Sleeve lobectomy as an alternative to pneumonectomy in patients with operable lung cancer.

In many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pneumonectomy is still the only choice of surgical treatment. Pneumonectomy is associated with the increased risk of postoperative complications and higher mortality. Late results are affected by progressive deterioration of the quality of life. In some patients, especially with central location of the tumor the sleeve lobectomy can be an alternative to pneumonectomy. However, there are some doubts about the higher risk of local recurrence. The aim of the study was to assess the early and late results of sleeve lobectomy in patients with NSCLC treated surgically. The study group consisted of 107 patients subjected to surgery due to NSCLC between 2001 and 2009. There were 89 male and 18 female patients, aged between 35 and 78 years (mean age: 65 years). Surgery was preceded by routine diagnostic and staging procedures. Statistical analysis was based on the Statistica 6.0 software.The following sleeve lobectomies were performed: 71 right upper, 29 left upper, 5 left lower lobectomies, one inferior bilobectomy and one upper bilobectomy. Twelve patients were subjected to left upper sleeve lobectomy with partial resection and reconstruction of the pulmonary artery. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most common type of histology. Most patients were classified as stage IB and IIB. Perioperative mortality in the entire study population was 1.8%. The most frequent complications were as follows: supraventricular arrhythmias (11.2%) and atelectasis of the operated lung (10.3%). The five-year survival after surgery was 56.1%. Local recurrence was observed in 10 patients (9.3%). Statistical analysis demonstrated that T stage and postoperative chemotherapy were significant factors influencing long-term survival. Multivariate analysis showed that T stage was the only factor influencing the long-term survival. Sleeve lobectomy is a good alternative to pneumonectomy in selected patients with NSCLC. Although it is considered as technically difficult, it is characterized by lower risk of death during the perioperative period, lower percentage of significant postoperative complications and better quality of life after the operation.

Trichinella spiralis: induction of the basophilic transformation of muscle cells by synchronous newborn larvae. II. Electron microscopy study.

The present ultrastructure observations apply to the same experimental groups that were investigated in the first part of the study. The results of electron microscopy investigations correspond to those obtained using light microscopy methods. The ultrastructure data demonstrated that 1-h-old sNBL (group I) penetrated into the sarcoplasm of the muscle cells and transformed it basophilically, finally creating the "nurse cell-muscle larva complex." These larvae also caused transformation of the same muscle cells without being present in the sarcoplasm. The larvae of group II (9-h-old sNBL) preserved transformation potential as well, but it was less intensive. Not all NBL settled in the muscle cells; some of them remained in the intercellular spaces. Group II larvae present in the muscle cells underwent early degeneration and necrosis more often than did group I larvae; the inflammatory cell reactions in the vicinity of the larvae were more intensive. The basophilic transformation of muscle cells that did not contain larvae in their sarcoplasm was not intensive and often stopped at the level of cell nuclei. The larvae of group III (6-day-old sNBL) neither settled in the muscle cells nor transformed the cell sarcoplasm.

Trichinella spiralis: induction of the basophilic transformation of muscle cells by synchronous newborn larvae.

Newborn larvae (NBL) possess the "transformation potential" (TP) to induce the basophilic transformation of the muscle cell into the nurse cell and to create the nurse cell-muscle larva complex. For investigation as to whether TP is age-dependent, three groups of synchronous NBL (sNBL) were obtained at 1 h, 9 h, and 6 days of age, respectively, and were injected intramuscularly into mice. The TP was demonstrated to be high for both 1- and 9-h-old sNBL, but for 6-day-old sNBL, none was found. The earliest transformation of muscle cells was observed at 48 h postinfection (p.i.) in the first two groups of sNBL. Moreover, for 1-h-old sNBL the numbers of basophilically transformed muscle cells without larvae were 3-fold those of sNBL observed in histology sections. The results indicate that (1) due to the high TP observed in the 1-h-old sNBL group, NBL are born with TP; (2) the TP is lost by aging; and (3) the induction of the basophilic transformation of muscle cells is possible without direct contact between the muscle cell and NBL being required, as contact with released factor(s) alone may be enough.

Contribution of muscle cell to formation of the capsule around Trichinella spiralis larva. Ultrastructural studies.

In electron microscopic studies on structure of the capsule surrounding Trichinella spiralis larva the techniques have been employed which permit demonstration of proteoglycans and collagen fibers at various stages of their formation, i.e. fixation in tannic acid and staining reaction with ruthenium red. The muscle cell has been demonstrated to produce both collagen fibers and glycoproteins plus proteoglycans. The products formed inner part of the capsule, separated from the outer part by the basement membrane. The outer part of the capsule contained collagen fibers and matrix, synthesized by the interstitial tissue cells, by fibroblasts and vascular endothelium cells in particular.

[The role of the nucleus in the mechanism of transformation of muscle after infection by Trichinella spiralis larvae. III. Morphometric analysis of the functional transformation of the muscle cell nucleus after infection]. / Rola jadra komórki miesniowej w mechanizmie jej transformacji po zarazeniu larwami Trichinella spiralis. III. Analiza morfometryczna przemian morfologicznych i czynnosciowych jader komórek miesniowych w przebiegu zarazenia.

Morphometric investigations (using the convergence analysis method) of geometric parameters of nuclei and nucleoli of transformed muscle cells were carried in mice 15 days, 30 days and 6 month after infection with T. spiralis larvae. The analysis showed the largest increase of investigated the parameters of 15th day after the infection. The results of morphometric analysis are in agreement with the morphologic, ultrastructural and histochemical observations (published in I and II part) as for as functional changes of muscle cells in various stages of trichinellosis are concerned.

[The role of the muscle cell nucleus in the mechanism of its transformation after infection by Trichinella spiralis larvae. II. Histochemical features of the functional transformation of the muscle cell nucleus in the course of infection]. / Rola jadra komórki miesniowej w mechanizmie jej transformacji po zarazeniu larwami trichinella spiralis. II. Wykladniki histochemiczne przemian czynnosciowych jadra komórki miesniowej w przebiegu zarazenia.

The activation of muscle cell nucleus in the course of T. spiralis infection, established using morphological methods (part I), has been confirmed in histochemical (histones, RNP) and histoenzymatic (RN-aze) investigations. The activity of the cell nucleus increased from the 5th day after infection up to the complete encapsulation of the larva (30th day) however it remained at a weak stable level in later stages of infection.

Medulloblastoma: histological evaluation and prognosis. A clinical, immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study.

Eighty-four cases of medulloblastoma were examined immunohistochemically and 12 by electron microscopy to assess differentiation in these tumors. Based upon the largest series of medulloblastoma studied to date, we demonstrated glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) positivity, in 25% (21/84) of these tumors showing glial differentiation. GFAP-positive cells were seen more frequently in the desmoplastic variant of medulloblastoma (7/10). Under electron microscopy, the major part of the 12 tumors studied appeared primitive and undifferentiated. In 7 cases, groups of cells were found with primitive neuronal and/or glial features. GFAP positivity was confirmed at light microscopy level in all cases where cells showed glial differentiation in the form of glial-like filaments in cytoplasma. However, a follow-up questionnaire study of those patients who had received only surgical treatment revealed no difference in mean survival time between GFAP-positive and GFAP-negative medulloblastoma.

Carcinogenicity of nickel(II)hydroxides and nickel(II)sulfate in Wistar rats and its relation to the in vitro dissolution rates.

During a two year experiment, local sarcomas developed in 5 of 20 rats injected intramuscularly (i.m.) with 120 mumol of nickel(II)hydroxide air-dried gel (DRY), in 3 of 20 rats similarly injected with 120 mumol of crystalline industrial nickel(II)hydroxide (CRST) and in 16 of 20 rats injected i.m. with 40 mumol of nickel subsulfide (Ni3S2). I.m. injections of 120 mumol of freshly precipitated colloidal nickel(II)hydroxide (COL) did not produce tumors. No tumors were found in animals which had been injected i.m. with 15 doses of 4.4 mumol of nickel(II)sulfate (NiSO4) (total dose equalled 66 mumol/rat) or sodium sulfate (Na2SO4; controls). Statistical analysis ranked the tumor yields as follows: Ni3S2 greater than CRST = DRY greater than COL = NiSO4. The in vitro solubilization rates of the hydroxides and nickel subsulfide in human blood serum, artificial lung fluid and ammonium acetate buffer, pH 7.4, were found to increase in the following order: Ni3S2 less than CRST less than DRY less than COL. Hence, an inverse relation may exist between the tumor yield and rate of solubilization of the compounds tested.

Isomorphous and anaplastic (polymorphous) oligodendroglioma.

The problem of the astrocyte-like cells and giant cells in oligodendrogliomas is discussed, basing on morphological data of 22 tumours diagnosed as isomorphous, anaplastic and polymorphous type of oligodendroglioma. Multinucleated cells are characteristic features for polymorphous type of oligodendroglioma and the origin of multinucleated Langhans-like cells caused by a virus factor is proposed.