Pituicytoma with pleomorphism: A case report with cytological findings.

Pituicytoma is a rare neoplasm, arising in the posterior pituitary or in the hypophyseal stalk, and its cytological findings have not yet been well-described. We have experienced a case of pituicytoma, which was difficult to diagnose intraoperatively, because of its cellular pleomorphism. A tumor measuring 18 mm in maximum diameter was found at the sella turcica in a Japanese woman in her forties. Both intraoperative crush cytology and histology of the resected tumor showed pleomorphic spindle or round cells, including multinucleated cells. Tumor cells were positive for TTF-1, S-100 protein, and vimentin, partially positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and epithelial membrane antigen, and negative for synaptophysin, hormones of the anterior pituitary gland, CD34, Olig2, PAX8, and napsin A. Ki-67 labeling index was 2.0%. Tumors included in the differential diagnosis in general are pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, germinoma, and metastatic tumor on the radiological standpoint, and pilocytic astrocytoma and meningioma on the cytological standpoint. However, our case was difficult to differentiate especially from high-grade glioma only by morphology, and immunohistochemistry including TTF-1 was helpful.

Antimalarial activity of novel 1,2,5,6-tetraoxacycloalkanes and 1,2,5-trioxacycloalkanes.

Photooxygenation of 2-phenylnorbornene 1 in the presence of 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide afforded 1,2-bishydroperoxide 3, which could be cycloalkylated on treatment with silver oxide and a 1,omega-diiodoalkane to provide the tricyclic peroxides 12. Trimethylsilylation of 3 followed by TMSOTf-catalyzed cyclocondensation with carbonyl compounds led to the formation of the tricyclic peroxides 14 containing a 1,2,4,5-tetroxepane structure. Photooxygenation of 1 in the presence of either unsaturated hydroperoxides or unsaturated alcohols followed by bis(collidine)iodine hexafluorophosphate promoted cyclization gave the corresponding cyclic peroxides 15-17. Several of these cyclic peroxides showed substantial antimalarial activity particularly in vitro.

[The clinical efficacy of Bladder Chek NMP22 in urothelial cancer].

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical efficacy of a quick test for NMP22 (Nuclear Matrix Protein 22), Bladder Chek NMP22, as a screening test for urothelial cancers. The subjects include 51 cases(43 cases with pathologically confirmed bladder cancer, and 8 cases with upper urothelial cancer). Bladder Chek NMP22 revealed false positive in the urine with more than 1 x 10(5)/microliter of erythrocytes and 1 x 10(3)/microliter of white blood cells. Thus, showing that Bladder Chek NMP22 was not relatively affected by the contaminated erythrocytes and white blood cells, compared with other conventional methods to detect urinary malignant disease. In 51 cases diagnosed of having pathologically urothelial cancers, the sensitivity of Bladder Chek NMP22 was 56.8%. Bladder Chek NMP22 demonstrated more excellent sensitivity than the other methods. The positivity of Grade3 patients was 68.4%, 68.4% and 63.2% by Bladder Chek NMP22, NMP22 ELISA and urinary cytology. In contrast, the positivity rate for the patients with Grade1 stage was 58.3%, 33.3% and 8.3%. There is no significance of positivity rate between each examination in patients with high grade cancer. However Bladder Chek NMP22 demonstrated the higher positivity in patients with low grade cancer. Bladder Chek NMP22 test could be an easy and confidential method to detect urothelial cancers, especially with low grade, as a screening examination.

Multifunctional anti-angiogenic activity of the cyclic peroxide ANO-2 with antitumor activity.

Our focus was to develop an anti-angiogenic drug possessing the inhibitory activity of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) production. During preliminary screening, the effects of 13 ozonides on the inhibition of u-PA production in human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cells and on the inhibition of angiogenesis on chicken embryonic chorioallantoic membranes were determined. Of the ozonides tested, 9 inhibited in vitro u-PA production of HT-1080 cells and 7 of these 9 exhibited strong anti-angiogenic activity. Interestingly, 6 of the 13 ozonides also inhibited cathepsin B activity. 1-Phenyl-1, 4-epoxy-1H,4H-naphtho[1,8-de][1, 2]dioxepin (ANO-2) potently inhibited cathepsin B (IC(50) = 0.47 microM) as well as u-PA production. Consequently, ANO-2 was selected for further study. ANO-2 inhibited tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured on Matrigel while exhibiting no cytotoxicity. Additionally, in vivo administration of ANO-2 inhibited angiogenesis induced by mouse Sarcoma-180 cells tested using the mouse dorsal air sac assay. Moreover, ANO-2 also suppressed primary tumor growth and reduced the number of pulmonary metastases caused by Lewis lung carcinoma cells in mice. These in vitro and in vivo activities indicate that ANO-2 has considerable potential as a new and potent anti-angiogenic drug that inhibits both u-PA production and enzymatic activity of cathepsins, indicating that ANO-2 may be a multifunctional inhibitor of angiogenesis.