Apmis

Nørgaard‐Pedersen, B.; Dabelsteenn, E.; Edelingn, C.J.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03839.xpmid: N/A

By means of indirect immunofluorescence (IF) and indirect immunoperoxidase (IP) technique the presence of α‐foetoprotein (AFP) has been demonstrated in foetal liver tissue as well as in liver tissue from two cases of hepatoblastoma. In both cases of hepatoblastoma the serum AFP were determined by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Removal of the tumours caused a rapid fall in the concentration of serum AFP.

Attramadal, Audun; Jonsen, Jon

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03840.xpmid: 4406554

The effect of temperature on the adhesion of cells to glass was studied. The initial cell adhesion was found to be temperature dependent within the range 4°–37°C. The initial cell adhesion was independent of temperature changes after formaldehyde fixation of the cells or after arresting cell metabolism with 2,4‐dinitrophenol and iodoacetate. It is suggested that cell surface functions dependent on cellular metabolism facilitates initial cell adhesion.

Møller, J. E.; Raahave, D.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03841.xpmid: 4364166

The rare, malignant germ cell tumour, endodermal sinus tumour, may also have an extragonadal localization. A case of gastric localization is presented. Palliative resection of the bleeding tumour was performed, including partial hepatectomy. A cavity developed between the abdomen and the left half of the thorax, which became infected postoperatively, resulting in septicaemia and death in the course of renewed attempts at drainage. At autopsy an adult teratoma was found in the one testis, just as teratomata had been removed three years previously from both lung hila. It is suggested that the endodermal sinus tumour in the stomach may have been a metastasis from one of these teratomata or a stage in a multiple teratoid anlage.

Stougård, J.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03842.xpmid: 4133487

The main object was to study the osteocartilaginous junction under normal and abnormal conditions from the femur and patella. To this end the author used samples removed at autopsy from normal knee joints and biopsies from patients with patellar chondromalacia. Slight differences were found between non‐weight‐bearing and weight‐bearing areas of the joint. These differences were accentuated in cases with mild cartilaginous changes, manifesting themselves in increased thickening of the calcified cartilage and the subchondral bone, the junction of the two tissues growing more irregular and the number of bony extensions from the subchondral bone into the calcified cartilage increasing. This indicated increased activity in the skeletal tissue in the presence of cartilaginous changes, as also confirmed by tetracycline labelling.

Tropé, Claes; Håkansson, Leif

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03843.xpmid: 4829059

The present work uses an in vitro test model to study the effect of vinblastine sulphate, melphalan, and cytosine arabinoside on the DNA synthesis of methylcholanthrene induced mouse sarcoma. With this model, we studied the possible correlation between the in vitro results and the response to these cytostatic drugs in vivo. Seven different tumours were tested and at the same time the tumour cell suspension was transplanted to a number of recipients. The in vitro effects of the drugs were measured as differences in incorporation of labelled H3‐thymidine in drug‐containing tubes and in control tubes. The effects of the drugs on the methylcholanthrene‐induced sarcomas varied greatly, from strong sensitivity to resistance. Two days after transplantation, cytostatic drug treatment began and continued for 10 days. Its effect was checked with white blood cell counts. The effect on the in vivo growth of the transplanted tumours was evaluated by registration of the number of palpable tumours on different days in each experimental group. A correlation was found between the in vitro test results and those of in vivo treatment. Its biological significance is discussed.

Hägg, Erik

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03844.xpmid: N/A

A light microscopic quantitation and comparison of some selected glomerular structures (basement membrane and mesangial area) in nondiabetic and in untreated alloxan diabetic rats at various ages was performed. It applies to both groups of rats that a significant age‐related increase of graded glomerular basement membrane thickness and of measured mesangial area developed. In time, however, this increase was significantly more pronounced in the diabetic than in the nondiabetic group. Tubular and interstitial changes were also observed, both in nondiabetic and in diabetic rats. The importance of using an adequate number of nondiabetic, age‐matched controls in studies of the mentioned glomerular changes in diabetic rats is emphasized. A quantitation of the changes in “blind” studies is advisable.

Hägg, Erik

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03845.xpmid: 4133489

Alloxan diabetes was induced in a total of 16 female rats. Eight of them were untreated and 8 were given weekly injections of cyclophosphamide. Five nondiabetic female rats served as controls. Kidney biopsies were performed at 15 months of age, corresponding to a diabetes duration of 12 months. Glomerular basement membrane thickness was measured on electron micrographs using two methods: one described by Jørgensen & Bentzon (7) and the other by Weibel & Knight (22) (the latter method originally employed for measuring the alveolo‐capillary membrane in rat lung). The numerical agreement between the two methods was good. The Weibel method, however, showed definite theoretical and practical advantages. A light microscopic grading of basement membrane thickness was fairly well correlated to the results of these electron microscopic methods. The glomerular basement membrane was significantly thicker in the untreated diabetic rats than in the controls, but there was no significant difference in thickness between the untreated and the cyclophosphamide treated diabetic group. A positive correlation could be demonstrated between weighted diuresis and basement membrane thickness of the diabetic rats.

Hägg, Erik

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03846.xpmid: 4597691

The occurrence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and complement (β1C) in the kidneys of untreated alloxan diabetic rats has been investigated by immunofluorescent technique using ethanol fixed, paraffin embedded tissue. The results were compared with light microscopical glomerular changes described previously. IgG could be demonstrated in glomeruli (mainly in the mesangium) of almost all diabetic rats as early as one month after diabetes induction, i.e. before light microscopical glomerular lesions were present. The frequency and severity of IgG deposition did not change with increasing diabetes duration up to 12 months. There was a positive correlation between the amount of mesangial IgG and the severity of the diabetic state, as measured by diuresis. Slight amounts of mesangial IgG were also found in a few old nondiabetic controls. β1C could not be demonstrated with certainty in glomeruli when using the paraffin embedding method. However, the use of freezing technique in a few diabetic rats permitted detection of β1C in the mesangium of some cases.

Hägg, Erik

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03847.xpmid: 4597692

The hypothesis that insulin itself participates in the pathogenesis of diabetic microangiopathy was tested in alloxan diabetic male rats by giving them daily injections of a commercial protamine zinc insulin for 3 months after 9 months of untreated diabetes. Insulin doses were adjusted so that the urine volumes and glucosuria were kept at low levels. When compared with untreated alloxan diabetic rats of the same diabetes duration (12 months), the insulin treated animals showed a significantly decreased incidence and quantity of mesangial IgG. There was also a tendency to less glomerular basement membrane thickness and mesangial area in the treated rats, but the differences between the two groups were not significant. The glomeruli of nondiabetic insulin treated animals did not differ from those of untreated controls. These results do not support the assumption that the presence of insulin contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetic glomerulosclerosis. The findings favour the concept that glomerular disease in diabetes is the result of insulin deficiency. Furthermore, deposition of glomerular IgG in alloxan diabetic rats is evidently a reversible phenomenon.

Nielsen, Helle; Nielsen, Morten; Skakkebæk, Niels E.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1974.tb03848.xpmid: 4364167

An abnormal morphology of germ cells was found in the seminiferous epithelium of four infertile men, three of whom developed a carcinoma of the same testis. The ultrastructure of the abnormal germ cells from the different patients were compared and found to be almost identical. The fine structure of the cells was also compared with that of the normal pre‐ and postpubertal germ cells described in the literature. We found that the abnormal germ cells were similar to the former although they also possesed several malignant features as regards the size and shape of nucleus, nucleolus and the density of cytoplasmic organelles. The ultrastructure of the Sertoli cells was compared with that of normal pre‐ and postpubertal Sertoli cells described in the literature. Morphologically they seemed to be normal postpubertal Sertoli cells. The findings indicate that the abnormal cells represent a carcinomain‐situ of rather primitive germ cell origin.