Tomoko Kagiya

Loss of cell cohesion in breast cytology as a characteristic of neuroendocrine carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To characterize a specific group of breast cancers displaying a scattered single cell pattern in cytology and correlate it with histologic and immunohistochemical findings. STUDY DESIGN Of 135 consecutive malignant breast cytologic specimens, 12 cases were selected for their scattered single cell pattern on aspiration cytology. Immunohistochemical staining for neuroendocrine markers and prognostic parameters was performed on paraffin sections of corresponding primary breast carcinomas. RESULTS In the smears of the 12 cases, highly cellular neoplastic cells with a single cell pattern were observed predominantly. The tumor cells had relatively wide, granular cytoplasm and a low to moderate nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. Histologically, they were arranged mainly in relatively large, solid nests and occasionally contained a tubular pattern with small amounts of stromal tissue. Five of the 12 cases demonstrated neuroendocrine differentiation with a positive immunoreaction for chromogranin A and synaptophysin. Except for the small mean size of the tumors (P < .01), no significant differences were identified among the prognostic parameters, including a nodal status, estrogen receptor status, growth fraction by Ki-67 or immunoreactivity for c-erbB-2, as compared with the other 123 cases. CONCLUSION Loss of cell cohesion in breast cytology is a good morphologic marker for identifying neuroendocrine breast carcinoma.

3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde Derived from Prunus mume Seed Inhibits Oxidative Stress and Enhances Estradiol Secretion in Human Ovarian Granulosa Tumor Cells

Granulosa cells form ovarian follicles and play important roles in the growth and maturation of oocytes. The protection of granulosa cells from cellular injury caused by oxidative stress is an effective therapy for female infertility. We here investigated an effective bioactive compound derived from Prunus mume seed extract that protects granulosa cells from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis. We detected the bioactive compound, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (3,4-DHBA), via bioactivity-guided isolation and found that it inhibited the H2O2-induced apoptosis of granulosa cells. We also showed that 3,4-DHBA promoted estradiol secretion in granulosa cells and enhanced the mRNA expression levels of steroidogenic factor 1, a promoter of key steroidogenic enzymes. These results suggest that P. mume seed extract may have clinical potential for the prevention and treatment of female infertility.

Biological and epidemiological evidence of anti-allergic effects of traditional Japanese food ume (Prunus mume)

Japanese apricot (Prunus mume; ume) is a traditional food in Japan that has been shown to have various beneficial health effects. There is some evidence to suggest that ume is also effective against allergic disease. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional epidemiological pilot study to examine the association between ume intake frequency and allergic symptoms including rhinitis in 563 adults (288 men and 275 women) who resided in Wakayama, Japan. After adjusting for age, present illness and medication, women with high ume intake had significantly lower odds ratio (OR) for the presence of symptoms of allergy [OR: 0.49 with 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25–0.97]. Therefore, we investigated the anti-allergic effect of ume on passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in immunoglobulin E (IgE)-sensitized mice. The animal study demonstrated that oral administration of ume extract attenuated the PCA reaction and mast cell degranulation. Furthermore, RBL-2H3 mast cells were used to identify anti-allergic ume compounds. The following ume compounds inhibited IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation: vanillin, syringic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, lyoniresinol and p-coumaric acid. These results suggested that ume has the potential to inhibit mast cell degranulation and may be associated with reduced risk of allergic symptoms in women.

Loss of cellular cohesion in cytology composes a special subgroup of breast tumors - analysis of 37 cases.

Objective: We analyzed smears by fine needle aspiration (FNA) from 37 cases that displayed numerous dissociated cells and correlated the results with histological findings. Study Design: Between 1996 and 2005, 1,583 patients underwent breast FNA and resection. Loss of cellular cohesion was observed in 37 of these cases. Results: From the cytological findings, we classified cases into 3 groups according to cell size and shape. Type A: numerous isolated spindle cells with a necrotic background. Four cases were classified into this group (3 cases of intraductal papilloma and 1 case of adenomyoepithelioma). Type B: lymphocytes and large isolated cells such as medullary carcinoma. Five cases were classified into this group [1 case of classic medullary carcinoma, 1 case of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 3 cases of invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST)]. Type C: numerous uniform small round cells. Twenty-eight cases were classified into this group (2 cases of lobular carcinoma, 1 case of DCIS, 22 cases of invasive carcinoma NST, and 3 cases of solid papillary carcinoma). Conclusion: Numerous isolated cells are sometimes seen in both benign and malignant cytology.

Cytological characteristics of lobular carcinoma of the breast.

目的:乳腺小葉癌の細胞像を明らかにする.方法:409例の乳癌切除例を再検討し, 10例の浸潤性小葉癌を見出した. これらの術前穿刺細胞診パパニコロウ染色標本を再検討した.成績:今回の10例はすべてが悪性 (クラスIV, V) と診断されており, 細胞少数のため診断不能が1例あったが, クラスIIIや誤陰性例は認められなかった. 細胞像は, 教科書的な線状配列や細胞質小腺腔を確認できたものはそれぞれ1例, 2例と少なかった. しかし, 筋上皮が認められないこと, 細胞集塊の疎結合性と異常, 核クロマチンの増量と分布の異常を認めた.結論:細胞が多く得られた標本では, 核のクロマチンの異常に着目することと, 細胞集塊の異常と筋上皮の有無に着目することにより, 悪性の診断は, 多くの場合可能と考えられる. しかし, 小葉癌の典型的細胞所見はまれであり, 乳管癌との区別をすることは実際的には困難と考えた.