Immunohistochemical demonstration of aberrant glycosylation and epidermal growth factor receptor in tubal metaplasia of the uterine cervix

Tubal metaplasia (TM) of the uterine cervix may be confused with endocervical glandular dysplasia or adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix in histologic specimens. TM is characterized histologically by architecturally normal endocervical glands containing ciliated or clear cells, nonciliated cells, and intercalated or peg cells, resembling normal tubal mucosa. Although several characteristics of TM are still undetermined, TM is considered a benign lesion. In this study, the expressions of epithelial-specific antigen (ESA), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and fucosyl SSEA1 (Le(y)) antigens were examined by an immunohistochemical method in 14 cases of TM in the uterine cervix (5 with normal endocervix, 5 with endocervical glandular dysplasia, 3 with adenocarcinoma in situ, and 1 with microinvasive adenocarcinoma). In the normal endocervical cells, expression of the EGFR antigen was rarely observed in the cytoplasm, and ESA staining was generally restricted to the basolateral membrane. Le(y) expression was occasionally observed in the cytoplasm of subcolumnar reserve cells. On the other hand, expression of EGFR, ESA, and Le(y) was observed in the cytoplasm of TM as well as in adenocarcinomas of the uterine cervix. These results suggest that TM in the uterine cervix might possess a neoplastic character.

Distribution of epithelial-specific antigen in uterine cervix with endocervical glandular dysplasia

The natural history of cervical adenocarcinoma is largely unknown, and whether endocervical glandular dysplasia is a precursor lesion to malignant tumor formation is a controversial issue. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship of endocervical glandular dysplasia to the uterine endocervical adenocarcinoma. Thirty-one cases of glandular abnormalities of the uterine cervix were identified histologically from January 1984 to April 1992. These included 11 cases of endocervical glandular dysplasia, 5 cases of adenocarcinoma in situ, 4 cases of microinvasive adenocarcinoma, and 11 cases of invasive adenocarcinoma. The immunohistochemical localization of epithelial-specific antigen (ESA) was examined in these cases of endocervical glandular dysplasia and related lesions, and was compared to 10 normal endocervical specimens. ESA immunoreactivities were usually present in the basolateral membrane of endocervical cells in the normal endocervix. However, the expressions of ESA were increasing from the basolateral membrane to the diffuse cytoplasmic membrane, along with the malignant transformation of the endocervical cells, in 6 of 11 cases with glandular dysplasia, in 9 of 9 cases with in situ and microinvasive adenocarcinomas, and in 11 of 11 cases with invasive adenocarcinomas. This finding indicates that ESA is a useful marker for endocervical glandular dysplasia and related lesions with malignant transformation, and suggests that endocervical glandular dysplasia may be a precursor lesion to uterine cervical adenocarcinomas.

[Expression of Le(y) antigen in adenocarcinoma and its related lesions of the human uterine cervix]

The natural history and biological behavior of adenocarcinoma and related lesion of the uterine cervix remain controversial issues, but the dynamic alterations in glycosylation in the cancer cells are well known. Recently, it was recently documented that the Ley antigen might be correlated with apoptosis. Over the past eight years, we have encountered 12 cases of invasive adenocarcinoma (AD), 11 cases of early adenocarcinoma (early AD) including 6 adenocarcinoma in situ and 5 microinvasive adenocarcinoma, 16 cases of endocervical glandular dysplasia (EGD) and 10 patients with normal endocervix (control) among 2,165 postoperative cases. Immunohistochemical localizations of Le(y), sialyl Le(x) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antigens were examined in serial sections. The localization of Le(y) antigen was predominant in the subcolumnar reserve cells in controls. The localization of sialyl Le(x) was predominant in the perinuclear portion of cells in cases of EGD. The localization of EGFR was presented in cases of tubal metaplasia, tubal type EGD, early AD and AD. These antigens were present in cases of EGD, early AD and AD, with AD cases showing the highest concentrations. To conclude, the presence of the Le(y) antigen might be correlated with differentiation, development and oncogenesis rather than with apoptosis in these lesions, EGD might indicate a precancerous lesion, and localization of the EGFR antigen indicates that tubal metaplasia, tubal type EGD, early AD and AD may have a common origin.

Development differences in decoding the meanings of the appraisal actions of teachers

Teachers convey evaluations through such "appraisal actions" as ability versus effort attributions for children's performance, spontaneous displays of warmth versus matter-of-fact acceptance, and attention versus inattention. Some appraisal actions (e.g., ability-effort) require an understanding of multiplicative relations to arrive at an "adult" interpretation. Others (e.g., attention-inattention) do not. First through sixth graders watched videotaped scenes in which teachers attributed one child's performance to ability but chided another for lack of effort even though he had given an equivalent performance, hugged one child but not another for equivalent performance, and paid attention to one child's oral report but not another's. Younger students (ages 5-9 to 7-10) rated the ability-attributed and hugged children as smarter; older students (ages 9-9 to 11-10) rated the effort-attributed and unhugged children as smarter. In contrast, no age differences were found in decoding attention versus inattention. The results suggest that younger children use a different strategy in decoding the meanings of complex appraisal actions.