Fine needle aspiration cytology and core biopsy in the diagnosis of alveolar soft part sarcoma presenting with lung metastases. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor of uncertain origin usually affecting young adults. This neoplasm has early metastatic potential. Its cytologic features, particularly when presenting with metastases, have rarely been described. CASE: A 23-year-old male presented with shortness of breath and scapular pain. Routine chest roentgenograms revealed multiple lung nodules. Malignancy was established by percutaneous fluoroscopically guided fine needle aspiration on a lung nodule. Possible metastatic alveolar soft part sarcoma was suggested by cytology among few considerations in the differential diagnosis. Alveolar soft part sarcoma was confirmed by lung core biopsy and further supported by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Tumor cells expressed muscle-specific actin and myoglobin, and contained diastase-resistant inclusions with periodic acid-Schiff stain. Ultrastructurally, peculiar, elongated intracytoplasmic crystalline bodies typical of this neoplasm were identified. A meticulous clinical search led to finding the primary tumor deeply located in the right posterior thigh. CONCLUSION: Aspiration cytology is a reliable, cost-efficient technique in the diagnostic workup of masses suspicious for malignancy.     

Base excision repair in the thermophile Thermus sp. strain X-1.

The thermophile Thermus sp. strain X-1, grown at 70 degrees C, contains uracil-DNA glycosylase and apurinic endonuclease activities, both of which are known to have roles in the repair of DNA damaged by heat. Both of these activities have temperature optima of about 70 degrees C. However, neither of these activities is present in quantities significantly greater than that found in Escherichia coli grown at 37 degrees C. Therefore, it appears that thermophilic organisms may not contain greatly elevated levels of the enzymes thought to be involved in the repair of DNA damaged by heat.     

Localization of receptor sites for insect-selective toxins on sodium channels by site-directed antibodies.

Site-directed antibodies corresponding to conserved putative extracellular segments of sodium channels, coupled with binding studies of radiolabeled insect-selective scorpion neurotoxins, were employed to clarify the relationship between the toxins' receptor sites and the insect sodium channel. (1) The depressant insect toxin LqhIT2 was shown to possess two noninteracting binding sites in locust neuronal membranes: a high-affinity (KD1 = 0.9 +/- 0.6 nM) and low-capacity (Bmax1 = 0.1 +/- 0.07 pmol/mg) binding site as well as a low-affinity (KD2 = 185 +/- 13 nM) and high-capacity (Bmax2 = 10.0 +/- 0.6 pmol/mg) binding site. (2) The high-affinity site serves as a target for binding competition by the excitatory insect toxin AaIT. (3) The binding of LqhIT2 was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by each of four site-directed antibodies. The binding inhibition resulted from reduction in the number of binding sites. (4) The antibody-mediated inhibition of [125I]AaIT binding differs from that of LqhIT2: three out of the four antibodies which inhibited LqhIT2 binding only partially affected AaIT binding. Two antibodies, one corresponding to extracellular and one to intracellular segments of the channel, did not affect the binding of either toxin. These data suggest that the receptors to the depressant and excitatory insect toxins (a) comprise an integral part of the insect sodium channel, (b) are formed by segments of external loops in domains I, III, and IV of the sodium channel, and (c) are localized in close proximity but are not identical in spite of the competitive interaction between these toxins.     

The role of estrogen receptor β (ERβ) in malignant diseases—A new potential target for antiproliferative drugs in prevention and treatment of cancer

The discovery of ERβ in the middle of the 1990s represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of estrogen signaling. It has turned out that estrogen action is not mediated by one receptor, ERα, but by two balancing factors, ERα and ERβ, which are often antagonistic to one another. Excitingly, ERβ has been shown to be widespread in the body and to be involved in a multitude of physiological and pathophysiological events. This has led to a strong interest of the pharmaceutical industry to target ERβ by drugs against various diseases. In this review, focus is on the role of ERβ in malignant diseases where the anti proliferative activity of ERβ gives hope of new therapeutic approaches.     

Rediscovery of Nebela ansata (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida) in eastern North America: biogeographical implications

Aim The question whether free‐living protists are generally cosmopolitan is currently a matter of debate. In this study we investigate the geographical distribution of a distinctive testate amoeba species, Nebela ansata, and use our data to assess the potential for highly restricted distribution patterns in some protist species. Location Global. Methods We analysed (1) 3400 testate amoeba publications from North America and other continents, (2) unpublished slides of the Penard Collection of the Natural History Museum, London, UK, and (3) 104 Sphagnum samples from eastern North America. Non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was used to visualize the similarities in testate amoeba community composition among 1012 North American samples, including two communities that contained N. ansata. Results We rediscovered N. ansata at a site in New Jersey located close to its type locality, and in Nova Scotia. We also report the existence of an apparently unpublished museum specimen originally collected from New Jersey. Our extensive literature survey confirmed the presence of this species only in the temperate part of eastern North America. The NMDS revealed that communities with N. ansata were less similar to each other than to communities from other parts of North America, suggesting that favourable habitats for N. ansata occur in other Sphagnum‐dominated peatlands, a habitat type that has been extensively sampled in North America and elsewhere. Main conclusions These data provide an unusually convincing case of a free‐living microorganism with a very limited distribution range in the temperate part of eastern North America. The remarkably restricted distribution of N. ansata highlights the extent of our ignorance about the natural history of free‐living microorganisms, and raises questions about the lack of attention to microbial diversity in conservation biology.