Fine needle aspiration cytology of oral and pharyngeal lesions. A study of 45 cases

Forty-five patients with oral or pharyngeal swellings were subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the mucosal surface over eight years. The age of the patients ranged from 2 to 85 years. The male:female ratio was 25:20. The common sites of involvement were palate (16 cases), cheek (9), pharynx (7) and tonsillar/peritonsillar area (6). Tongue, maxilla, alveolus and lips were less frequently involved. FNAC played an important role in differentiating inflammatory from neoplastic lesions and also benign from malignant neoplasms. Fifteen cases were cytologically diagnosed as benign neoplasms and included pleomorphic adenoma (11 cases), schwannoma (2), odontogenic tumor (1) and benign neoplasm not otherwise specified (1). Sixteen cases were diagnosed as malignancies. There were seven cases of malignant salivary gland tumors and 6 of squamous cell carcinoma. Two cases were high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and one was malignant odontogenic tumor. Of the 11 inflammatory or reactive lesions, 4 were found to be harboring Actinomyces. The rate of inadequate sampling was 6.7%. Histopathology reports on excised tissue were available for 10 cases only. Seven of nine cases with adequate cytology (77.88%) showed complete agreement with histology.     

Cloning and localization of RPE65 mRNA in salamander cone photoreceptor cells1

RPE65 is a potential retinoid-processing protein expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium. Mutations in the RPE65 gene have been shown to cause certain inherited retinal dystrophies. Previous studies have shown that salamander cone photoreceptor cells have a unique retinoid processing mechanism which is distinct from that of rods. To determine whether RPE65 is expressed in photoreceptors, the RPE65 cDNA was cloned from a salamander retinal cDNA library. The deduced protein consists of 533 amino acids and is 85% identical to human and bovine RPE65. The RPE65 mRNA was detected in all of the single cone cells isolated from the salamander retina, as well as in the retinal pigment epithelium by RT-PCR, but not in the isolated rods. The RT-PCR products have been confirmed to be RPE65 by DNA sequencing. The results indicate that this potential retinoid processing protein is expressed in the cone photoreceptor cells but not in rods. Therefore, this protein may contribute to the unique retinoid processing capabilities in salamander cones.     

High-affinity aptamers selectively inhibit human nonpancreatic secretory phospholipase A2 (hnps-PLA2)

Evidence is growing that reactive oxygen species (ROS), by-products of (normal) cellular aerobic metabolism, are involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. One of these diseases is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which motoneurons die, leading to paralysis and death. It remains uncertain whether ROS are the cause of (apoptotic) motoneuron death in ALS. To further understand the role of ROS in motoneuron death, we investigated the effects of ROS on isolated spinal rat motoneurons in culture. ROS were generated with a combination of iron(III) and ascorbate, or with hydrogen peroxide. Both toxic treatments resulted in a dose-dependent motoneuron death. Iron(III)/ascorbate toxicity was completely prevented with the hydrogen peroxide detoxifying enzyme catalase and partially prevented with the antioxidant vitamin E. SOD1, the enzyme that removes superoxide, did not protect against iron(III)/ascorbate toxicity. ROS treatment caused apoptotic motoneuron death: low doses of iron(III)/ ascorbate or hydrogen peroxide resulted in complete apoptosis ending in nuclear fragmentation, while high doses of ROS resulted in incomplete apoptosis (nuclear condensation). Thus, depending on the dose of ROS, the motoneurons complete the apoptotic pathway (low dose) or are stopped somewhere during this route (high dose).     

Reduction in the cumulative incidence rate of cervical cancer by one life time selective screening

PATIENT: A 35-year-old man had suffered from leukemia since September 1990. A transplantation of bone marrow was carried out in February 1994. He developed a graft-versus-host disease in November 1995. In December 1995 a keratoplasty was necessary because of a perforated corneal ulcer. 17 days later the patient noted a complete loss of vision, first in the left and one day later in the right eye. The optic nerve head was white and the retina looked ischaemic like in central retinal artery occlusion. A hypodensic area was found in the frontal brain reaching up to the optic chiasm in computer tomography. Inspite of intensive treatment the immunosuppressed patient died 4 days after he had become blind. Autopsy showed a mycotic infiltration by mucormycosis of the brain and the right optic nerve sheath. This human- pathogenic fungal infection belongs to the group of mould as well as aspergillus. CONCLUSION: Mycosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute visual loss in immunosuppressed patients.     

Analysis of immunoglobulin genes in splenic marginal zone lymphoma suggests ongoing mutation

BACKGROUND: The incidence of venous thromboembolism has not been well described, and there are no studies of long-term trends in the incidence of venous thromboembolism. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and to describe trends in incidence. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the complete medical records from a population-based inception cohort of 2218 patients who resided within Olmsted County, Minnesota, and had an incident deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism during the 25-year period from 1966 through 1990. RESULTS: The overall average age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence of venous thromboembolism was 117 per 100000 (deep vein thrombosis, 48 per 100000; pulmonary embolism, 69 per 100000), with higher age-adjusted rates among males than females (130 vs 110 per 100000, respectively). The incidence of venous thromboembolism rose markedly with increasing age for both sexes, with pulmonary embolism accounting for most of the increase. The incidence of pulmonary embolism was approximately 45% lower during the last 15 years of the study for both sexes and all age strata, while the incidence of deep vein thrombosis remained constant for males across all age strata, decreased for females younger than 55 years, and increased for women older than 60 years. CONCLUSIONS: Venous thromboembolism is a major national health problem, especially among the elderly. While the incidence of pulmonary embolism has decreased over time, the incidence of deep vein thrombosis remains unchanged for men and is increasing for older women. These findings emphasize the need for more accurate identification of patients at risk for venous thromboembolism, as well as a safe and effective prophylaxis.     

HPTLC analysis of sphingomylein, ceramide and sphingosine in ischemic/reperfused rat heart

Since the sphingomylein-ceramide-sphingosine pathway, especially ceramide, has been shown to induce programmed cell death (apoptosis), and since apoptosis may be involved with ischemic/reperfused injury in the heart, it became desirable to quantitate the three components in ischemic/reperfused rat heart. One group of rat hearts (n = 6) was isolated and perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer using the Langendorff non-recirculating mode. The hearts were perfused for 10 min, made ischemic for 30 min and reperfused for 120 min. Hearts were collected and stored at - 70 degrees C before ischemia, after ischemia and after 30, 60 and 120 min of reperfusion. The hearts were homogenized, and lipids were extracted using the Folch method. The lipids were then chromatographed on Whatman silica gel 60 A high-performance thin-layered chromatography (HPTLC) plates. The plates were developed with iodine, photographed using Photoshop software and quantitated using NIH Imaging software. The results show a 50% decrease of sphingomylein during reperfusion with a corresponding increase in ceramide with sphingosine showing a smaller decrease as compared with the ceramide increase.