Bronchial artery aneurysm.

Two patients with bronchial artery aneurysm were surgically treated. One patient had a saccular aneurysm in the root of the left bronchial artery, and the other had a mediastinal as well as an intrapulmonary aneurysm, rupture of the latter of which had resulted in massive hemoptysis. Twelve reports of bronchial artery aneurysm have appeared in the literature to date. Those of mediastinal location frequently have symptoms mimicking dissecting aortic aneurysm, whereas their intrapulmonary counterparts usually are manifested by hemoptysis. Although its etiological process remains to be elucidated, this rare entity should be recognized in the clinical practice.

Juvenile granulosa cell tumor associated with rapid distant metastases.

We have encountered a case of juvenile granulosa cell tumor, first described by SCULLY as a specific form of granulosa cell tumor, in a 23-year-old, nulliparous female associated with some unusual clinicopathological features. The tumor showed a diffuse or macrofollicular pattern with eosinophilic or clear, often vacuolated cytoplasm containing abundant lipid. Ultrastructures revealed features very similar to those of previously reported juvenile granulosa cell tumor. Intracytoplasmic filaments were observed, but smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulums were not evident. The patient succumbed unexpectedly rapidly due to recurrence and distant metastasis, in spite of anti-cancer therapy. It is also interesting that surprisingly high levels of estrogens as well as testosterone in both urine and serum was recorded before surgery and after the development of recurrence.

Non-oat cell small cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Report of a case with ultrastructural observation.

A resected case of undifferentiated, non-oat cell type small cell carcinoma of the esophagus in a 78-year-old Japanese male is presented. Biopsy of a lower esophageal tumor that showed protrusions and centrally ulcerated features on esophageal roentgenograms, was initially misinterpreted as probable malignant lymphoma, because the absence of epithelial arrangement and the presence of abundant fine reticulin fibers encircling individual tumor cells. However, sections of the resected specimen disclosed minute foci consisting of nest formations of tumor cells suggesting an epithelial nature. Electron microscopy demonstrated immature round tumor cells, some of which showed occasional villous projections, desmosomal attachment devices, intracytoplasmic filaments resembling primitive tonofilaments. No neurosecretory granules as have been reported in oat-cell carcinoma of the esophagus were identified in the present case. The results suggest that this tumor is derived from the primitive cells of the esophageal mucosal epithelium or the duct of the esophageal glands. This tumor should be discriminated from oat-cell carcinoma on the basis of its histogenesis.

Report of carcinogenesis bioassay of sodium benzoate in rats: absence of carcinogenicity of sodium benzoate in rats.

The carcinogenicity of sodium benzoate was examined in Fischer 344 rats. Sodium benzoate was administered in the diet for 18 to 24 months at two dose levels; concentrations of 2% and 1% in the diet, which corresponded to the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and 1/2 MTD as estimated from the data obtained by 6-week toxicity study. Fifty males and 52 females each were used per group. Controls consisted of 25 male rats and 43 female rats. No adverse clinical signs directly attributable to the compound were observed in treated animals. Differences in the average body weight, and mortality rates between treated and control groups were negligible. The results of the statistical test for dose-related trends were not significant (p < 0.05) Although a variety of tumors occurred among test and control rats of each sex, tumors appearing in treated rats were similar in type and number to those in controls. It was concluded that no evidence of carcinogenicity in rats from sodium benzoate was demonstrated.