Effects of mesenchymal stromal cells play a role the oxidant/antioxidant balance in a murine model of asthma.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterised by chronic airway inflammation. One of the most devastating consequences of this inflammatory process is the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species responsible for oxidative stress. The aim of this study is to analyse the efficiency of treatment with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC) in maintaining the oxidative balance in a murine model of allergic asthma by quantifying nitrotyrosine in lung tissues. After confirmation of asthma in the experimental model, samples of lung parenchyma were submitted to immunohistochemical assessment. Intravenous administration of hMSC reduced the levels of nitrotyrosine in the ASTHMA-hMSC group compared to those in the ASTHMA-SAL group. In conclusion, therapeutic administration of hMSC had a beneficial effect on oxidative stress, reducing the levels of nitrotyrosine in lung tissues in a model of allergic asthma.

Tobacco smoking in schizophrenia: investigating the role of incentive salience.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is highly prevalent in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, but the reason for this co-morbidity is currently unclear. One possible explanation is that a common abnormality underpins the development of psychosis and independently enhances the incentive motivational properties of drugs and their associated cues. This study aimed to investigate whether incentive salience attribution towards smoking cues, as assessed by attentional bias, is heightened in schizophrenia and associated with delusions and hallucinations. METHOD: Twenty-two smokers diagnosed with schizophrenia and 23 control smokers were assessed for smoking-related attentional bias using a modified Stroop task. Craving, nicotine dependence, smoking behaviour and positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia were also recorded. RESULTS: Both groups showed similar craving scores and smoking behaviour according to self-report and expired carbon monoxide (CO), although the patient group had higher nicotine dependence scores. Attentional bias, as evidenced by significant interference from smoking-related words on the modified Stroop task, was similar in both groups and correlated with CO levels. Attentional bias was positively related to severity of delusions but not hallucinations or other symptoms in the schizophrenia group. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the hypothesis that the development of delusions and the incentive motivational aspects of smoking may share a common biological substrate. These findings may offer some explanation for the elevated rates of smoking and other drug use in people with psychotic illness.

Feline Leukaemia Virus Associated with Leukaemia in Cats in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Leukaemia is a haemopoietic neoplasm originating from myeloid or lymphoid precursors in the bone marrow and may be either acute or chronic. These tumours are rare, but occur more frequently in cats because of an association with the feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). To the best of our knowledge, no studies conducted in Brazil to date have analysed the association between leukaemia and FeLV and FIV infection in cats. The aim of this study was to perform a histopathological analysis of feline leukaemia and evaluate the association between leukaemia and FeLV and FIV infection in cats. The study evaluated 37 cats with leukaemia diagnosed between 2009 and 2017. The animals underwent necropsy examination, histopathology and immunohistochemistry with anti-FeLV gp70 and anti-FIV p24 gag antibodies. Of the evaluated animals, 54% (20/37) were males and 43.2% (16/37) were females. With respect to the life stage of the animals, 24.3% (9/37) were junior, 32.4% (12/37) were prime, 18.9% (7/37) were mature and 10.8% (4/37) were senior, and five animals were of unknown age. Myeloid leukaemia occurred in 56.8% (21/37) of the cases and lymphocytic leukaemia occurred in 43.2% (16/37) of the cases. Acute leukaemia (73%, 27/37) was more common than chronic leukaemia (27%, 10/37). The positivity for FeLV (78.4%, 29/37) and FIV (16.2%, 6/37) indicated a high association between FeLV infection and tumour development in the study region.

Feline Lymphoma and a High Correlation with Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection in Brazil.

Lymphoma is the most important haemopoietic tumour in cats and has been associated with feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection. In Brazil, no studies have established a correlation between FeLV infection and lymphoma. The aim of this study was to characterize lymphomas arising in cats in Brazil anatomically and microscopically, and to correlate these data with FeLV infection as determined by immunohistochemistry for the FeLV gp70 antigen. Fifty-three cats with lymphoma were evaluated. The mean age of junior, prime, mature, senior and geriatric cats was 1.65 years, 4.34 years, 8 years, 12.14 years and 15.5 years, respectively. The anatomical types of lymphoma were multicentric (43.4%, 23/53), mediastinal (33.96%, 18/53), renal (11.32%, 6/53), hepatic (5.66%, 3/53), nodal (3.77%, 2/53) and alimentary (1.89 %, 1/53). The histological types were small noncleaved-cell (33.96%, 18/53), mixed diffuse (22.64%, 12/53), immunoblastic (15.11%, 8/53), lymphoblastic (11, 32%, 6/53), small lymphocytic (9.43%, 5/53), small cleaved-cell (3.77%, 2/53) and large cell lymphomas (3.77%, 2/3). Immunopositivity for FeLV was observed in 56.6% (30/53) of the samples. FeLV positivity was equally distributed between the genders, but predominated in junior and prime cats. The degree of association between lymphoma and FeLV infection in Brazil was higher than that found in other countries, demonstrating the need to prevent and control the factors associated with infection.

Modeling trophoblast differentiation using equine chorionic girdle vesicles.

The chorionic girdle of the equine conceptus is comprised of specialized trophoblast cells which, at day 36-38 of equine pregnancy, gain an invasive phenotype and invade the endometrium to form endometrial cups. Studies of equine endometrial cups remain difficult to perform because of the invasive techniques required to obtain cup tissue and because sampling requires termination of the pregnancy. In this study we developed a system to model trophoblast differentiation and trophoblast-immune interactions in vitro and in vivo. We utilized a method of culturing chorionic girdle pieces in serum-free medium to promote spontaneous formation of vesicle structures enriched for terminally differentiated binucleate cells that secreted equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG). Immunohistochemical staining and scanning electron microscopy showed that the cells of the vesicles closely resembled the outer layers of chorionic girdle immediately prior to invasion. Chorionic girdle vesicles were harvested after 72h in culture and ectopically transplanted via injection into the vulvar mucosa of recipient mares. At 7, 14, 21 and 28days after transplantation, biopsies of the injection sites were obtained. Immunohistochemical labeling of cryostat sections of the biopsies with a panel of monoclonal antibodies to horse trophoblast molecules demonstrated survival, differentiation, and presence of trophoblast cells for at least 21days. Serial sections of the biopsies labeled with antibodies to the equine lymphocyte surface markers CD4 and CD8, together with lymphocyte microcytotoxicity assays, revealed that the recipients mounted both cellular and humoral antibody immune responses to the transplanted trophoblast cells. This new method for culturing equine chorionic girdle trophoblast cells, and for transplanting trophoblast vesicles to ectopic sites, should allow identification of key aspects of trophoblast differentiation and the interactions that occur between invasive trophoblast and the maternal immune system.

April 2001: a 70 year old woman with recurrent meningioma.

The April Case of the Month (COM). The contributors report a case of a 70 year-old woman with recurrent meningiomas, one of which showed rhabdoid and lipomatous differentiation. Histopathological study of the first and second previous resections showed only typical meningothelial meningioma. On the third craniotomy, a new tumor specimen showed an admixture of classic meningothelial meningioma with lipomatous and rhabdoid foci. Immunohistochemical studies showed diffuse reactivity for epithelial membrane antigen and vimentin, as well as focal positivity for desmin and smooth muscle actin in the areas with rhabdoid features and S100 protein in the lipomatous foci. The presence of these three different and concomitant histological patterns only in the third surgical resection might support a metaplastic origin and, also, corroborates the concept that rhabdoid features are suggestive of an aggressive behavior.

Histopathologic and morphometric evaluation of the skin abnormalities induced by erbium:YAG and carbon dioxide lasers in 10 patients.

In the 1960s, carbon dioxide (CO2) laser therapy started to be applied to eliminate wrinkles, actinic scars, and acne because of its capacity of induce intracellular water vaporization. However, recent studies have shown the efficacy of the erbium laser in removing delicate and moderate scars. Furthermore, the postoperative lesions induced by the erbium laser seem to resolve faster and with less erythematous pattern compared with lesions induced by the CO2 laser. The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate pathologic alterations caused by single applications of CO2 and erbium lasers and their association in human skin shreds. Ten white female patients aged 30 to 63 years underwent rhytidectomy, and their respective shreds, which were prepared for excision, were tattooed with the CO2 laser, the erbium laser, or a combination of both in random order and number of applications, before final removal. This project was approved by the local ethical committee. After surgical removal, these tattooed shreds were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and submitted to histopathologic analysis. Morphometric studies demonstrated the normal skin thickness and thickness of the laser-treated area, and their subtraction resulted in the ablation damage values. Residual thermal damage corresponded to the thickness of the affected skin from the most superficial layer of tissue in the laser-treated area down to the deepest dermal area with basophilic degeneration of collagen fibers. Our results showed that two CO2 applications resulted in greater ablation and residual thermal damage when compared with only one CO2 application. The same was true in comparisons of one and two applications of the erbium laser. Both results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). When one isolated erbium and one isolated CO2 application were compared, ablation damage was greater in the former group, although with no statistical significance. One CO2 plus one erbium application compared with one isolated CO2 application showed similar ablation damage but greater residual thermal damage in the latter group (p < 0.05). These observations might contribute to our understanding of the lesions caused in the human skin by erbium and CO2 lasers and eventually help determine the ideal laser combination for the appropriate surgical treatment.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: report of a case diagnosed by intraoperative cytopathological examination.

The authors present an unusual case of a 13-yr-old boy with a 3-mo history of seizures. A CT scan showed a contrast-enhancing mass located in the left temporal lobe. The patient underwent a stereotatic-guided craniotomy; intraoperative cytological diagnosis was performed by the smear technique, showing a pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma. The tumor was totally resected. Definitive diagnosis was established by examination of paraffin-embedded material. Six months after the surgical intervention, the patient is doing well, with no radiological evidence of recurrence. The cytological differential diagnosis of giant cell lesions of the central nervous system is emphasized.

Accuracy of the smear technique in the cytological diagnosis of 650 lesions of the central nervous system.

The authors analyzed the results of 650 lesions of the central nervous system submitted to intraoperative cytological diagnosis by the smear technique. Cytological and paraffin section diagnoses were compared. The following statistical values were obtained: accuracy of 97.3%, sensitivity of 97.9%, specificity of 95%, positive predictive value of 99.1%, and negative predictive value of 89.6%. The authors comment on their main pitfalls using this cytological diagnostic procedure.

[The importance of muscle biopsy in the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases]. / A importância da biópsia muscular no diagnóstico de neuromiopatias.

Most of the neuromuscular diseases have similar clinical presentation affecting mainly young patients. Clinical observations, serum enzymes, electromyographic studies and muscle biopsy are required for correct diagnosis. The authors show the results of morphological observations of a series of 124 muscle biopsies studied between 1988 and 1992 using conventional paraffin embedded material, frozen sections of muscle tissue stained by several histochemical techniques, electron microscopic observations and, in some cases, morphometric analysis of the smaller diameter of at least 100 random muscle fibres. Neurogenic atrophy was present in 27% of the cases (n = 33), dystrophic muscle was diagnosed in 26%, mitochondrial myopathy in 7% while inflammatory and metabolic myopathies were less frequent. In the group of muscle dystrophy most cases were of Duchenne type showing great variation in fibre size ranging from 10 to 110 microns (mean = 30 to 70 microns). There was also muscle necrosis and fatty changes. Neurogenic biopsies showed fibre atrophy with clustering of nuclei and group atrophy. Electron microscopic observations in cases of Werdnig-Hoffmann showed tiny fibres with less than 5 microns in great dimension and also with redundant basal laminae. Cases of mitochondrial myopathy showed the classical ragged red fibres and many different mitochondrial abnormalities under the electron microscope. Many cases (33%) showed only minor structural abnormalities or end-stage alterations with marked fatty infiltration and fibrosis so that a definitive diagnosis failed to be achieved. The correct selection and handling of muscle biopsies is important for adequate diagnosis in neuromuscular pathology.

[Anatomo-pathological and ultrastructural features of mucopolysaccharidosis. Case report]. / Achados anatomo-patológicos e ultraestruturais na mucopolissacaridose. Relato de caso.

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are lysosomal storage diseases in which a specific enzyme defect causes glycosaminoglycans storage in tissues. The authors present a necropsy case of a 10 years old boy with clinical and laboratorial diagnosis of MPS. The necropsy revealed thickening of meninges, cardiac valves and hepatomegaly. The microscopical examination of the brain showed finely vacuolated histiocytes around blood vessels and meninges. Systemic deposits of vacuolated histiocytes in cardiac valves and liver were also detected. The ultrastructural examination of the brain, liver and spleen showed filamentous material accumulated in vacuolated histiocytes and hepatocytes and features neuronal storage disease.

[Optic nerve gliomas: a study of 11 cases]. / Gliomas do nervo óptico: estudo de 11 casos.

Optic nerve gliomas may occur alone or as components of neurofibromatosis. They are rare tumors accounting for 2 to 5% of all intracranial tumors and 6% of the intra-orbitary neoplasms. The authors present 11 cases of optic nerve-glioma diagnosed in Curitiba in the last 25 years. Out of these 11 patients there were 10 women and only 1 man. The ages ranged from 3 to 25 years old, and 6 patients were under 15 years. In this series, 27.3% (n = 3) of the cases were associated with neurofibromatosis. Five patients had their tumors restricted to the optic nerve while the others had either extension to the optic chiasm, supra-selar region, frontal or temporal lobe. All the patients had pilocytic astrocytomas.

[Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis. Report of 4 cases with study by rectal histochemistry, conjunctiva electron microscopy and necropsy]. / Lipofuscinose ceróide neuronal. Relato de quatro casos com estudo por histoquímica retal, microscopia eletrônica de conjuntiva e necrópsia.

The authors present the neuropathological and clinical findings of four cases of ceroid lipofuscinosis or Batten's disease. In two cases the autopsy findings showed brain atrophy and nerve cells packed with cytoplasmic granules compatible with lipofuscin. One case was diagnosed by histochemical techniques in frozen sections of rectal biopsy which showed myoenteric ganglion cells with cytoplasmic acid phosphatase positive material as well as numerous macrophages filled with lipofuscin in the mucosae. The fourth case diagnosed by electron microscopy of conjunctival biopsy which showed cytoplasmic inclusions of membranous, curvilinear and fingerprint types.

Sacrococcygeal chordoma in a 9-year-old boy.

A case of sacrococcygeal chordoma in a 9-year-old boy is presented. The symptoms at presentation were pain in both legs and sacrococcygeal region for the last two years that increased in the last four weeks irradiating mainly to the left leg. X-ray and CT scan examinations of the lumbar region revealed an expansive process in the coccygeal region with multiple calcifications and a partially eroded coccyx. There was no invasion of the retroperitoneum and regional lymph nodes. A biopsy was performed and showed cords and nests of cells with large cytoplasm, sometimes vacuolated, nuclei with moderate pleomorphism and clumped chromatin. Immunohistochemistry with avidin-biotin peroxidase technique showed positivity for CK, S-100 protein, CEA, vimentin and to EMA. Chordomas are a distinctly uncommon neoplasm in the first two decades of life, specially in the sacrococcygeal region. They have an aggressive behavior. Treatment of choice is complete resection.

[Electron microscopy study in neurodegenerative diseases in childhood]. / Estudo por microscopia eletrônica em doenças neurodegerativas na infância.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of disorders in which there is storage of abnormal material in cells throughout the body due to an enzyme defect. The authors present the experience in the diagnosis of the neurodegenerative diseases in infancy by electron microscopical study of skin, conjunctival and rectum material of 89 patients and 2 necropsy cases. The age of the patients ranged from 49 days to 13 years with speak age of incidence in first year of life (n = 28). Fifty patients were female and 39 were male. The most frequent sites of biopsy were the skin and conjunctival. Of the total 89 patients, 15 had a definitive diagnosis (16.8%) including 4 cases of gangliosidosis, 3 cases of mucopolysaccharidosis, a case of Gaucher's disease, a case of Niemann-Pick disease, 3 cases of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and 3 cases of storage disease which could not be specified. The authors studied all these patients within clinic and ultrastructural aspects and concluded that electron microscopy is an important method in diagnosis of storage diseases but with a low sensitivity as a single "screening" test for patients with progressive encephalopathy.

[Primary pediatric tumours of the central nervous system. Anatomopathological study of 623 cases]. / Tumores pediátricos primários do sistema nervoso central. Estudio anatomopatológico de 623 casos.

Tumours of central nervous system (CNS) represent the second most frequent malignancy in children under 15 years of age but are the commonest cause of death. The authors present the epidemiologic and histopathologic analysis of 623 primary tumours of CNS occurring during the period 1990 to 1996 in paediatric patients. In this period 3318 biopsies of CNS were analyzed. In this total were included 623 paediatric tumours (18 7%). The age of patients ranged from 5 months to 15 years, 325 tumours occurred in males and 298 in females. The majority affected the posterior fossa. The majority of paediatric neoplasias were of glial origin (n = 277). The most frequent tumours were: astrocytoma (27.9%), medulloblastoma (9.95%), craniopharyngioma (5.93%), ependymoma (4.97%) and glioblastoma (3.37%).

[Meningiomas. Epidemiological and anatomopathological study of 340 cases]. / Meningiomas. Estudo epidemiológico e anátomo-patológico de 304 casos.

The authors have retrospectively reviewed all tumors of central nervous system (CNS) operated at the most important neurosurgery hospitals of Curitiba in a 5-year period (1990-1994) and found 304 (22.4%) cases of meningioma. Age mean of the patients was 48.5 years, with a range of 3 to 90 years. A marked female preponderance (68.7%) was noted. The most common tumor location was brain (n = 280) and the remaining cases occurred in spinal cord (n = 10), cerebellum (n = 9) and cranial nerves (n = 5). Histologically, there were 294 (96.7%) meningiomas of the classical type, six malignant or anaplastic, three atypical and one papillary. Two hundred and sixty seven classical meningiomas were from the meningotelial subtype, ten psamomatousos, five fibroblastic, five microcystic, five transicional and two angiomatous. The authors conclude that meningiomas are one of the most common group of primary neoplasias of CNS and the definition of malignancy in those tumors is beset by frequent discordance between histologic and biologic features.

[Holoprosencephaly: morphological aspects of twelve cases of autopsy]. / Holoprosencefalia: análise do seu espectro morfológico em doze casos de autópsia.

The term holoprosencephaly (HPC) is used to indicate the group of hemispheric deformities caused by a failure in the development of the prosencephalic vesicle. The purpose of this study is to explain the morphologic spector of twelve cases of HPC, qualify them, and compare them to the literature. It was evaluated 5837 pediatrics necropsies, and there were 12 cases of HPC. Data like gender, age and the presence of another associated malformations were evaluated and compared to another malformations and to the total number of necropsies. The majority of the cases was male (66.66%), and stillborns (75%). The most frequently type of HPC found was the lobar type (58.3%), and the most frequently type of facial alteration was the ciclopy (25%). There is a statistic tendency to HPC affect the male sex, in comparison with other neurologic malformations. Besides, the stillborns are more frequently observed in HPC than in other neurologic malformations.

[Infantile desmoplastic ganglioglioma: a clinical, histopathological and epidemiological study of five cases]. / Ganglioglioma desmoplásico da infância. Estudo clínico, histopatológico e epidemiológico de cinco casos.

Infantile desmoplastic gangliogliomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system, composed by a mixture of glial and neuronal cells and a fibrous stroma, which affect mainly young patients and arise from the surface of the cerebral hemispheres. We present five cases of infantile desmoplastic ganglioglioma: three were male and two were female. The ages ranged from three months and seven years (mean 2.62 years). The symptoms reflected the growth and topography of the tumors affecting the parietal (n = 3), parieto-occipital (n = 1), occipital (n = 1) lobes. Immunohistochemistry was performed in two cases with similar results to those reported in the literature.