follicle areas than centrocytic-centroblastic lymphomas; the areas of reactive follicles also show greater variation than do those of their malignant counterparts. In addition, the "mantle" zone is usually absent from malignant follicles but may account for up to 65.5% of the mean total follicle size in reactive lymph nodes and tonsils.     

Aboriginal status is a prognostic factor for mortality among antiretroviral naïve HIV-positive individuals first initiating HAART

Background  

Although the impact of Aboriginal status on HIV incidence, HIV disease progression, and access to treatment has been investigated previously, little is known about the relationship between Aboriginal ethnicity and outcomes associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We undertook the present analysis to determine if Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal persons respond differently to HAART by measuring HIV plasma viral load response, CD4 cell response and time to all-cause mortality.     

Study of nuclear diameters in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

The mean maximum nuclear diameter (D_max) in 21 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been determined, using the Reichert-Jung (Kontron) MOP-AMO₃ user-controlled image analyser. Nuclear diameters of high-grade malignancy NHL were found to be considerably greater than those of low-grade malignancy lymphomas, although there was some overlap of their ranges. These findings confirm objectively subjective estimates of nuclear size in NHL. The relative usefulness of the user-controlled (interactive) image analyser for the measurement of nuclei in tissue sections is compared with that of a fully automatic machine.     

Nucleolar organizer regions in transitional cell tumors of the bladder

The traditional silver staining technique that identifies nucleolar organizer region-associated proteins has recently been adapted and applied to paraffin sections, and used to examine changes in nucleolar organizer region numbers in a variety of benign and malignant conditions. We describe herein the enumeration of nucleolar organizer regions in a variety of benign and malignant conditions of the transitional epithelium of the urinary bladder. While there is a statistical separation between normal and neoplastic groups, there is a degree of overlap between normal, inflammatory, dysplastic, and neoplastic urothelium.     

Ultra-microcrystals in pyrophosphate arthropathy. Crystal identification and case report

A patient with pyrophosphate arthropathy is reported who had no calcifications on joint radiographs, and no crystals were found in polarized light microscopy of the synovial fluid. Using techniques for idenfication of crystals at the ultrastructural level, abundant small (less than or equal to 1 mu) pyrophosphate crystals were recognized and identified. The possibility of "ultramicrocrystal depositions", including pyrophosphate arthropathy, is important to consider in acute arthritides since small crystals might cause more intense inflammation and be the cause of arthritides, hitherto not possible to classify.