Classification of proliferative pulmonary lesions of the mouse: recommendations of the mouse models of human cancers consortium.

Rapid advances in generating new mouse genetic models for lung neoplasia provide a continuous challenge for pathologists and investigators. Frequently, phenotypes of new models either have no precedents or are arbitrarily attributed according to incongruent human and mouse classifications. Thus, comparative characterization and validation of novel models can be difficult. To address these issues, a series of discussions was initiated by a panel of human, veterinary, and experimental pathologists during the Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium (NIH/National Cancer Institute) workshop on mouse models of lung cancer held in Boston on June 20-22, 2001. The panel performed a comparative evaluation of 78 cases of mouse and human lung proliferative lesions, and recommended development of a new practical classification scheme that would (a) allow easier comparison between human and mouse lung neoplasms, (b) accommodate newly emerging mouse neoplasms, and (c) address the interpretation of benign and preinvasive lesions of the mouse lung. Subsequent discussions with additional experts in pulmonary pathology resulted in the current proposal of a new classification. It is anticipated that this classification, as well as the complementary digital atlas of virtual histological slides, will help investigators and pathologists in their characterization of new mouse models, as well as stimulate further research aimed at a better understanding of proliferative lesions of the lung.

C-reative protein in serum of patients with leprosy

The levels of C-reative protein (CRP) in the sera of 100 patients with leprosy have been determined. This abnormal protein was found in 79 per cent of 47 cases of the lepromatous leprosy classed as "active" (i. e., not arrested), 30 per cent of 41 cases of apparently arrested lepromatous leprosy; and 58 per cent of 12 tuberculoid cases. Possible explanations for the absence of CRP in some of the active cases, and its presence in some of the apparently arrested cases, have been offered. The importance of long-term studies, with correlation of clinical course and serial determinations of CRP, is stressed. The presence of CRP in 19 of 24 cases of leprosy with secondary amyloidosis has been described. The relationship of CRP to amyloidosis is a yet unknown, but the present findings would suggest that the problem merits further study.