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Biomedical subjects

C A Rubio

Publications and source records attributed to C A Rubio.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Viability of the human cervical epithelium with dysplasia and carcinoma in situ.

Autoradiograms of histologic slides of 58 human cone specimens with dysplasia and carcinoma in situ were analyzed after tissue samples were incubated with labeled RNA precursors. Both the vertical and lateral distributions of labeled cells were rather uniform in the major part of the epithelium, which suggested that the tissue remained metabolically active during incubation. Only the uppermost epithelial cells in heavily labeled areas were devitalized as deduced by the morphologic appearance of the cells, the absence of labeling in the cells, the trypan blue exclusion test, and the trypsin digestion test. The viability of large epithelial areas suggested that the previously reported focal distribution of proliferating and nonproliferating areas in the cervical epithelium is a genuine phenomenon and not the result of focal epithelial devitalization acquired during incubation.

Carcinoma in Situ↗

Rate of cell division in atypias and invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix of the mouse.

The rate of cell division during a 6-hour period was determined in cervical epithelia from 64 normal mice, 26 mice with cervical atypias, and 8 mice with invasive carcinomas. Cervical atypias and carcinomas were induced by local application of benzo[a]pyrene (BP), and mitosis was arrested with colchicine. Values for the ratio of dividing basal cells to total dividing cells and for the rates of basal cell division for the 6-hour period were both significantly greater in normal epithelia than in atypias, and these values for atypias were greater than those for invasive carcinomas. The differences were not estrous cycle-dependent. There was no evidence that the mechanism of host invasion by squamous tumor cells was due to an increased number of cells in mitoses. The occurrence of areas with mitotic activity suggested the existence of focally distributed and probably alternating, synchronous cell production in normal cervical epithelium. This property was apparently not altered by topical BP application or by carcinogenesis.

Animals↗

The immunofluorescence characteristics of the basement membrane in squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Basement membrane-specific antigens (BMSA) were found by immunofluorescence (IFL) in 20 of 33 tumour samples from patients with squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The BMSA were demonstrated to be unrelated to condensation of both reticulin and subepithelial ground substance (as evidenced by antireticulin IFL antibodies, silver stain and PAS reaction, respectively), the age of the patient, the clinical stage and the histological differentiation of the tumour. The finding that BMSA secreting and non-secreting cervical tumours does not correlate with the degree of differentiation, was somewhat unexpected.

Antigen-Antibody Reactions↗

Big cones and little cones.

To investigate whether the amount of tissue removed at conization could influence the frequency of inadequate excision of cervical atypias, 354 cone specimens were measured. The data indicate that the frequency of lesions incompletely removed at conization increased with decreasing size (ie. length and volume) of the specimen. The parameters influencing the detection of epithelial atypias at the surgical margin of the specimens are discussed. A plea is made for international standardization in reporting results of conization (size of cone and number of sections) in order to permit objective comparison between clinics of the results of the conization procedure.

Carcinoma in Situ↗

The frequency and distribution of mitotic figures in dysplasia and carcinoma in situ.

The frequency and topographical (i.e. vertical and lateral) distribution of mitotic figures in normal cervical epithelium as well as in various degrees of dysplasia and in carcinoma in situ, was studied in punch biopsies and in subsequent cone specimens from 40 patients. The frequency of cells in mitosis in the whole thickness of the epithelium increased step-wise from normal epithelium to slight-moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. A difference in the frequency of mitotic figures between slight and moderate dysplasia was recorded in the superficial cell layers of the epithelium. These findings, together with earlier reported differences in the frequency of DNA synthetizing cells between the various epithelial alterations support the validity of the histological classification of cervical atypias. Areas with mitosis alternated with areas without mitosis, supporting even here previous autoradiographical findings. The possible co-existence of proliferative and non-proliferative epithelial compartments in dysplasia and in carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix is suggested.

Carcinoma in Situ↗

The exfoliating epithelial surface of the uterine cervix. IV: Scanning electron microscopical study in invasive squamous carcinoma of human subjects.

The exfoliating epithelial surface of 15 invasive squamous carcinomas of the uterine cervix was investigated with the aid of the scanning electron microscope (SEM). At low magnification (less than or equal to 5,000 X) thirteen tumors presented irregular cobblestone-like structures and the remaining two, irregular intermediate formations (i.e. between cobblestones and mosaics). Cellular overlapping was found in three tumors. At higher magnifications (up to 25,000 X) all 15 tumors showed irregular disorganized structures such as bizarre microvilli with or without fragmented microrugae. Seven tumors had in addition tall finger-shaped protrusions and two rumors crater-like formations covered by irregular microvilli. The SEM structure found in invasive squamous carcinoma differed from the SEM structures earlier reported for the normal squamous or glandular epithelium, squamous metaplasia, dysplasia or carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix.

Biopsy↗

The false negative smear. II. The trapping effect of collecting instruments.

One hundred and sixty-six conventional instruments of cell sampling used in gynecologic cytology were investigated after collecting tumor cells and normal squamous cells in vitro. Histologic preparations as well as scanning electronmicroscopic observations of wooden spatulas and cotton swab applicators revealed that despite smearing the material onto a slide, a large number of tumor cells remained trapped in the frames of such instruments. Five percent of the smears obtained showed no tumor cells. Similar results were obtained in preliminary observations in gynecologic patients having cervical atypias. The possibility was entertained that wooden spatulas and cotton swabs may be a source of some of the false negative results in gynecologic cytology.

Animals↗

A critical reappraisal of Dukes' classification.

The aim of this survey has been to stress the need of a uniform classification of tumor spread. This requires a standard procedure for processing the surgical specimens. An international standardization would permit a more objective comparison of the results of treatment and survival of carcinoma of the colon and rectum in different clinics.

Colonic Neoplasms↗

A critical evaluation of the Schiller test in patients before conization.

The results of the Schiller test were recorded in 87 patients before conization and in 100 healthy control women having normal cytologic examinations. Large proportions of quadrants with iodine-unstained areas were found in both the experimental and the control series. In the 87 patients, the histologic examination of the cone specimens revealed false positive Schiller tests in 32 per cent of the patients with unstained quadrants, and false negative tests in 60 per cent of the patients with iodine-stained quadrants. The Schiller test proved to be unreliable in detecting or rejecting dysplasia or carcinoma in situ at the surgical margin of the conization specimens.

Biopsy↗

The exfoliating cervico-vaginal surface. II. Scanning electron microscopical studies during the estrous cycle in mice.

The exfoliating epithelial surface of the ectocervix (pars vaginalis) and the vagina from normal mice was studied by scanning electron microscopy during the four main phases of the ovulatory cycle, and after estrogen administration. At proestrus, the epithelial surface usually presented cobblestone-like structure furnished with thin microvilli; at estrus, large, flat mosaics covered by long, convoluted microrugae; at metestrus, the presenting cellular surfaces were of intermediate size (i.e., between cobblestone and mosaics) having fragmented microrugae; and at diestrus, by mosaics or intermediate structures covered by microvilli. Estrogen administration to intact and oophorectomized animals resulted in flat mosaics and large numbers of loosely attached cells with rolled-up borders which permitted the observation of the basal surface of the cells. In those animals the apical aspect of the cells which lined the lumen showed convoluted microrugae with circular configuration, while the basal aspect of such cells had club-tipped microvilli. The findings were correlated with post-scanning histological examination in all animals.

Animals↗

The normal squamous epithelium of the human uterine cervix: a histological study.

The normal squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix was investigated in 50 foetuses and newborns, as well as in 207 adult women operated upon because of various benign conditions of the uterus. The epithelium was divided according to the presence or the absence of prominent epithelial papillae. Epithelial papillae occurred in 32% of the cervices in the paediatric age and in 17% in adult women. They were present in the whole squamous epithelium covering the portio vaginalis in all pediatric patients. In 49% of the adult patients epithelial papillae covered the whole portio and/or the transitional zone; in the remaining 51% only a reduced area presented epithelial papillae. Micrometric determinations demonstrated that normal epithelium with papillar formation was thicker than epithelium with smooth epithelial border. This was most prominent in the paediatric patients. The possibility that oestrogenic stimulation (in paediatric patients) and oestrogenic stimulation as well as chronic stromal inflammation (in adult patients) could account for the formation of prominent epithelial papillae was discussed.

Adult↗

Influence of the size of cone specimens on postoperative hemorrhage.

To investigate whether the amount of the tissue removed at conization could influence the frequency of postoperative hemorrhage, the size of 221 cone specimens was measured in two different series. The 119 patients in the first series were operated upon mainly during 1972 and the second series of 102 patients mainly during 1973. The cones in Series II were empirically reduced following the technique proposed by Crisp and associates. Actual measurements demonstrated that the specimens in Series II were smaller than in Series I. The frequency of bleeding following conization was 4 per cent in the second series but as high as 21 per cent in the first series. Postconization hemorrhages, however, were unrelated to the size of the individual cone specimens in the different series. The operative technique used in Series II appears to be responsible for the decrease in the amount of postconization hemorrhages.

Adult↗

The basement membrane of the uterine cervix in dysplasia and squamous carcinoma: an immunofluorescent study with antibodies to basement membrane antigen.

Histological preparations with normal epithelium, dysplasia, carcinoma in situ and squamous invasive carcinoma of human cervix were studied by immunofluorescence using human sera containing antibodies against basement membrane material, against intercellular substance of squamous epithelium (ISSE) and against reticulin. A continuous basement membrane was observed in normal epithelium dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, but was faintly stained, discontinuous or even absent in specimens with invasive squamous carcinoma. Staining with anti-reticulin did not reveal any condensation in the basement membrane areas in any of the preparations examined. ISSE was demonstrated in the normal epithelium, dysplasia and carcinoma in situ as well as in invasive carcinoma.

Antigens↗