CRDS with a VECSEL for broad-band high sensitivity spectroscopy in the 2.3 µm window.

The integration of an industry ready packaged Sb-based Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting-Laser (VECSEL) into a Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (CRDS) is presented. The instrument operates in the important 2.3 µm atmospheric transparency window and provides a high sensitivity (minimum detectable absorption of 9 × 10(-11) cm(-1)) over a wide spectra range. The VECSEL performances combine a large continuous tunability over 120 cm(-1) around 4300 cm(-1) together with a powerful (∼5 mW) TEM00 diffraction limited beam and linewidth at MHz level (for 1 ms of integration time). The achieved performances are illustrated by high sensitivity recordings of the very weak absorption spectrum of water vapor in the region. The developed method gives potential access to the 2-2.7 µm range for CRDS.

Metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma of male breast.

Three cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the male breast from prostatic carcinoma are added to the 15 well-documented cases reported in the literature. These 15 cases had received estrogen therapy for prostatic cancer and gynecomastia developed; 14 had clinically palpable breast nodules containing adenocarcinoma. Our 3 cases also received estrogen therapy but differed in that gynecomastia developed in only 1 patient clinically, and diagnoses were made at autopsy with no clinical symptoms related to breast metastases. Moreover, 1 cases also showed remarkable florid lactation-like changes of the breast almost indistinguishable morphologically from that seen in the female breast during pregnancy. The histopathologic differential diagnosis of metastatic prostatic carcinoma of the breast from primary cancer of the male breast is stressed. Its importance is obvious because of the differences in clinical treatment and prognosis. Microscopically, the differential points consist of duct hypertrophy and periductal fibrosis (gynecomastia), absence of any ductal involvement by carcinoma cells, frequent presence of cancer cells in lymphatics and vascular channels, morphologic similarity between the cancers in the breast and prostate, and finally, the usual presence of acid phosphatase in the tumors of the prostate and breast.

Cholangiocarcinomas induced by feeding 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene to rats. Histopathology and ultrastructure.

Thirty-three male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a carcinogenic (0.064% 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, 3'-Me-DAB) ground meal normal diet. After 12 weeks the ground meal diet was replaced with a normal pellet diet, and the 30 surviving animals were divided into three equal groups. One group was sacrificed at the twelfth week and the other groups 4 and 8 weeks later. Control animals were also run. Based on previous studies which used "tumor-promoting" diets and 3'-Me-DAB, we expected a less than 100% incidence of predominantly hepatocellular carcinomas. However, we found mucin-producing cholangiocarcinomas in all 30 animals and, in addition, a small hepatocellular component in 3 of the animals. By electron microscopy the intestinal mucosal features of microvillous border cells, goblet cells, and endocrine-like cells were found. We suggest that the tumors produced as described here provide a good animal model of mucin-producing cholangiocarcinomas.