Ryo Fukunishi

Choriocarcinomatous change with immunocytochemically HCG-positive cells in the gastric carcinoma of the males

Gastric choriocarcinoma is a rare tumor and attracts interest because of its controversial pathogenesis. The present study reports a choriocarcinomatous change with immunocytochemically hCG-positive cells in the gastric carcinoma. The patients were males, one was 41 years old and the other 42 years old. The tumor of both cases consists of adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma. A sequential process of morphological transition of the adenocarcinoma to the choriocarcinoma can be traced. Indirect immunoperoxidase stain (PAP method) for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) demonstrates the localization of hCG in the syncytiotrophoblasts. Small number of cytotrophoblasts are weakly positive. None of the components of adenocarcinoma of both cases is positive for hCG. Human placental lactogen is not demonstrated in both cases. Stain for pregnancy specific β-1 glycoprotein is weakly positive in the adenocarcinoma of one case but not in the choriocarcinoma. In one case, the concentration of hCG was 19.9mIU/ml in the preoperative serum and decreased to 1.2mIU/ml after gastrectomy. HCG production by gastric carcinoma was discussed with regard to possible pathogenesis of gastric choriocarcinoma.

Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of urinary bladder

Abstract The tenth reported case of primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is described. This adenocarcinoma of varying degrees of differentiation (predominantly, signet-ring cells and, partially, poorly differentiated cells and mucin-secreting columnar cells which were arranged in glandular pattern) involved almost the entire mucosa, invading the inuscularis of bladder wall in places, ejaculating ducts, and prostatic ducts.

Murine Model for Immunoprophylaxis of Cytomegalovirus Infection

Murine cytomegalovirus was utilized as a model for human cytomeglovirus, which had no experimental animal, to study immunoprophylaxis of the cytomegalovirus infections. Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) serially propagated in mouse embryonic fibroblasts had lost pathogenicity for weanling mice including neonatally thymectomized mice. The cell culture‐adapted MCMV was effective as a “live, attenuated virus vaccine” against challenge by virulent, mouse‐passaged MCMV. The immunization via intraperitoneal route protected mice from every parameter of MCMV infection. These included clinical signs, virus replication, histopathology and mortality. The protective immunity was active against the virulent MCMV which was not neutralized by the rabbit anti‐attenuated MCMV serum.

Non-invasive thymoma with widespread blood-borne metastasis

A 49 year-old woman with multiple coin lesions in both lungs died three months after admission to hospital for progressive neurologic manifestations due to increasing intracranial pressure. At autopsy, neoplastic lesions were found in the anterior mediastinum, lungs, spleen, cerebrum, liver, right kidney and right ovary. Microscopically, the tumor was composed predominantly of epithelial cells which were arranged in an hemangiopericytoma-like pattern. Rosette formation was also prominent. This case was diagnosed as a thymoma with widespread blood-borne metastasis. Previous reports of metastasizing thymomas are very uncommon.

Serum alpha-fetoprotein-positive gastric carcinoid with liver metastasis

The patient was a 60-year-old Japanese male. He complained of epigastralgia and right chest pain of 4 months duration, and general malaise, nausea and vomiting of 2 months duration. Physical examination revealed on the right third rib a tender mass with a diameter of 2 cm and hepatomegaly with a multi-nodular surface and red palms. There were no signs of carcinoid syndrome, such as cutaneous flushing. Laboratory examinations disclosed certain biochemical alterations; alkaline phosphatase 810 IU/l, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) 2090 IU/l, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) 23.5 ng/ml and α-fetoprotein (AFP) 6,800 ng/ml. Both HBs-Ag and HBs-Ab were negative. The patient died in a uremic state, with rapid increases of jaundice and ascites. Autopsy revealed gastric carcinoid with extensive metastases to the liver and the bone marrow. Tumor cells showed argyrophilia but not argentaffinity. Immunofluorescence specific for AFP was positive in the hepatocytes, particularly those adjacent to the metastatic tumor cells but not in the tumor cells, either primary or secondary. 79 Cases reported in Japan of serum AFP-positive malignant tumor other than hepatocullular carcinoma and certain other malignancies of germ cell origin are reviewed and discussed.

Pathology of early lesions of mammary carcinoma and mammary dysplasia induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in the neonatally androgenized Sprague-Dawley female rats

SummaryFemale Sprague-Dawley rats were neonatally androgenized by giving subcutaneous injections of 1.25 mg of testosterone propionate at 2 days of age and were also given 20 mg of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene at 50 days of age. These androgenized rats were divided into 2 groups. Group I was for the induction of mammary dysplasia. Group II was for the induction of mammary carcinoma, in which the rats received daily intramusclar injections of 4 mg of progesterone beginning 14 days after carcinogen administration. To detect early lesions, the mammary glands of rats in both groups were examined grossly and histologically at regular intervals. The incidences of solid masses of mammary dysplasia with microscopic characteristics of acinar and fibrotic adenosis, of gross cystic mammary dysplasia and of mammary carcinoma were 91.7%, 70.6% and 5.8% in Group I, and 51.6%, 0% and 93.8% in Group II, respectively. Three kinds of microscopic lesion were detected in the mammary glands of 106-day-old rats; nodular acinar adenosis with a large lobular structure composed of numerous acini, microcysts with milky eosinophilic secretion in the lumina and atypical nodular ductal hyperplasia. The incidences of these three lesions were 68.4%, 68.4% and 0% in Group I, and 12.2%, 0% and 15.0% in Group II, respectively. This close agreement between the incidence of palpable and microscopically detectable lesions indicates that acinar adenosis and atypical ductal hyperplasia may represent the early changes of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary dysplasia and mammary carcinoma respectively. Cyst formation appears to be due to the continued accumulation of milky secretion.

Stereological analysis of Reinke's crystals in human Leydig cells.

Reinkes crystals in human Leydig cells were analyzed stereologically to assess their functional role. Testicular tissues were taken from seven older men (57–82 years old) with prostatic carcinoma and also from seven younger men (26–38 y.o.) complaining of male infertility. Sections 0.5 Μm thick, stained with toluidine blue or Heidenheins iron-hematoxylin were examined by a point-counting method and with a Particle Measurement Computor System (πMC). When the patients were grouped by age, the mean crystal volume, the number of crystals per cell, the volume of crystals per cell and the volume ratio of crystals to cell were significantly larger in the older age group than in the younger age group. In particular, the latter three variables correlated well with the age of subjects, with correlation coefficients of r=0.66–0.85. On the other hand, none of these variables had any correlation with the concentration of plasma testosterone. These results indicate that Reinkes crystals can be considered as degenerative products in cell life but not as facultative constituents for testosterone production.

Carcinoid tumor of the uterine cervix

A case of carcinoid tumor of the uterine cervix is reported. The patient was a 76-year-old Japanese woman with a complaint of vaginal bleeding. She was clinically diagnosed as stage IVb carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Light microscopically, the tumor was characterized by formation of solid cell nests and, in limited areas, glandular structures. The tumor cells in solid cells nests showed positive argyrophil reaction but were negative for argentaffin reaction. At the ultrastructural level, the cytoplasm of the tumor cells contain numerous neurosecretory granules, microfilaments and well-developed Golgi complexes. On the bases of histochemical and electron microscopic features of tumor cells, the tumor was diagnosed as carcinoid tumor of the uterine cervix.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. An autopsy case of the panencephalopathic type and a review of the literature.

This is a case report of a purported panencephalopathic type of Creutzfeldt‐Jakob (C‐J) disease in a 61‐year‐old Japanese farmer. He died nine months after the onset of clinical symptoms. This variety of C‐J disease was named and reported in 1981 by Mizutani. The characteristic feature is extensive degeneration of cerebral white matter not related to cortical damage in addition to the spongiform changes in the cortical gray matter. The case was diagnosed clinically and at post mortem marked neural loss, astrocytic macrogliosis, and degeneration of subcortical white matter were found. Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles were virtually absent. Degeneration of the white matter is uncommon in C‐J disease, and when it occurs is usually mild, and limited in distribution. ACTA PATHOL. JPN. 35: 1483–1494, 1985.

Ultrastructure of mammary carcinomas in male rats induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene

SummaryThe morphology of mammary tumors induced by 7,12-di-methylbenz(a) anthracene in male rats was investigated by light and electron microscopy. All tumors induced in male rats were carcinomas with prominent epithelial growth which shows a medullary or cribriform appearance. Neither mammary dysplasias nor fibroadenomas were induced in male rats. Foci of adenoid cystic carcinoma were encountered in some parts of tumors. Papillary and/or tubular patterns, which have been observed frequently in mammary carcinomas in female rats, were not prominent histologic features in male rats. Secretory activity was not remarkable. The morphology of mammary carcinomas in male rats was unchanged in primary and transplanted tumors under various hormonal conditions. This finding supports our previously published results that the mammary carcinomas in male rats are hormone-independent, althugh our previous biochemical study revealed that the tumors contain both estrogen and estrogen-dependent progesterone receptors.