Fine needle aspiration cytology of primary soft tissue tumors. Morphologic analysis of the most frequent types.

We reviewed 98 cases of fine needle aspiration of soft tissue tumors with histologic confirmation performed during an eight-year period and propose a working morphologic classification based on the most prominent cytologic features. Six main tumor groups are recognized: myxoid, round cells, spindle cells, pleomorphic cells, polygonal cells and well differentiated. We believe that this classification allows recognition of the most common soft tissue tumors while helping with the differential diagnosis of other neoplasia, primary or secondary, with similar morphology and a similar presentation.     

Fine needle aspiration of peripheral neuroepithelioma of soft tissues.

Peripheral neuroepithelioma of soft tissue is a malignant primitive neuroectodermal tumor that appears both in children and adults and usually has a poor outcome. Fine needle aspiration on two patients with tumors in the lower limbs showed small round cells with unipolar processes and a tendency to form Homer-Wright rosettes. The cells had a round to oval nucleus with fine chromatin, up to four small, conspicuous nucleoli and vacuolated, periodic acid-Schiff-positive cytoplasm. The diagnosis was supported by electron microscopic study of the aspirate, which showed features of neuroblastic differentiation (i.e., neurosecretory granules), and by histologic, immunohistochemical and cytogenetic study of the resected tumors.     

Conformation of human fibrinogen in solution from polarized triplet spectroscopy.

The rotational motions of human fibrinogen in solution at 20 degrees C have been examined, in the 0.2-12-microseconds time range, by measuring the laser-induced dichroism of the triplet state of an erythrosin probe covalently bonded to the protein. The decay of the anisotropy was multiexponential, and up to three correlation times (phi 1 = 380 +/- 50 ns, phi 2 = 1.1 +/- 0.1 microseconds, and phi 3 = 3.3 +/- 0.6 microseconds) were needed to obtain a satisfactory analysis. The experimental data are consistent with the brownian motions of an elongated, rigid particle. If the correlation times are combined with previous data on the intrinsic viscosity of fibrinogen, the rotational and translational diffusive properties of the protein can be reproduced with high accuracy by idealizing it as an elongated ellipsoid of revolution with dimensions (2a x 2b) of (54 +/- 6) x (7.2 +/- 0.5) nm, having rotational diffusion constants of D parallel = (6.2 +/- 0.7) x 10(5) s-1 and D perpendicular = (5 +/- 1) x 10(4) s-1. The possibility of Ca(2+)-dependent changes in the rigidity or conformation of fibrinogen was excluded by examining the submicrosecond time-resolved fluorescence depolarization of 1-methylpyrene conjugates of the protein in the presence of different calcium concentrations. Although there are inherent difficulties to extrapolate the data on isolated fibrinogen molecules to the polymerizing species, this relatively stiff conformation meets the requirements of the classical half-staggered double-stranded model of fibrin polymerization rather better than those of the recently proposed interlocked single-stranded mechanism.     

A new species ofAphidius [Hymenoptera] attacking the pea aphid,Acyrthosiphon pisum

Aphidius staryi Chen & Luhman n. sp. is described. The species was collected and introduced into California from Israel and Turkey byD. González. The new species is morphologically most similar toAphidius smithi, and keys toEady's urticae group.     

Organellar DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and nuclear random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses of morphotypes of Gracilaria (Gracilariales,Rhodophyta) from Chile

The extreme phenotypic variability recognized among the species of Gracilaria has highlighted the need for the application of refined methods to help solve taxa identifications. In Chile, there still exists uncertainty about the exact number of Gracilaria species. Our investigations are centered on DNA analyses of morphotypes collected from different geographical locations, namely Lenga and Isla Santa María, Region VIII (36°00 S to 38°00 S), and Maullín, Region X (39°30 S to 43°40 S). These two regions of Chile are considered as areas of confluence of G. chilensis, G. verrucosa, and a species of Gracilariopsis. In this study four morphotypes, from a natural bed located in Maullín, were analyzed for RFLP of plastid DNA and the results compared with data of four morphotypes from a bed in Lenga. The DNA banding patterns from each enzyme digest were identical irrespective of morphotypes and/or locations. In an attempt to unravel the nature of the morphological differences found among Lenga and Maullín morphotypes, RAPD analyses of nuclear DNA were also performed; however, no polymorphism has been found yet. Therefore, the data of this study, as well as concurrent data from preliminary interfertility tests, suggest that all morphotypes belong to a single taxon, Gracilaria chilensis.Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas     

Fusion and histocompatibility in Rhodophyta

Fully developed thalli of Chondrus crispus, Gracilaria chilensis, Gymnogongrus furcellatus and Mazzaella laminarioides were used to assess tissue compatibility. The effect of thallus polarity on grafting and regeneration was also evaluated. Fusion did occur between fragments of the same life history phase in C. crispus, G. chilensis, G. furcellatus and M. laminarioides. Fusion between sporophytic and gametophytic tissue occurred in C. crispus, G. chilensis and M. laminarioides. Intergeneric fusion was observed between C. crispus and M. laminarioides, but not between G. chilensis and G. furcellatus.Outer cell wall, cortex and medulla were continuous at the contact face in compatible combinations. Medullary cells in the attached fragments were thinner and longer than normal cells, forming an interwoven scar plate. Thallus polarity did not modify fusion and regeneration.     

Selection of large quantities of embryogenic calli from indica rice seeds for production of fertile transgenic plants using the biolistic method

The microprojectile bombardment of immature embryos has proven to be effective in transforming many indica rice varieties. One of the drawbacks of using immature embryos is the requirement of a large number of high quality immature embryos, which itself is a tedious and laborious process. To circumvent these problems, we have developed a procedure, using indica variety TN1 as a model that generates highly homogenous populations of embryogenic subcultured calli by selectively propagating a small number of regeneration-proficient calli derived from seeds. Thousands of embryogenic calli were produced from 50 seeds within 10 weeks. Ten to 20 independent R0 transgenic lines were regenerated per 500 embryogenic calli bombarded. The convenience and reliability offered by this transformation system has made transformation of indica rice a routine procedure.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid - NAA naphthalene acetic acid - BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - kb kilobase - GUS -glucuronidase - X-gluc 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl--D-glucuronide - HPH hygromycin B phosphotransferase     

Moniliformin production byFusarium species isolated from Argentinian corn

Forty-one isolates ofFusarium obtained from the main Argentinian corn production area were tested for their ability to produce moniliformin. One of 22 isolates ofF. moniliforme, 2/10 of F.proliferatum and 3/9 ofF. subglutinans, produced moniliformin in a range between 0,3 to 2,7 mg/g. These data represent the first report of the production of moniliformin byFusarium species from section Liseola in Argentina.     

Sex steroid effects on the development and functioning of the growth hormone axis

Summary 1. The secretory pattern of growth hormone (GH) is sexually dimorphic in the adult rat. However, this difference between the sexes does not become apparent until after the onset of puberty, suggesting that pubertal sex steroids play an important role in the manifestation of this phenomenon.2. We have addressed the question as to whether there exists a sexual dimorphism in the hypothalamic neuropeptides that regulate GH release from the anterior pituitary,i.e., somatostatin (SS) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). In addition, we have investigated whether the developmental changes in the GH secretory pattern are correlated with changes in these neuropeptides. The effect of testosterone treatment on SS and GHRH neurons during both the neonatal period and adulthood have also been studied.3. We have found that the synthetic capacity, as reflected in relative messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, of both SS and GHRH neurons changes throughout development in both male and female rats. These mRNA levels are sexually dimorphic at certain times during maturation and can be modulated by changes in testosterone levels, suggesting that sex steroid modulation of these two neuropeptide systems could at least partially account for the sexual dimorphism seen in the adult GH secretory pattern.4. The neonatal steroid environment has also been suggested to be involved in the generation of the final adult GH secretory pattern, although the mechanisms underlying this effect are even less well understood. In support of the hypothesis that the neonatal steroid environment plays an important role in organizing the GH axis, we have found that the number of GHRH neurons in the adult brain, as well as their sensitivity to adult steroids, is modulated by neotatal testosterone treatment. The number of SS neurons in the periventricular and paraventricular nuclei were not modulated by neonatal steroids; however, the synthetic capacity of these neurons does appear to be influenced by the neonatal steroid environment.5. These studies suggest that both the neonatal and adult sex steroid environments influence the adult GH secretory pattern by modulating GHRH and SS neurons.