Blood group antigens in differentiated thyroid neoplasms.

Alteration of cell-surface blood group antigens during malignant transformation is a well-known phenomenon that has not yet been sufficiently investigated in thyroid gland neoplasms. We evaluated 50 normal thyroid glands and 141 differentiated thyroid neoplasms (29 follicular adenomas, 30 follicular carcinomas, 56 papillary carcinomas, and 26 medullary carcinomas) both by the immunoperoxidase technique, using monoclonal antibodies against blood group antigens (A, B, H, Le(a), Le(b), Le(x), and Le(y)) and precursor substances (T, Tn, and sTn), and by affinity to the lectin from Arachis hypogea, to determine the usefulness of these antigens as tumor markers and prognostic factors. Neoplastic tissues showed immunostaining with concordant and nonconcordant expression of ABH antigens. There were statistically significant differences between normal and neoplastic tissues but not among the different neoplasms. Statistically significant differences in Lewis antigen expression were noted between normal and neoplastic tissues and between benign and malignant tumors. Tn and sTn antigen expression showed statistically significant differences between normal and neoplastic tissues. In conclusion, blood group antigens are tumor markers that are expressed more frequently in malignant than in benign neoplasms. The presence of metastases was correlated with enhanced peanut lectin receptors and a loss of A or B antigens.

[Multicenter study of tuberculosis in clinical autopsies in Andalucia, in the 1973-1988 period]. / Estudio multicéntrico de la tuberculosis en autopsias clínicas en Andalucía, en el período 1973-88.

We revised 6,863 protocols of clinical autopsies in four hospitals of the Andalusian Health Service, from 1973 to 1988, out of which 2,814 were valid, and finding 81 active tuberculosis cases (TBC) (2.87%), in 53 males and 28 females, with mean age of 54.41 years. Milliar forms (44 cases) predominated over non-milliar (37), with a premortem diagnosis in 32 cases. TBC was considered as the principal disease in 65.43%, it directed contributed to death in 59.26% of cases, and was associated to other diseases in 79.01% of cases. The most frequent localizations were lung (80.25%), lymph nodes (43.20%) and liver (37.04%). We compared two similar periods of time: 1978-80 and 1986-88, observing an increase in TBC in the latter, 14:22, which can be attributed to HIV infection, since 6 of the 22 cases were associated to this pathology.