Bone mineral density changes after parathyroidectomy are dependent on biochemical profile

Background

Bone mineral density (BMD) has been found to improve after parathyroidectomy (PTX) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. There are few data on the effect of PTX on BMD in normocalcemic and normohormonal primary hyperparathyroidism.

Multiple cancers in a Turner's syndrome with 45,X/46,XXp-/46,XX/47,XXX karyotype

A female patient with a clinical picture of Turner's syndrome had five separate malignant tumors (three squamous cell carcinomas of the tongue, a colon cancer, and a glioblastoma multiforme). Her peripheral blood cells showed a 45,X/46,XXp-/46,XX/47,XXX mosaicism. The findings are discussed in relation to other extragonadal tumors in Turner's syndrome reported to-date.     

Double minutes and other chromosomal aberrations in two malignant cell lines of the German cockroach Blattella germanica

Structural anomalies of mitotic chromosomes from two tumorigenic cell lines of the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is described. Aberrations, such as unpairable marker chromosomes, double minutes, di- and tricentrics, ring chromosomes, tri- and quadriradials, and chromosome and chromatid gaps and breaks, were observed in varying proportions. This study reports that the double minute chromosomes (DMs) are associated with insect tumor cells, similar to the findings in both murine and human tumor cells.     

Pathologic features of the femoral head in Mseleni disease

Severe but atypical osteoarthritic deformities were found in each of 12 femoral heads removed during total hip arthroplasty for Mseleni disease. Although degenerative and regenerative changes were present throughout the cartilage, there was a paucity of eburnation. Histomorphometric analysis of bone at the line of excision indicated that mild osteomalacia was present in four of the 12 specimens. The percentage of the endosteum occupied by osteoid was 9.7 +/- 7.96 (SD) in the patients with Mseleni disease, compared with 5.6 +/- 4.33 in seven African black and 4.1 +/- 2.13 in 13 American white control subjects. The mean thickness of the osteoid seams was not increased. The findings suggest that osteomalacia is not a major pathogenetic factor in Mseleni disease.     

Chronic myelogenous leukemia in the monosomic cell line of a fertile turner syndrome mosaic (45,X/46,XX)

Malignancy in patients with constitutional chromosome abnormality is of interest not only because it permits insights into the relationship between chromosome abnormality and cancer, but also because it provides opportunities to address such questions as the clonality and evolution of tumors. We report Ph¹-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in a 50-year-old mosaic (45,X/46,XX) Turner syndrome patient whose leukemia was restricted to the monosomic cell line. Our extensive cytogenetic studies of this patient demonstrated that non-leukemic normal cells persisted in the marrow and were able to proliferate during a period of temporary suppression of the leukemic clone following aggressive treatment.     

Monoclonal antibody identification of mononuclear cells in endomyocardial biopsy specimens from a patient with rheumatic carditis

A 17-year-old woman with rheumatic carditis underwent endomyocardial biopsy both prior to and following treatment with prednisone and aspirin. Frozen sections from the endomyocardial biopsy specimens were studied with monoclonal antibodies by an indirect immunofluorescence technique to define the composition of the inflammatory infiltrate in the myocardium and to determine whether the composition of the infiltrate is distinctive and diagnostically useful. The specimen from the initial biopsy contained a heterogeneous infiltrate composed of T lymphocytes, macrophages, B lymphocytes, and mast cells. T lymphocytes predominated, and the ratio of T-helper to T-cytotoxic/suppressor cells was 2.0. Following treatment the overall cellularity of the infiltrate was diminished, but the infiltrate remained heterogeneous; T cells predominated, and the T-helper to T-cytotoxic/suppressor ratio was reversed, to 0.59. The composition of the inflammatory infiltrate in this case of rheumatic carditis distinguishes it immunologically from other "idiopathic," presumably virus-associated, forms of myocarditis.