V. Pesce Delfino

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.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis aided by the S.A.M. system.

In the attempt to discriminate between centroblasts and immunoblasts, an analytical morphometrical procedure was adopted, considering the nuclei of a randomly selected centroblastic and immunoblastic population from non-Hodgkins lymphomas and the nucleoli of a more restricted number of the same neoplastic population. All the size-independent shape-descriptor parameters extracted for each step of the mathematical analyses used were submitted to Hotellings multivariate discriminant analysis that enabled us to achieve a good distinction (3% error) between centroblasts and immunoblasts when nuclear and nucleolar parameters were used together.

Morphometrical investigation of medulloblastoma nuclei by S.A.M. (Shape Analytical Morphometry) software system

In order to characterize medulloblastomas and to get over the difficulties sometimes encountered in differential diagnosis, a double morphometric procedure has been applied to its nuclei. The first consisted of size measurements (maximum diameter, area and perimeter), the latter is represented by S.A.M. (Shape Analytical Morphometry) software-system specifically implemented to describe shape of biological structure by analytical parameters. Analytical and dimensional parameters submitted to Hotellings multivariate discriminant analysis gave the best results when used together in convenient discriminant subsets, thereby allowing a good distinction between medulloblastoma in comparison with neuroblastoma, Ewings tumor, lymphoblastic and lymphocytic lymphoma. These results underline the usefulness of morphometric characterization also for practical diagnostic purposes.

Hand-Mirror (HM) Cells in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (A.L.L.): An Attempt at Cellular Classification by Morphometric Analytical Parameters Using the S.A.M. (Shape Analytical Morphometry) System

A morphometric study of the nuclear and cytoplasmic shape of a blastic population in a case of HM-A.L.L. was performed by comparing the two differently shaped populations with and without HM configuration. The results obtained using analytical size-independent parameters created by the S.A.M. work-station enable us to characterize the shape of both blastic cell populations quantitatively, and strongly suggest the existence of shape modulation from one cellular type toward the other. Thus a possible sequence from blastic cells (having regular, rather round nuclei) to HM cells (characterized by high distortion of both nucleus and cytoplasm) was proposed.

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.