E. Vacca

Differential diagnosis between thyroid follicular adenoma and carcinoma. Analytic morphometric approach.

In this study some nuclear dimensional and analytical parameters were evaluated in order to distinguish follicular atypical adenoma from follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. Eighty nuclei from carcinomas, 80 from adenomas and 80 from normal thyroid were studied. Analytical parameters obtained by the nuclear shape study (by S.A.M. system) as well as dimensional parameters were submitted to univariate statistical analysis. On the ground of our results atypical adenoma could be considered as an intermediate aspect of a progressive change from benign to malignant even if they are closer to normal thyroid than to carcinoma.

LARYNGEAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA (LIN). AN ANALYTICAL MORPHOMETRIC APPROACH

Laryngeal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (LIN) is graded in 3 levels (LIN Grade I-II-III), corresponding to the classic aspects of mild, moderate and severe dysplasia-in situ carcinoma, on the basis of the number and position of mitoses and of the undifferentiated or atypical cells limited to the basal or extended to the intermediate or the superficial layers of epithelium. In order to reduce the subjective imprecision of these parameters we have applied not only traditional dimensional evaluators but also procedures of analytical morphometry to the nuclear shape. By using the software system S.A.M. (Shape Analytical Morphometry) we have examined fifty nuclei of the basal layer in LIN grade I, II and III, fifty nuclei in normal laryngeal mucosa and fifty nuclei in invasive carcinoma of the larynx (twenty-five cases in all). Normal and dysplastic nuclei did not show any dimensional differences, while the carcinomatous nuclei were significantly larger. An asymmetric distortion of the nuclear contour was noted in the moderate and severe dysplasia, but not in carcinomatous cells. Also the Fourier parameters, increased in severe dysplasia, decreased dramatically in carcinomatous cells which showed nuclei with minor contour irregularities than the normal cells. These findings outline the discriminative power of the analytical morphometry and suggest a possible correlation between nuclear shape and cell biology.

Report of an archaic human skeleton discovered at altamura (Bari), in the “Lamalunga” district

The circumstances of the discovery and the first morphological observations concerning an, archaic human skeleton found in Altamura (Bari), in the “Lamalunga” district are reported.The observations were made by anthropologists from Bari University, at the site of the discovery, in a cave (Le Solange cave), a few days after they were first spotted by speleologists from the Speleological Research Center of Altamura (C.A.R.S.) and from the “Vespertilio” group of the Italian Alpine Club (C.A.I.) of Bari.The human remains were found in a corner of a small cavity in close association with columnar stalagmitic formations. All the bones are partly covered with, or embedded in, calcareous concretion while others are visible but lined with a calcareous shell of varying thickness. It is possible to recognize the skull (lying on its back); part of the face is apparent including the orbits and all the frontal region. On the ground, very close to the skull, there are many postcranial bones, but not all immediately recognizable because of the concretions. Immediately in front of and below the frontal are the tworadii; between these and a femoral shaft is the complete, but inverted, mandible. Bothfemora, thetibiae and thefibulae are present. Furthermore, the righthumerus, the distal epiphysis of an ulna and some costal elements are recognizable. The elements furthest from thecranium appear to be the innominate bones, partly covered with calcitic crust. Inside the pelvis are heavily, concreted pieces of bone among which are a costal element and a vertebral body.From the general robusticity of the bones and the rather high and narrow iliac fossa, the skeleton can be judged that of an adult male. Considering the presence on thecranium at the same time of both progressive and ancient features the Altamura specimen can be placed in the group of fossils of the European mid-Pleistocene characterized by the presence of archaic morphological traits and by a progressive increase in Neanderthal traits.

Observations anatomiques sur quelques restes humains du dépôt de la grotte de San Bernardino (Vénétie, Italie)

Anatomical observations on human remains from the cave of San Bernardino (Veneto-Italy). We are dealing with two teeth and a phalanx found at the cave of San Bernardino (Berici Hills, Veneto, Italy) in the macro-unit II, which can be referred to the first part of the Upper Pleistocene. San Bernardino 3, distal hand phalanx : even attributing to the 5th ray it is however small. The free and tuberosity is horseshoe shaped; the body, according to the longitudinal axis, is slightly convex dorsally. San Bernardino 4, molar. The crown is roughly squared with smoothed edges; assuming that it is an inferior molar the distal side is smaller. The masticatory surface is largely concave due to the high degree of wear; the tooth could belong to a mature adult. The lingual side of the pyramidal fused roots is partially hidden by a mandibular bone fragment upon which it is possible to identify a small part of the mylohyoid line. This formation, together with the shape of the crown and the shape and orientation of the root canals, suggest it is a second or, more probably, a third inferior right molar. The diameters of the crown differ, with respect to the mean neandertalian values, more than one standard devation following the tendency toward metric diminution noticed in finds from the areas near the Mediterranean coast. San Bernardino 5, deciduous incisor, presumably the 2nd left inferior. The crown is bulbous with the cervical margin clearly evident; the distal part of the vestibular edge of the crown is rounded, less flared than the mesial part. Only that part of the root proximal to the neck remains; the margins of the broken root present sharp edges. The crown is uniformly worn with a slight prevalence on the vestibular side; the type of wear is compatible with an occlusion type head to head. We could be dealing with a tooth lost physiologically or near the physiological term. Sizes and morphological features observed on the San Bernardino remains, do not contradict a possible attribution to the Neandertal group, but, these features alone, do not permit a certain taxonomic attribution; their provenance from the Mousterian levels of the cave, anyway, give us some information about human variability during this phase of the European peopling.

Morphological Diagnosis Turns from Gestalt to Geometry

In 1917, W. D’Arcy Thompson had posed the question of size-shape relationship in terms of “Growth and Form” by linking the size-shape problem to the following two fundamental concepts: on the one hand, that is possible to base morphological classifications on a non dimensional type of mathematics (analytical functions), on the other hand, it can be postulated that this approach would allow the verification of the “principle of discontinuity”, with particular relevance if this principle occurs in morphogenesis. It is by a Sistema Naturae rethinking D’Arcy Thompson (the “great” D’Arcy Thompson, in our opinion), and not by more popular D’Arcy Thompson’s proposal of coordinate trasformation method which is, actually, unrealable and uneffective because it uses discrete landmarks that require to assign an arbitrary meaning of biological homology to the given landmarks, so loosing information on intervals among landmarks.

A new approach to the histologic study of ovarian tumors by analytical morphometry

In recent years, borderline epithelial tumors of the ovary have been investigated by morphometric techniques to allow for a differential diagnosis from benign and malignant neoplasms. In order to enhance this discriminant power, we have applied a new analytical procedure to the evaluation of the nuclear shape in epithelial ovarian tumors. Sixty nuclei of benign ovarian serous neoplasms, 60 nuclei of serous borderline tumors and 60 nuclei of serous carcinomas (18 cases in all) were examined using the software system SAM (Shape Analytical Morphometry). The morphometric procedure consisted of three different phases: (i) extraction of nuclear fundamental curve: this is a function curve giving the smoothing of the original contour by two parametric equations (separately for x and y values as dependent variables); (ii) evaluation of nuclear contour irregularities by Fourier analysis; (iii) evaluation of nuclear shape asymmetry by SAE (Shape Asymmetry Evaluator): this is the ratio between the length of a segment of a parabola interpolating the original curve points and a straight line joining its extremities for a 180° barycentric rotation according 10° steps. All the obtained independent parameters were submitted to statistical analysis. Nuclei of borderline tumors showed dimensional parameters which were intermediate between those of benign and malignant tumors. Both the asymmetry and the irregularities of nuclear contour were greatest in carcinomas.