Immunohistochemical study of epithelial and stromal laminin in normal endometrium endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adenocarcinoma

Eighty endometrial biopsies, were studied and classified into a control group, consisting of 30 cases obtained from normal menstruating women at different periods of the menstrual cycle, 30 cases of endometrial hyperplasia and 20 cases of endometrial adenocarcinomas. All cases were stained by haema-loxylin and eosin and immunoperoxidase technique for laminin using specific polyclonal antibody of formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections. The basement membrane laminin was intact and linear in all cases normal endometrium at different periods of the menstrual cycle as well as in all cases of cystic endometrial hyperplasia. It was abnormal and interrupted in 60% of adenomatous hyperplasia cases and in all cases of atypical adenomatous hyperpiasia. In cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma, there was abrupt fragmentation of basement membrane laminin in 80% of cases and absent in 20% of poorly differentiated unfavourable aggressive adenocarcinoma subtypes, infiltrating more than 1/3 of the myometrium. Stromal laminin was absent in all endometria in the proliferative phase of the cycle while. In the secretory phase the stroinal cells accumulate laminin. Weak stromal laminin was detected in 80% and 30% of cystic hyperplasia and adenomatous, hyperplasia respectively. It is absent in 70% of cases of adenomatous hyperplasia, all cases of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and in 80% of endometrial adenocarcinoma cases. Cytoplasmic laminin was detected in all the unfavourable poorly differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma invading more than 1/3 of the myome-trium. While, it was absent in the well and moderately differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma limited to the endometrium and invading less than 1/3 of the myometrium respectively

Sectioning of bone marrow apirates: a complementary approach to bone marrow smears for diagnosing haematological disorders

Bone marrow aspirates were taken at diagnosis from fifty patients with different haematological disorders. Fourteen patients with normal bone marrow were used as a control group. Sectioning of marrow particles using a simple method was described. Results were studied together with the peripheral blood and bone marrow smears. Excellent histological preparations of marrow, showing the general architecture, the proportion of fat and cellular tissue, the number and disposition of the megakaryocytes, iron deposits in reticuloendothelial cells and erythroblasts were obtained. In idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura [ITP] cases, abnormal magakaryocytes were more easily seen in sections rather than smears. In aplastic anaemia, the marrow sections showed the haemopoietic elements indicating a true sample of the marrow. Malignant infiltration of bone marrow was detected only in marrow sections, while peripheral blood and bone marrow smears failed to indicate the diagnosis. In leukaemic cases, smears were superior to sections due to better discrimination of normal haemopoietic and leukaemic cells specially with minimal infiltration and during chemotherapy. However, marrow sections in the other cases studied revealed and confirmed the same achievement obtained by marrow smears. It is concluded that a satisfactory evaluation of marrow samples for diagnostic studies can be achieved by examination of smears along with sections of aspirate particles. Sectioning of marrow particles is particularly important for identifying metastatic infiltration of bone marrow. It is recommended to be used in all cases as a supplement to the usual smear technique

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: demonstration of human papilloma virus [HPV] antigen and possible associated condylomatous changes of the epithelium

Twenty biopsies of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were subjected to histological examination in this study after being fixed in 10% buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin and stained with both haematoxylin and Eosin [H and E] and immunoprexidase stain. 13 cases showed papillomatous changes while 7 cases showed flat type condylomatous changes. 50% of the total cases showed positive reactivity with immunoperoxidase stain. 53.8% of the tumours with the papillomatous changes and 42.9% of those with flat type changes showed positive reactivity for HPV antigen particles