Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix with cytogenetic analysis by comparative genomic hybridization: a case study

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the uterine cervix is a newly introduced category of the revised World Health Organization classification. We reported a case of cervical LCNEC with cytogenetic analysis by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). The cervical tumor showed moderately increased mitotic activity (8-14 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields) and focal necrosis, which made it problematic to differentiate from atypical carcinoid. CGH analysis failed to detect chromosome 11q loss that has been reported to be characteristic of pulmonary atypical carcinoids. Furthermore, chromosome 3q amplification, which has been detected frequently in pulmonary small cell carcinomas and LCNECs but not in pulmonary typical and atypical carcinoids, was the most remarkable chromosomal aberration. Although CGH reports are extremely rare in neuroendocrine tumors of the uterine cervix, specific chromosomal aberrations may be useful in their distinction.     

Clinical significance of determination of serum RNase activities in patients with eosinophilia--II. Measurements using polyuridylic acid and polycytidylic acid as substrates

The activities of RNase (RNase-U and RNase-C) were determined in the serum and leukocytes of 277 patients with 14 cases of various kinds of eosinophilia (not less than 10(3)/microliters), 28 cases of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML), using polyuridylic acid and polycytidylic acid as synthetic substrates according to the method of Raddi et al. Serum RNase-U activity, serum RNase-C activity and the activity ratio (U/C x 10(-3)) were 55 +/- 14 U, 1,280 +/- 235 U and 44 +/- 11 (mean +/- SD), 196 +/- 137, 1,992 +/- 1,134 U and 97 +/- 38, and 110 +/- 50 U, 1,854 +/- 625 U and 65 +/- 13 for normal subjects, eosinophilia and CML (untreated), respectively. U/C ratio in eosinophilia and CML (untreated) showed a highly significant positive correlation (p less than 0.001) with peripheral eosinophil count; the activity of serum RNase-U per cells in the supernatant of eosinophil homogenate rose significantly (p less than 0.001) compared with that of lymphocytes or granulocytes. Besides, serum and eosinophil RNase-U had a similar optimal pH. These results suggested that serum RNase-U in eosinophilia originated mostly from eosinophils and its rise was correlated strongly with the increase in eosinophils.     

Induced production of nitric oxide and sensitivity of alveolar macrophages derived from mice with different sensitivity to Coxiella burnetii

We compared in vitro sensitivities to Coxiella burnetii of alveolar macrophages, derived from mice sensitive and resistant to C. burnetii, respectively, and examined the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the C. burnetii infection. Alveolar macrophages of sensitive A/J mice showed a larger population of C. burnetii antigen-positive cells than those of resistant C57BL/6 mice. C. burnetii induced NO production in alveolar macrophages, but N-methyl-L-arginine and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), NO inhibitor and donor, respectively, did not inhibit the infection. Thus the NO induction seems to be independent of the cell defense mechanism against the C. burnetii infection.     

Detection of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus infection by syncytia formation of human cells doubly transformed by Rous sarcoma virus and simian virus 40

Summary Human cells doubly transformed by Rous sarcoma virus and SV40 (RSb cells) formed syncytia by cocultivation with Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV)-producing cells. This cell fusion was blocked by anti-MPMV serum indicating that the phenomenon is MPMV specific. The RSb cells were successfully used for MPMV infectivity assay in the same manner as KC cells.With 1 Figure     

Cross-correlation studies of movement-related cortical potentials during unilateral and bilateral muscle contractions in humans

A useful method of studying the degree of association between two signals of varying amplitude in the time domain is to use cross-correlation analysis. We applied this to the movement-related cortical potentials digitally filtered so as to eliminate the low frequency component before applying it during maximal unilateral left (UL L), unilateral right (UL R) and bilateral (BL) contractions in I I right-handed subjects. The recording electrode sites were over the right and left motor cortex areas (C3 and C4). The BL condition revealed higher cross-correlation levels of cortical activities between the two hemispheres than in UL L or UL R contraction [UL L, r = 0.68 (SEM 0.05); UL R, r = 0.73 (SEM 0.03); BL, r = 0.76 (SEM 0.02)]. The UL R revealed a positive phase difference [5 (SEM 2) ms] when the maximal cross-correlation coefficient was shown and UL L showed a negative phase difference [5 (SEM 3) ms]. However, BL revealed a smaller phase difference [2 (SEM 1) ms] than that for UL. It was concluded that during maximal BL contraction cortical cellular activities in both hemispheres was more synchronized in amplitude and time course compared with maximal UL contractions. Our data suggested that central common drive existed between the right and left motor areas during the maximal BL handgrip contractions and the amplitude of potentials of both hemispheres was modified by the interhemispheric inhibition mechanism as reported in other studies.     

Cytokeratin subunits of inclusion bodies in rhabdoid cells: immunohistochemical and clinicopathological study of malignant rhabdoid tumor and epithelioid sarcoma

Extrarenal malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT), which is recognized as being histologically similar to renal MRT, is characterized by the presence of "rhabdoid cell" (RC) and a highly aggressive biological behavior. Recently it has been proposed that "proximal variant" of epithelioid sarcoma (ES), whose morphology is similar to that of MRT, actually has a more aggressive clinical course than classical type ES. Detailed immunohistochemical analysis of cytokeratin (CK) subunits was performed in 3 cases of extrarenal MRT, 3 cases of renal MRT, and 11 cases of ES comprising 2 "proximal variants" and 9 classical types. Renal and extrarenal MRTs showed positive immunoreactivity for both CK8 and CK18. Classical type ESs were diffusely positive, not only for CK8 and CK18, but also for other cytokeratin subunits including CK4, 6, 10, 13, 16, 17, and "high-molecular-weight" CKs (CK1, 5, 10, and 14). On the other hand, proximal ES revealed limited immunohistochemical reactivity for cytokeratins, compared with classical ES. In conclusion, the inclusion bodies of RCs show immunoreactivity confined to CK8, CK18, and vimentin. Furthermore, ES has additional CK expressions, while proximal ES possesses characteristics intermediate between those of classical ES and those of external MRT.