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Biomedical subjects

E Scheffer

Publications and source records attributed to E Scheffer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

A staining procedure for melanin in semithin and ultrathin epoxy sections.

Staining for melanin at the ultrastructural level may act as an important diagnostic aid by helping to identify apparently amelanotic melanomas. A modified Warthin-Starry (WS) procedure for melanin has therefore been adapted for direct application to epoxy sections. Minute amounts of melanin can thus be demonstrated in individual melanosomes, indicating a high sensitivity. Using the usual types of fixation, specificity for melanin at the ultrastructural level is high. Primary osmium tetroxide (OsO4) fixation probably induces false positive staining of lipofuscin and should not be used prior to the WS procedure, but it does not influence the results of the procedure when employed as a post-fixative. It is not improbable, however, that the positive staining of lipofuscin and also of mast cell granules is due to the presence of melanin in these structures. The WS procedure yields additional diagnostic information, especially in suboptimally preserved material, as expressed by an increase in the number of convincingly identifiable melanosomes in one completely and four partly amelanotic melanomas.

Epoxy Resins↗
PubMed1982

The clinical and histological spectrum of lymphomatoid papulosis.

A review of sixty-four biopsies from sixteen patients with lymphomatoid papulosis revealed two characteristic histological types (type A and type B), which also had a different clinical behaviour. In lymphomatoid papulosis type A lesions, four histological patterns corresponding with the age of the lesion could be distinguished. Such a relationship was not found in type B lesions. The findings of transitional forms in some biopsy specimens, showing histological features of both type A and type B, and the presence of both types in different but concurrent lesions, suggests that these two types are not different entities but rather represent the ends of a spectrum. At least two different populations of atypical cells can be distinguished in lymphomatoid papulosis. Apart from the atypical cerebriform mononuclear cells, which are T-lymphocytic in origin and predominant in type B lesions, large atypical cells with vesicular nuclei, prominent nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm are found, particularly in type A lesions. Preliminary immunohistochemical and cytochemical investigations suggest that these cells are not lymphoid in origin, but are related to the Langerhans cell series.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: clinicopathological relationships, therapy and survival in ninety-two patients.

Clinicopathological findings, methods of treatment and survival in ninety-two patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) (eighty-five mycosis fungoides and seven Sézary syndrome), seen in the Leiden University Hospital between 1974 and 1980, are reported. All patients were staged and treatment was given accordingly. Patients without signs of extracutaneous disease (74%) were treated with eigher total-skin electron-beam irradiation (E beam), topical mechlorethamine (HN2) or PUVA. Topical HN2 and E beam had an equal effect on survival. Electron-beam induced a higher number of initial complete remissions than HN2, but fewer patients relapsed while on maintenance treatment with HN2. In the patients with lymph node and/or visceral involvement, E beam followed by systemic chemotherapy--cyclophosphamide, vincristin (Oncovin) and prednisone (COP)--gave better results than topical therapy or COP alone. Survival was influenced most by the type of skin lesion, the presence or absence of lymph node and/or visceral involvement, and the ability to induce a complete remission initially.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The prognostic value of membrane markers and morphometric characteristics of lymphoid cells in blood and lymph nodes from patients with mycosis fungoides.

For 26 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF), the type and extent of the skin lesions, the percentage of cerebriform mononuclear cells (CMC), and T and B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and lymph nodes were correlated with MF involvement of regional lymph nodes, the clinical course, and response to therapy. Skin tumors and an involvement of more than 25% of the skin correlated well with lymph node involvement. Normal percentages (2--18%) of CMC in the peripheral blood were found for MF patients without lymph node involvement when compared with those found for patients with benign erythroderma and healthy donors. Elevated circulating CMC percentages (greater than 20%) were observed in 9 of 11 MF patients with lymph node involvement. In the lymph node cell suspensions from nine of ten MF patients with lymph node involvement, increased CMC values were found (greater than 15%), whereas two of three MF patients without lymph node involvement showed percentages comparable (4% and 7%, respectively) with those of the control lymph nodes. In the peripheral blood of patients with MF, decreased percentages of T cells (less than or equal to 55%) were found predominantly for patients with lymph node involvement, whereas normal percentages were noted for most of the patients without lymph node involvement. No consistent differences in the percentage of T and B cells in the lymph node cell suspensions were found between MF patients with and without lymph node involvement. Patients with lymph node involvement showed in general a partial response to therapy with an unfavorable clinical course in contrast to patients without lymph node involvement. Increased percentages of CMC (greater than 20%) and decreased percentages of T cells (less than or equal to 55%) in the peripheral blood, the presence of skin tumors, and involvement of more than 25% of the skin are prognostically unfavorable signs for patients with mycosis fungoides.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Staging lymphography with respect to lymph node histology, treatment, and follow-up in patients with mycosis fungoides.

Extracutaneous involvement in mycosis fungoides (MF) is associated with a poor prognosis. Therefore, a pretreatment staging procedure is used to determine the extent of the disease. As part of the staging procedure lymphography was performed in 36 patients with MF. The radiographic findings and the correlation of these findings with the histopathologic changes in lymph nodes and the clinical course are described. Lymphography in MF shows a variety of abnormalities. However, these abnormalities correlate in only 61% of the patients with the extent and the clinical course of the disease. It is concluded that lymphography is not a useful clinical tool in the staging of MF.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The relevance of morphometry in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous T cell lymphomas.

Morphometric analysis of lymphoid cells in the skin was used to differentiate between cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL), i.e. mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS), and chronic benign skin diseases. In electronmicrographs of the skin lesions from twenty patients with CTCL (group I), fourteen patients with chronic benign skin diseases (group II) and twenty-nine patients suspected of CTCL (group III), the degree of nuclear indentation of lymphoid cells, expressed as the nuclear contour index (NCI), was measured. Analysis of the NCI histograms of the infiltrating cells of group I and group II permitted us to derive classification criteria for allocating all patients correctly with a high probability (greater than or equal to 95%) in the appropriate group. Only one case was classified with a low probability (71%). The classification criteria are based on the presence of cerebriform mononuclear cells (CMC) with highly indented nuclei (NCI greater than or equal to 11.5) and the frequency distribution of CMC in the skin infiltrates expressed as the 25th and the 70th percentiles of the NCI histograms (P25 + P70). When these criteria were tested on twenty-nine patients suspected of CTCL, twenty cases were classified as malignant, nine as benign. During the follow-up period, out of the twenty patients classified as malignant, seventeen patients appeared to have or develop MF, whereas two patients had lymphomatoid papulosis and one patient is still suspected of MF. Of the nine patients classified as benign, eight patients were proven to have benign skin diseases whereas one developed MF in the follow-up period of up to 4 years. The classification results based on morphometry proved to be more sensitive than those based on DNA cytophotometry. It is concluded that morphometric analysis of lymphoid cells in the skin is of diagnostic relevance in the differential diagnosis of CTCL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Early diagnosis of mycosis fungoides and Sézary's syndrome by morphometric analysis of lymphoid cells in the skin.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary's syndrome (SS) are cutaneous T-cell lymphomas characterized ultrastructurally by the presence of lymphoid cells with deep and narrow nuclear indentations (cerebriform mononuclear cells or CMC). Early diagnosis of MF and SS is difficult because in their early stages they often resemble various forms of chronic, benign skin lesions. By measuring the frequency distribution of a nuclear shape parameter (nuclear contour index or NCI) of lymphoid cells in skin infiltrates using computer assisted planimetry, we tried to classify suspect cases into the malignant and benign groups. From 12 patients with MF or SS (malignant group) and 11 patients with chronic, benign skin lesions (benign group) the frequency distribution of the NCI of the lymphoid cell population was measured. Nonlinear discriminant analysis selected the 70th and 25th percentile of the NCI distribution of the lymphoid cells in the skin infiltrates as parameters by which these patients could be classified correctly into the malignant or benign groups with a probability of over 95%. The predictive value of these parameters was tested on ten patients suspected of having cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Three cases were classified as benign and 7 as malignant. In a three-year follow up cutaneous T-cell lymphomas did not develop in any of the 3 cases classified as benign, MF developed in 5 of 7 cases classified as malignant, 1 patient has lymphomatoid papulosis and 1 patient is still suspect for MF. These results are compared with those of DNA cytophotometry performed on skin imprint preparations. It is concluded that morphometry of lymphoid cells in skin lesions of patients suspect for MF and SS can make an important contribution to an early diagnosis of MF or SS.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Dermatopathic lymphadenopathy and lymph node involvement in mycosis fungoides.

Lymph node involvement in mycosis fungoides (MF) is associated with a poor prognosis, Histologically, in most cases of clinical lymphadenopathy the excised lymph node shows dermatopathic lymphadenopathy (DL). The diagnosis of MF involvement can readily be made when the lymph node tissue has partly or wholly been replaced by atypical lymphoreticular tissue. Early involvement of a dermatopathic lymph node by MF may be difficult to diagnose. A histologic study was performed on 30 lymph nodes from 24 patients with MF. Most of these lymph nodes had been excised as part of the staging procedure. The maximal follow-up period was five years. A classification of lymph node involvement into four categories is suggested and correlations with clinical courses and results of DNA cytophotometry of lymph node imprints are shown. Lymph nodes showing the histologic picture of DL can be divided into two groups: a group with MF involvement (category I) and a group with MF involvement (category II). The latter group is considered to represent early involvement of lymph nodes by MF. Partial or complete replacement of lymph node tissue by atypical lymphoreticular tissue corresponds with cagegories III and IV, respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Diagnostic morphometry of isolated lymph node cells from patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary's syndrome.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary's syndrome are cutaneous T cell lymphomas, characterized by the presence of lymphoid cells with deeply indented nuclei (CMC) in the infiltrate. In order to find objective criteria for the diagnosis of early MF involvement of lymph nodes from patients with MF, we performed morphometric analysis of lymphoid cells in lymph node cell suspensions measuring the degree of nuclear indentation as expressed by the nuclear contour index (NCI). Statistical discriminant analysis was used to analyze the differences in the NCI histograms between lymph nodes without and with MF involvement and to select the most discriminating parameters for diagnostic classification. Using a training set of 6 lymph nodes from patients with unrelated diseases and 8 lymph nodes from patients involved by cutaneous T cell lymphomas, the mean and standard deviation of the NCI histograms were selected as the most discriminating parameters. All lymph nodes from the training set were assigned to the correct diagnostic classification group with a probability over 90%. The predictive value of the morphometric classification was tested on a set of 12 enlarged lymph nodes from patients with MF. The histological diagnosis was used as a reference. In 10 cases the morphometric classification was identical to the histological classification, whereas in two cases (1 classified as positive, 1 as negative) a disagreement was found. It is concluded that morphometry of lymphoid cells can contribute substantially to the diagnosis of early MF involvement in lymph nodes.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis with multiple cutaneous mastocytomas. Report of a case with clinical, histopathological and ultrastructural aspects.

A patient with diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis, present since birth, developed several cutaneous mastocytomas without any symptoms after puberty. Although the histological picture of the tumours, showing nuclear atypia, mitotic figures and varying metachromasia of the granules, raises suspicion of systemic involvement, this has not appeared so far. The absence of symptoms could be due to the synthesis of an abnormal secretory product by the mast cells, which is supported by the absence of oedema and dilated blood vessels in the presence of extensive degranulation and by the unusual ultrastructural picture of the mast cell granules, i.e. little electron density with the almost complete absence of lamellar and crystalline structures.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Metastatic skin calcification. A rare phenomenon in dialysis patients.

Calcification of the skin could not be demonstrated in 60 skin biopsy specimens, selectively obtained from 30 chronic hemodialysis patients; 21 of these patients had metastatic calcification at other sites. These results support the proposed rarity of metastatic skin calcification in patients with chronic renal failure. The cause of this phenomenon is not precisely known.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

DNA-cytophotometry of lymph node imprints from patients with mycosis fungoides.

To obtain objective criteria for early diagnosis of lymph node involvement in patients with mycosis fundoides, Feulgen DNA-cytophotometry was carried out in lymph node imprints from patients with mycosis fungoides. The lymph nodes of 3 patients with lymph nodes, showing partial or total replacement by atypical lymphoreticular tissue histologically, showed a polyploid and aneuploid DNA distribution. Eleven out of 22 patients with dermatopathic lymphadenopathy both with or without early involvement histologically had an abnormal DNA histogram with hypertetraploid DNA values. Four of these 11 died, 5 had a partial remission in response to therapy and 2 had sustained remission during the follow-up period of 5 yr. The other 11 patients had a normal DNA distribution. Of these 11, one died and 10 achieved sustained remission after therapy. There is a good correlation between the DNA-cytophotometric results and histology of the lymph nodes. On the basis of these results DNA-cytophotometry may be considered an additional and objective aid in the diagnosis of lymph node involvement in mycosis fungoides.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Accumulation and localization of gallium-67 in various types of primary lung carcinoma.

The uptake and location of Ga-67 were investigated in 15 primary pulmonary carcinomas. The accumulation in the tumor was determined by scintigraphy of the patient, grain counts over fields of tumor cells in autoradiographs of tumor-tissue samples, and gamma counts in specimens of the tumor. Good correlation was found between the results obtained with these three methods. The relationship between accumulation of Ga-67 in the tumor and the histologic type of tumor was also studied. Undifferentiated carcinomas, and tumor cells in squamous-cell carcinomas showed significantly more Ga-67 than tumor cells in adenocarcinomas. No correlation was found between the presence of inflammatory infiltrates in or around the tumor and the grade of the scintigraphic images. In the autoradiograms, lymphocytes, plasma cells, granulocytes, and macrophages showed less radioactivity than the tumor cells--or none at all. Collagen fibers appeared to have bound some Ga-67, but necrotic areas showed no uptake.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

Localized scleroderma-like lesions after bone marrow transplantation in man. A chronic graft versus host reaction.

Localized scleroderma-like skin lesions which developed in two children, from 8 to 10 months after successful bone marrow transplantation for aplastic anaemia, showed histopathological features resembling those of scleroderma. This finding, like the animal models described in the literature, provides additional support for the auto-immune nature of scleroderma.

Anemia, Aplastic↗
PubMed1976

Further evidence for the T-cell nature of the atypical mononuclear cells in mycosis fungoides.

It is well known that in some cases of mycosis fungoides the lymph nodes contain atypical mononuclear cells with a characteristic electron-microscopic morphology, first described in skin lesions of mycosis fungoides. Because it has been shown, that these cells have T-cell membrane characteristics the question can be raised, if these cells have other properties of T cells. One of these is a preferential localization in the T-cell dependent regions (paracortical areas) of the lymph node. In this paper we present a study of dermatopathic lymph nodes from four patients with mycosis fungoides (plaque stage). The lymph nodes of these patients contained atypical mononuclear cells in the paracortical areas only, and not in the follicles or medulla. In one of the patients we could demonstrate the migration of these cells through the epitheloid venules into the paracortical area. Our observations give further evidence of the T-cell nature of the atypical mononuclear cells in mycosis fungoides.

Adult↗