Neuroendocrine (APUD) cells in ovarian teratomas and testicular teratocarcinomas.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F T Bosman.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Two cases of chemodectoma of the larynx, 1 benign and 1 malignant, are reported. Initially both tumours caused diagnostic problems but the diagnosis could be confirmed by silver staining and electron microscopy. So far only 25 cases of laryngeal chemodectoma have been reported in the literature. Clinically, the diagnosis should be considered when a persistent, smooth, non-inflammatory intralaryngeal swelling, particularly with a reddish-blue colour, is encountered. A final histological diagnosis can only be made with additional histochemical techniques and electron microscopy.
The origin of the endocrine cells in the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract is still a matter of debate. In the original concept of the amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) system, all APUD cells were considered to be derived from the neural crest. More recently it has been proposed that the APUD cell types of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts originate from neuroendocrine-programmed ectoblast. Still other investigators have reported observations that favor a direct endodermal origin of these cell types. Based on the assumption that in teratomas different tissue types which in normal embryogenesis are derived from the neuroectoderm might be expected to occur together, we investigated a series of cystic ovarian teratomas and testicular teratocarcinomas for the presence of brain tissue and of different types of APUD cells. In the ovarian teratomas, intestinal and respiratory APUD cell types were found almost exclusively without coexistence of brain tissue, whereas melanocytes, which are of neuroectodermal origin, occurred mostly together with brain tissue. In the testicular teratocarcinomas, intestinal types of APUD cells occurred without brain tissue. Peptide hormone production was found in appropriate tissues. It can therefore be concluded that in teratomas appropriate intestinal and respiratory APUD cells differentiate in and presumably descend directly from intestinal and respiratory epithelium.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A modified method is described for the rapid production of peroxidase-antiperoxidase complexes to be used in immunocytochemistry. In this method anti-peroxidase antibodies are precipitated from crude serum with peroxidase at equivalence and subsequently resolubilized at low pH with excess peroxidase. The complexes are isolated from unbound immunoglobulin and peroxidase by gelfiltration. The method combines the advantages of both previously described preparation procedures. The resulting PAP-complex, when tested in indirect immunocytochemistry, is comparable to that obtained in established preparation procedures.
Two patients with progressive scleroderma had severe gastrointestinal blood loss. Endoscopical examination revealed multiple telangiectase in the upper gastrointestinal tract, especially in the stomach. The telangiectases in the skin and the mucosa in systemic sclerosis are indistinguishable endoscopically and histologically from those seen in hereditary hemaorrhagic telangiectasia. Recurrent and severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage originating from telangiectases is an unusual complication of systemic sclerosis.
A series of testicular germ cell tumours (46 seminomas and 27 non-seminomas) was studied immunohistochemically with regard to the presence of alpha FP and HCG. In three seminomas, HCG reactive syncitiotrophoblast-like giant cells (STLG) were found. Immunoreactive alpha FP did not occur in seminomas. In differentiated mature teratomas HCG or alpha FP could not be demonstrated. In embryonal carcinomas with or without teratoma (MTI/MTU/MTT) HCG immunoreactivity was found in 83%, usually localized in STLG. In 75% of these tumours alpha FP could be demonstrated. This protein was localized in foci of endodermal sinus or yolk sac differentiation, but also in single cells and cell clusters in areas of embryonal carcinoma. In some cases syncitial cells were present which contained both HCG and alpha FP. Immunostaining of tumour markers appeared not to provide important additional criteria for classification of these tumours in the currently available classifications. The significance of HCG containing STLG in seminomas deserves further investigation. Prospective studies of embryonal carcinoma with or without teratoma (MTI/MTU/MTT) will be necessary to evaluate the possible prognostic importance of the presence of alpha FP or HCG or both.
In this paper investigations concerning the relation between variability of chromosome number and variability of DNA content within the cells of a tumour stemline are reported. A highly heteroploid human tumour cell line was used, which was derived from a chondrosarcoma. Flow cytometrical and scanning cytophotometrical measurements confirmed the heteroploid nature of the original cell line and of several subclones. Measurement of the DNA content per metaphase showed a linear relation between chromosome number and DNA content of heteroploid cells. This finding is discussed with regard to its implications for the mechanism of heteroploidy in tumour cells.
Histological criteria for the definition of disease entities have largely been established with light microscopy of conventionally stained and routinely processed tissue sections. More or less specific histochemical staining procedures and more recently enzyme-histochemical and quantitative histo- and cytochemical techniques in some cases provided additional criteria. In the last decade, however, the introduction of immunofluorescence and more recently the different immunoperoxidase methods have significantly influenced the scope of contemporary histopathology. Especially, the possibility to use immunoperoxidase methods on routinely processed tissue specimens has offered new dimensions in diagnostic pathology. These methods proved of particular importance for: 1) The development of new criteria for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment (e.g. immunological classification of lymphoma; plasmacell typing in intestinal inflammatory conditions; human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein in germ cell tumors of the testis). 2) The possibility of etiological diagnosis (e.g. the recognition of hepatitis B viral antigens in liver biopsy specimens; histological typing of causative micro-organisms in inflammatory conditions). 3) The recognition of disease entities that were hitherto unrecognized (e.g. hyperplasia of parafolicular C-cells in the thyroid in multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes; gastric G-cell hyperplasia as a variant of Zollinger-Ellisons syndrome). 4) Functional analysis of tissue components (e.g. hormone content of pituitary and pancreatic adenomas; cytoplasmic differentiation produces in "undifferentiated" tumors). It can be expected that immunoenzymehistochemistry will soon play a major role in routine diagnostic histopathology.
The cellular infiltrate in the walls of resected ileum and colon specimens obtained from patients with Crohn's disease was analysed. Mononuclear cells in tissue sections were characterized by the use of surface membrane markers and immuno-histochemical and enzyme histochemical techniques. It was found that: [1] B cells, as judged by the presence of surface membrane immunoglobulin and C3 receptors and the absence of alpha-naphthylacetate esterase and acid phosphatase activity, were the predominant type of cells in the intestinal infiltrate often found in close relation with smaller numbers of non-B cells; [2] all types of immunoglobulin-containing cells were increased in number with a shift in the ratio of IgA/IgG/IgM-containing cells in favour of the IgG- and IgM-containing cells; and [3] the histopathological reaction of the regional draining lymph nodes showed hyperplasia of B-cell areas (follicles and medulla) and small or absent T-cell areas (paracortex), consistent with a B-cell response. Our results indicate that the inflammatory process in the bowel wall in Crohn's disease mainly reflects stimulation of the B-cell system.
Thirty pancreatic islet cell tumours were histologically classified and analysed for their possible peptide hormone content using the immunohistoperoxidase method. Seven tumours contained insulin, six tumours contained gastrin and eight tumours contained glucagon. One tumour contained all three hormones. In the insulin and gastrin-containing tumours, the cells were usually arranged in solid nests of cells, with tubular and acinar formations in about half the cases. In the glucagon-containing tumours the cells were mainly arranged in anastomosing ribbons consisting of one of two layers of small cells. Most of the hormone-containing tumours were argyrophilic using Grimelius' silver reaction. All but one of the glucagon-containing tumours were incidental findings at autopsy. About half of the other tumours had metastasized. It is concluded that a relation exists between the histological pattern of growth and immunohistochemically defined endocrine function of pancreatic islet cell tumours.
The results of histological and immunohistochemical examination of gastric and duodenal biopsy specimens from 50 volunteers without a clinical history of gastrointestinal disease are reported. Multiple specimens of tissue from standard sites in the stomach and duodenum were carefully orientated, and serially sectioned for examination by light microscopy and for immunohistochemical characterisation of plasma cells within the lamina propria. The antrum and fundus were normal in 32 of the 50 subjects but the other 18 showed histopathological evidence of gastritis in either the antrum or fundus. The latter appeared to be age-related. There was considerable variation in the appearance of the surface epithelium of the duodenum within as well as among individual subjects. Superficial gastric metaplasia in one or more biopsy specimens from the duodenal bulb was found in 64% of individuals. Histopathological examination of the duodenum revealed signs of chronic inflammation in 12% of the subjects. In two individuals there was active inflammation but in only one of these was the diagnosis made on endoscopic appearances. Histological criteria important for the diagnosis of duodenitis are discussed. The number of plasma cells in different biopsy specimens from subjects not showing histological signs of inflammation was variable. The ratio IgA:IgG:IgM producing plasma cells was remarkably constant from subject to subject as well as from specimen to specimen.
The authors present a retrospective analysis of the results of the cytological examinations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and tumor-cyst aspirates deriving from 262 patients treated for malignant intracranial primary and secondary tumors, and vertebral and peridural metastastic processes. Positive preoperative CSF samples were found in 15.3% of all cases of primary cerebral malignancies (13.9% of all gliomas) and positive postoperative CSF samples were found in 40% (91% of the medulloblastoma cases). In all cases of single or multiple secondary cerebral tumors, positive preoperative CSF samples were found in 20%.
The influence of different fixation methods on the results of immunoperoxydase staining of immunoglobulin and gastrin producing cells in gastric and duodenal mucosa was investigated. An indirect method was used on paraffin sections. It appeared that that fixatives containing sublimate gave the most consistent results, a sublimate-formaldehyde mixture being the best.
Principles and techniques are discussed for measuring with high topological resolution local emission in fluorescing objects, using photographic negatives. Determination of fluorescence intensities is only possible when an unequivocal relation between the original local fluorescence emission intensities of the object, and the transmittances or densities recorded in the microfluorophotograph is known. This relation is formulated in the theoretical part. From this relation it can be concluded that the recorded intensities can be measured optimally when the optical density values produced by the fluorescence emission fall in the range of the linear portion of the Hurter and Driffield curve. In order to obtain this situation, a uniform low-level pre-exposure of the film emulsion to (white) light is carried out prior to the actual fluorescence emission exposure. This pre-exposure acts to elevate the signal exposure to the linear (steeper) part of the H.D. curve. Inhomogeneity of the excitation beam in the object field, or differences in film emulsion response to the light exposure, will result in erroneous optical densities recorded in the photographic negative. Correction for such artifacts could be obtained by addition of a low concentration of fluorophore to the mounting medium of the microscopic preparation. The overall fluorescent background produced in this way, enabled calibration of local fluorescence intensities in different parts of one fluorophotographic negative, and also of the intensities in different negatives taken from one microscopic preparation. The validity of this approach was checked by comparing data obtained from several photographic negatives of the same quinacrine-stained metaphase, taken with different exposure times to imitate fluctuations in excitation illumination, after conversion of the scanning data into emission intensity values with an alogarithm based on the proposed theoretical relation. In another experiment, fluorescence emission intensities of Feulgen-stained chromosomes which had been measured with a cytofluorometer, were compared with results obtained by conversion of the scanning data measured in the fluorophotographic negatives of the same metaphases. Both types of experiment confirmed the applicability of the procedure described.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In this paper, model experiments on chicken red blood cell nuclei are described concerning the influence of methanol-acetic acid fixation and irradiation at different wavelengths, with and without prior Atebrin staining on subsequent Feulgen-stainability. In addition, data are reported on the influence on Feulgen-stainability of Giemsa-banding procedures, illumination of unstained chromosomes at 220 and 515 nm and exposure of unstained and Atebrin-stained chromosomes to illumination at 440 nm. The ASG and especially the trypsin-Giemsa technique appeared to reduce markedly Feulgen-stainability. The same holds true for Atebrin fluorescence of chromosomes. The data are discussed in relation to their implications for the assumed cause of the Q- and G-banding phenomena. Techniques are described that allow reliable Feulgen DNA measurements of individual chromosomes after application of either G- or Q-banding.
Formalin-fixed and paraplast-embedded tissue specimens of human pituitary, thyroid, and pancreas were investigated using fluorescamine fluorescence and immunohistochemical methods. Growth hormone-producing cells present in normal and neoplastic pituitary tissue exhibited fluorescamine fluorescence. The other tissues examined showed no fluorescamine binding.