[Medullar breast cancer, occult papillary carcinoma, pulmonary metastases: a case report]. / Carcinoma midollare della mammella, carcinoma papillifero occulto, metastasi polmonari. Case report.

The authors have carried out their study on a woman who previously underwent QU.A.R.T. because of a medullar breast cancer. She also had pulmonary metastases resistant to chemotherapy which were then resected by mini-invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery: it was so discovered that such lesions came from an occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland originated in a multinodular goitre. This study has allowed the accomplishment of a right aetiologic and therapeutic classification of the patient.

[Lipiodol chemoembolization in the treatment of hepatic carcinoma. Our experience]. / La chemioembolizzazione con Lipiodol nel trattamento del carcinoma epatico. Nostra esperienza.

Of the alternative methods of treatment to surgery in the treatment of liver cancer, chemoembolization with Lipiodol appears to have obtained encouraging results. After a preoperative study to confirm the diagnosis and staging of the tumour, lipiodolisation is performed: a mix of Adriamycin, Iopamidol and Lipiodol is injected using selective catheterism of the hepatic artery; gelfoam is then added. Lipiodol selectively localises in the hepatocarcinoma and has a distal embolising effect on the vessels of the tumour, thus necrotising it, acting as a carrier for chemotherapy. Since july 1990 a total of 15 hepatocarcinoma have been observed: 6 in healthy livers and 9 in cirrhotic livers; 3 patients recovered after radical surgery, 1 patient underwent associated surgery and chemoembolization, whereas in 11 the only therapy was chemoembolization, at six monthly intervals. Lipiodolisation enabled a better diagnosis to be made and was found to be a valuable therapeutic aid both when used alone in Inoperable patients and in association with non-radical surgery.

On a particular method of isolation of the human placenta trophoblastic cells.

With the purpose of demonstrating the presence of different types of cells in the syncytial and cytotrophoblast of the human placenta, a new technique of cell isolation was performed by utilizing a light enzymatic digestion and a separation on density gradients. Normal human placentas of the first trimester of pregnancy have been studied. After an accurate and light washing in saline and anticoagulant substances, whole villi have been incubated in a trypsin solution for various periods of time at 40 degrees C in a thermostatic stirrer. Detached cells have been collected, rinsed and separated by means of different density gradients of Percoll (d = 1.038 and 1.080). Three cellular layers have been collected and processed for the studies at light and electron microscopy. The first layer was mostly composed by multinucleated elements with a morphological pattern closely related to the histological characteristics of the syncytiotrophoblast; the second fraction was composed by mononucleated elements with the structural findings of the Langhans' cells; the third layer was represented almost exclusively by blood cells. The obtained results demonstrated the high utility and accuracy of the suggested method of cell isolation.