Granzyme B-positive primary gastric T-cell lymphoma: gastric T-cell lymphoma with the possibility of extrathymic T cell origin

A case of primary gastric T-cell lymphoma, which was positive for granzyme B, is reported. The patient was a 47-year-old Japanese female who complained of a dull upper abdominal pain. Radiographic and endoscopic examinations revealed an ulcerative infiltrative lesion in her stomach. Following the confirmation of a high-grade malignant lymphoma, a distal gastrectomy with regional lymph nodal dissection was performed. The histology of the gastric lesion revealed a malignant lymphoma of the diffuse pleomorphic type without lymph nodal involvement. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the tumor cells were positive for LCA, CD3, TIA-1 and granzyme B, but were negative for CD4, CD8, CD56, CD30, L-26, EMA, TCR alpha/beta and TCR gamma/delta. Because the tumor cells showed T cell nature with cytotoxic activity proved by TIA-1 and granzyme B, and without evidence of further maturation of T cell, a malignant lymphoma originating from extrathymic-derived T cells was suggested.     

A case of intramural uterine stromal tumor with epithelial differentiation.

A case of intrauterine tumor in a 62-year-old Japanese woman is presented. It was thought initially that this was a case of uterine tumor resembling an ovarian sex cord tumor. To examine the cytological features of the tumor cells, electron microscopical and immunohistochemical studies were done, and a hormone assay of the tumor tissue was performed. The tumor cells were rich in rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER), mitochondria and microfilaments. Some tumor cells tended to form glandular patterns, but these epithelial elements were frequently scattered among fibrous stromal elements. Though many tumor cells with an epithelial appearance possessed a large quantity of cytokeratin and vimentin, they did not secrete estradiol, progesterone, testosterone or human chorionic gonadotropin. This case was finally diagnosed as an intramural uterine stromal tumor with epithelial differentiation after taking all the available data into consideration. This would be classified as an endometrial stromal tumor with epithelial elements, recently proposed and named by Clement and Scully.     

Calcium pump expression in human bone and soft tissue tumours

Ninety-one cases of human bone and soft tissue tumours were studied for calcium pump expression by strepto-avidin-biotin immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase (mAb6F5). Two out of 5 cases of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, 1 out of 5 cases of biphasic synovial sarcoma, 4 of 4 cases of chordoma and all of 3 chondrosarcoma cases were positive for mAb6F5. Although this novel monoclonal antibody can be used as a marker of myogenic tumours, the present positive result for endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase (calcium pump) in other tumours including chordoma, chondrosarcoma and synovial sarcoma indicates a wider immunoreactivity. The findings further suggest that intracellular calcium may play an important role in cell proliferation and/or differentiation.     

Pituitary choristoma composed of corticotrophs and adrenocortical cells in the sella turcica

A pituitary tumour composed of well-differentiated corticotrophs and adrenocortical cells is reported. Sections of the tumour revealed a mixture of small round cells with amphophilic or basophilic periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive cytoplasm and large spherical and oval cells with abundant, granular, partly vacuolated PAS-negative cytoplasm. The small cells contained type 1 cytokeratin-positive microfilaments, numerous 250–500 nm endocrine-type secretory granules immunoreactive for adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and -lipotropin. The large cells possessed ample cytoplasm filled with abundant vesicular smooth endoplasmic reticulum, numerous mitochondria possessing tubulovesicular cristae and frequent dense bodies. They lacked the features of pituitary endocrine cells or folliculostellate cells and were found to contain a panel of steroidogenic dehydrogenases and hydroxylases. The tumour was classified as a choristoma, in which two distinct cells types, corticotrophs and adrenocortical cells, were mixed. We suggest that, under continued ACTH stimulation, uncommitted stem cells may differentiate into adrenocortical cells. Alternatively, the presence of adrenocortical cells may be the result of heterotopia.     

Poliovirus infection of established human blood cell lines: relationship between the differentiation stage and susceptibility of cell killing

The replication of type 1 poliovirus in 13 established human blood cell lines differing in the differentiation stage and cell lineage was investigated. Three T (CCRF-CEM, CCRF-HSB-2, and Molt-3) and three B (Raji, CCRF-SB, and RPMI 8226) cell lines showed no cytopathic effects (CPE) or virus production. CPE associated with virus production were detected in the other seven cell lines: HL-60, ML-1, and KG-1 (granulocytic lineage), U-937 and THP-1 (monocytic lineage), K-562 (erythroid lineage), and Molt-4 (T cell lineage). These susceptible cell lines greatly differed in the speed at which the CPE progressed. The progression of CPE was faster in relatively well-differentiated cell lines such as HL-60 and U-937, independently of the multiplicity of infection, than in less differentiated cell lines such as K-562, KG-1, and THP-1. Thus, for the same lineage, the speed at which CPE progressed became proportionally higher with subsequent differentiation stages. In the K-562 cell culture, CPE were not observed until at least 5 days postinfection (p.i.), while more than 80% of HL-60 cells were killed within 3 days p.i. There were no significant differences between infected HL-60 and K-562 cells in the efficiency of infection determined at 8 hr p.i. by the indirect immunofluorescent technique, the rate of virus growth, or the amount of viral capsid protein synthesized. This indicated that there were similar viral replication cycles in the two cell lines. These observations suggest that the killing function of the virus is expressed more slowly in K-562 cells than in HL-60 cells.     

Malignant histiocytosis. A report of three cases.

Three cases of malignant histiocytosis were immunohistochemically studied. The cases included the following three patients: a 38-year-old man, a 44-year-old man, and a girl aged 5 years 9 months. All three patients died within 3 months of hospitalization. They had a high fever (temperature over 38.5 degrees C), lymph node swelling, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. Blastoid and hemophagocytic cells proliferated in the bone marrow and lymph nodes, especially in the sinuses of the latter. We diagnosed malignant histiocytosis in the three cases based on clinical features, extremely poor prognoses, and the morphologic features and growth pattern of blastoid and hemophagocytic cells. Blastoid and hemophagocytic cells expressed phenotype Mac-387+/KP1+/lysozyme+/polyclonal CD3+. The Mac-387 and KP1 antigens and lysozyme are markers for monocytes/macrophages, and polyclonal CD3 is a marker for T lymphocytes. Therefore, we suggest that a certain number of cases of malignant histiocytosis have a biphenotypic nature, namely, the T cell and macrophage, although many cases of malignant histiocytosis have been reported as expressing only T-lymphocyte antigens.     

Graphic and movie illustrations of human prenatal development and their application to embryological education based on the human embryo specimens in the Kyoto collection.

Morphogenesis in the developing embryo takes place in three dimensions, and in addition, the dimension of time is another important factor in development. Therefore, the presentation of sequential morphological changes occurring in the embryo (4D visualization) is essential for understanding the complex morphogenetic events and the underlying mechanisms. Until recently, 3D visualization of embryonic structures was possible only by reconstruction from serial histological sections, which was tedious and time-consuming. During the past two decades, 3D imaging techniques have made significant advances thanks to the progress in imaging and computer technologies, computer graphics, and other related techniques. Such novel tools have enabled precise visualization of the 3D topology of embryonic structures and to demonstrate spatiotemporal 4D sequences of organogenesis. Here, we describe a project in which staged human embryos are imaged by the magnetic resonance (MR) microscope, and 3D images of embryos and their organs at each developmental stage were reconstructed based on the MR data, with the aid of computer graphics techniques. On the basis of the 3D models of staged human embryos, we constructed a data set of 3D images of human embryos and made movies to illustrate the sequential process of human morphogenesis. Furthermore, a computer-based self-learning program of human embryology is being developed for educational purposes, using the photographs, histological sections, MR images, and 3D models of staged human embryos.     

Rowing prevents muscle wasting in older men

We evaluated the effects of rowing on the morphology and function of the leg extensor muscle in old people. The area and the power of the leg extensor muscle were measured in 15 oarsmen – age [mean (SD)] 65 (3) years; height 171 (4) cm, body mass 68 (6) kg – and in 15 sedentary men – age 66 (4) years, height 170 (4) cm, body mass 67 (7) kg – who were matched on the basis of their body size. The leg extensor muscle area of the oarsmen was larger than that of the sedentary men [77.8 (5.4) vs 68.4 (5.1) cm², P<0.05]. Also the bilateral leg extension power of the oarsmen was larger than that of the sedentary men [1,624 (217) vs 1,296 (232) W, P<0.05]. Thus, the leg extension power per the leg extensor muscle area was not significantly different between two groups [20.9 (2.0) vs 19.9 (2.1) W·cm^–2) and leg extension power was correlated to the leg extensor muscle area (59–89 cm², r=0.74, P<0.001). Also the 2,000-m rowing ergometer time of the oarsmen [495 (14) s; range 479–520 s] was related to leg extensor muscle area (68–89 cm², r=0.63, P<0.01). The results suggest that rowing prevents age-related muscle wasting and weakness. Electronic Publication     

CEROID-LIKE HISTIOCYTIC GRANULOMA OF GALL-BLADDER — A PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED LESION —

In the present study, 13 cases of a peculiar gall-bladder granuloma characterized by marked proliferation of ceroid-fllled brown histiocytes were pathomorphologically, histochemically and ultrastructurally examined to define the pathologic features of such a lesion previously undescribed in the literature. The lesion grossly showed a granulomatous appearance of yellow brown to dark brown color developing in the wall of gall-bladder. Histologically, there was proliferation of histiocytes containing abundant brown pigment granules In their cytoplasm. The pigment granules proved to have staining characteristics closely resembling those of lipogenic ceroid-like pigment. Ultrastructurally, these granules showed membrane-bound, pleomorphic osmiophilic inclusions of heterogenous materials. With regard to the pathogenesis of this granuloma, it may be suggested that lipid components of bile juice, particularly unsaturated fatty acids and phospholipids, play an Important role as a source of ceroidogenesis In the proliferating histiocytes.