The Diagnostic Significance of AgNORs and MIB-1 Labelling Index in Atypical Meningioma

There is no definite histological criteria which can predict the biologic behavior of meningiomas, although resectability is the most important factor in terms of recurrence. For grading meningiomas, various factors have been studied, such as hypercellularity, nuclear pleomorphism, small cells with high N/C ratio, prominent nucleoli (PN), frequent mitosis, loss of architecture, focal necrosis (FN). We investigated 116 meningiomas to evaluate the correlation between the factors and the proliferative activity using AgNORs and MIB-1 labelling index (LI). They were divided into 3 groups: Group A includes meningiomas with none of the factors; group B with one of the factors; group C with two or more factors. MIB-1 LI was correlated with each factor, but AgNORs was not. There was a statistical difference among group A (<1.28%), B (2.7%) and C (5.1%) (p<0.05) using MIB-1 LI. FN was the most frequently associated with other factors, and it had the highest MIB-1 LI (6.31%). MIB-1 LI of group B was 5.1 2.3%. In group B, the most frequent combination was FN and PN, and it showed the highest MIB-1 LI (5.74%). This study indicates that FN and PN are important for diagnosis of atypical meningioma, and MIB-1 LI appears to be a useful method for estimating the proliferative activity of meningiomas, and 5% or more of MIB-1 LI could help in making a diagnosis of atypical meningioma.

Incidence of Vaculating Toxin Producing Helicobacter pylori from Patients with Gastric Diseases / 대한내과학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to survey the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the incidence of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori. A further aim of this study was to evaluate the quantitative assay for cell vacuolation on the basis of the rapid uptake of neutral red dye by vaculoes of the cells. METHODS: We studied the gastric biopsy specimens of patients with 154 cases of gastritis, 74 cases of gastric ulcer, and 167 cases of gastric cancer and in 44 cases of healthy persons. One of the biopsy specimen was placed into a CLOtest plate for rapid urease test and the other one of the biopsy spcimen was inoculated on Brain Heart Infusion blood agar for culture. The culture supernatant of isolated H. pylori was serially diluted with BHI broth. After 24 hour incubation of cultured RK-13 cells treated with the culture supernatant of H. pylori, cytoplasmic vacuolation of the cells were observed microscopically. RESULTS: The positivity of urease test and the rate of isolation of H. pylori from urease positive gastric biopsy materials were 34.1% and 93.3% in healthy person, 55.8% and 70.9% in gastritis, 60.8% and 71.1% in gastric ulcer, and 56.3% and 96.8% in gastric cancer. The isolation rate of H. pylori from patients between 20 and 39 years old was 16.8%, for patients between 40 and 59 years old it was 51.9%, and for patients above 60 years old it was 31.2%. The isolation rate of the vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori from gastric biopsy specimens was 66.7% in a healthy person, 76.6% in gastritis, 79.4% in gastric ulcer, and 80% in gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The isolation rate of H. pylori from the patients with gastric diseases is higher than the rate of H. pylori from healthy persons, but the isolation rate of the vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori is not different between the patients with gastric diseases and healthy persons. The titers of vacuolating toxin produced by some H. pylori isolated from the patients with gastric diseases are higher than those from healthy persons.

Mixed Gangliocytoma-Pituitary Adenoma: A case report

The mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenoma is a very rare intracranial neoplasm, and it is frequently associated with endocrine symptoms; acromegaly, Cushing's disease, galactorrhea and amenorrhea. Morphologically it shows a mixture of gangliocytoma and pituitary adenoma in various proportions. In the area of gangliocytoma, there is no neoplastic glial component. The portion of pituitary adenoma consists mainly of chromophobe cells. There are three hypotheses in its histogenesis. We report a case of a 41 year-old lady presented with acromegaly and amenorrhea existing for 3 years. On magnetic resonance image, there is a dumbell-shaped mass in the sellar region. Histologically it showed typical features of mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenoma. This case is presented in the view of its rarity and interesting possible histogeneses.

A Clinicopathologic Review of Eight Cases of Chondroblastoma / 영남의대학술지

Eight cases of chondroblastoma were studied by analyzing the clinical and pathologic findings. The age of eight cases ranged from 17 to 38 years old(median age, 22.7 years old). The tumors developed in the femur (3 cases), patella (2 cases), tibia( 1 case), fibula (1 case), and ulna (1 case). The mean diameter of tumors was 4.0 cm (range, 1.5 to 8.0 cm). Grossly, tumors showed grayish brown solid area with foci of secondary aneurysmal bone cyst. Histologically, the tumor cells were round or polygonal in shape with nuclear groove. And there were chondroid differentiation(7 cases), mitosis(3 cases), calcific deposits(3 cases), secondary aneurysmal bone cyst(4 cases), hemosiderin deposits(4 cases), necrosis(3 cases), vascular invasion(1 caes) and foamy histiocytes and cholesterol cleft(1 cases). All cases showed no metastasis to lymph node and distant organ. Seven cases (87.5 %) were immunoreactive for S-100 protein. None were immunoreactive for cytokeratin.

A Case of Sclerosing Hepatocelular Carcinoma / 대한내과학회지

Hepatoma is one of the most common malignant disease among cancers that occur in Korea. Recently, according ta developing imaging diagnostic technology and non surgical treatment the hepatoma is easily detected in early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. From this point of view, the histologic pattern of hepatoma is markedly important. This is the first reported case of sclerosing hepatocellular carcinoma, which is characterized by intense fibrosis, in which the tubular neoplastic structures are embedded. The incidence of sclerosing hepatocellular carcinoma is very rare. Therefore the rare histologic pattern of hepatoma might be introduced by many studies and reports. We recently experienced a case of sclerosing hepatocellular carcinoma.

Tumor Angiogenesis and Cathepsin-D Expression in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast

This study was conducted to assess the prognostic value of tumor angiogenesis and Cathepsin-D in breast carcinoma, by correlating them with other clinicopathologic prognostic factors. In order to estimate microvessels within the tumor, an immunohistochemical method using monoclonal antibodies for factor VIII-related antigens (DAKO-vWf, F8/86) was used, and they were counted (perx200 field) in the most active areas of neovascularization. For the expression of Cathepsin-D, an immunohistochemical method using monoclonal antibodies (Novocastra, NCL-CDm) was performed. The microvessel count ranged from 8 to 346 per x200 field and the mean (+/-SD) was 72.46+/-54.96. The microvessel count was correlated with the estrogen receptor status, and it was also correlated with the tumor size when it was graded into four groups (1-33, 34-67, 68-100, >100), but was not correlated with other clinicopathologic parameters. Cathepsin-D was expressed in 40% (46/115) of the cases, but it was statistically correlated with the tumor size only. In conclusion, the expression of Cathepsin D and the degree of angiogenesis in breast cancer showed a correlation with the tumor size only. Therefore, they do not appear to be good prognostic parameters, according to the present study.

Computerization of Microscope Slide Labelling

The automation in surgical pathology, particularly in the reporting and encoding system using personal computers has been greatly improved in recent years, but the computerization of microscope slide labelling has not been improved. The authors have developed database program for slide labelling using FoxPro 2.5 and FoxBASE SCOUNIX 2.1.2: For I year during trial an effect has been put forward to simplify and organize the labelling work in routine surgical pathology. The program is now become easily applicable to the labelling work without disturbing the normal flow in a pathology laboratory. It is possible to get information concerning how many paraffin blocks and H&E slides have been made, as well as what kind of special stains have been requested for each case. The authors think that the computerization of labelling work in routine surgical pathology is a fairly easy task, and this should simplify the labelling work at a lower cost, diminish the workload of a typist or technician, and indirect information concerning the workload in a pathology laboratory can be calculated.