Use of monoclonal antibodies to human breast-tumor-associated antigens in the diagnosis of fine-needle aspirates of breast nodules: results of a multicenter study.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is being increasingly employed in conjunction with physical examination and mammography in the pre-surgical diagnosis of breast nodules. In the present study, we have submitted to multicenter validation an immunocytochemical test which employs monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to breast-tumor-associated antigens (BTAA) for the diagnosis of breast cancer. The results of this analysis, which has evaluated 846 FNAs, show that the immunological test has a sensitivity of 88.62%, a specificity of 97.9% and an accuracy of 92.4%. The predictive value of a positive and a negative finding were 98.4% and 85.57% respectively. Comparison between the cytological and immunocytochemical diagnosis displayed a higher sensitivity, accuracy and predictive value of a negative result with the latter method (p less than 0.01). Our findings clearly indicate that immunocytochemical methods can complement and improve the diagnostic accuracy of FNA cytology of breast nodules.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of the breast: a statistical evaluation of accuracy based on 1,080 cases.

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the breast is a minimally invasive and low-cost method. In this study we reviewed our experience on a total of 1,080 cases. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value were calculated. The causes of error were examined and we concluded that accuracy improves when aspirations are done by the cytopathologist himself and fixing and staining procedures are immediately performed in a specialized laboratory.

Cytologic criteria of hyperplastic lesions in endometrial samples obtained by the endocyte sampler.

The present investigation attempted to identify useful parameters for the cytologic diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasias in samples obtained with the Endopap endometrial sampler. A clinical and morphological classification dividing hyperplasia into benign simple hyperplasia (BSH); benign complex hyperplasia (BCH); and endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) has been suggested by Meisels, et al. based on five valuable cytologic criteria. To these we added six of our own and applied them to 1.172 cases, 432 of which had a previous histologic diagnosis of normal proliferative endometrium (NPE); 462 were BSH, 210 were BCH, and 14 fit the EIN pattern. The cytologic criteria evaluated were overlapping cells, enlarged nuclei, aniso karyosis, granularity of chromatin, stromal cells, branching glandular structures, and moruloid or papillary-like cellular aggregates, dilated glandular borders in cellular sheets, nuclear clearing, clumped chromatin, and enlarged eosinophilic cytoplasm. Our results are consistent with the following findings: (1) there is no useful parameter for cytologic differentiation between NPE and BSH; (2) BCH is characterized by cellular aggregates, dilated glandular borders in cellular sheets, and branching glandular structures; (3) EIN is characterized by nuclear clearing, clumped chromatin, and anisokaryosis; and (4) enlargement of nucleoli and eosinophilic cytoplasm alone is not sufficient for the diagnosis of EIN.

The cytology of the normal cyclic endometrium.

Endometrial cytologic samples obtained with Cohen's endocyte from 501 normally menstruating women were studied and correlated with histologic sections from cell blocks. In this article, the cytologic diagnostic criteria for normal cyclic endometrium are pointed out. The diagnostic accuracy of normal cyclic endometrium has been 92%. A possibility of a cytologic dating is discussed. The diagnostic accuracy was 71.8% for early proliferative endometria, 82% for late proliferative, 93% for early secretory, 81% for midsecretory, and 60% for late secretory endometria.

Cytodiagnosis of oral pemphigus vulgaris.

A study was undertaken to verify the reliability of the Tzanck test, performed both by traditional cytomorphology and by a direct immunofluorescence technique, for the diagnosis of oral pemphigus vulgaris. Cytologic smears were obtained from oral erosions of 129 patients with various bullous diseases of the oral mucosa, clinically suspected of being oral pemphigus, as well as from 30 healthy subjects. The 40 cases with subsequent histologic proof of oral pemphigus were cytologically diagnosed as such, based on the significant cytomorphologic findings of acantholytic cells or on the pericellular deposition of IgG (which persisted after cytocentrifugation) in epithelial cells, as studied by direct immunofluorescence. Cytomorphology gave positive results in 37 patients with pemphigus and in one patient with a final diagnosis of herpetic stomatitis and gave negative results in all other cases. Immunocytology gave positive results in all patients with pemphigus and negative results in all other cases. The findings indicate that cytomorphologic studies may be useful in screening suspected cases of oral pemphigus vulgaris while the immunocytologic test may provide a reliable definitive diagnosis.

Cholesterol and triglycerides of the liver after administration of a chromatographic fraction of thymus: variations in tissue and blood.

In rats fed on a fat diet and injected with a chromatographic thymus fraction, intrahepatic distribution of cholesterol and triglycerides have been studied. The results show that the hematic decrease of these compounds, always observed in previous works, is accompanied by a smaller infiltration in hepatocytes and the lipidic drops are more finely dispersed. These results lead us to suppose that liver is a target organ of the thymus fraction.

[Lipid content of aorta, spleen and kidneys in rats on a high fat diet and treated with a chromatographic thymus gland fraction]. / Contenuto lipidico nelle aorte, milze e reni in ratti a dieta steatogena e trattati con una frazione cromatografica timica.

A chromatographic fraction obtained from a thymus homogenate of young calf, was administered by intraperitoneal means to a distinct group of rats previously fed on a diet with high content of dietary fat for 50 days. The serum values of cholesterol and triglycerides and of total lipids in spleen, kidneys and aorta which were obtained from these animals were compared with those of rats fed on the same diet and not injected with the thymus fraction. The considerable decrease of the seric values was not followed by conparable results of the lipidic content in the organs.