Importance of epidermal growth factor in implantation and growth of mouse mammary tumor in female nude mice

In female nude mice, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was present at a mean concentration of 42.8 +/- 16.9 (SD) ng/mg wet tissue in the submandibular gland and 0.28 +/- 0.13 ng/ml in the plasma. Sialoadenectomy (removal of the submandibular glands) decreased circulating EGF to undetectable levels (less than 0.1 ng/ml). The possible role of EGF in transplantation and growth of mouse mammary tumors in nude mice was examined by sialoadenectomy, anti-EGF treatment, and EGF replacement therapy. The success rate of transplantation of a spontaneous mouse mammary tumor into nude mice was 55% in normal females and 17% in sialoadenectomized animals. Anti-EGF treatment of sialoadenectomized mice completely abolished the implantation of the tumor. Daily administration of EGF at a dose of 5 micrograms per mouse to both normal and sialoadenectomized animals enhanced the success rate of tumor implantation to more than 80%. Sialoadenectomy and/or anti-EGF treatment of tumor-bearing nude mice reduced the growth of implanted mammary tumors. These results suggest that EGF is important for implantation and growth of spontaneous mouse mammary tumor in female nude mice.

Malignant Brenner tumor with peritoneal metastasis

A case of malignant Brenner tumor with peritoneal metastasis in a 67-year-old woman was reported. The multilocular cystic tumor of right ovary was 420 g in weight, and their cystic walls were covered with multilayered tumor cells showing papillary pattern very frequently. The tumor was histologically transitional cell carcinoma with occasional glandular structures but no squamous differentiation corresponding to grade 2 or 3 urinary bladder carcinoma. The pattern of benign Brenner tumor was not identified, but there was some area of proliferating Brenner tumor. Immunohistochemically, carcinoembryonic antigen was detected in several tumor cells, especially in the intercellular spaces among them, and cytokeratin was detected only in some tumor cells. Ultrastructurally, the malignant Brenner tumor shared many common features with the benign one and also bladder tumor. Intercellular spaces with microvilli were frequently found and thought to be important for diagnosis. The morphologic criteria of this rare tumor are discussed.

[A case of breast cancer with a chondrosarcomatous appearance]

A case of a breast tumor which showed the appearance of invasive ductal carcinoma and chondrosarcoma is reported. The patient was a 36-year-old female. Simple mastectomy and lymph node dissection were performed for the tumor. Local recurrence and metastases to the contralateral breast, lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissue, and bones arose after the operation. She died of the disease 2 years and 3 months after the operation. It is thought that this tumor had formed as a result of metaplasia of the carcinomatous tissue, since a histological transition between the carcinoma and sarcoma was demonstrated.

A possible physiological role of milk epidermal growth factor in neonatal eyelid opening

The eyelid opening of newborn mice occurs normally on day 13.9 +/- 1.8 after birth. When newborn mice were injected with anti-epidermal growth factor (EGF) antibody every other day starting on day 1 after birth, the eyelid opening was delayed by approximately 3 days. The effect of anti-EGF became less prominent as the treatment was started at later times: when it was given from day 7, no delay in eyelid opening was observed. On the other hand, eyelid opening was enhanced by approximately 3 days by EGF injection given on day 3 for every other day. This effect of EGF was antagonized by simultaneous administration of the anti-EGF antibody. EGF was present at a concentration of 6.6 ng/ml in the plasma of 1-wk-old pups nursed by their mother, but it was not detectable (less than 0.1 ng/ml) in the plasma of 3-wk-old weaned pups. EGF concentration in the submandibular glands, however, was 17 times greater in 3- than in 1-wk-old pups, i.e., 4.66 and 0.28 ng/mg of wet tissue, respectively. These results suggest that milk EGF may play a physiological role in eyelid opening during the neonatal period.

Infantile myofibromatosis. Report of two cases

Two cases of infantile myofibromatosis were presented. Case 1 was a 6-month-old girl with multiple nodular lesions in the left parietal bone, dermis of abdominal wall, chest wall, right upper arm, and bilateral femur. Case 2 was a 12-month-old girl with solitary nodular lesions in the left parietal bone having a tendency to enlarge. Histologically, these tumorous lesions consisted of broad bundles of well oriented spindle-shaped cells superficially resembling smooth muscle tissue. In electron microscopy, the constituent cells combined ultrastructural characteristics of both fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells., Immunoperoxidase method showed that anti-smooth muscle antibodies binded to the cytoplasm of the bundle forming cells. From these results, it may be concluded that the lesion consisted of pure proliferation of myofibroblasts, and its peculiar growth behavior was discussed, though the histogenesis still remains obscure.

[A case of simple form of sudanophilic leukodystrophy of a child which showed a marked loss of cerebral white matter and fatty liver]

A sporadic case of sudanophilic leukodystrophy of the simple form (Peiffer) was reported. The patient was three-year-old girl who had suffered from progressive developmental retardation and neurological disorders such as ataxia, cortical blindness and spastic paralysis of the extremities for eighteen months after she had showed normal development till one and a half years old and died from respiratory insufficiency. On admission, computerized tomogram scan demonstrated diffuse low density lesions of the cerebral white matter extending subsequently to the subcortical white matter. Examination of cerebrospinal fluid revealed only slight increase of protein. Lysosomal enzyme activities such as arylsulfatase and beta-galactosidase in the white blood cells were normal except for distinctly low activity of a-mannosidase without any clinical symptoms suggesting a-mannosidase deficiency. Amino acids in blood were normal. The brain weighed 900 gm. On the coronal sections most part of the cerebral white matter was so strongly degenerated and disappeared that the lateral ventricular structure was not discernible. Histologically, a diffuse and symmetrical demylination, loss of axons including U fibers and moderate gliosis were observed in the residual white matter in the cerebrum and pons. There was no inflammatory cells and metachromatic substances. Large amount of sudanophilic droplets showing polarizing cross and needle like crystals were found in the intra- and/or extracytoplasm of macrophages. Demyelinated lesions with little tissue reaction were also found in the cerebellum, medulla oblongata and in pyramidal tracts through midbrain to cervical spinal cord. There were slight loss of neurons and moderate astrocytosis in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. There were no Rosenthal fibers and no sparing of islets of myelin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Elastofibroma of the greater omentum

A rare case of elastofibroma developing in the greater omentum of a 76 years old woman was reported. The greater omentum was thickened in a plate-like shape to a size of 24 X 15 X 2 cm, and a firm mass as large as 5 X 4 X 3 cm was formed in a portion of the omentum. Granulomatous inflammation associated with the calcification was present in the center region of the mass. Collagen fibers and elastofibroma fibers were markedly proliferated around the granuloma. Fibrosis accompanied with the formation of elastofibroma fibers was observed not only around the granulomatous inflammatory focus but also throughout the thickened omentum. The elastofibroma fiber in this case lost its stainability to resorcin-fuchsin and orcein after 4 hours treatment with elastase. It may be inferred that not only mechanical stresses but also inflammatory stimuli contribute to the development of elastofibroma.

Intra-axonal polysaccharide deposits in the peripheral nerve seen in adult polysaccharide storage myopathy

This is the first report of an adult polysaccharide storage myopathy demonstrating polysaccharide deposits within the axons of the peripheral nerve. Histochemical and electron-microscopic studies revealed that the intra-axonal deposits were basophilic, PAS-positive, diastase-resistant, and composed of filamentous and granular material. The structural similarity among the polysaccharide deposits in our case, amylopectin-like materials in type IV glycogenosis, Lafora bodies, corpora amylacea, and polyglucosan bodies is discussed.

Corneal findings in a foetus with Fabry's disease

The cornea of a 22-week foetus with Fabry's disease was examined biochemically and histopathologically. The alpha-galactosidase activity in the cornea was very low compared with that of the normal control. Histopathologic examination revealed that intracytoplasmic lamellar bodies surrounded by a single membrane were present in the epithelial cells. The lamellar bodies were thought to result from the abnormal accumulation of ceramide trihexoside. We conclude that ceramide trihexoside already has begun to accumulate progressively in the epithelial cells in the mid-trimester of gestation.

Characterization of melanogenesis and morphogenesis of melanosomes by physicochemical properties of melanin and melanosomes in malignant melanoma

This study elucidates the nature of melanogenesis in B16 and Harding-Passey (HP) mouse melanomas producing melanin and melanosomes of different color and fine structure, i.e., brown-black eumelanosome-like B16 granules and reddish brown pheomelanosome-like HP granules, and compares them with "typical" 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and sepia eumelanins and sepia eumelanosomes. The melanin content of B16 melanosomes was more than three times higher than that of HP melanosomes. The content of free and protein-bound DOPA and 5-S-cysteinyldopa varied greatly in B16, HP, and sepia melanosomes and was unrelated to melanin content. Chemical analysis of the eumelanin: pheomelanin ratio in melanosomes and elemental analysis of isolated melanin showed that B16 and HP melanins are primarily eumelanic, with a higher ratio of pheomelanic component in HP melanin. The spectra of electron spin resonance and IR and X-ray small-angle scattering of B16 and HP melanins were basically similar to those of sepia and DOPA melanins. B16, HP, and DOPA melanins were dissolved in aqueous NH3, while sepia melanin was dissolved to a far lesser extent. It was concluded that both B16 and HP melanomas are primarily involved in eumelanogenesis, although the fine structure of their melanosomes is entirely different, and that the marked color difference in the two melanosomes is related to a difference in the absolute content of eumelanin, the presence of a small amount of pheomelanin, and the mode of chemical bindings of melanin to structural proteins. In contrast to normal skin and hair, melanosome morphogenesis may not directly correspond to melanogenesis type in malignant melanoma.

Disseminated atypical mycobacteriosis

Two cases of disseminated infection caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare were reported and discussed. In the first case, the patient was a fifty-seven-year-old male who complained of general fatigue, weight loss, and fever. Biopsy of the right inguinal lymph nodes and the liver revealed infiltration by histiocytes engulfing many acid-fast bacilli. At autopsy and egg-sized abscess was found is the region of the right iliac lymph nodes. Histological examination showed histiocytic infiltration in the abscess wall, neighboring lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. In the second case, the patient was a four-year-old boy, who had persistent fever and splenomegaly. Splenectomy was performed and histological examination of the spleen revealed multiple nodular infiltration by swollen histiocytes with many acid-fast bacilli in their cytoplasm. The bone marrow aspirates and liver tissue obtained in the necropsy also showed many histiocytes containing many acid-fast bacilli. The authors emphasized the importance of paying special attention to atypical mycobacteriosis in feverish patients having lesions with a proliferation of histiocytes.

Sex identification of bloodstains by radioimmunoassay of sex hormones

A forensic application is reported for the sex determination of subjects whose dried bloodstains are analyzed by radioimmunoassay for testosterone and progesterone. Blood specimens of ten males and 15 females were collected, prepared as bloodstains, and then assayed at four different time intervals for testosterone (T) and progesterone (P) contents up to 3 months later. The ratio of the two hormone contents (P/T, log P/T) was used to establish the sex origin of the dried blood specimens.

Neuraminidase deficiency and accumulation of sialic acid in lymphocytes in adult type sialidosis with partial beta-galactosidase deficiency

Neuraminidase deficiency has been demonstrated in cultured skin fibroblasts of patients who have adult type sialidosis with partial beta-galactosidase deficiency. A substantial amount of residual enzyme activity has been observed in leukocytes, however. To explain this discrepancy, the nature and distribution of the enzyme were studied. Neuraminidase activity was higher in lymphocytes than in granulocytes of normal controls. In patients' lymphocytes, neuraminidase activity was profoundly decreased and total sialic acid contents were increased 2.3-fold. Two neuraminidases, one sonication-labile and the other sonication-stable, were found in lymphocytes; the former was predominant in cultured skin fibroblasts. The defective enzyme in this disorder was found to be the sonication-labile neuraminidase in both cultured skin fibroblasts and lymphocytes.