ABSTRACT
A 64-year-old black man had a primary alveolar soft part sarcoma of the tongue. It is unusual for this rare tumor to develop in this site in the elderly age group. The patient survived nearly 3 years with disease. When the patient expired, a complete autopsy was performed. The biopsy material of the primary tumor showed characteristic light microscopic appearance, intracellular periodic acid-Schiff positive inclusions after diastase reaction, and electron microscopic presence of crystals. Immunohistochemistry for neuron-specific enolase was positive. The autopsy confirmed widespread visceral and lymphatic metastases. The atypical features of this case, including the site of the primary lesion, age of the patient at diagnosis, immunohistochemistry of the tumor, and natural history of this neoplasm, suggest that alveolar soft part sarcoma may behave differently when arising in an extraskeletal site, and could possibly have a different histogenesis from the typical alveolar soft part sarcoma found in a younger population.
Subject(s)
Sarcoma/pathology , Tongue Neoplasms/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
A study was designed to test the outcome of the deposition of particles of plastic composite dental restorative material in rabbit lungs. Grinding and polishing these restorations in situ produces some particles in the 0.5- to 10-microns size range that easily enter and remain in human lungs and are associated with industrial lung disease. Dental restorative plastic material was ground in the laboratory, suspended in saline solution, and injected transtracheally into four New Zealand white rabbits. Two control rabbits were similarly injected with saline solution transtracheally. Twenty-four hours later, the rabbits were injected with 1 mCi of 67Ga citrate intravenously and subsequently reanesthetized for scanning. Baseline scans were obtained in the six animals prior to the injection of the test particles. Positive gallium scans were obtained 72 h after the administration of particulate material in the four test rabbits. The gallium scans of the control rabbits remained no different from baseline. The study was repeated one month later. The animals were killed seven days after the last gallium scan. Light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of the lungs of the test animals showed foci of chronic inflammation around particles of the restorative material. Particles were in vacuoles within alveolar macrophages and also free in interstitium. Control animals had normal histologic conditions. Silver amalgam and gold dental restorations have years of clinical use but the new plastic composite restorative materials are rapidly being introduced into human clinical dental practice. Normal use involves polymerization, grinding, and polishing of the material within the mouth. The chronic inflammation in the lungs of rabbits indicates a need to test dental restorative material for lung biocompatibility before further, extensive clinical use.
Subject(s)
Composite Resins/adverse effects , Inhalation , Lung/pathology , Animals , Composite Resins/administration & dosage , Gallium Radioisotopes , Lung/diagnostic imaging , Male , Particle Size , Rabbits , Radionuclide ImagingABSTRACT
Involvement of the placenta by glycosphingolipid deposits in Fabry's disease has not been previously reported. We describe the presence of such deposits in the maternal half of a placenta obtained from a heterozygous carrier of the disease.
Subject(s)
Fabry Disease/pathology , Placenta/ultrastructure , Pregnancy Complications/pathology , Adult , Fabry Disease/genetics , Female , Genetic Carrier Screening , Humans , Inclusion Bodies/ultrastructure , Infant, Newborn , PregnancyABSTRACT
A man with Fabry's disease received a renal allograft from a heterozygous sister. Renal allograft dysfunction necessitated an allograft biopsy 5.5 years after transplantation. Extensive accumulation of Fabry's disease deposits in the glomeruli, tubules, blood vessels and interstitium was noted.
Subject(s)
Fabry Disease/pathology , Kidney Transplantation , Adult , Biopsy , Fabry Disease/genetics , Genetic Carrier Screening , Humans , Kidney/pathology , Male , Postoperative ComplicationsABSTRACT
Granulocytic sarcoma is an unusual extramedullary tumor composed of immature cells of the myelogenous series; it usually occurs during the course of myelogenous leukemia. This paper presents a rare case of granulocytic sarcoma of the peritoneum, occurring without evidence of myelogenous leukemia in peripheral blood and bone marrow.
Subject(s)
Leukemia, Myeloid/diagnosis , Peritoneal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Leukemia, Myeloid/ultrastructure , Male , Mesothelioma/diagnosis , Microscopy, Electron , Peritoneal Neoplasms/ultrastructure , Peritoneum/pathologyABSTRACT
A middle-aged man presented with an ulcerated nodule of the right posterior thigh that was histologically evaluated as leiomyosarcoma of the skin. A wide excision of the tumor was followed by split-thickness skin grafting. Leiomyosarcomas of the skin and subcutaneous tissue are rare tumors, usually occurring in the proximal lower extremities. The treatment of choice is a wide local excision with a 3- to 5-cm margin including the subcutaneous tissue and fascia. The defect is covered by a split-thickness skin graft.
