Primary Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Fallopian Tube: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube is extremely rare and the preoperative diagnosis is often misdiagnosed as an ovarian carcinoma. We report a patient with primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube, strongly suspected preoperatively on the basis of characteristic clinical symptoms, elevated CA125 levels, and transvaginal sonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging findings. The histology of fallopian tube carcinoma was demonstrated as transitional cell carcinoma. Extensive review of the literature showed that our case seemed to be the 14th case of primary transitional cell carcinoma of the fallopian tube.     

Variation among giant rice bodies: report of four cases and their clinicopathological features

Objective: To report four cases of rice bodies (RBs) showing remarkable size variations and discuss their pathogenesis. Design and patients: Based on analysis of the clinical data, we speculate on the pathogenesis of RBs using immunohistochemical and ultrastructural methods. The patients comprised three men and one woman, three with RBs in the subacromial bursae and one in the wrist synovial sheath, aged 28 (woman), 44, 50 and 81 (wrist) years, respectively. Results: There were no particular differences in clinical data among the patients. T2-weighted MR imaging was very useful for diagnosis of the RBs, allowing their clear delineation from the bursal fluid. The RBs consisted of a layered protein- aceous substance with vague targetoid cut surfaces. Much fibrin and a lesser amount of collagen fibers were recognized together with various mononuclear cells, which were few in number and predominantly T cells. The bursae and synovial sheath had multiple fibrinoid spheroids at the luminal surface. Conclusion: Fibrinoid nodular deposits probably became detached, forming the nuclei of RBs and growing to a giant RB 65 mm in diameter. Received: 27 September 1999 Revision requested: 5 January 2000, 21 March 2000 Revision received: 21 March 2000, 14 April 2000 Accepted: 8 June 2000     

Increased expression of laminin 1 in the skin of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abnormalities of collagen and glycosaminoglycans of skin have been reported in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, little is known concerning laminin in ALS. The aim of this study is to evaluate laminin 1 immunohistochemistry of skin in ALS patients. We studied laminin 1 immunoreactivity of skin from 17 patients with ALS, 17 patients with other neurological or muscular diseases (control group A) and 10 patients without neurological or muscular disorders (control group B). The dermis, the epithelial basement membrane of the epidermal layer and the basement membrane of skin appendages and blood vessels of skin in ALS patients were significantly higher than in control groups A and B, and showed a significant positive correlation with the duration of illness in the optical density for laminin 1 immunoreactivity. In addition, there was an appreciable positive relationship in the laminin 1 immunoreactivity between the dermis and the basement membrane in ALS patients. These data suggest that alterations of laminin 1 in the skin of ALS patients could be related to the pathogenesis of ALS and may contribute to changes in the mechanical properties of the skin, resulting in the absence of bedsores in ALS patients.     

Effects of dorzolamide hydrochloride on ocular tissues.

We studied the intraocular pharmacokinetics of dorzolamide hydrochloride eye drops and the effect of dorzolamide on carbonic anhydrase activity and localization in ocular tissues. Carbonic anhydrase activity was detected in normal ocular tissues. The activity was inhibited in corneal endothelial cells, the ciliary body, lens epithelial cells, or the retina 1 to 8 hours after instillation of dorzolamide eye drops. In lens epithelial cells and the retina, the enzyme activity had not recovered even 10 hours after instillation of the drug. Immunostaining did not reveal any differences between the group administered dorzolamide eye drops and the control group administered a physiologically balanced solution. Time-related changes in dorzolamide concentrations in ocular tissues were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the cornea, anterior aqueous, iris, ciliary body and retina, drug concentrations increased 15 minutes after the instillation and peaked within 1 hour. These results suggest that dorzolamide immediately suppresses carbonic anhydrase activity in ocular tissues, and is rapidly distributed among the tissues of the eye when administered as eye drops.     

Urinary cadmium and serum levels of estrogens and androgens in postmenopausal Japanese women.

BACKGROUND: Recent laboratory studies have suggested that cadmium is an estrogenic compound and may be a potential risk factor for breast cancer. METHODS: We investigated the relationship between urinary cadmium concentrations and serum concentrations of estrone, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in 164 postmenopausal Japanese women. RESULTS: There was a significant positive association between the urinary cadmium and serum testosterone levels after controlling for age and body mass index. The mean testosterone level was 28% higher in women with high urinary cadmium (> or = 3.00 microg/g creatinine) than in those with low urinary cadmium (< 2.00 microg/g creatinine). Urinary cadmium was not significantly associated with serum estrone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels. Additional adjustment for smoking, alcohol and reproductive factors including known risk factors for breast cancer did not substantially alter the results. CONCLUSION: Data suggested that cadmium exposure is associated with increased testosterone levels. As high testosterone levels have been associated with the risk of breast cancer, the involvement of cadmium exposure in breast cancer risk should be evaluated in future studies.     

Identification of CCND3 and BYSL as candidate targets for the 6p21 amplification in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Increases in gene dosage through DNA amplification represents a common feature of many tumors and can result in the up-regulation of tumor-promoting genes. Our recent genome-wide, array-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis of 66 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma found that genomic gain of 6p21 was observed in as many as 17 cases, including 14 cases with low-level copy number gain and three cases with high-level copy number gains (amplifications). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS: To identify the target gene(s) for 6p21 amplification, we constructed a detailed amplicon map at the region of genomic amplification with the aid of high-resolution contig array-based comparative genomic hybridization glass slides, consisting of contiguously ordered bacterial artificial chromosome/P1-derived artificial chromosome clones covering 3 Mb throughout the 6p21 amplification region. Alignment of the amplifications identified a minimally overlapping 800 kb segment containing 15 genes. Quantitative expression analysis of the genes from both patient samples and the SUDHL9 cell line revealed that CCND3 and BYSL (1.9 kb telomeric to the CCND3 gene locus) are the targets of 6p21 genomic gain/amplification. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is known that t(6;14)(p21;q32) induces aberrant overexpression of CCND3 in B-cell malignancies, we were able to show that CCND3, which encodes the cyclin D family member protein that controls the G1-S phase of cell cycle regulation, can also be a target of genomic gain/amplification. Overexpression of CCND3 through genomic amplification is likely to lead to aberrant cell cycle control, although the precise biological role of BYSL with respect to tumorigenesis remains to be determined.     

Medial cortex strain distribution during noncemented total hip arthroplasty

Intraoperative proximal femur fractures are a significant concern during noncemented total hip arthroplasty. The current study was performed to investigate the hypothesis that broaching the femur and inserting the stem without using mallet applied impact loads will reduce the risk of intraoperative fracture. Rosette strain gauges were applied to the medial and anteromedial cortex of six human anatomic specimen femurs to compare the strain distribution for broaching and stem insertion. Eight additional femurs were used to compare the strain distribution for stem insertion using impact loading and constant rate stem insertion. For the impact loading stem insertions, the soft tissues surrounding the femur were modeled. Constant rate stem insertions were performed using a mechanical testing machine. The largest strains measured at the medial and anteromedial sites primarily were aligned with the femur hoop axis. The largest strain magnitude, orientation, and sign (tensile or compressive) varied widely among femurs. The stem insertion strains were significantly larger than the broaching strains (two-way analysis of variance with replication). The impact stem insertion strains were not significantly different from the constant rate stem insertion strains. The results indicate that the femur geometry and material properties have a greater influence on the strain distribution than does the implantation technique.