The glandular lesions of the uterine cervix can be classified into endocervical glandular dysplasia (EGD), adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and adenocarcinoma, but the diagnostic criteria and the continuity of endocervical glandular lesions are still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of immunohistochemical findings of p53 and MIB-1 in the discrimination and the continuity of EGD, AIS and adenocarcinoma. The materials for the study included 11 cases of adenocarcinoma, 7 cases of AIS, 12 cases of high grade EGD, and 19 cases of low grade EGD. Also included were eleven benign glandular lesions (5 cases of tuboendometrial metaplasia, 3 cases of mesonephric remnant, 3 cases of microglandular hyperplasia). A strong reaction of more than 5% of the glandular epithelial nuclei was interpreted as positive for p53 protein. MIB-1 expression was analyzed semiquantitatively as negative, 1 , 2 , 3 , depending on the percentage of positive nuclei (less than 1%, 1~9%, 10~39%, > or = 40%, respectively). p53 protein expression was found in 3 (27.3%) out of 11 cases of adenocarcinoma, and 2 (28.6%) out of 7 cases of AIS. But all of high and low grade EGD cases were negative. High MIB-1 labelling index (> or =10%) was found in all adenocarcinoma cases and in 3 (42.9%) out of 7 cases of AIS. But only 2 (17.7%) out of 12 cases of high grade EGD showed high MIB-1 labelling index, and all of low grade EGD and benign lesions showed negligible MIB-1 positivities. In summary, MIB-1 labelling index might be valuable in the discrimination of malignant glandular lesions and endocervical glandular dysplasia from benign lesions, but p53 expression could be a useful parameter in the discrimination of malignant glandular lesions from endocervical glandular dysplasia and benign lesions.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cervix Uteri* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Metaplasia

Although there have been many reports about the importance of the spleen's role in hepatic fibrogenesis, the exact mechanism is still uncertain. The author designed this study to evaluate splenic function on hepatic fibrogenesis. The degree of hepatic fibrosis and the population of splenocyte subsets were studied in the experimental animal model with fibrosis produced by injecting normal swine serum intra-peritoneally into Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into three groups; group A was subjected to injection of swine serum only, group B swine serum and complete Freund's adjuvant and group C swine serum and cyclosporin A. The experimental hepatic fibrogenesis by swine serum was augumented by coinjection with the adjuvant and inhibited by cyclosporin A. The study of the splenocyte subset revealed increased percentages of spienic B cell and CD4+ cell and a decreased percentage of CD8+ cell, and these changes of splenocyte subset were also augumented by the adjuvant and inhibited by cyclosporin A. The percent of monocytes was not significantly altered, although a tendancy of early decrease by the adjuvant was noted.
Rats ; Animals

E-cadherin (ECD) is a Ca++ -dependent adhesion molecule which plays a major role in the maintenance of intercellular adhesion in epithelial tissues. The expression pattern of ECD in 77 surgically resected gastric adenocarcinomas was examined by immunohistochemistry, using a rat monoclonal antibody raised against murine E-cadherin (DECAM-1). ECD was strongly expressed uniformly at cell to cell borders in normal gastric epithelium without exception. But, various staining patterns were observed in the cancer tissues. The frequency of tumors with preserved ECD expression (Pre-type) and reduced ECD expression (Rd-type) was 44% and 56%, respectively. Using Lauren's classification, the high frequency of the Pre-type expression in adenocarcinoma of the intestinal type was significantly higher than that in adenocarcinoma of the diffuse type (p<0.05). But, no significant correlation between the ECD expression and the gross type, invasion depth, growth pattern or metastasis was observed. These results suggest that ECD might play a key role in the morphogenesis of gastric adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Animals ; Cadherins* ; Classification ; Epithelium ; Immunohistochemistry ; Morphogenesis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rats

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCC syndrome) is a very rare autosomal dominant dermatopathy characterized by a primary triad with variable secondary anomalies. The chief features include nevoid basal cell carcinomas, one or more skeletal anomalies, and multiple odontogenic keratocysts of the jaw. We report a case of NBCC syndrome in a 43-year old male who had multiple nevoid basal cell carcinomas on the retroauricular area, face, chest wall, and back, which have been present since childhood. Skull x-rays revealed relatively well-circumscribed cystic, radiolucent lesions on bilateral rami of both upper and lower jaws, calcification of the falx cerebri, agenesis of the right coronoid process, and a bifid chin. The cystic lesions were histologically confirmed as keratocysts.
Child ; Male ; Female ; Humans

Met protein is a transmembrane 190 kD heterodimer with tyrosine kinase activity, encoded by c-Met oncogene. It serves as a high affinity receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/scatter factor (SF), a cytokine which stimulates cell proliferation, motility, and invasion. In this study, we immunohistochemically evaluated the expression of Met/hepatocyte growth factor receptor in colorectal cancers. Met protein was expressed in 31 of 72 patients (43.1%). The staining pattern was cytoplasmic in nature, present throughout the tumor, and showed variable intensity from case to case. The relationship between the expression rate and intensity, and age and sex of patients, tumor size (p=0.645), tumor site (p=0.902) and tumor differentiation (p=0.844) was not statistically significant. The expression rate and intensity were significantly correlated with lymphovascular invasion (p=0.001), lymph node metastasis (p=0.010), depth of invasion (0.019), and stage (p=0.023). Cytoplasmic accumulation of Met protein was not associated with enhanced PCNA index of tumor cells (p=0.052). These results suggest that Met protein may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells.
Cell Proliferation ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Cytoplasm ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oncogenes ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases

Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) is a Ca2+ -dependent cell-cell adhesion molecule that connects cells via homotypic interactions. Its function is critical in the induction and maintenance of cell polarity and differentiation, and its loss is associated with an invasive and poorly differentiated phenotype in a wide range of tumors. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 36 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 14 cervical squamous cell carcinomas were investigated for the expression of E-cadherin immunohistochemically. While E-cadherin expression was usually restricted on the cell membrane of basal and parabasal cells in normal cervix, the presence of cytoplasmic E-cadherin was found to be associated with its grade in CIN lesions. Also, marked cytoplasmic staining was commonly revealed in poorly differentiated ones than well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas. More intense reactivity of cytoplasmic E-cadherin was frequently seen in the foci of invasion than adjacent carcinoma in situ, and in its periphery than the center of tumor islands. In addition, DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction of squamous cell carcinomas were analyzed and compared with those of CIN lesion. We found that invasive squamous cell carcinomas more frequently disclosed DNA aneuploidy than CIN lesions, and there was correlation between cytoplasmic E-cadherin expression and DNA aneuploidy. Also, cytoplasmic E-cadherin-reactive cervical neoplasms had a higher rate of cell proliferation than that of membranous E-cadherin-reactive cases. These data suggest that the increased cytoplasmic E-cadherin expression may represent one of the abnormalities underlying the loss of polarity and invasiveness of cancer cells, and the abnormal E-cadherin expression combined with/without DNA ploidy or S-phase fraction may serve as a prognostic indicator.
Aneuploidy ; Cadherins* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Polarity ; Cell Proliferation ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Cervix Uteri* ; Cytoplasm ; DNA* ; Female ; Islands ; Phenotype ; Ploidies* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a microvascular thrombotic lesion caused by endothelial injury and subsequent formation of platelet rich thrombus. TMA is first described as a classical pathologic feature of HUS/TTP. Renal biopsy finding of TMA represents kidney involvement of HUS/TTP as well as other diseases such as malignant hypertension, drug toxicity, eclampsia, pre-eclampsia, and several systemic infections. Autoimmune diseases and transplant kidney sometime also have TMA. It is needed to consider a complete autoimmune work-up of patients presenting with TMA including tests for ANA, ANCA, and ADAMTS13 inhibitory antibodies, because there are several reports of association with TMA in patients of SLE, anti-phospholipid syndrome, and ANCA-associated vasculitis.
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Blood Platelets ; Drug Toxicity ; Eclampsia ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Malignant ; Kidney ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Thrombosis ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies ; Transplants

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the role and the value as progression markers, of type IV collagen and E-cadherin in the pathogenesis of progressive uterine cervical epithelial lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Materials examined were 4 cases of normal exocervical squamous epithelium, 9 of endocervical squamous metaplasias, 2 of mild dysplasias, 8 of moderate dysplasias, 15 of severe dysplasias, 12 of carcinoma in situ, 7 of microinvasive squamous cell carcinomas, and 4 cases of invasive squamous cell carcinomas. All of them were biopsied ones and products of conization and hysterectomy. The expression of type IV collagen and E-cadherin in uterine cervical epithelial lesions were studied by immunohistochemical method using monoclonal antibodies to type IV collagen and E-cadherin. RESULTS: The expression of type IV collagen decreased relatively stepwise from squamous metaplasias to cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) and subsequently to invasive carcinomas. The expression of type IV collagen in normal uterine exocervical squamous epithelium was within normal range in contrast to variable expression in squamous metaplasia. There was no definite difference in expression pattern between early invasive carcinoma and advanced invasive carcinomas. Normal and squamous metaplastic epithelium of uterine cervix revealed membranous expression of E-cadherin and cervical intraepithelial lesions showed cytoplasmic expression or negative expression instead of membranous expression. There was clearcut difference in E-cadherin expression between normal or metaplastic epithelium and neoplastic lesions. CONCLUSION: The change of type IV collagen expression could be an early marker in the progression of uterine cervical epithelial lesions from normal epithelium. And the loss of differentiaton and polarity and the deranged expression of E-cadherin are closely correlated on the basis of the result that the changed expression of E-cadherin was evident in the stage of transition from normal to neoplastic lesions.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Cadherins* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Cervix Uteri ; Collagen Type IV* ; Conization ; Cytoplasm ; Epithelium ; Female ; Hysterectomy ; Metaplasia ; Reference Values

Verrucous carcinoma is a highly differentiated variant of squamous cell carcinoma and is very rare in the uterine cervix. It infiltrates locally but practically never metastasizes. Authors present a case of verrucous carcinoma arising in the uterine cervix of a 48 year-old Korean female and review literatures about the verrucous carcinoma reported.
Female ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: The clinical value of preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen(SCC) in relation to clinical stage, tumor volume, disease extent and prognosis has already reported in many papers. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between preoperative SCC level and pelvic lymph node metastasis. Matrials and METHODS: From March 1995 to December 1998, 157 patients who examined pretreatment SCC levels before undergoing radical hysterectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix were included. The effect of pelvic lymph node status on the SCC level was examined by comparing 125 cases with cancer limited uterus or upper vagina and 32 cases with cancer confined to the uterus (including upper vagina) and pelvic lymph node using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: 90% of patients without pelvic lymph node metastasis showed SCC levels of 2.9ng/ml or below. 60.7% of patients with serum SCC level more than 2.9ng/ml exhibited pelvic lymph node metastasis. The marker values exceeding 2.9ng/ml increased risk of nodal metastasis 5 times compared with serum level 2.9ng/ml or below. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the pelvic lymph node metastasis had a large impact on the marker level than did tumor size or depth of stromal infilteration. CONCLUSION: SCC levels greater than 2.9ng/ml can be considered a high risk zone for nodal metastasis
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Tumor Burden ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* ; Uterus ; Vagina