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Biomedical subjects

L Leoncini

Publications and source records attributed to L Leoncini.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Silicotic lymph node lesions in non-occupationally exposed lung carcinoma patients.

The report deals with a series of peribronchial and mediastinal lymph node silicotic lesions, which were histologically and histochemically typical, in patients with bronchogenic cancer without any form of occupational dust exposure. The presence of a significant quantity of quartz was confirmed in the lesions by the use of backscatter electron imaging analysis, X-ray mapping and X-ray spectrometry. The lymph node lesions observed were actually silicotic in nature and had possible epidemiologic implications. There is a need for further investigations on larger series of cases to evaluate the incidence of the phenomenon and correlations between lung changes and lymph node lesions.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Morphometry of lymphoid organs in health and disease.

Structural modification of lymph nodes in bronchogenic carcinoma, thymus cortex as a function of age, area and form factors of lymphoid cell nuclei in lymphomas and of epithelioid cell nuclei in tuberculosis and sarcoidosis have been measured by means of test point and/or image semiautomated analyzer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Morphometric nuclear analysis of lymphoid cells in center cell lymphomas and in reactive germinal centers.

A comparison between neoplastic and nonneoplastic lymphoid cell nuclei within germinal centers of nodular lymphomas and of reactive follicular hyperplasias has been carried out with the help of a semiautomated image analyzer by measuring nuclear area, by assessing the presence or absence of invaginations, and by defining the form of the invagination. Nuclear areas are larger in lymphomas, where the invagination, if present, decreases in depth and increases in angle as the value of nuclear area becomes greater. Nuclei with such a large area and shallow invaginations are not present within the nonneoplastic germinal centers. Moreover, no correspondence has been found between neoplastic and nonneoplastic nuclei with regard to the form of the invagination, that is, its symmetry and angle. Therefore, it is possible to argue that the neoplastic nuclei in nodular lymphomas are different from the nuclei found in the sequential pathway of reactive germinal centers.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed1983

A morphometric semiautomated method for analyzing cell nuclei in lymph node sections from non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Significance of data.

A semiautomated electronic system has been employed for sizing nuclear area and for evaluating nuclear form factors in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas with the purpose to correlate these parameters with survival and histotype. By mathematical models for best fits correlating the dependent variables with the survival has been demonstrated that an inverse correlation corresponding to a negative exponential function exists between mean nuclear area and survival. It has also been shown that the nuclear form is less irregular (i.e. more similar to an ellipse) when the mean nuclear area ranges from 12.5 to 20 mu2 and from 30 to 37.5 mu2 than when it ranges from 20 to 30 mu2. Lymphomas of low-grade malignancy are characterized by a mean nuclear area which is significantly lower than that of lymphomas of high-grade malignancy. The authors believe that morphometrical analysis of the nuclear area and of the form factors may eliminate subjectivity and give reproducible data to be used in both classification and prognosis of lymphomas.

Autoanalysis↗
PubMed1983

Scanning electron microscopy in the diagnosis of bronchogenic squamous cell and small cell anaplastic carcinoma.

The authors believe that differential diagnostic aspects between poorly-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (PDS) and small cell anaplastic carcinoma (SCA) may be shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of 'thick' sections from routine paraffin-embedded tissues. In 8 'sample' cases features were demonstrated which were typical of PDS (well-defined outlines of cells, intercellular bridges) and of SCA (fairly smooth cell surface, nuclei in relief, a spongy, granular-like appearance of cytoplasm).

Aged↗
PubMed1982

[The diagnosis of tubercular lymphadenitis in the case records of the Institute of Pathological Anatomy of Siena University in 1970-1981].

A study of the diagnosis of the tubercular lymphadenitis was carried out. No significant difference of incidence was observed through the years in the considered period. Tubercular lymphadenitis was more frequent in males under 15 years and in females over 51 years. The mixed reactive and caseous type of tubercular lesion was the most frequent. Non reactive caseous lymphadenitis was significantly more frequent in the youngest males. Tuberculosis was clinically suspected only in 49.5% of the cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Bronchogenic carcinoma: survival after surgical treatment according to stage, histologic type and immunomorphologic changes in regional lymph nodes.

The survival rates of 90 patients who underwent operation for bronchogenic carcinoma were analyzed statistically according to sex, age, tumor stage and histologic type, types of surgical procedures (lobectomy or pneumonectomy), and to immunomorphologic parameters of immunologic activity in peribronchial and hilar lymph nodes. The Stage I group survived significantly longer than did the Stage II and III groups, the lobectomized patients survived significantly longer than the pneumonectomized patients. The absence or presence of lymph node metastases was one of the major determinants of survival. The mean values (percent of total node cut surface) of lymph node sinus histiocytosis and of paracortical area could be correlated directly to survival in each of the histologic tumor-type groups, while the development of follicular cortex and germinal centers correlated inversely with survival. Increased survival might be associated with changes concomitant with immune reactivity in lymph node T-cell areas and with the sinus histiocytosis pattern, the latter representing probably a tumor--host reaction of the delayed hypersensitivity type. By contrast, increased activity of lymph node B-cell areas tended to correlate with poor prognosis of lung cancer patients. Moreover, patterns showing germinal center hyperplasia were statistically associated with lymph node neoplastic invasion, while the pattern with sinus histiocytosis and expanded paracortical areas was statistically associated with tumor-free lymph nodes.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1980

[Histopathology of the hepatic lesions in brucellosis based on biopsy findings].

22 liver biopsies from patients affected by brucellosis (Brucella melitensis) have been studied as far as granuloma formation is concerned. The first phase of granulomatous lesion seems to be the presence of monocytes within the hepatic sinusoids. Then we can observe small histiocytic granuloma and finally a "mature" (Adams [1]) granuloma, i.e. an organized collection of mature mononuclear phagocytes without necrosis, but sometimes with giant cells.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability and accuracy in reporting CIN in 14 laboratories. Developing new indices of diagnostic variability in an interlaboratory study. The Working Group for External Quality Control in Cervical Cytopathology.

OBJECTIVE: To report the results of the second phase of a pilot study of an Italian national external quality evaluation program (EQA) aimed at assessing whether participation in the first phase had increased the reliability and accuracy of diagnoses and to what extent. STUDY DESIGN: In the second phase, two sets of cervical smears (similar to the ones examined in the first phase) were circulated among the 14 participating cytologic laboratories throughout Italy. Responses were recorded on a standardized form. Participants were asked to judge the adequacy of each smear and to formulate a diagnosis. They were also asked to recommend management of the patient on the basis of the smear report and to evaluate the degree of diagnostic difficulty of each slide. The results were discussed in workshops, and it was possible to reach a consensus diagnosis on 37 of 40 smears. In the statistical analysis, new indices of diagnostic variability were developed and calculated; a gross index of agreement, unweighted and weighted kappas, analysis of exchangeability, sensitivity and specificity were also estimated. RESULTS: The results of the second phase are similar to those of the first phase and no substantial improvement in accuracy and little reduction in variability were observed. The interventions carried out in this study (discussion between representatives of laboratories of diagnostic differences and reassessment of the most controversial slides) were aimed at increasing consensus among the participating pathologists but were insufficient to change the diagnostic routines in their laboratories. CONCLUSION: It may be advisable to promote two kinds of interlaboratory quality programs with two separate but integrated components: (1) a core component with slides having clear-cut diagnoses, and (2) a continuing education component.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cellular kinetics and expression of bcl-2 and p53 in ductal carcinoma of the breast.

In this study, the expression of p53 (wild-type and mutated form) and bcl-2 in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and PCR-SSCP and correlated with cellular kinetic parameters, i.e., mitotic index (MI) and apoptotic index (AI). The results showed a significant inverse correlation between p53 and bcl-2 expression in all cases of DCIS and IDC. In the DCIS group, two subgroups with different kinetic characteristics were identified. The first group was characterized by p53 positivity, bcl-2 negativity and high values of MI and AI; the other group was characterized by p53 negativity, bcl-2 positivity and low values of MI and AI. Conversely, in IDC some cases were p53 negative, bcl-2 positive and with high values of AI and MI, other cases were p53 positive, bcl-2 negative and with low AI and MI. Molecular biological analysis showed that p53 was wild-type in DCIS, while it was in the mutated form in IDC. These results suggest that in IDC mutated p53 contributes to a change in cellular kinetics and the selection of genetically aberrant cells, thereby favouring neoplastic progression. The coexistence of bcl-2 positivity and high AI could be explained by the presence of of apoptosis that work independently of bcl-2.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of the G2-M checkpoint regulators cyclin B1 and P34CDC2 in breast cancer: a correlation with cellular kinetics.

In this study, the expression of cyclin B1 and p34cdc2 in neoplastic and non-neoplastic breast lesions was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis in relation to cellular kinetic parameters such as Mitotic Index (MI), Anatelophase Index (ATI), and Apoptotic Index (AI). The percentage of cyclin B1 and p34cdc2-positive cells was significantly higher in neoplastic glands than in their normal counterparts. This finding was paralleled by significantly higher values of MI, ATI, and AI in breast cancer than in normal glands. Furthermore, two groups with different cytokinetic characteristics were identified among infiltrating ductal carcinomas by an unsupervised learning technique of cluster analysis using the percentages of cyclin B1 and p34cdc2 positive cells and the cellular kinetic parameters (MI, ATI and AI) as variables. The final clusters, groups I and II, consisted of 42 and 13 cases respectively. The first cluster (group I) was characterized by a significantly linear correlation between the percentages of cyclin B1 and p34cdc2-positive cells. On the contrary, the second cluster (group II) revealed no correlation between these two proteins and was characterized by values of p34cdc2 largely exceeding those of cyclin B1. A positive correlation between the expression of these two proteins and the cellular kinetic parameters (MI, ATI and AI) was also found in group I but not in group II. These observations suggest that a disturbed nuclear translocation of Mitosis Promoting Factor (MPF) components is present in group II cases, resulting in a defective cellular division cycle. In fact, group I cases showed lymph node metastasis more frequently than group II cases. Our results suggest that the analysis of the cell cycle "machinery" components, such as the cyclins and their dependent kinases, can identify tumors with different levels of aggressiveness.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hodgkin's disease: update of findings.

The authors critically review the problem of Hodgkin's disease (HD) in the light of new morphological, immunohistochemical, kinetic, genotypic, and virological findings. These support the lymphoid origin of neoplastic Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg cells, because of regular expression of the CD30 lymphoid activation antigen and frequent detection of B- or T-cell phenotypic and/or genotypic markers. It is possible to hypothesize the release of cytokines by tumoral elements as well as the presence of specific cytokine receptors on their surface. This might explain some clinical and pathological features, such as fever, loss of weight, eosinophilia and attraction of reactive elements that make up the composite cellular milieu of typical HD. Integration of monoclonal EBV in the genoma of neoplastic elements has repeatedly been shown, and this might play an essential role in the pathogenesis of the disease. On the basis of present concepts, the borderlines between HD and some categories of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas--especially the anaplastic large cell forms--have become somewhat blurred. Additional research work in the field of HD is desirable and might pave the way for new and more effective therapeutic approaches, designed on the basis of the natural history of the neoplasm.

Antigens, CD↗