Fine needle aspiration biopsy of a granulocytic sarcoma (chloroma) of the breast

A case of granulocytic sarcoma (chloroma) presenting as an isolated left breast mass in a 56-year-old woman is described. The diagnosis was initially considered from the examination of a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy specimen because of the recognition of granulocytic differentiation in the cytologic material. The patients showed no peripheral blood or bone marrow evidence of leukemia. A biopsy revealed a green neoplastic tissue infiltrating the breast. Immunohistochemical study showed intracytoplasmic lysozyme, a marker for myeloid precursors, and ultrastructural examination revealed primary myeloid granulation. These findings confirmed the FNA cytologic diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma, which should be considered when eosinophilic myelocytes are observed in aspirated material.     

Cell surface control in Blepharisma intermedium (Protozoa ciliata). Blocking of gamone II-induced homotypic pairing by different membrane interacting ligands

PHA, Con-A, or anti-tubulin antibodies inhibit homotypic pair formation, in B. intermedium mating type-I cells in the presence of suboptimal concentrations of gamone II. The inhibition is dependent on the dose of gamone added; the structural conformation and the relative concentration of the inhibitor; and the time of addition of the inhibitor. The block can be selectively prevented by competitive inhibitors of each ligand. The receptors for the inhibitors are distinctive and there is no cross-reaction between the ligands. It is concluded that ligand binding and subsequent receptor-ligand aggregation must induce a change within the cell-surface membrane, which distorts the distribution and/or affects an optimal conformational aspect of a specific membrane-receptor system for the gamone, a prerequisite for cell pair formation.     

Effects of tartrate thyrotropin-releasing hormone treatment on serum thyrotropin, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine and prolactin levels in patients with spinocerebellar degeneration.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the pituitary-thyroid axis function during the long-term (30 days) intramuscular administration of 4 mg/day of thyrotropin-releasing hormone tartrate (TRH-T) in 15 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration. The study was performed as follows: (1) acute 4 mg TRH-T test with hourly prolactin (PRL) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level evaluations for 6 h; (2) placebo; and (3) 4 mg/day of TRH-T administration for 30 days with TSH, PRL, and free T3 and T4 (FT3 and FT4) levels evaluated on days 1, 15 and 30. Hormone determination was performed just before and 1 h after placebo or TRH-T administration. The acute administration of TRH-T caused a sustained rise of TSH which lasted until the 6th hour and of PRL which declined after 1 h (p < 0.01). During placebo administration, no change of TSH, PRL, FT3 or FT4 was observed. On the 1st day of treatment, 1 h after the TRH-T injection, a significant increase of both TSH and PRL levels occurred (p < 0.01). As compared to the 1st day, a significant decrease of the TSH (p < 0.01) levels occurred on the 15th and 30th days before TRH-T: the TSH response to TRH-T administration was present although less than on the 1st day (p < 0.01). Moreover, throughout the whole period of treatment, no difference was recorded for PRL levels before or after TRH-T administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)