First Report of Fruit Rot Disease on melon (Cucumis melo L.) Caused by Fusarium ipomoeae in China.

Fusarium rot on melon fruit has become an important postharvest disease for producers worldwide, typically involving multiple Fusarium pathogens (Khuna et al. 2022; Medeiros Araújo et al. 2021). In 2022, Fusarium fruit rot of muskmelon (Cucumis melo var. conomon) occurred sporadically in a field at Huainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (32.658193º N, 117.064922º E) with an incidence of about 10%. Among these diseased muskmelons, a fruit exhibiting a white to yellowish colony athe intersection of the diseased and healthy tissues was collected and labeled TGGF22-17. The streak plate method was employed to isolate fungal spores on Bengal Red PDA (potato dextrose agar), which were then incubated at 25℃ in darkness. Following isolation and purification, a single-spore strain, TGGF22-17, was obtained and analyzed using morphological characters on PDA, synthetic nutrient agar (SNA) and carnation leaf agar (CLA) (Leslie and Summerell 2006), along with molecular identification. Colours were rated according to the color charts of Kornerup and Wanscher (1978). Based on the colony morphology on PDA, the isolate displayed a rosy buff or buff color with a white to buff margin. The colony margin was undulate, with the reverse transitioning from amber-yellow to honey-yellow. Aerial macroconidia on SNA were thin-walled, hyaline, mostly 3-5 septate, falcate, and measured 18.5-46.4 (x̄=34.2) × 2.9-4.8 (x̄ =3.9) µm in size (n =50). Sporodochial macroconidia on CLA were mostly five-septate with long apical and basal cells, exhibiting dorsiventral curvature. They were hyaline, with the apical cell hooked to tapering and the basal cell foot-shaped, measuring 46.5-89.6 (x̄ =72.3) × 3.5-5.0 (x̄ =4.3) µm in size (n = 100). Portions of three loci (TEF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2) were amplified and sequenced as described by Wang et al. (2019). Sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession number PP196583 to PP196585. The three gene sequences (TEF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2) of strain TGGF2022-17 shared 99.5% (629/632bp), 97.9% (1508/1540 bp) and 99.9% (1608/1609 bp) identity to the ex-type strain F. ipomoeae LC12165 respectively by pairwise DNA alignments on the FUSARIOID-ID database (https://www.fusarium.org). Phylogenetic analysis of the partial TEF-1α and RPB2 sequences with PhyloSuite (Zhang et al. 2020) showed the isolated fungus clustered with F. ipomoeae. Based on the morphological and phylogenetic analyses, TGGF22-17 was identified as F. ipomoeae. Pathogenicity tests were performed on healthy melons, which were surface-sterilized with 75% alcohol and wounded using a sterilized inoculation needle. A 4-mm diameter plug from a 7-day-old SNA culture of TGGF22-17 was aseptically inserted in the middle of the wound, sealed with plastic bag after absorbent cotton was included to maintain moisture. Five melons were each inoculated at three points. Noncolonized PDA agar plugs served as the negative control. The inoculated and uninoculated plugs were removed approximately 48 hours after inoculation. The melon inoculated with TGGF22-17 exhibited water-soaked black lesions 48h post-inoculation, resulting in a 100% infection rate (15/15). After 7 days, mycelium was obseved on the inoculated melons. No disease symptoms were observed on the uninoculated melons. To fulfill Koch's postulates, fungi were isolated from the inoculated fruit and confirmed as F. ipomoeae by morphological observation. Fusarium ipomoeae has been reported to cause fruit rot on winter squash (Cucurbita maxima) in Japan (Kitabayashi et al. 2023). To our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit rot on muskmelon caused by F. ipomoeae in China and this report will be valuable for monitoring and management of fruit rot disease on muskmelons.

Systemic lupus erythematosus with and without a family history: a meta-analysis.

Objective The objective of this paper is to investigate the association of clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters between familial systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and sporadic SLE. Methods All relevant literature was retrieved from the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The qualities of these studies were evaluated using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The characteristics and clinical manifestations of involved individuals were extracted from each study. Pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated using the random effects-method, and the heterogeneity between studies was quantified using the I2 statistic. Results Of 330 studies identified by the search strategy, six were included in this review. In total, 733 cases were familial SLE and 1405 were sporadic SLE. Analysis revealed that photosensitivity, nephritis and thrombocytopenia were negatively associated with familial SLE, with OR (95% CI) values of 0.73 (0.60-0.89), 0.72 (0.59-0.88) and 0.75 (0.57-0.98), respectively. Conclusions Photosensitivity, thrombocytopenia and renal involvement could be more common in non-familial SLE, which should be further confirmed by well-designed studies with large populations.

The association of serum anti-ribosomal P antibody with clinical and serological disorders in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Anti-ribosomal P (anti-P) antibody is a serological specific marker of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study is to investigate the association of this antibody with clinical and serological disorders in SLE. METHODS: All relevant literature was retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI databases. The qualities of these studies were evaluated using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The associations of anti-P antibody with clinical and serological disorders were determined by the pooled odds ratio (OR) and the confidence interval (CI) calculated using meta-analysis with the Mantel-Haenszel method. RESULTS: Sixteen cohort studies with 2355 patients were included in this study. Malar rash, oral ulcer and photosensitivity were strongly associated with serum anti-P antibody, with OR (95% CI) values of 2.05 (1.42-2.92), 1.49 (1.05-2.13) and 1.44 (1.08-1.91), respectively. Arthritis and renal involvement were not associated with anti-P antibody, whereas a high heterogeneity was observed due to ethnicity and publication bias, respectively. Neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), hepatic involvement, anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm and anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL) were observed more frequently in anti-P positive patients than in negative patients. Studies on hepatic involvement showed a low precision with substantially broad CI (2.56-11.2). A high heterogeneity presented among studies on NPSLE, anti-Sm and aCL. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-P antibody is significantly associated with malar rash, oral ulcer, photosensitivity and serum anti-dsDNA antibody, and potentially associated with NPSLE, hepatic damage, serum anti-Sm and aCL.

The association of anti-annexin1 antibodies with the occurrence of skin lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Anti-annexin1 antibodies are associated with the subtypes of cutaneous lupus and are elevated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. In this study, we investigated the correlation of this antibody with the incidence of SLE skin lesions. The presence of anti-annexin1-IgG and-IgM determined by Western blot was no different among healthy controls and SLE patients with and without skin lesions. Serum levels of anti-annexin1-IgG and -IgM measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were comparable between patients with and without skin lesions, whereas anti-annexin1-IgM was lower in SLE patients than in healthy controls. Annexin1 was abundantly detected in each epidermal layer in lupus lesional skin. Additionally, anti-annexin1-IgG was higher in SLE patients with arthritis and negatively correlated with white blood cells (WBC). Anti-annexin1-IgM was higher in patients with antinuclear antibody (ANA)-positive sera, and was positively related to hemoglobin and total serum IgM. Collectively, anti-annexin1 antibodies are not related to the incidence of skin lesions in SLE, and annexin1 abundantly distributes in epidermis in lesional skin.

First Report of Leaf Spot on Tibouchina semidecandra Caused by Beltrania rhombica in China.

Tibouchina semidecandra Cogn. is a popular ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas (1). In August 2011, a leaf spot was observed on approximately 70% of 5,000 potted plants of T. semidecandra in a nursery in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China. Each leaf spot was round with a brown center surrounded by a reddish brown border, and ranged from 8 to 10 mm in diameter. A fungus was isolated consistently from the lesions by surface-sterilizing symptomatic leaf sections (each 3 cm2) with 75% alcohol for 8 s, washing the sections with sterile water, soaking the sections in 3% NaOCl for 15 s, rinsing the sections with sterile water three times, and then placing the sections on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28°C. Each of three single-spore isolates on PDA produced gray, floccose colonies that reached 70 mm in diameter after 5 days at 28°C. Setae were dark brown, straight, erect, distantly and inconspicuously septate, and 125 to 193 × 3.0 to 4.5 µm. Conidiophores were light brown, cylindrical, simple or sometimes branched at the base, and 105 to 202 × 3 to 5 µm. Separating cells were hyaline, oval, and 12 to 13 × 4 to 5 µm. Conidia were unequally biconic, unicellular, dark brown with a pale brown or subhyaline band just above the widest part, and 26 to 31 × 8.5 to 12 µm (mean 27.3 × 10.6 µm) with a conspicuous appendage at the apex that was 6 to 14 × 1 to 1.8 µm. These characteristics were consistent with the description of Beltrania rhombica Penz. (3). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of one isolate (GenBank Accession No. JN853777) was amplified using primers ITS4 and ITS5 (4) and sequenced. A BLAST search in GenBank revealed 97% similarity to the ITS sequence of an isolate of B. rhombica (GU797390.1). To confirm pathogenicity of the isolate, ten detached leaves from 3-month-old plants of T. semidecandra 'Purple Glorybush' were inoculated in vitro with 5-mm diameter, colonized mycelial plugs from the periphery of 5-day-old cultures of the isolated fungus. The agar plugs were put on the leaf surface and secured with sterile, moist cotton. Sterile PDA plugs were similarly used as the control treatment on ten detached leaves. Leaves were placed in petri dishes and incubated in a growth chamber with 12 h of light/day at 28°C. Necrotic lesions appeared on leaves after 2 to 3 days of incubation, whereas control leaves inoculated with sterile PDA plugs remained asymptomatic. B. rhombica was consistently reisolated from the lesions using the same method described above, but was not reisolated from the control leaves. Although there are approximately 77 reported hosts of B. rhombica (2), to our knowledge, this is the first report of B. rhombica causing a leaf spot on T. semidecandra. Because the disease caused foliar damage and reduced the ornamental value of the nursery plants, control measures may need to be implemented for this species in nurseries. References: (1) M. Faravani and B. H. Bakar. J. Food Agric. Env. Pap. 5:234, 2007. (4) D. F. Farr and A. Y. Rossman. Fungal Databases. Systematic Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. Retrieved from http://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/ , 30 Mar. 2012. (2) K. A. Pirozyski and S. D. Patil. Can. J. Bot. Pap. 48:567, 1970. (3) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1990.

First Report of Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on Cymbidium sinense in China.

Cymbidium sinense are among the most important commercial orchids cultivated in China for flower production. In April of 2010, a leaf spot was sporadically observed on C. sinense in fields located in Guangzhou, China. Symptoms first appeared as yellow to brown, irregular-shaped lesions on the leaf margin or tip. As the infection continued on the tissues, the spot expanded and became dark brown along the margins and developed gray brown centers. At later stages, numerous epidermal acervuli developed on the lesions and mucilaginous conidial masses appeared on the lesions under moist conditions. Ten samples from tissue along the margins of lesions were collected and surface sterilized by washing in 70% ethanol for 30 s, followed by washing in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 30 s, and rinsing in sterile distilled water. These samples were plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C with a 12-h alternating light and dark cycle. After 5 days, fungal colonies that grew from the tissue were subcultured onto PDA and pure cultures were obtained using the single-spore method. The fungus was identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides based on typical cultural characteristics and conidial morphology (1). PDA cultures were white at first and subsequently became grayish white to gray and pink to reddish brown. Conidia were straight, one-celled, hyaline, oblong, or cylindrical, slightly curved with truncate base and rounded apex and measured 14.0 to 19.5 × 4.0 to 6.0 µm. Chlamydospores, sclerotia, and a teleomorph were not found. Genomic DNA was extracted from one isolate and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) was amplified using ITS1 (5'-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3') and ITS4 (5'-CCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3') primers. The ITS region was further cloned and sequenced and showed 100% homology with many GenBank sequences (e.g., HQ333546.1) of C. gloeosporioides as the closest match. Pathogenicity tests were done by transferring one 4-mm-diameter disk of PDA that was colonized by the test isolates to wounds (4 × 4 mm) made with a needle in the leaves of 1-year-old C. sinense plants. Control plants received a sterile agar plug in wound. Ten inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags to maintain a high relative humidity and maintained in a greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C for 72 h. Five days after inoculation, no symptoms developed on the control plants. Foliar lesions closely resembled those observed in the field. C. gloeosporioides was reisolated consistently from symptomatic tissue collected from greenhouse experiments. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. gloeosporioides causing anthracnose on C. sinense in China. Reference: (1) B. C. Sutton. Colletotrichum Biology, Pathology and Control. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1992.

First Report of Leaf Spot on Gerbera jamesonii Caused by Corynespora cassiicola in China.

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus ex. Hook f.) is a popular cut flower and flowering potted plant. In August 2011, a new leaf spot disease was observed on double-type Gerbera growing in outdoor ground beds in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Approximately 30% of about 20,000 Gerbera plants in the Guangzhou ground beds were affected. Leaf spots were round or irregular with grayish centers surrounded by dark brown borders and ranged from 5 to 15 mm in diameter. Leaves with multiple lesions became blighted. A fungus was isolated from the lesions and single-spore isolates plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) produced gray, floccose colonies, which reached 65 mm on PDA after 7 days at 28°C. Conidiophores were brown or olivaceous, cylindrical, straight and unbranched, two to seven septations, and 25 to 83 × 4 to 7 µm. Conidiogenous cells were olivaceous or brown, cylindrical, and 11 to 21 × 4 to 6 µm. Conidia were borne singly or in chains of two to five, brown, cylindrical, straight to slightly curved, two to eight pseudosepta, and 30 to 90 × 5.5 to 11.5 µm (mean 70.4 × 7.3 µm), with a conspicuous hilum. These characteristics were consistent with the description of Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & M.A. Curtis.) C.T. Wei (1). The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of one isolate (GenBank Accession No. JN853778) was amplified using primers ITS4 and ITS5 (3) and sequenced. A BLAST search in GenBank revealed highest similarity (99%) to sequences of C. cassiicola (AY238606.1 and FJ852715.1). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 10 potted double-type Gerbera plants. Five wounded and five unwounded leaves on each plant were inoculated with 5-mm mycelial plugs from the periphery of 5-day-old cultures of the isolated fungus. The plugs were put on the leaf surface and secured with sterile wet cotton. Sterile PDA plugs were used as the control treatment on different leaves of the same plants that were inoculated. Plants were covered with plastic bags and incubated in a growth chamber with 12 h of light at 28°C. Necrotic lesions appeared on wounded leaves after 2 to 3 days of incubation and on unwounded leaves 5 to 7 days after incubation. Symptoms on wounded and unwounded leaves were similar to those observed in the field, whereas control leaves inoculated with sterile PDA plugs remained symptomless. C. cassiicola was consistently reisolated from these lesions. Although there are approximately 644 reported hosts of C. cassiicola (2), to our knowledge, this is the first report of C. cassiicola leaf spot on G. jamesonii. Because the disease caused damage to the foliage and affected the flowering of the plants, control measures may need to be implemented for the production of Gerbera in cut flower nurseries. References: (1) M. B. Ellis. CMI Mycol. Pap. 65:15, 1957. (2) D. F. Farr and A. Y. Rossman. Fungal Databases, Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. Retrieved from http://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/ , 21 November 2011. (3) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, San Diego, 1990.

Monoclonal antibody COL-1 reacts with restricted epitopes on carcinoembryonic antigen: an immunohistochemical study.

We used a monoclonal antibody, MAb COL-1, which recognized a restricted epitope on the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) molecule, to stain a wide variety of human normal and cancerous tissues. None of the 35 different types of normal tissue stained with COL-1. Of 59 types of benign and malignant tissues, COL-1 reacted with neoplasms of epithelial origin, especially the gastrointestinal tract, breast, lung, and bladder. In benign adenomatous colon polyps, villous adenomas were more frequently stained than tubular adenomas. Normal colon tissue from individuals without colon disease was unreactive, but very weak reactivity was noted in normal-appearing mucosa several centimeters remote from colon cancers. In contrast, another anti-CEA antibody with a less restricted epitope reacted frequently with both normal and remote colon mucosa. These results indicate that MAb COL-1 recognizes a restricted CEA epitope expressed only on pre-malignant or malignant cells and therefore may be a useful reagent for immunopathology.

[Cysts of ciliary body epithelium].

Among 1352 eyes examined histopathologically, ciliary body epithelial cysts were found in 198 eyes. The cysts can be divided into 3 types: non-pigmented epithelial, pigmented epithelial and intra-epithelial cysts, the non-pigmented epithelial cysts being the most commonly seen. The former 2 types are formed by the proliferation of the inner and outer layer of the optic cup respectively and the formation of the latter one is related to the separation of the 2 layers of the cup. The cysts can be single or multiple, at most 14 non-pigmented ciliary epithelial cysts with 2 iris epithelial cysts being present in one eye. The incidence of ciliary epithelial cysts is as high as 14.6%. Because of the hidden position, clinical doctors seldom notice them. They can be misdiagnosed as melanoma, they can cause secondary glaucoma and localized cataract and they can be detached spontaneously. Therefore, clinical doctors ought to pay attention to this disease.

A histological study of the eye lesions in 12 leprosy patients with tuberculoid lesion in 4 eyes.

The histological reactions in 12 eyes of 12 leprosy patients were studied (5 BT, 1 BB, 1 BL and 5 LL). Granuloma lesions composed of epithelioid cells, Langerhans giant cells, macrophages and lymphocytes were found in various intraocular tissues, e.g. cornea, sclera, iris, ciliary body or retina in 4 patients (1 BT and 3 LL). Of the 3 LL patients, according to the records, 2 were cured and in the other patient the outcome of the treatment was not mentioned. In view of the finding of the granulomatous lesions in the clinically cured patients and tuberculoid granuloma in the intraocular tissues in the LL patients, could there be some peculiarities in the intraocular sites? Or perhaps the tuberculoid reaction is just a manifestation of an upgrading reaction? More examinations on human leprosy eye specimens will be needed to answer these questions.

Evaluation of penetrating keratoplasties with long-term cryopreserved corneas using simplified method.

Since March 1986, the authors have studied and simplified the corneal cryopreservation technique using a self-made QL Bio-freezer. On the basis of successful animal experiments, penetrating keratoplasties with human cadaver corneas cryopreserved 9 to 571 days (averaging 131 days) were performed in 60 patients (61 eyes). The patients were followed up for 1.5 to 50 months. 41 of the corneal grafts remained clear, 9 became translucent and 11 cloudy. A total of 46 eyes had their visual acuity improved significantly. The results show that clinical use of corneal cryopreservation by the simplified two-step method is noteworthy.

MRI and myelography in the diagnosis of lumbar canal stenosis and disc herniation. A comparative study.

We studied the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the possibility of its substitution for myelography in 78 patients with lumbar canal stenosis and/or disc herniation, who had myelography and MRI examination. The diagnostic results of the two methods were compared respectively with those of operation, showing no statistical significance (coincidence rate 88.5% vs 92.3%, P greater than 0.05). We conclude that MRI could clearly reveal the pathological changes and anatomical relations of lumbar structures without invasive and radioactive damages, and that with the improvement of operative technique, better understanding of images, and reduction of cost, MRI is likely to replace myelography in the future.

The pathology of the eye in armadillos experimentally infected with Mycobacterium leprae.

One hundred and twenty-seven eyes from 66 Mycobacterium leprae inoculated armadillos were studied histologically and some ultrastructurally. Inflammatory reactions were found in the following extraocular tissues: the eyelid, including the orbicularis muscle and the third eyelid, extraocular muscles, tear gland and Harder's gland. The early and slight changes of the intraocular tissues, small amounts of lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophage infiltrations were confined to the area around the anterior angle specifically within the trabeculae and the adjacent ciliary body, the root of the iris and the limbus region of the cornea. But in the cases with severe lesions the whole uvea was densely infiltrated with large, foamy macrophages intermingled with small amounts of lymphocytes, plasma cells and frequently, neutrophils. No specific necrosis of the granulomas was seen. No explanation for the neutrophil infiltrations was given. The lesions in the cornea were significantly less severe than those in the uvea. Retinal lesions comprised of macrophage infiltrations were all obvious extensions of the adjacent uvea lesions. Acid-fast bacilla (AFB) were found within all tissues. The infection of the intraocular tissues in the armadillo eyes seemed to be mainly, if not solely, haematogenous.

[Ultrastructures of the capsule and subcapsular epithelium of the senile cataractous lens].

The capsule and subcapsular epithelium of 18 senile cataractous lenses and 2 normal lenses were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The structures of the capsule and subcapsular epithelium in most senile cataractous lenses were similar to those in the normal lenses. Low electron density bands composed of tiny granular or fibrillar material deep in the posterior capsule were observed in 4 of the senile cataractous lenses. Degeneration was more marked in the subcapsular epithelial cells in some of the senile cataractous lenses.

Histopathological findings in the iris of dapsone treated leprosy patients.

From 43 Nepalese leprosy patients skin smear negative, and treated with dapsone (diamino diphenyl sulphone), and without any sign of active leprosy or iritis, specimens from iridectomy during cataract surgery were studied histopathologically. Of 49 iris specimens only six (12%) were found to be without any histopathological change. Atrophy of the iris stroma was seen in 63% and neovascularisation in 6% of all cases. In 16% in which the dilator muscle could be detected, it was atrophic, and in 11% the pigmented epithelium was thinned and atrophic. Cellular inflammatory infiltrations were seen in 88% of all specimens. They were mostly slight in eyes which before operation had been without posterior synechiae of the iris. In most of the eyes in which posterior synechiae had been present moderate or heavy inflammatory cell infiltrates composed of lymphocytes and plasma cells, often associated with macrophages, neutrophils, or eosinophils, were found. In five iris specimens acid fast bacilli were present. This raises the question whether these can survive systemically despite dapsone chemotherapy in the iris, thus leading to dapsone-resistant leprosy and to recurrent iritis.

Immunohistochemical comparison of Lea, monosialosyl Lea (CA 19-9), and disialosyl Lea antigens in human colorectal and pancreatic tissues.

The CA 19-9 antigen is a monosialosyl Lea blood group antigen which has been shown to be a useful tumor-associated antigen for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers. Recently, a sialylated derivative of this antigen, disialosyl Lea, was isolated from a colon cancer liver metastasis and a monoclonal antibody (FH7) recognizing this novel determinant was developed. The present study simultaneously compared the expression of Lea, monosialosyl Lea, and disialosyl Lea antigens in a variety of nonmalignant, premalignant, and malignant tissues of the colorectum and pancreas with an aim toward elucidating whether disialosyl Lea is expressed as a tumor-associated antigen. In normal colonic mucosa, disialosyl Lea expression closely resembled Lea expression in overall frequency, segmental distribution, and cellular localization whereas monosialosyl Lea (CA 19-9) was essentially absent. Along the crypt axis, Lea was more often expressed in goblet cells of the upper crypt whereas disialosyl Lea was found in goblet cells along the entire crypt. Fetal colonic mucosa expressed all three antigens, as did most colorectal cancers regardless of location within the colon or degree of differentiation. The majority of hyperplastic polyps and practically all adenomatous polyps also expressed these three antigens, and in adenomas, antigen expression was independent of polyp size, villous morphology, or degree of dysplasia. In the normal pancreas, the three antigens were expressed on ductal, ductular and centroacinar cells of all specimens. The majority of pancreatic cancers expressed all three antigens. Thus, in the normal colon, the absence of monosialosyl Lea (CA 19-9) in the presence of disialosyl Lea suggests that an alpha 2,6 sialyltransferase is active, which results in the masking of CA 19-9 antigen expression. These results further support the concept that specific sialyltransferases play a role in regulating the expression of tumor-associated antigens.

A comparison of three immunoperoxidase techniques for antigen detection in colorectal carcinoma tissues.

We compared the streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate (SP) method of immunoperoxidase histochemistry to the unlabeled antibody (PAP) and avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) techniques in human colorectal carcinoma tissues stained with a monoclonal antibody for expression of carcinoembryonic antigen. Compared to the ABC and PAP method, the SP method produced stronger staining intensity and very low background staining. This was true when other antibody isotypes, other antibody species, other organs, and another tumor-associated antigen were used. Moreover, the SP procedure time could be reduced to one third that of the ABC or PAP methods without compromising accuracy, and the SP reagent is stable for several months. The chemical nature of the streptavidin molecule accounts, in large part, for the advantages of the SP method.

Unusual histological lesions in the eye of a leprosy patient.

A pathological study of an eye from a leprosy patient is reported. In addition to the granulomatous lesions in the anterior aspect of the eye, microgranulomas are demonstrated in the retina of this patient, a very uncommon finding in leprosy.