Role of AgNOR in diagnosis of thyroid follicular neoplasms on fine-needle aspiration smears.

This is a retrospective study to examine the role of AgNOR in differentiating thyroid follicular carcinoma and adenoma preoperatively on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) smears. Nineteen histopathology-proven cases of follicular adenoma and carcinoma were selected for this study. May-Grünwald-Giemsa-stained smears were destined and AgNOR staining technique was employed. Significant differences of AgNOR values were observed among follicular carcinoma versus adenoma (P < .05) and follicular carcinoma versus control cases (P < .01). Thereby the AgNOR technique may have some role in differentiating between benign and malignant follicular neoplasms of thyroid.

[Studies of progestin specific binding protein in the human prostate (II): The possibility of non-specific binding protein disturbance for the accurate quantitative assay of 4S specific binding protein].

The R5020 specific binding protein in the human prostate was studied to elucidate the cause for the poorer reproducibility of 4S high affinity complex sediment than that of 7-8S high affinity complex sediment. The sucrose density gradient, with a low ionic strength buffer including sodium molybdate, was used. Charcoal assay is one of the most common methods used in steroid receptor studies. However, there is a possibility that the high amount of non-specific binding protein common in the human prostate disturbs the charcoal function which removes the free and also the loosely bound steroids from low affinity protein. In the sucrose density gradient process, charcoal treatment is necessary to obtain the apparent 7-8S peak from the 4S one because 7-8S is covered with huge 4S when the charcoal treatment is not performed. 4S complex is proved to be more sensitive than 7-8S to this form of treatment in this study. In addition, the R5020 specific binding protein is found in not only 7-8S complex but also 4S. The dissociation constant of 4S protein is identified with that in 7-8S in the low range of [3H]-R5020(0.4-5.2 nM) using Scatchard plots, but not in the high range (1.3-10.4 nM). Thus, it seems possible that the high amount of non-specific binding protein disturbs the accurate quantification of specific binding protein in 4S. In conclusion, the poor reproducibility of 4S complex through charcoal treatment is caused by the presence of the high amount of non-specific binding protein in the human prostate.

Progesterone receptors in breast cancer.

Sixty-six women who had received hormonal therapy for advanced disease were assessed for objective response to treatment. Another 51 patients who had received chemotherapy were similarly studied. Progesterone receptor was of no value as a predictor of patients unlikely to respond to hormone therapy, though it may have a role in predicting patients likely to respond favourably. The addition of progesterone receptor data to oestrogen receptor data may increase prediction of response in the ER+ range but clinicians should be cautious in their interpretation of progesterone receptor results in the ER- range. Progesterone receptor was of no value in predicting response to chemotherapy in this series. Analysis of survival data of 1731 women with primary breast cancer showed a highly significant trend toward longer survival in patients with progesterone receptor positive tumours than in those with receptor negative tumours (P less than 0.001). This trend was evident in both pre- and post-menopausal women. Even though the prognostic discrimination provided by progesterone receptor was correlated with that of oestrogen receptor, the addition of progesterone receptor data to oestrogen receptor data significantly improved prediction of survival (P less than 0.05).

Single case report of prostate adenocarcinoma in a dog castrated three months previously. Morphological, biochemical, and endocrine determinations.

During the course of another investigation, three dogs had been castrated 3 months previously. Upon completion of the experiment, it was discovered that one dog presented a spontaneous prostatic adenocarcinoma of intraalveolar proliferative type at histology. Prostate weight of this dog before castration was estimated to be 22 g by tridimensional measurement at laparotomy and remained relatively constant (19 g) 3 months after castration. These results indicate that if regression had occurred in some cell populations (androgen-dependent) it was only partial and masked by growth of androgen-independent cells. Analysis of 12 individual steroids in peripheral blood and in prostatic tissue attested of a normal adrenal secretory activity. A series of 15 hydrolytic enzymes along with receptors for androgen, estrogen, and progesterone, were determined in prostatic tissue obtained at sacrifice. Enzymatic activities were those of typical epithelial cells, and most of them remained relatively high despite low levels of circulating testosterone. However, two markers of androgen action in dog prostate, acid phosphatase and arginine esterase, were significantly reduced. Receptor levels were similar to those of castrated animals. Thus, cancer cells had probably retained some androgen sensitivity.

Criteria for the establishment of a double-labeling assay for simultaneous determination of estrogen and progesterone receptors.

The availability of [125I]-16 alpha-iodo-3,17 beta-estradiol ( [125I]-E2) with binding characteristics similar to estrogen receptor (ER) enabled us to establish a double-labeling assay for the simultaneous determination of ER and progesterone receptors (PgR) using 125I-E2 and [3H]-R5020. The criteria for the establishment of such a double-labeling assay are described. 150 human mammary tumor cytosols have been investigated with the standard routine receptor assay for ER as well as PgR and the results were compared to those obtained by the double-labeling assay. ER: a coefficient of correlation of 0.691 was obtained, the parameters of the regression line were Y = 1.025 X X-0.036. When referring to the standard assay, 3 determinations were false-positive and 4 false-negative. PgR: a correlation coefficient of 0.984 was found, the parameters of the regression line were Y = 0.960 X X + 12.16. One value was false-negative and 1 false-positive. An equivalence of the two methods could be demonstrated. This new assay reduces by half the amount of tissue necessary for a valid 4- to 6-point saturation analysis, the time required for performing the assay and its cost.

Estrogen and progesterone receptors in human uterus and oviduct.

The binding of 3H-estradiol and 3H-R5020 (dimethyl-19-norpregna-4,9-diene-3,20-dione) to estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in human uterus and oviduct were studied. The binding of the ligands to their respective receptors were of high specificity and affinity. The equilibrium dissociation constants for ER and PR were 0.07 +/- 0.025 nM respective 0.76 +/- 0.22 nM in the oviduct and 0.065 +/- 0.015 nM respective 0.82 +/- 0.25 nM in the uterus (mean +/- SE) (n = 12). Sucrose density gradient centrifugation revealed in both tissues specific binding in the area sedimenting at 8 S whereas the slower sedimenting 4 S and 5 S peaks contained both specific and non-specific binding. The oviductal cytosol contained a similar proteolytical activity that has been described in human uterine and breast cancer tissue. The protease, which can be inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, converts the 8 S receptor from into a 4.2 S proteolytic fragment. The KCl-extracted uterine and oviductal estrogen and progesterone receptors sedimented at 5.2 S in both low salt (0.01 M KCl) and high salt (0.4 M KCl) sucrose gradients. It is well known that the suppression of the estrogen receptor system by progesterone correlates with suppressed function in the oviduct but with increased growth and secretory activity in the uterus. In the light of the present data it is concluded, that the difference in the hormonal response in the two tissues is most likely not due to differences in the binding characteristics of the estrogen or progesterone receptors.

The effect of sodium molybdate on the cytoplasmic estrogen and progesterone receptors in human endometrial tissues.

We have investigated the effects of including 10 mM sodium molybdate in the buffers used for analysis of cytoplasmic estrogen and progesterone receptors of normal human proliferative endometrium and endometrial carcinoma. Sodium molybdate does not increase the steroid binding capacity of the receptors, but imparts stability to the steroid bound receptor; the steroid-bound receptors in molybdate treated cytosol sediment as distinct 8-9S moieties in sucrose gradients of low ionic strength in contrast to those in untreated cytosol which sediment mainly as 4S. We conclude that sodium molybdate is a useful reagent for the assay and isolation of estrogen and progesterone receptors of human endometrial tissues.