Zentralblatt fur allgemeine Pathologie u. pathologische Anatomie最新文献

Biopsies obtained from 45 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma and 41 cases of cystic mastopathy were immunohistochemically investigated, with electron microscopy being used on some of them, for the purpose of clearing up presence, distribution, and ultrastructural peculiarities of the myoepithelial cells. Focal or diffuse myoepithelial proliferations were observed in all cases of cystic mastopathy, with peripheral layers of myoepithelium at the basal membrane being widely preserved. Myoepithelial cells had lost their normal position and cellular orientation in the regions with intraductal carcinoma. Actin-positive, high-microfilament myoepithelial cells were frequent findings recorded from parenchyma in cases of invasive ductal carcinoma without specific differentiation, though cells of that kind were rarely detectable from parenchyma in cases of medullary carcinoma. Particular attention should be given to the presence of tumor cells differing from each other for their morphological and functional differentiation in cases of carcinoma of the mammary gland.

An account is given of the historic background against which the journal was founded in 1890 by publisher GUSTAV FISCHER, Jena, and Prof. Dr. ERNST ZIEGLER, Freiburg/Br. The developments that have ever since taken place through a hundred years under different publishers and editors provide enlightening insights into changing concepts of the journal and variable external conditions for its publications. It came under extremely negative influence during national-socialist rule in Germany. So far unpublished documents are evaluated to describe the reprisals to which the long-standing co-editor Prof. Dr. WALTHER BERBLINGER, University of Jena, had been exposed by the national-socialist rulers for the Jewish origin of his wife. "Zentralblatt für allgemeine Pathologie und pathologische Anatomie", after the end of World War Two, succeeded in gradually regaining an international standing reflected in its community of authors and readers.

35 intracranial tumours, 18 gliomas, 12 meningiomas, one neurilemmoma (neurinoma), one malignant melanoma and two metastases were successfully grown in-vitro and were submitted to immunocytochemical reactions, including cytokeratin, glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), vimentin, fibronectin, S-100 protein, neurofilament proteins, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and basic myelin protein (MBP). Cytokeratin in metastases, GFAP and vimentin in gliomas, vimentin in meningiomas were consistently positive. S-100 protein was weakly and partially positive in gliomas, meningiomas, the neurilemmoma and malignant melanoma. Positive demonstration of fibronectin within cells was interpreted as a consequence of phagocytosis, except in meningiomas where fibronectin expression next to cell membranes seemed genuine. All other tested markers proved negative. The most important result seems to be that cells expressed markers irrespective of cellular shape and cytological morphology. It can be concluded that the cellular population as a whole consisted of tumour cells during the short time under observation and that supportive cell contamination during this early growth period was negligible.

Complex clinical and morphological studies were conducted into conditions of the thymus as well as of the lymphatic and neuro-endocrine systems in stillbirths and children up to five years of age. Thymic hormones in blood and thymic tissue were determined, as well. CTH, in most of these cases, was found to reflect dysfunction of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal system which eventually resulted in development of polyglandular endocrinopathy and congenital immune deficiency, primarily in the T-system. CTH has proved quite often to be associated with congenital malformations.

This study had been conducted for the purpose of obtaining information on incidence and biological significance of metaplasia and dysplasia of the urinary bladder. Therefore, postmortem investigations were made of 1,117 urinary bladders, using optical light microscopy and mapping. They were related to a medium-size industrial town with an autopsy frequency of 98%. Metaplasia (58%) and dysplasia (13%) are no rare urinary bladder findings and occur particularly to individuals in somewhat advanced age, with no significant sex-related difference. Urocystitis was recorded from over 50% of all cases reviewed. More strongly pronounced inflammatory processes appeared to be risk factors for higher severity of dysplasia. Inconspicuous as well as metaplastic von Brunn's nests or squamous and glandular metaplasia without atypical cells should not be considered precarcinomas. However, atypical cells in terms of dysplasia were recordable from a small number of these metaplasias. Precancerous importance might be attributed to few of them, particularly in male patients with dysplastic squamous cell metaplasia. No reliable information, however, was available on premature development of dysplasia in lower age groups which would have meant a long-drawn process of carcinogenesis.

Optical light and electron microscopy were used in studies into two cases of infantile GM2-gangliosidosis. The results are reported in this paper. The correlation has been evident between histological and ultrastructural findings. Reliable delimitation between two different variants of infantile GM2-gangliosidosis was achieved through biochemical investigation of postmortally cultured skin fibroblasts. A classical form with isolated hexosaminidase-A defect (Tay-Sachs disease) was distinguished from a second variant with complete defect of both isoenzymes of hexosaminidase (Sandhoff's disease). Biochemical investigation of postmortally cultured fibroblasts today has become indispensable to enlargement of autopsy findings from other storage diseases, as well.

Malignant renal hypertension was induced to Wistar rats by means of two methods (Lörincz-Gorácz and Rojo-Ortega-Genest procedures), and hypoxaemia was produced by application of two ligatures to an aortic segment, for two hours. The lesions caused by these experimentally established pathological conditions were analysed by the following criteria, after treatment with a Ca-blocking agent (Nitrendipine, Bayer, Leverkusen): Changes in systematic blood pressure; Histochemical detectability of myocardial and vascular lesions as a consequence of artificially induced hypertension and hypoxaemia; Assessment by means of the tracer technique (Ferrlecit, Nattermann, Cologne) of alterations to vascular permeability in small cardiac vessels of rats treated and not treated with the Ca-blocking agent; Detection of lesions in small vessels of other organs, such as intestine, mesentery, and pancreas, in rats treated and not treated with the Ca-blocking agent. This study has been conducted for the purpose of elucidating vascular lesions resulting from lasting hypertension and short-term hypoxaemia, with particular attention being given to effects of therapeutic intervention on morphological expression of vascular damage. The Ca-blocking agent had a favourable effect on vascular alterations due to long-term and short-term injuries, since the animals treated with Nitrendipine exhibited drop in blood pressure and developed very mild vascular lesions, if any. The cardioprotective action of Nitrendipine was readily obvious under the above experimental conditions.

Since the lathyrogen beta-aminopropionitrile is known to affect the fibrogenic and physical properties of collagen polymers, we have examined its effects on collagenous components of methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma in rat. Lathyrogen treatment reduced total collagen content of tumours from approximately 17 to 12 mg collagen/g tissue. It also proportionately increased the solubility of specific collagen fractions, the summation of all extractable solubilized collagens reflecting 37 and 67% of total collagen content for control and lathyric tumours, respectively. Although lathyrogen had no significant effect on the growth and overall size of fibrosarcoma, histological studies confirmed that changes had occurred to appearance and distribution of collagenous components of extracellular matrix.

Alterations that occurred to the hemispheric structure as a result of experimentally induced meningeal fibrosis are reported in this paper. The rinsing function of cerebrospinal fluid was unilaterally stopped in the subarachnoidal space of domestic pigs by means of a viscous medium which contained soluble fatty acid salts. The animals were sacrificed 35 or 95 d after the experiments. Series of frontal sections of both cerebral hemispheres were planimetrically measured to establish differences between hemispheric cross-sections. Left-side deficits between 6 and 29% were recordable from all cases. Microscopic findings included large meningeal fibroses without visible changes to the cortex and others with destruction of cortical regions. Early alterations to cortical cytoarchitecture were investigated by means of automatic image analysis. Increased cell volume densities were recorded from the third and fifth cortical layers in cortex parts with no grossly visible alterations. The authors feel that the above alterations were primarily attributable to gradual occlusion of the lesser meningeal and cortical veins.

Infantile cortical hyperostosis, also known as Caffey's disease or Caffey-Silverman syndrome, is an uncommon clinico-pathological lesion of unknown etiology and uncertain histogenesis. One of the most striking features is the early age of patients at the onset of the disease, showing swelling of the soft tissues overlaying bones, hyperirritability, and, subsequently, periosteal new bone production. The natural history of the disease proves to be self-limiting. Multiple areas are involved in the majority of cases. These polyostic forms are easily clinically diagnosed. But in rare monostic presentations, especially manifestations in the scapular region, there may be a great suspicion of a malignant tumor. Histologically, such lesion may also be misdiagnosed as a malignant neoplasm because of the great variety of microscopic appearances. This study was conducted into 5 cases (biopsies from one male and four female infants, 6 weeks to 4 months of age) to characterize the histological variability in the natural course of the disease. Electron microscopical investigations were additionally performed on two cases. Histologically, the process corresponds to typical ossifying periostitis. Three phases can be distinguished according to the main histological characteristics: 1. Acute inflammatory and proliferating phase; 2. Osteogenic phase; 3. Phase of remodelling. The first phase is characterized by a loss of periost, areas showing proliferation of fibroblast-like cells, and by edema of surrounding musculature. Infiltration by leucocytes was occasionally observed and was accompanied by micro-abscesses. The osteogenic phase was characterized by formation of woven bone. Ultrastructurally proliferations of osteogenic mesenchyma were found and resulted in typical mineralization patterns with matrix vesicles and interfibrillar depositions of hydroxyapatite crystals. Calcification of mitochondria was also detected. Viruses could not be observed. Only thread-like structures were found in the nuclei. At first interpretation, they appeared to be pathological protein depositions. However, further investigations will be necessary to elucidate their genesis. The pathogenesis is discussed. Biopsy still remains indicated in cases of an unclear course of monostic disease.