In 1927, Hamperl carried out histochemical studies on gastric cancer and found one case which contained many Fontana reactive argentaffin cells. Thereafter the gastric and intestinal adenocarcinomas which contain enterochromaffin cells such as argentaffin cell and argyrophil cell have been reported by several investigators. As the results, many reports revealed that 1.7 to 8% of gastric carcinomas and about 3% of intestinal carcinomas contained argentaffin cells, and 13 to 20% of gastric carcinomas and 12 to 15% of intestinal carcinomas contained argyrophil cells. The present study is aimed to evaluate the frequency of argentaffin and argyrophil cells in gastric and intestinal carcinoma in relation to the histopathological patterns. The material consisted of 282 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma and 83 cases of intestinal carcinoma which were diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine from January 1982 through December 1983. All cases were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological classification and with silver impregnation techniques for argentaffin and argyrophil granules. Staining for mucin was also performed using PAS stain. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Among 282 cases of gastric carcinomas, Grimelius positive argyrophil cells are noted in 43 cases (15.2%) and Fontana-Masson positive argentaffin cells are noted in 5 cases (1.8%). 2) Among 83 cases of intestinal carcinomas, Grimelius positive argyrophil cells are noted in 15 cases (18.2%) and Fontana-Masson positive argentaffin cells are noted in 1 cases (1.2%). 3) In gastric carcinoma, argyrophil cells are present in 31 cases (17.5%) among 176 male patients and and in 12 cases (11.3%) among 106 female patients. 4) In intestinal carcinoma, argyrophil cells are present in 9 cases (20.4%) amogn 44 male patients, and in 6 cases (15.4%) among 39 female patients. 5) According to classification by Willis, argyrophil cells are present in 12 cases (11.1%) among 108 well to moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma, 14 cases (14.4%) among 99 poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, 6 cases (30%) among 20 mucinous carcinoma, and 11 cases (21.1%) among 52 undifferentiated carcinoma. There is no significant difference in the frequency of argyrophil cells in relation to the histological type. 6) According to general classification of intestinal carcinoma, argyrophil cells are present in 9 cases (21.4%) among 42 well to moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma, 3 cases (15%) among 25 poorly differentiated adrcinom adenocarcinoma and and cases (18.7%) among 16 mucinous carcinoma. The argentaffin cells were noted only in one case, which was the case of well to moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma. In summary, the results of this study indicates that the frequency of enterochromaffin cells was 15.2% in stomach carcinoma and 18.2% in intestinal carcinoma. According to histological type, the Grimelius positivity was higher in mucinous and undifferentiated type, and higher frequency was noted in male than female.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Adenocarcinoma ; Stomach Neoplasms

Stomach cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm among Korean men and considered as one of the most important malignant disease in many countries. Thus, many studies have been established about factors affecting prognosis of stomach cancer. These include studies of histopathological pattern which were performed by Mulligan and Rember (1954), Lauren (1965), Ming (1977), and Teglbjerg and Vetner(1977). The present study is aimed to evaluate the useful factors to predict the prognosis of patient of stomach cancer in relation to the histopathological patterns. The material consisted of 284 cases which were diagnosed as gastric carcinoma at the Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine from January, 1981 through December, 1982. After the classification of gastric carcinoma by Ming (1977), Willis (1967), and Mulligan and Rember (1954), age and six of the patients, histopathologic patterns, depth of invasion, degree and major component of inflammatory reaction, lymphatic permeation and metastatic incidence to the regional lymph nodes were investigated, and the results obtained were as follows; 1) The overall male to female ratio was 1.4 : 1 and mean age was 51.6 years old. The mean age of patients with EGC was 46.8 years old, while that of patients with invasive cancer was 52.2 years old, indicating about 5 years difference. 2) The classification of 284 cases by Ming's method showed 36.3% of expanding type and 63.7% of infiltrative one. The incidence of metastasis to regional lymph nodes was 58.3% in expanding type and 72.4% in infiltrative one. 3) The classification of 284 cases by Willis' method showed 45.8% of adenocarcinoma and 23.2% and of signet ring cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma anaplastic carcinoma had high degree of desmoplasia. Among them, moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma showed markedly lower metastatic rate to regional lymph nodes than others. 4) The classification of 284 cases by Mulligan and Rember's method showed 15.1% of intestinal cell carcinoma, 21.5% of pyloro-cardiac gland cell carcinoma and 61.6% of mucous cell carcinoma. Highly differentiated intestinal cell and pylorocardiac gland cell carcinomas and desmoplastic mucous cell carcinoma had high degree of desmoplasia. Among them, highly differentiated intestinal cell carcinoma and desmoplastic mucous cell carcinoma showed markedly low metastatic rate to regional lymph nodes. 5) Adenocarcinoma with good differentiation showed higher mean age and male predominancy in comparison to carcinoma with poor differentiation. 6) The degree of inflammatory reaction did not show significant difference in relation to the patterns of gastric carcinoma and the rate of regional node metastasis. However, according to the cell types involved in inflammatory reaction, plasma cell-predominant inflammatory reaction showed low metastatic rate to regional lymph nodes. 7) The more the degree of desmoplasia was observed, the less the rate of metastasis to regional nodes was noted and the difference was statistically significant. 8) The rate of metastasis to regional nodes showed marked difference by the depth of cancer invasion; confined to mucosa, 0% : to submucosa, 15.4%; to muscular layer, 66.7%; and to serosa and perigastric area, 76.5%. In summary, the results of this study indicated several factors suggesting good prognosis, such as; (1) expanding growth pattern, (2) good differentiation, (3) high degree of desmoplasia as stromal reaction, (4) plasma cell-predominant infiltration, and (5) lesser deep invasion. These factors were better evaluated by Mulligan and Rember's classification.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Incidence ; Adenocarcinoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach Neoplasms

Colonization of mammary cancers by melanocytes with heavy pigmentation of cancer cells by melanin can occur very rarely. It is not certain which mechanism operates to achieve this transfer. However, the melanocytes might inject melanin through their dendritic processes or alternatively, the cancer cells phagocytose the terminal parts of the dendritic processes with subsequent dispersal of the contained melanin contained melanin granules. We report a case of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast with melanocyte colonization and pigmentation in a 59-year old female.
Female ; Humans

Chromomycosis is a chronic localized infection of the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues and characterized by verrucoid, ulcerated and crusted lesions with sclerotic margins. It histologically show confluent granulomatous nodules containing large giant cells of the foreign body type. The organisms are differ from other yeastform fungi by the characteristic chestnut-brown color and by the septate division. A case of 51 year old woman with chromomycosis at submental area is presented.
Female ; Humans

To elucidate the histologic pattern of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in Korea, liver biopsies from 173 chronic alcoholics with clinical liver diseases were classified according to the pathologic parameters. One hundred and seventeen cases, the sum of 91 of 116 serum HBsAg negative and 26 of 57 HBsAg positive patients, had the histologic evidence of ALD. Fatty change(23.9%), alcoholic fibrosis (AF)(23.1%) and cirrhosis (23.1%), comprised the three major ALDs, and only 8.5% of cases fit the criteria of alcoholic hepatitis. Chronic sclerosing hyaline disease (CSHD), chronic active alcoholic hepatitis (CAAH) and AF, where non-cirrhotic fibrosis is the predominant change, comprised 44.5% of ALD. Both features of ALD and HBV liver disease (HBV-LD) were found in 17 cases that included 8 AF and 7 cirrhosis. These 17 patients tended to consume less alcohol than patients with other types of pure ALD except alcoholic heaptitis. Patients with the serum HBsAg positive ALD (37.4years) were about 8 years younger than those with the serum HBsAg negative ALD (45.1years). More or less fatty change and foamy degeneration were seen in 77.4% and 31.6% of ALD respectively. Mallory bodies, megamitochondria, iron deposition and perihepatocellular fibrosis were found in 20.5%, 29.9%, 42.7% and 77.8%, respectively. These findings indicate that non-cirrhotic chronic ALD such as CSHD, CAAH and AF are the important histologic patterns of ALD in Korea, and that chronic alcohol consumption and HBV may act synergistically in developing liver disease.
Biopsy

This study is aimed to elucidate the biological nature of the precancerous lesions and to evaluate whether the ethanol alters 3'-Methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) induced experimental hepatocarcinogenesis. A total of 108 Sprague-Dawley male rats were used for the experiment and divided into 6 groups according to 3'-Me-DAB and ethanol administration. Administration of the drugs were carried out daily by nasogastric tube insertion and the animals were sacrificed at different interval. A part of right lateral lobe was prepared for the histological examination. Cell kinetics of the immunohistochemical method for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). The administration of 3'-Me-DAB induced oval cell proliferation, hyperplastic nodule, cholangiofibrosis and carcinoma in the liver. The mean labelling indices, the percentages of BrdU labelled cells, of hepatocytes were increased by administration of 3'-Me-DAB, only to reverse after cessation of the drug (2.58 vs 0.61). The labelling indices of the oval cells were also affected by the administration and cessation of 3'-Me-DAB (11.41 vs 4.48). In contrast, the cholangiofibrosis did not decrease but were still increasing following cessation of 3'-Me-DAB administration (4.37 vs 5.17 and 8.25 vs 11.29). These finding that the hyperplastic nodule and particularly the cholangiofibrosis have an autonomous proliferative potential and are definite precancerous lesions in the experimental hepatocarcinogenesis. Short term administration of ethanol decreased the incidence of development of the precancerous lesions, but did not affect the labelling indices in all the pathologic lesions of hepatocarcinogenesis.
Male ; Humans ; Rats ; Animals ; Incidence

Cell reactions to metastatic tumors in the regional lymph nodes were studied by light and electron microscope in 20 cases; i.e. reactive hyperplasia (3), tuberculosis (3), metastatic carcinomas from the breast (4), from the stomach (2), from the lung (2), metastatic epidermoid carcinoma (2), metastatic malanoma (2), and reticulum cell sarcoma (2). The lymph node response was usually germinal center predominence type and the pyroninophilic cell response was a similar pattern of nonspecific germinal centers with prominent reactive hyperplasia. In two cases of undifferentiated tumors, one from the breast and another from the lung, large numbers of pyroninophilic cells were found within the tumor tissue. However, the majority of lymphoid cells surrounding tumor cell or tumor masses were pyronin negative lymphocytes. Electron microscopic observations revealed that the cells surrounding tumor cells were mostly medium sized lymphocytes, occasionally blast cells and mature plasma cells. The contact border between the tumor cells and the surrounding cells was mostly tight and smooth, but occasionally loose with irregular processes, and widely separated in the case with plasma cells. Degenerative changes of adjacent cytoplasm of either the tumor cells or the lymphocytes were not frequent, but in some instances focal degeneration of adjacent cytoplasm, particularly on the side of the lymphocytes, was noted.
Human ; Lymph Nodes/ultrastructure* ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphocytes/ultrastructure ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms/ultrastructure* ; Plasma Cells/ultrastructure

To clarity the effect of biliary obliteration on copper metabolism of rat liver and on the hepatic morphology, 0.5% cuppuric sulfate was administered intraperitoneally for 42 days following ligation of the common bile duct (CBD) of Sprague-Dawley rats. The blood copper concentration, the hepatic copper content and the accumulation patterns of copper and copper binding protein in the liver were examined and compared with those of the simple CBD ligation group and the simple copper over loaded group. CBD ligation induced marked proliferation of bile ductular structures which, after expanding the portal tracts, invaded and divided the hepatic lobules. There was, however, no excess fibosis beyond what needed to support the new ductules. The blood copper concentration and the hepatic copper content were increased by copper overload with or without CBD ligation, particularly incases with CBD ligation. Liver cell necrosis did not occur by the overloaded copper alone in rats. The hepatic copper and copper binding protein were accumulated at periportal liver cells in the group of coppe overload after CBD ligatio, whereas they began to appear at perivenular hepatocytes in the simple copper overloaded group. In conclusion, it is suggested that CBD ligation does not induce excess fibrosis or liver cirrhosis in rat as far as during our experimental period, but affect significantly on copper metabolism by intrahepatic redistribution of the copper and the copper binding proteins.
Rats ; Animals

Ultrastructural studies of cell surface and intercellular junctions disclose specialized structures in epithelial cells, endothelial, cardiac muscle and mesothelial cells, and in neoplastic conditions the cell surface and borders may be modified. Present studies were intented to investigate whether there are sufficient differences of cell borders among various tumors of different tissue origin, whereby the nature of tissue origin might be delineated by electron microscopic examination in tumors undeterminable by light microscopy alone. A total of 35 cases of tumors: 23epithelial, 2 smooth muscle, 2 hematopoietic tissue, 2 malignant melanomas, 2 metastatic and 4 undifferentiated, were examined both by light and electron microscopy. In epithelial tumors, desmosomes and basal membrane were constant findings, and microvilli were found only in glandular epithelial tumors. In smooth muscle and hematopoietic tissue tumors, pinocytotic vesicles were prominent, but no junctional apparatus was found except an occasional gap junction. As the tumor became more malignant, there was widening of intercellular spaces, increased cytoplasmic process, decrease of desmosome and less interdigitation. Four cases of undifferentiated tumors showed distinct desmosomal structures in two cases to suggest epithelial origin, the characteristics of fibroblasts in one case, and a preponderance of mesodermal nature in l case of sarcoma botryoides. With these findings, it is thought that there are sufficient differences of cell bordering among epithelial, mesodermal and hematopoietic tissue tumors, and this difference can be applied to aid in differential diagnosis of anaplastic tumors by electron microscopy.

To investigate toxicity of aflatoxin Gl and its mechanism, light microscopic, histochemical, electron microscopic and autoradiographic studies were done on the rat liver at various time intervals after the administration of aflatoxin Gl. Light microscopic alteration was first observed at 6 hours and necrosis of periportal hepatic cells was found at 18 hours. However, reduction of Feulgen positivity of the nucleus and pyroninophilia of cytoplasm was observed as early as 1 hour. Ultrastructural changes were noted at 6 hours and were advanced at l8 hours. Early changes consisted of nucleolar segregation, dilatation of rough endoplasmic reticulum, swelling of mitochondria and detachment of membrane bound ribosomes followed later by disruption of cytoplasmic organellae and focal necrosis. These changes were most marked at periportal region. Autoradiographic studies showed inhibition of H3-uridine incorporation into the nucleus at 1 hour, was most marked at 6 hours, and showed some recovery at 18 hours. H3-uridine labeling in the cytoplasm was also inhibited and the most marked inhibition was noted at 1 hour after the aflatoxin administration. These data indicate aflatoxin Gi has a hepatotoxic effect, particulary at the periportal region. This toxic effect is likely due to inhibition of nuclear RNA synthesis which leads to inhibition of ribosomal RNA and eventually protein synthesis. The DNA synthesis is also inhibited, as shown by reduction of Feulgen reaction in the nucleus.
Aflatoxins/toxicity* ; Animal ; Autoradiography ; Cell Nucleus/ultrastructure ; Cytoplasm/ultrastructure ; Histocytochemistry ; Liver/ultrastructure* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mitochondria, Liver/drug effects ; Rats ; Uridine/metabolism