T-cell variant of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma with nodal and cutaneous manifestations demonstrated by single-cell polymerase chain reaction

The atypical cells of CD30(+) cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorders (CD30CLD) are commonly of T-cell origin and frequently have a similar morphology as Hodgkin or Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). HL is one of the tumors associated with CD30CLD. Although most studies support a B-cell derivation of the tumor cells in HL, recently a few cases of classical HL with T-cell genotype have been reported. We report a patient who presented with CD30CLD whose lymph nodes showed classical HL of mixed cellularity subtype at presentation. By single-cell PCR, the same clonal gene rearrangements of the T cell receptor-beta gene locus could be assigned to the CD30(+) and CD15(+) cells of both skin and lymph node. In a lymph node biopsy specimen taken in relapse after several courses of chemotherapy, the CD30(+) tumor cells were abundant. The T cell-derived tumor cells displayed aberrant expression of the Pax-5 gene in all specimens. A common clonal origin of both CD30CLD and HL of the lymph node in the patient presented here suggests that HL with T-cell genotype exists in association with CD30CLD as well as in sporadic cases and may share clonal origin with the skin tumor.     

Rapid Detection of Species of the Opportunistic Yeast Trichosporon by PCR

Trichosporon species are opportunistic pathogens, associated with a high mortality rate in immunocompromised patients. Oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify a 170-bp fragment of small-subunit ribosomal DNA of all species in the genus Trichosporon by PCR. The primers amplify DNAs of all species in the genus Trichosporon, including six causative agents of trichosporonosis. DNAs of other medically important yeasts, such as Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, are not amplified by this detection system.     

Prostate adenocarcinoma using Gleason scores correlates with prostate-specific antigen and prostate acid phosphatase measurements.

To evaluate a relationship between Gleason scores of histopathology of prostate carcinoma and concurrent serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate acid phosphatase (PAP) values, 65 men with prostate carcinoma were studied. These patients' cumulative Gleason scores were obtained by totaling the primary and secondary patterns, resulting in two groups: 42 patients received high (6-10) and 23 received low (2-5) Gleason scores. Serum PSA and PAP values were measured by radioimmunometric assay 1 to 7 days before surgical procedures or biopsy for prostate carcinoma. Mean serum PSA for patients in the high Gleason score group was 134.39 ng/mL (normal range: 0 to 4), and the mean serum PSA for patients in the low Gleason score group was 23.62 ng/mL. Mean serum PAP for patients with high scores was 28.08 ng/mL (normal range: 0 to 5), and the mean serum PAP for patients with low scores was 18.19 ng/mL. Patients with high Gleason scores showed significantly greater elevation of serum PSA than those with low Gleason scores (P = .047), using two samples to test for groups having unequal variants. Prostate acid phosphatase levels of patients with high scores were not significantly higher than the levels in patients with low scores (P = .60). These results indicate that PSA levels but not PAP levels correlate with Gleason scores.     

CA125-producing adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicle

A case of primary seminal vesicle carcinoma is reported. The tumor was a CA125-producing adenocarcinoma consisting of fine papillary-tubular, intricate branching or anastomosing glandular structures and was composed of small cuboidal, but occasionally hobnailed, cells with mostly clear, but occasionally granular, cytoplasm. Some tumor cells showed evidence of secretion of seromucinous materials into the interpapillary and cystic space. lmmunohistochemically, almost half of the tumor cells expressed a positive reaction with anti-CAl25, a common serological marker for ovarian epithelial carcinomas; however, no tumor cells expressed any other serological tumor markers such as carcinoem-bryonic antigen, α-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, prostatic specific acid phosphatase, or prostatic specific antigen. The patient showed a high level of serological CA125, which fluctuated parallel with the growth, removal and recurrence of the tumor. The morphological and immunohistochemical findings suggested a close relationship between the present tumor and clear cell carcinoma of the ovary, which is thought to be of a Müllerian-Wolfian duct origin.     

Stereological analysis of Reinke's crystals in human Leydig cells

Summary Reinke's crystals in human Leydig cells were analyzed stereologically to assess their functional role. Testicular tissues were taken from seven older men (57–82 years old) with prostatic carcinoma and also from seven younger men (26–38 y.o.) complaining of male infertility. Sections 0.5 m thick, stained with toluidine blue or Heidenhein's iron-hematoxylin were examined by a point-counting method and with a Particle Measurement Computor System (MC). When the patients were grouped by age, the mean crystal volume, the number of crystals per cell, the volume of crystals per cell and the volume ratio of crystals to cell were significantly larger in the older age group than in the younger age group. In particular, the latter three variables correlated well with the age of subjects, with correlation coefficients of r=0.66–0.85. On the other hand, none of these variables had any correlation with the concentration of plasma testosterone. These results indicate that Reinke's crystals can be considered as degenerative products in cell life but not as facultative constituents for testosterone production.Supported in part by a grant from Medical Foundation of Ehime, Japan     

Phencyclidine increases extracellular dopamine metabolites in rat medial frontal cortex as measured by in vivo dialysis

An acute intraperitoneal injection of phencyclidine (PCP) caused a tetrodotoxin-reversible increase in extracellular release of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the dialysates from the medial frontal cortex of the rat. Moreover, there was an increase in the tissue content of DOPAC and HVA with acceleration of dopamine (DA), but not noradrenaline, utilization in the cortical area after systemic administration of PCP. These results suggest that PCP facilitates DA metabolism in the medial frontal cortex by increasing impulse flow in the DA neurons projecting to the prefrontal region.     

ADRENOCORTICAL CARCINOMA IN INFANCY

A case of adrenocortical carcinoma associated with congenital heart defect in a 6-month-old Japanese girl is reported. A fist-sized tumor was incidentally noted in the right hypochondrium upon admission for cardiac surgery. No clinical endocrinopathy was evident in this case. The resected tumor was encapsulated with smooth surface and no invasion to adjacent tissues or organs was observed. Histologically, the tumor was composed of small cells with granular or clear cytoplasm, and occasional giant cells with single or multiple nuclei. By electron microscopy, the tumor cells showed various nuclear contours with distinct nucleoli and had a moderate amount of cytoplasm containing abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria with variable-sized electron-dense granules. Intercellular desmosome-llke junctions were observed in some tumor cells. Immunohistochemlcally, the tumor cells contained granules positive for estriol, progesterone and Cortisol. These morphological findings including electron microscopic features suggested that the tumor cells had a malignant character.     

Immunolocalization of aromatase in human minor salivary glands of the lower lip with primary Sjogren's syndrome

The enzyme aromatase Is Involved In the conversion of androgens to estrogens and in the modulation of various androgenlc and estrogenlc actions. Abnormalities of estrogen metabolism have been postulated to play roles in the development and/or pathophyslology of Sjdgren's syndrome. In the present study, aromatase was immunolocal-ized In 75 cases of Inflammatory disorders of human minor salivary glands of the lower lip. These included cases of primary Sjögren's syndrome (19 cases), of chronic slaladenitis (34 cases) and of mucous extravasation cysts (22 cases), in order to clarify the possible involvement of in situ estrogen production in primary Sjögren's syndrome. Aromatase Immunoreactlvlty was detected In myoepithelial cells of acini and in interstitial cells adjacent to acini and ducts In 13/19 (68%) cases of primary Sjögren's syndrome. In contrast, aromatase expression was detected In only six of 34 (18%) cases of chronic sialadenttis and in seven of 22 (32%) cases of mucous extravasation cyst. These results suggest that Increased aromatase expression in minor salivary glands with primary Sjogren's syndrome in premenopausal women may be involved in the biological features of primary Sjogren's syndrome through the production of estrogens in situ and possibly through the aggravation of the inflammatory reaction.     

Turtle-chicken chimera: an experimental approach to understanding evolutionary innovation in the turtle.

Turtles have a body plan unique among vertebrates in that their ribs have shifted topographically to a superficial layer of the body and the trunk muscles are greatly reduced. Identifying the developmental factors that cause this pattern would further our understanding of the evolutionary origin of the turtles. As the first step in addressing this question, we replaced newly developed epithelial somites of the chicken at the thoracic level with those of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis (P. sinensis somites into a chicken host) and observed the developmental patterning of the grafted somites in the chimera. The P. sinensis somites differentiated normally in the chicken embryonic environment into sclerotomes and dermomyotomes, and the myotomes differentiated further into the epaxial and hypaxial muscles with histological morphology similar to that of normal P. sinensis embryos and not to that of the chicken. Epaxial dermis also arose from the graft. Skeletal components, however, did not differentiate from the P. sinensis sclerotome, except for small fragments of cartilage associated with the host centrum and neural arches. We conclude that chicken and P. sinensis share the developmental programs necessary for the early differentiation of somites and that turtle-specific traits in muscle patterning arise mainly through a cell-autonomous developmental process in the somites per se. However, the mechanism for turtle-specific cartilage patterning, including that of the ribs, is not supported by the chicken embryonic environment.     

Unique three-way translocation, t(3;14;18)(q27;q32;q21), in follicular lymphoma

A 43-year-old woman was diagnosed as having stage IV follicular lymphoma. Phenotypically, the lymphoma cells were CD5(-), CD10(+), CD19(+), CD20(+), CD23(-), HLA-DR(+), and IgM-lambda(+). Conventional chromosomal analysis showed a three-way t(3;14;18)(q27;q32;q21) in the lymphoma cells, which was confirmed by spectral karyotyping (SKY) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Immunohistochemistry revealed that both BCL2 and BCL6 proteins were expressed in the lymphoma cells, whereas only the BCL6 gene, and not the BCL2 gene, was rearranged by Southern blotting. The patient received combination chemotherapy and has been well for 3 years. This is the first reported case showing a three-way translocation involving 2 major lymphoma-specific abnormalities, 3q27 and t(14;18)(q32;q21).