Nobuyoshi Ozawa

Immunolocalization of epidermal growth factor receptor and c-erbB-2 oncogene product in human ovarian carcinoma.

Abnormalities of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and c-erbB-2 have been demonstrated to be correlated with aggressive biologic behavior in a variety of human cancers. To analyze the possible roles of these oncogenes in ovarian neoplasms, immunolocalization of EGFR and c-erbB-2 oncogene product was performed in 45 cases of human ovarian mucinous and serous cystadenomas, carcinomas of low malignant potential (LMP), and invasive carcinomas by employing antibodies against these oncogene products. EGFR immunoreactivity was present in 15 of 35 LMP and invasive carcinomas and 1 of 10 cystadenomas. On the contrary, immunoreactivity of p185, which is an oncogene product of c-erbB-2, was detected only in five cases of carcinoma and in no benign cystadenoma. These results indicate that EGFR may be involved in the neoplastic process in epithelial ovarian adenocarcinoma, especially mucinous carcinoma, but involvement of c-erbB-2 is probably not as prevalent as considered previously. Four of the five cases immunohistochemically positive for p185 were also positive for EGFR, which suggests that expression of EGFR and p185 is to some extent correlated in human ovarian carcinoma.

Immunohistochemical study of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) in normal and abnormal endometrium

To investigate the cell kinetics of human endometrial disorders immunolocation of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) was performed in 69 specimens of normal, hyperplastic, or malignant endometrial tissue that had been fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Immunoreactivity of PCNA was observed in all specimens examined. In the proliferative phase, PCNA positive cells were present in both the glands and stroma. In the secretory phase PCNA positive cells were seen principally in the stromal cells. A PCNA labeling index was obtained by counting one thousand cells per case. PCNA positivity in the proliferative phase was significantly higher than in the secretory phase (P < 0.01), but lower than in moderately differentiated (P < 0.01) or poorly differentiated (P < 0.05) adenocarcinoma. No significant differences in the PCNA labeling index were observed between hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. These findings indicate that possible biologic differences between these proliferative endometrial lesions are probably not due to differences in cell proliferative activity, but rather to factors other than proliferation such as their ability to invade.

A case of mosaic trisomy 14 due to an isochromosome, i(14q)

SummaryA malformed male infant showed a mosaic trisomy 14 with a karyotype of mos 46,XY/46,XY,−14,+i(14q). The mosaicism was found both in peripheral blood cultures and in lymphoblastoid cells transformed by EB virus infection. His clinical picture was compared with those of 5 previously reported cases of trisomy 14 mosaicism, and the following common phenotypic features were noted: growth retardation, psychomotor delay, narrow or asymmetrical palpebral fissures, broad nose, low-set and dysplastic ears, high-arched palate, micrognathia, short neck, congenital heart disease, and undescended testes.

Lower Incidence of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia among Young Women with Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Miyagi, Japan

The Japanese national immunization programme for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) started in 2010. Vaccination rates increased up to 70% in women in the 1996-1999 birth. However, the proactive recommendation for HPV vaccine was suspended in 2013, following repeated media reports of adverse events. Vaccination rates plumped to less than 1% in women born since 2002. In this study, incidence of abnormal cytology and histology was examined in terms of HPV vaccination among 5,924 women aged 20 to 24 years in the fiscal year (FY) 2014 and 2015. The total rate of vaccination was 16.9% (1,002/5,924). In case of FY 2015, the rates of vaccination were 59.26%, 49.68%, 11.97%, 9.08%, and 4.58% in those aged 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 years old, respectively. The rates of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) or worse were 0.20% (2/1,002) in women with HPV vaccination and 1.14% (56/4,922) in those without HPV vaccination, indicating a significant reduction of 82.46% with vaccination (P < 0.0001). The rates of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1+ were 0.80% (8/1,002) in women with vaccination and 2.28% (112/4,922) in those without vaccination. The reduction rate of CIN1+ was 64.91% (P = 0.0025). The rates of CIN2+ were 0.10% (1/1,002) with vaccination and 0.69% (34/4,922) without vaccination. The reduction rate of CIN2+ was 85.51% (P = 0.0261). Our data are the first to demonstrate a significant reduction of CIN2+ cases in an Asian population. Scientific discussion is needed to restart the proactive recommendation for HPV vaccine in Japan.

Effects of a medicinal herbal liqueur, Yomeishu, on post-operative gynecological patients

We administered 20 ml of Yomeishu (YMS) twice a day before meals for 12 weeks to 50 post-operative patients in gynecology and then inquired into their subjective 20 symptoms (sense of fatigue, insomnia, headache and heavy headedness, appetite, stomach-ache, abdominal inflation, vertigo, lumbago, etc.) The YMS group showed a significant improvement on 14 items compared with the control group. On the whole, a great improvement was observed in the YMS group with serious subjective symptoms as well, and there were significant differences for general condition, sense of fatigue, and coldness in extremities.

Malignant melanoma of the uterine cervix resembling leiomyosarcoma-A case report-

背景:子宮頸部原発の悪性黒色腫は非常にまれな腫瘍である. 今回われわれは, 当初メラニン色素が目立たず, 平滑筋肉腫類似の形態を示した子宮頸部悪性黒色腫を経験したので報告する.症例:66歳, 女性. 子宮癌検診で頸部細胞診クラスIV (上皮内癌または微小浸潤癌疑い) だが, 組織診で悪性所見を認めず, 直後と6ヵ月後に施行された細胞診の再検査でも陽性像は得られなかった.1年後の再検査でクラスV (平滑筋肉腫疑い), 腟に異常がないが頸管キュレットで悪性黒色腫と診断され, 子宮全摘+両側附属器切除+骨盤リンパ節郭清が行われた. 摘出標本の病理組織検査では子宮頸部の悪性黒色腫で, その一部はメラニンが乏しく平滑筋肉腫に類似していた. 手術時よりリンパ節転移があり, 術後化学療法を行ったが, 腟断端および骨盤内に転移巣が出現し, 腹水貯留を伴い術後1年8ヵ月で死亡した.結論:子宮頸部原発悪性黒色腫はまれな腫瘍だが, メラニン色素が目立たず, 細胞形態や免疫組織化学的態度を含めて平滑筋肉腫類似を示す症例もあり, 鑑別上も注意が必要である.

Spontaneous and MMC induced SCE in lymphocytes from patients with cervical cancer.

The frequencies of spontaneous and mitomycin C (MMC) induced sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were investigated in lymphocytes of the peripheral blood of women in different stages (O-III) of cervical cancer. Average generation time (AGT) was also examined by the replicative index (R.I.) method. The following results were obtained: The spontaneous SCE frequency was found to be significantly higher in the cancer group than in the control group; 8.21 +/- 1.42 (mean +/- S.D.) against 5.62 +/- 0.55. The SCE frequency gradually increased with the progression of the cervical cancer. The SCE frequency in patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS), the lowest stage of cervical cancer, was significantly higher than that of the controls. The frequency of MMC induced SCE was higher than that of spontaneous SCE in all groups, and the difference in frequency between MMC induced and spontaneous SCEs of cervical cancer group of the stages I-III was significant by different from that of the control group. The AGT of the cervical cancer group was shorter than that of the control group, but it was not statistically significant.