Apmis

Drevon, Christian A.; Hovig, Torstein

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03862.xpmid: 835351

Guinea pigs were fed a semisynthetic diet containing 10 per cent (by weight) cottonseed oil with or without 1 per cent cholesterol. In the animals fed fat, the lipid levels and the morphology remained normal in all tissues studied. Concomitantly with a marked accumulation of cholesteryl ester (CE) in the liver, however, many microscopical changes occurred in guinea pigs fed cholesterol/fat. A prominent deposition of lipids in vacuoles, mostly without delimitating membranes, where observed at centrilobular sites. Multivacuolated, secondary lysosomes, membrane bound lipid vacuoles (lipolysosomes) and myelin figures were found both in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. Myelin figures and crystalline clefts were observed more often in Kupffer cells than in hepatocytes. The granular endoplasmic reticulum in the Kupffer cells was grossly dilated and filled with an amorphous material. Both the biochemical and the morphological findings in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells are very similar to those observed in cholesteryl ester storage disease and in Wolman's disease. These two lipid storage diseases are both related to deficiency of an acid lipase in the liver. Measurement of the acid liver CE hydrolase in guinea pigs fed fat and in those fed cholesterol/fat showed similar activity. A relative deficiency of this enzyme activity could be the reason for the development of the enormous CE storage in guinea pig livers. These findings suggest that guinea pigs fed cholesterol/fat, in some respects, can be used as a model for Wolman's disease and cholesteryl ester storage disease. We did not find any microscopical changes in the kidneys from animals fed cholesterol/fat, thus indicating that the experimental condition it not useful as a model for studies of the kidney changes in lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency.

Poulsen, H. Skovgaard

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03863.xpmid: 835352

Gynaecomastic tissue from six patients were tested for oestrogen and testosterone sensitivity as measured by thymidine incorporation in tissue fragments in vitro. The DNA synthesis of the cultures was increased in tissue from five out of the six patients under the influence of oestrogen, whereas it was increased in tissue from only one patient under the influence of testosterone. The results are discussed in relation to the medical histories of the patients and hormonal excretion studies done by others.

Svendsen, Einar; Jørgensen, Leif

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03864.xpmid: 835353

Scanning electron microscopy of rabbit aorta showed that the intimal folds had a regular, linear pattern in areas of expected laminar flow. In areas of expected vortex formation, however, there was deviation of the fold pattern with the formation of rounded depressions or pits in the intimal surface. Platelet depositions were found in connection with some of the pits. In sections for light microscopy the pits corresponded to small areas of flattened folds of the innermost elastic membranes. It is concluded that the intimal pits probably reflect imprints of vortices of the whirling blood.

Gröntoft, Otto; Hellquist, Henrik

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03865.xpmid: 138330

A case of primary haemangio‐endotheliosarcoma of the right atrium is reported. A review of the literature is given and in all but four of the 56 cases, the tumour originates in the right atrium projecting into the cavity. This explains why these tumours present a rather uniform clinical picture characterized by superior vena caval syndrome combined with pericardial effusion, cardiomegaly, dyspnoea and chest pain. A male dominent sex distribution of 3 to 1 is found. The tumour is highly malignant and has caused death within an average of six months. We emphasize the possibility of early diagnosis particularly since the clinical symptoms are rather typical and cases are reported where therapy apparently was successful.

Myllärniemi, H.; Nickels, J. I.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03866.xpmid: 835354

Thirteen gall bladders presenting normal findings, cholesterolosis, chronic cholecystitis, mucosal hyperplasia and adenomyomatosis were studied by scanning and light microscopy. In the bladder of patients with cholesterolosis the mucosal folds were clearly dilated, but the individual epithelial cells had preserved their normal hexagonal structure. In the gall bladder of one patient with cholesterolosis, goblet‐like cells were seen in the epithelium. The greatest changes were seen in material from patients with chronic cholecystitis, in which the mucosal folds were clearly flattened and the cell boundaries indistinct and small polypoid structures were seen on the surface of the epithelium. No special changes were seen in material obtained from patients with adenomyomatosis or mucosal hyperplasia.

Mackenzie, I. C.; Dabelsteen, E.; Zimmermann, K.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03867.xpmid: 402062

Healing wounds in the oral mucosa of rhesus monkeys were examined by an immunofluorescence staining method to demonstrate the distribution of a blood group antigen cross reacting with human group B, and by labelling with tritiated thymidine to localize areas of cell proliferation. Within hours, blood group antigen reactivity was lost from epithelial cells adjacent to the wound margin. Reactivity was absent from the epithelial outgrowth into the wound, but returned with restoration of epithelial continuity. The zone of increased cell proliferation lay adjacent to, but outside of, the area of antigen loss. Antigen loss appeared to be associated with an area of increased cell movement, a finding of interest in relation to reports of antigen loss from epithelial tumors.

Aspegren, Knut; Tropé, Claes

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03868.xpmid: 402063

The in vitro effect of prolactin and hydrocortisone, singly or in combination, on the DMBA‐induced mammary tumour in the rat was investigated by organ cultures. Prolactin had a stimulating effect on the DNA synthesis in one out of five tumours. Hydrocortisone induced lobulo‐alveolar differentiation but reduced the DNA synthesis or failed to affect it. The addition of prolactin to hydrocortisone did not alter this response. Virus induced rat sarcomas were studied as control tissue. Prolactin inhibited growth of one sarcoma. Hydrocortisone stimulated growth of sarcomas. The relevance of these findings in relation to similar in vitro experiments is discussed.

Normann, Trine; Normann, Eldar; Schrumpf, Erik; Gautvik, Kaare M.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03869.xpmid: 835355

Rats transplanted with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MCT) were followed with radio‐immuno assay of serum calcitonin (iCT) using antisera to human CT and I125 labelled calcitonin‐M. From the 4th month after transplantation, serum from the tumour rats contained iCT in concentrations 8–10 fold higher than serum from the control rats. The tumour cells had retained their ability to react on pentagastrin and calcium injections with increased CT release. It was further shown that the tumour bearing rats had elevated basal gastrin concentrations in serum. While calcium injection lead to a rise in the serum gastrin concentration in the control group, the adverse effect was seen in the tumour bearing rats. The morphological features and the responsiveness of the rat tumour cells to physiological secretagogues make this tumour a suitable animal model for the study of interactions between CT and gastro‐intestinal factors. It is suggested that the gastrin response to calcium might be of interest also in the diagnosis of human MCT.

Moe, H.; Mikkelsen, Hanne

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03870.xpmid: 835356

The highly polarized secretory ameloblasts in the incisors of rats fixed by perfusion with glutar‐aldehyde two or three hours after intravenous administration of vinblastine sulfate at a dosage of 5 mg per 100 g body weight were studied in the light microscope and the electron microscope. The following effects were observed: 1. All cytoplasmic microtubules in the ameloblasts had vanished. This was not accompanied by the appearance of paracrystals of microtubular protein or macrotubules. 2. The ameloblasts preserved their external features of polarized cells but lost their ability to maintain normal orderly segregation of the cell constituents; i.e. their normal internal compartmentalization and polarity had vanished. 3. The ameloblasts lost their capability of directional translocation of the secretory granules towards the cell apex. 4. Secretory granules already translocated to the cell apex regurgitated in the cell and a probably delayed discharge of secretory material had started in abnormal site at the surface. 5. The normal arrangement of ribosomes into polyribosomes on the membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum was no longer present; the ribosomes were apparently distributed at random. 6. New secretion was inhibited or brought to a standstill but secretory material already present in the Golgi complex appeared to be transported normally. 7. The centriole had started to develop into a cilium in many of the cells. 8. The number of autophagic vacuoles had increased.

Blom, J.; Hovind‐Hougen, K.; Jensen, H.‐J. Skovgaard; Birch‐Andersen, A.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03871.xpmid: 835357

The morphology of lymph node tissue from normal hamsters and from hamsters experimentally infected with Treponema pertenue Gauthier was compared by means of light and electron microscopy. The capsules of the lymph nodes from infected hamsters showed an increased thickness in comparison with those of the non‐infected animals. The infected lymph nodes differed from normal lymph nodes by small accumulations of neutrophilic leucocytes in the cortical areas. In addition, the amount of intercellular collagenous matrix present between large elongated cells was greatly increased in lymph nodes from infected animals. Electron microscopy of thin sections of infected lymph nodes showed intercellularly located treponemes in the leucocyte infiltration areas. These regions also showed the increased amounts of the collagenous matrix. Treponemes were occasionally found intracellularly in macrophages. These treponemes did not show their typically helical shape, but were present as spherical forms or cysts.