Motoi Oguchi

Distribution of collagen type IV in soft tissue tumors: An immunohistochemical study

The distribution of collagen type IV, one of the major constituents of basement membrane, was studied immunohistologically in a series of 103 soft tissue tumors including those of peripheral nerve origin, smooth muscle origin, striated muscle origin, fibrous tissue origin, fibrohistiocytic origin, adipose tissue origin, synovial tissue origin, and blood vessel origin, paragangliomas, alveolar soft part sarcomas, granular cell tumors, and epithelioid sarcomas. Intensely positive staining for collagen type IV was observed in neurilemomas, neurofibromas, malignant schwannomas, and blood vessel tumors. Weakly to moderately positive staining was seen in leiomyomas, angiomyomas, and leiomyosarcomas. In contrast, synovial, fibroblastic and fibrohistiocytic tumors, benign or malignant, were negative. In paragangliomas, granular cell tumors, and alveolar soft part sarcomas, positive staining was evident surrounding nests or clusters of tumor cells. In all tumors, staining for collagen type IV clearly illustrated the vascular pattern. Cancer 58:269–277, 1986.

Ultrastructural studies of spontaneously regressing plane warts. Langerhans cells show marked activation

SummaryUltrastructural changes of Langerhans cells during spontaneous involution of plane warts were examined. In areas with activated macrophages and epidermal cell interaction, Langerhans cells showed signs of enhanced cellular activity with an increased number of Langerhans cell granules, as in contact dermatitis. The fine structure of Langerhans cell granules, however, was unusual in that the vesicular portion was surrounded internally by a membrane, and this portion frequently occurred independently taking the shape of a loop.ZusammenfassungEs wurden die ultrastrukturellen Veränderungen der Langerhansschen Zellen während der spontanen Involution der Plattenwarze untersucht. In den Gebieten mit aktivierten Makrophagen und epidermischen Zellen zeigten die Langerhansschen Zellen, wie in der Kontaktdermatitis, ein Zeichen erhöhter cellulärer Aktivität mit Vermehrung der cellulären Körner. Ungewöhnlich an der feinen Struktur der Körner der Langerhansschen Zellen war, daß der vesiculäre Teil innen mit einer Membrane umgeben wurde und daß dieser Teil häufig in Gestalt einer Schlinge vorkam.

Distribution of collagen Type IV in brain tumors: An immunohistochemical study

SummaryOne hundred-twenty seven human brain tumors were examined by an immunoperoxidase technique for the expression of collagen Type IV, a major constituent of basement membrane. The parenchymal components were negative for the marker protein in all tumors except for neurilemmomas which were positively stained. In every case, the antibody to collagen Type IV showed distinct staining of the vascular pattern. In gliomas, capillaries increased in number and the vascular staining increased in intensity. Fine branching capillaries and endothelial glomeruloid proliferations characteristic each of oligodendrogliomas and glioblastomas could be distinctly illustrated. In two ependymomas, marked capillary proliferation was noted in periventricular areas. Fibrillar staining was observed between the tumor cells in seven of 34 meningiomas. Pericapillary lamellar deposition of collagen Type IV suggests a vascular origin of psammoma bodies. In some malignant tumors, pial-glial membranes were disrupted and the Virchow-Robin spaces were filled with malignant cells. Collagen Type IV was absent around the stromal cells of hemangioblastomas, suggesting that these stromal cells were unrelated histogenetically with endothelial cells. Collage Type IV may be useful in the differential diagnosis between meningiomas and neurilemmonas.

Ultrastructural studies of spontaneously regressing plane warts. Macrophages attack verruca-epidermal cells

SummaryPlane warts were examined at the earliest phase of spontaneous involution using an electron microscopy. Macrophages outnumbered lymphocytes in invading the epidermis. Lymphocytes exhibited pseudopods on the surface which occasionally reached into the epidermal cells. The cell membranes of both macrophages and epidermal cells frequently disappeared on the contacting surface and on occasion part of the cytoplasm and even the nucleus of macrophages invaded the epidermal cells. The macrophages showed an independent partial loss of their cell membranes with a subsequent outpour of their contents. This ultrastructural feature indicates that in spontaneously regressing plane warts the depressed membrane stability of macrophages as observed in BCG and other-induced tumor cell destruction also occurs in the presence of lymphocytes. Therefore, the spontaneous involution may represen a rejection phenomenon.ZusammenfassungPlane Warzen in der frühesten klinischen Phase der spontanen Involution wurden elektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. Es wurde gezeigt, daß Makrophagen und Lymphocyten in die Epidermis einwandern und daß die Zahl der ersteren die der letzteren überschritt. Die Lymphocyten zeigten Pseudopodien an der Oberfläche und diese drangen zuweilen in die epidermischen Zellen ein. An der Berührungsfläche der Makrophagen und der epidermalen Zellen verschwanden häufig Membranen beider Zellen und gelegentlich wurde ein Teil des Cytoplasmas und auch des Nucleus der Makrophagen von den Zellen der Epidermis aufgenommen. Außerdem wurde ein davon unabhängiger partieller Verlust der Zellmembranen der Makrophagen beobachtet. Diese ultrastrukturellen Verhältnisse zeigen, daß in der spontan zurückgehenden planen Warze eine verringerte Stabilität der Makrophagenmembranen in Gegenwart von Lymphocyten sich entwickelt, wie sie in der durch BCG und anderen Ursachen zerstörten Tumorzelle beobachtet wird, und daß die spontane Involution ein Abstoßungs-Phänomen darstellen kann.

Ultrastructural studies of allergic contact dermatitis in man

SummaryThe kind and fine structure of mononuclear cells appearing in the epidermis at about 6 h of allergic contact dermatitis were examined by electron microscopy. They were monocytes and lymphocytes, the number being about equal. The ultrastructure of monocytes was that described for normal ones in blood, and apparently actively moving, streching the intercellular connections of the keratinocytes. Lymphocytes displayed a round or oval nucleus with some electron-dense cytoplasm which contained ribosomes and polysomes but only occasional mitochondria and Golgi complexes.ZusammenfassungDie Art und Feinstruktur mononuklearer Zellen, die bei allergischer Kontaktdermatitis nach ungefähr 6 h in der Epidermis auftreten, wurden im Elektronenmikroskop untersucht. Es handelte sich um Monocyten und Lymphocyten, die in ungefähr gleicher Zahl auftraten. Die Ultrastruktur der Monocyten war die gleiche wie die normaler Monocyten im Blut. Offenbar in aktiver Bewegung, erweitern sie die intercellulären Verbindungen der Keratinocyten. Die Lymphocyten zeigten einen runden oder ovalen Kern mit einigem elektronendichten Cytoplasma, das Ribosomen und Polysomen enthielt, aber nur fallweise Mitochondrien und Golgi-Komplexe.

Ultrastructural studies of epidermis in acute radiation dermatitis

SummaryFine structural changes of keratinocytes by X-ray were examined in normal skin area around a lesion of Bowens disease. The area was exposed to about 6000 r over 28 days. The findings were: a decreased number of desmosomes and microvilli, formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles with or without membrane, perinuclear aggregation of tonofibrils, intracytoplasmic desmosomes and gap junction, cytoplasmic occurrence of dense bodies, lipid droplet and glycogen particles, changes in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex, and deep invagination of the nuclear membrane. Besides these, conspicuous in the present study were, changes in the basal lamina which consisted of multiplication, thickening and occasional detachment from basal cells, and frequent occurrence of coated vesicles along with the basal lamina alteration. Possible exocytotic nature of coated vesicles in X-ray irradiated keratinocytes is discussed.ZusammenfassungÄnderungen in der Feinstruktur von Keratinocyten durch Röntgenstrahlung im gesunden Umfeld von Hautschädigungen durch Morbus Bowen wurden untersucht. Die Hautpartie wurde mit einer Gesamtdosis von 6000 r innerhalb von 28 Tagen bestrahlt. Gefunden wurde im einzelnen: verminderte Anzahl von Desmosomen und Mikrovilli, Bildung von cytoplasmatischen Vacuolen mit oder ohne Membran, Ansammlung von Tonofibrillen in der Umgebung des Kerns, Desmosomen im Cytoplasma und “gap junction”, Auftreten von “dense bodies”, Lipidtröpfchen und Glykogenpartikel im Cytoplasma, Veränderungen der Mitochondrien, des endoplasmatischen Reticulum und des Golgi-Apparats, tiefe Einschnürungen der Kernmembran. Weiterhin fanden sich bemerkenswerte Änderungen in der mehrschichtigen Basallamina, nämlich Verdickungen und gelegentliche Ablösung von den basalen Zellen sowie häufiges Auftreten von “coated vesicles” verbunden mit der Änderung in der Basallamina. Ein möglicher Exocytose-Charakter der “coated vesicles” in Keratinocyten, die Röntgenstrahlen ausgesetzt worden sind, wird diskutiert.

A Case of Pretibial Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: Decreased Expression of the Non-helical Domain of Type VII Collagen Molecule

A 27‐year‐old man with an ataxic gait due to infantile cerebral paralysis exhibited recurrent blistering caused by mechanical stimuli on the pretibial areas of both legs from the age of 20. His parents were not consanguineous, and he had no relatives who suffered from blistering. The histology showed a subepidermal bulla due to dermolytic epidermal‐dermal separation. The anchoring fibrils were sparse and rudimentary in the predilection area. An LH 7:2 monoclonal antibody against the non‐helical domain of the type VII collagen molecule stained the basement membrane zone of the patients skin at a weaker intensity than the staining of normal human skin, but at a distinctively stronger intensity than the staining of skin from a patient with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that LH 7:2‐immuno‐reactants were distributed irregularly within the lamina densa and sparsely in the sublamina densa region. The patient was diagnosed with pretibial dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

Human Ia-Like-Antigen-Expressed Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma Associated with Epstein-Barr Virus Infection

2 cases of cutaneous T cell lymphoma are reported. In both cases immunological studies revealed that the tumor cells from the cutaneous lesions had human Ia-like antigen on the cell surface, which was considered to be alloantigen primarily present on B lymphocytes. Serum examination showed an extremely high titer of two types of antibody against Epstein-Barr (EB) virus in the 1st case and a relatively high titer of one type of antibody in the 2nd case, suggesting that the patients had EB virus infection. Recently, some hematologists found the significant correlation of T lymphocytosis and the appearance of human Ia-like antigen in infectious mononucleosis. Based on these findings, it is assumed that EB virus has the ability of the immunological transformation of cutaneous neoplastic lymphocytes, and so we should not overlook the susceptibility of phenotypical changes of the original cell by EB virus when the immunological classification of cutaneous malignant lymphoma is done.