Unilateral nephrectomy: effect on survival in NZB/NZW mice.

Male F1 New Zealand Black X New Zealand White mice, which spontaneously develop immune complex renal disease, underwent unilateral nephrectomy at 3 months of age and were compared with sham-operated controls. At 12 months of age only 24% of mice with a single kidney were alive, while 85% of sham-operated controls survived to the same age. Unilaterally nephrectomized mice had more severe renal histologic changes, as shown by light and immunofluorescence microscopy.

Granular juxtaglomerular cell hyperplasia caused by cyclosporine.

Histologic study of kidneys from rabbits given cyclosporine (CsA) revealed a marked hyperplasia of granular cells in the juxtaglomerular (JG) apparatus, but without a significant increase in the total cell number of JG cells. The increase in granular JG cells as compared with the control group was 204% and 406% for 30 mg/kg alternate days and 30 mg/kg daily groups, respectively. The increases for the lower-dosage groups were much smaller, although the increases were statistically significant for all but the 10 mg/kg alternate-days group. Other studies suggest that sympathomimetic activity of CsA may be the mechanism involved in granular JG cell hyperplasia.

Glomerulonephritis due to Staphylococcus aureus antigen.

Staphylococcus aureus antigen was identified within the glomeruli of a patient with acute bacterial endocarditis and diffuse glomerulonephritis. Routine immunofluorescence had revealed only granular deposits of complement (C3). C3 activator and C4 were not present. Direct immunofluorescence studies with a specific anti-Staphylococcus aureus conjugate were positive. Electron microscopy showed subepithelial and intramembranous electron-dense deposits. Eluates of the kidney did not contain anti-S. aureus antibody. The absence of immunoglobin suggests that the toxic action of S. aureus antigens may activate complement and cause glomerular injury and that immune complexes are not essential for the production of glomerulonephritis in this entity.

Cone biopsy and pathologic findings at radical hysterectomy in stage I cervical carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between cone biopsy and pathologic findings at radical hysterectomy in stage I cervical carcinoma. METHODS: Fifty-four patients diagnosed by cone biopsy with stage I cervical carcinoma and treated with radical hysterectomy comprised the study group. The association between the depth of invasion on conization, lymph-vascular invasion, positive cone margins, positive endocervical curettage (ECC), and the depth of residual invasion in the radical hysterectomy specimen was examined using Pearson r and point biserial correlation. Independent predictors of the depth of residual invasion were determined by multiple regression. RESULTS: The depth of residual invasion correlated significantly with the depth of invasion (r =.374) and presence of lymph-vascular invasion (r(pb)=.372) in the conization specimen, post-cone ECC status (r(pb) =.669), and age at diagnosis (r =.347). The same factors were jointly assessed using multiple regression (R(2) =.636, P<.001). Depth of invasion on conization, lymph-vascular invasion, and ECC status were identified as independent predictors of the depth of residual invasion. Patients with deep (5 mm or greater) stromal invasion and lymph-vascular invasion on conization had significantly higher rates of positive parametrial margins (22% compared with zero, P =.001) and adjuvant radiation (66.7% compared with 20%, P =.004) compared with all other patients. CONCLUSION: Depth of invasion, presence of lymph-vascular invasion, and age at diagnosis were independent predictors of the depth of residual invasion in the subsequent hysterectomy specimen. These factors should be considered in treatment planning. Patients with a combination of these factors may have increased risk for deep residual invasion, positive hysterectomy margins, and adjuvant radiation.

5-fluorouracil/chemosurgery for intraepithelial neoplasia of the lower genital tract.

Sixteen patients with lower genital intraepithelial neoplasia were treated by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/chemosurgery: colposcopically directed excision of neoplastic epithelium pretreated with topical 5-FU. 5-FU loosens the neoplastic epithelium, facilitating its removal from the underlying stroma in a safe, minimally traumatic fashion. 5-FU/chemosurgery was undertaken in patients with vaginal neoplasia or those with lower genital neoplasia who were immunosuppressed or had a neoplastic syndrome, because conventional methods are often difficult or inadequate for these problems. In all 16 patients, the neoplasia went into remission. Two immunosuppressed patients developed recurrences of lesser dysplasia when 5-FU maintenance therapy was interrupted because of pregnancy. It was found that 5-FU/chemosurgery, followed by monthly 5-FU maintenance, may be the best treatment for intraepithelial neoplasia of the vagina or lower genital intraepithelial neoplasia in patients who are immunosuppressed or have a neoplastic syndrome.

Recurrent renal vein thrombosis consequent to membranous glomerulonephritis.

The diagnosis by inferior vena cavography of right renal vein thrombosis with extension into the vena cava was made in a 33 year old man with idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis and multiple pulmonary emboli. After one year of continuous anticoagulant drug therapy with heparin and coumadin, venography showed absence of clots in the vena cava and therapy was discontinued. Proteinuria in excess of 4 g/24 hr continued. Six months later pulmonary emboli recurred and venography again demonstrated large clots in the vena cava and right renal vein. The potential for recurrence of renal vein thrombosis and pulmopnary embolism in the presence of active renal diseases is thus demonstrated.

Brain morphology in the Galloway syndrome.

The Galloway syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease consisting of congenital microencephaly associated with congenital nephrotic syndrome, and in some cases with hiatus hernia [Galloway and Mowatt, 1968]. The case presented is that of a microencephalic infant with the nephrotic syndrome who died at 11 3/4 months after a course characterized by convulsions, developmental delay, hypotonia and hyperreflexia. Brain weight was 270 g. The frontal, parietal, and rostral temporal cortex was pachygyric. Microscopically there was lack of cortical stratification, immature cortical neurons, improper orientation of cortical neurons (seen in the Golgi stained sections), and glioneuronal ectopias in the leptomeninges. There was hypomyelination in the brain stem and spinal cord, and no myelin in the hemispheres. There was also complete absence of the internal granular layer of the cerebellum. The dentate gyrus within the hippocampal formation was absent and the inferior olivary nuclei were hypoplastic. The mechanism of neuronal migration abnormalities and the significance of associated nephrosis is discussed.

Intrauterine pregnancy coincident with endometrial carcinoma: a case study and review of the literature.

A case of endometrial adenocarcinoma discovered incidentally in a patient who underwent an elective abortion is described here. Eleven other cases of pregnancy occurring with endometrial carcinoma were found in the literature. The presence of immature progesterone unresponsive endometrium is discussed as a possible etiology of the unusual coincidence of these two common phenomena.

The types of renal disease in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Between January 1982 and December 1986, among the 750 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who were treated at two adjacent hospitals in New York City, 78 (10.4 percent) needed evaluation for renal disorders. Reversible acute renal failure due to nephrotoxic injury, ischemic injury, or both was present in 23 patients (30 percent) (Group I). The remaining 55 (70 percent) had massive proteinuria, azotemia, or both (AIDS-associated nephropathy; Group II), and irreversible uremia developed in 43. In an additional 18 patients, all of whom had a history of intravenous narcotic drug use, AIDS was diagnosed after the initiation of maintenance hemodialysis for chronic renal failure (Group III). Survival for more than six months after the onset of chronic uremia occurred in only two subjects in Group II; all patients in Group III died within three months of the diagnosis of AIDS. Death in the patients in Groups II and III followed a syndrome of "failure to thrive" characterized by inanition unresponsive to intensive nutritional support and hemodialysis. In contrast, 8 of 17 patients with acute renal failure (Group I) and a serum creatinine concentration above 6 mg per deciliter regained renal function (serum creatinine level, less than 2.0 mg per deciliter). Four of the seven lived for 10 to 24 months, whereas the other four died of sepsis within a month. Our observations suggest that maintenance hemodialysis is not effective in prolonging life either in patients with AIDS-associated nephropathy and uremia or in patients with end-stage renal failure in whom AIDS develops during the course of maintenance dialysis. Hemodialysis may be useful in the management of potentially reversible acute renal failure in patients with AIDS.

Myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast with distant metastasis and accompanied by adenomyoepitheliomas.

A breast tumour in a 47-year-old female with axillary lymph node metastasis was interpreted as the rare malignant adenomyoepithelioma based on morphological and immunohistochemical studies. Multiple bone metastases developed and the patient died after 7 months. The malignant neoplasm consisted of cords and interlacing bundles of spindle cells with indistinct cell borders and clear cytoplasm. The cells stained positively for cytokeratin, S-100 protein, GFAP, and muscle-specific actin, and possessed basal lamina, pinocytic vesicles, tonofilaments, desmosomes, and intermediate filaments with dense bodies. In some areas, cells with microvillous projections enclosed small spaces. In the breast, foci of myoepithelioma with various morphological subtypes and infiltration coexisted, demonstrating the origin of the malignant tumour. The histogenesis of the myoepithelial tumours is discussed.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of uterine cervix stage IB. Long-term follow-up, histochemical and immunohistochemical study.

Twelve women with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the cervix uteri were followed for 2-15 years after diagnosis. Three patients died within 14 months. All had lymph node metastases and/or vascular involvement and exhibited tumor invasion to a depth of 1.2-3.2 cm. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is defined as a tumor with the appearance of squamous cell carcinoma without any glandular pattern and with demonstrable intracellular mucin. The mucin is best demonstrated by alcian blue and periodic acid-Schiff-diastase. In 265 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, stage IB, lymph node metastases were present in 14%. In the cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma, the prevalence of nodal metastases was 33%. Because mucoepidermoid carcinomas appear to be more aggressive lesions than squamous cell carcinomas are, it may be advisable to stain all cervical squamous carcinomas for mucin if they demonstrate finely vacuolated cytoplasm and lack peripheral palisading. Immunohistochemical studies for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), keratin, and epithelial membrane antigen were positive in all tumors to varying degrees. The detection of CEA may be of additional help in establishing a diagnosis.