Histopathological aspects of pulmonary carcinoid tumors.

Pulmonary carcinoid tumors are considered low grade malignant tumors, arising from neuroendocrine cells from bronchial mucosa. The small cell proliferation is arranged in small nests or trabeculae, the nuclei are round to oval with finely dispersed chromatin, indistinct nucleoli, small amount of cytoplasm, indistinct borders. Problems of differential diagnosis could appear in distinction with others malignancies like adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, lymphomas and others neuroendocrine tumors, especially in the different prognosis and therapeutic approach.

Histopathologic aspects in a case of strumal carcinoid (struma ovarii and carcinoid).

The authors present the histopathologic aspects in a case of strumal carcinoid (struma ovarii and carcinoid) with 5 years clinical follow-up. The differential diagnosis difficulties between a thyroid carcinoma developed within a struma ovarii and various patterns of carcinoid are also stressed.

Increased autophagocytosis induced by colchicine in rat sympathetic neurons.

The effect of colchicine was followed up in the superior cervical ganglion of rats. An increase was observed in the number of autophagocytosis vacuoles in the neurons, especially three and four hours after the intraperitoneal injection of colchicine (0.05 mg/100 g.

Ultrastructure of macrocellular (large cell) carcinomas of the lung.

The electronmicroscopic investigation of five lung tumors histodiagnosed as macrocellular carcinomas showed the ultrastructural monomorphism of large, variedly shaped neoplastic cells, lack of intercellular junctions, voluminous nuclei with many indentations of nuclear membrane, dispersed euchromatin, large and multiple nucleoli, and nuclear bodies. A reduced number of cytoplasmic organelles was characteristic for these cells, represented mainly by mitochondria, rare rough endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes rare Golgi vesicles and flattened tubules, and a various amount of tonofilaments. These features characterized the poorly differentiated proliferation forming these tumors.

Electronmicroscopic observations on epidermoid (squamous cell) carcinomas of the lung.

Five epidermoid (squamous cell) carcinomas of the lung histopathologically diagnosed were ultrastructurally analysed; special attention was given to the poorly differentiated-immature areas of proliferation. Wide intercellular spaces between irregular cytoplasms with protrusions and microvilli, a high incidence of indentations of nuclear membranes, a large amount of nuclear bodies, shape, size and structure anomalies of mitochondria, a great number of desmosomes and of tonofilaments and tonofibril bundles and their relations with desmosomes and with the finger-like cytoplasmic expansions were noticed. A few secretory granules were also present in these poorly differentiated-immature areas of epidermoid carcinomas of the lung.

Fine structure of lipid storage in epithelial cells lining bile ducts in Niemann-Pick's disease.

Lipid lamellated vacuoles have been found in epithelial cells lining bile ducts in a case of Niemann-Pick's disease. The lipidic vacuoles were few and small within these cells and were placed in the cell apical area.

Studies concerning the viability of the preserved kidney with perfusates other than plasma.

Based on previous data, this research deals with the study of cellular ultrastructure of renal tissue (cortical and medullary) in conditions of preservation through a continuous hypothermic pulsatile perfusion, using a solution that substitutes plasma as the perfusate. This experiment was done on isolated dog kidneys perfused with a specialized perfusion machine. The results clearly show that with this method of renal preservation, no major lesions or irreversible modifications of the nephrons occur within 12 hours, offering the organ posttransplanting compatibility.

[Tumors of the soft parts of the extremities. Anatomoclinical and therapeutic aspects].

A total of 60 cases are presented, of patients with tumours of the soft parts of the limbs, from a total of 14,000 surgical interventions. Of the total 18 were malignant tumours, while the remaining 42 cases had benign tumours. Tumours of the soft parts of the limbs include a large variety of histologic forms, and this raises particular problems of diagnosis and treatment.

[Phyllode tumors: anatomoclinical and therapeutic aspects (5 clinical cases)].

The phyllodes tumour is a bi-tissular mammary tumour. It is essentially benign but potentially sarcomatous, presenting multiple clinical and histologic-aspects, and raises difficult problems of diagnosis and therapeutic attitude. Four histological types are described, from the adenofibromatous type to the sarcomatous one.

Ultrastructural peculiarities of intercellular junctions in bronchopulmonary carcinomas.

Six bronchopulmonary carcinomas of various histological types (macrocellular, epidermoid) were electronmicroscopically studied on bronchial biopsy samples. The scarcity of intercellular junctions was observed in all of them, especially in carcinoma types or zones (i.e.

Fenestrations in endothelium of rat liver sinusoids revisited by freeze-fracture.

The freeze-fracture appearance of fenestrations of sinusoidal endothelial cells has been reassessed in perfusion-fixed rat liver. Fenestrations, limited to the attenuated portions of the endothelial cell cytoplasm are usually round or oval in shape, with diameters ranging from 40-600 nm. Within a given fenestrated region, they are disposed in clusters forming sieve plates.

Encephalopathy subsequent to accidental poisoning with chlorpromazine.

A cerebral biopsy performed in an infant 9 months after accidental poisoning with chlorpromazine was studied. Light microscopy disclosed necrosing encephalopathy, while electron microscopy showed neuronal, glial, myelinic and vascular lesions. The findings in the present study suggest that the various neurologic syndromes appearing in cases of prolonged treatment with neuroleptic drugs and persisting after cessation of therapy would be due to consequent occurrence, in specific areas, of some irreversible cerebral lesions.

Identification of Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers. Electron microscopical investigation of skeletal muscle.

In order to identify a subclinical dystrophy, muscle biopsy specimens from 15 mothers of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were studied by electron microscopy. Genetic investigations and biochemical determinations were not conclusive for a diagnosis of the carrier state. The fine structural lesions were sufficient to vertify the diagnosis of a subclinical dystrophy, and our findings were in agreement with other investigators.