ABSTRACT
Blood and a variety of tissues from 97 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 25 with the AIDS prodrome were studied ultrastructurally. Tubuloreticular structures (TRS) were found in 85 per cent of the patients with AIDS and in 92 per cent of those with the prodrome. Test tube and ring-shaped forms (TRF), found in 41 per cent of the patients with AIDS and in 8 per cent of those with the prodrome, increased with disease progression. Among the patients with AIDS, as the number of sites examined per case increased, the incidence of TRS and TRF tended to approach 100 per cent, suggesting that they are present in all patients with AIDS. Other changes seen frequently were immunologic capping of blood lymphocytes, intramitochondrial iron in blood reticulocytes and marrow normoblasts, megakaryocytic immaturity and platelet phagocytosis, collections of membranous rings in hepatocytic cytoplasm, suggestive of non-A, non-B hepatitis, and proliferations and engorgement of hepatic Ito cells with lipid. The data suggest that TRS and TRF can be used as diagnostic and prognostic markers.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/pathology , T-Lymphocytes/ultrastructure , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/immunology , Autoimmune Diseases/pathology , Bone Marrow/ultrastructure , Female , Homosexuality , Humans , Liver/ultrastructure , Lymph Nodes/ultrastructure , Male , Megakaryocytes/ultrastructure , Microscopy, Electron , Monocytes/ultrastructure , Phagocytosis , Thrombocytopenia/pathologyABSTRACT
A clear cell type of bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma removed from the lung of a 63-year-old man was studied by light and electron microscopy. The tumor was composed exclusively of Clara cells identified by the presence of secretory granules, an abundance of granular endoplasmic reticulum, a moderate number of mitochondria and prominent Golgi complexes. The tumor cells were tall columnar and had clear cytoplasm due to the presence of large pools of intracytoplasmic glycogen. This feature has not heretofore been described. Ultrastructural features distinguishing this tumor from benign clear cell tumors of the lung and clear cell carcinomas of the kidney are described.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar/pathology , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar/ultrastructure , Clinical Trials as Topic , Cytoplasmic Granules/ultrastructure , Glycogen/analysis , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/ultrastructure , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Metastatic pulmonary nodules discovered 6 years after superficial parotidectomy for an acinic cell carcinoma in a 61-year-old man were studied by light and electron microscopy. The lesions were composed of clear cells and darker, gland-forming cells with granular cytoplasm, which by electron microscopy demonstrated features of ductal and acinar serous cells, respectively. Cytologic evidence of malignancy, such as extensive necrosis, nuclear pleomorphism, significant mitotic activity, incomplete encapsulation, and perineural invasion was present. The patient is free of tumor 5 years after resection of the pulmonary lesions. In view of the indolent growth characteristics of this tumor, a more aggressive surgical approach to metastatic tumor foci is recommended.
