Fine needle aspiration cytology of adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum. A case report

BACKGROUND: Adenocarcinoma arising in the rectovaginal septum is exceedingly rare and is difficult to diagnose by pathologic examination prior to surgery because of the anatomic position of the tumor. CASE: A 42-year-old woman presumed to have adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum underwent fine needle aspiration for diagnosis. Although a previously performed biopsy from the posterior vaginal fornix was unsuccessful, fine needle aspiration cytology via the posterior vaginal wall detected adenocarcinoma cells. The cell clusters were composed of cells with enlarged and hyperchromatic nuclei. The nuclei themselves demonstrated round and/or irregular morphologic patterns, with high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratios, and often contained an enlarged, round nucleolus and sometimes multiple ones in a single nucleus. Aniso-nucleosis was severe, and the chromatin patterns ranged from coarse to finely granular. The cytoplasm was narrow and lightly stained. Following fine needle aspiration, the patient underwent posterior exenteration on the basis of the cytologic diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Fine needle aspiration cytology was useful in establishing the preoperative diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum, and curative exenterative surgery could be then performed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fine needle aspiration cytology of adenocarcinoma at this location.     

Time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay of plasma daidzein and genistein

We present a method for the determination of the phytoestrogens daidzein and genistein in plasma (serum). These weakly estrogenic isoflavones occur in soybeans and in smaller amounts in some other beans and plants. It has been suggested that they may afford protection against prostate and breast cancer. The method is based on time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) using a europium chelate as a label. After synthesis of 4'-O-carboxymethyl-daidzein and 4'-O-carboxymethyl-genistein the compounds are coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA), then used as antigens to immunize rabbits. The tracers with the europium chelate are synthesized using the same 4'-O-derivative of the isoflavones. After enzymatic hydrolysis and ether extraction the immunoassay is carried out using the VICTOR 1420 multilabel counter (Wallac Oy, Turku, Finland). The antisera cross-reacted to some extent with some isoflavonoids but not with flavonoids. The cross-reactivity seems not to influence the results, which were highly specific for both compounds. The correlation coefficients between the TR-FIA methods and the reference method based on isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were high; r-values were about 0.95-0.99 depending on concentration. The intra-assay coefficients of variation (CV%) for daidzein and genistein at three different concentrations vary 3.2-4.5 and 3.2-4.1, respectively. The inter-assay CVs vary 5.0-6.3 and 4.5-5.3, respectively. The working ranges of the daidzein and genistein assays are 1.0-216 and 1.7-370 nmol/l, respectively. The plasma values (n = 80) of daidzein and genistein are very low in Finnish subjects (mean for daidzein, 3.8+/-6.8 and for genistein, 3.2+/-7.6 nmol/l; median value for daidzein 1.5 and for genistein 1.4 nmol/l).     

Elevated polyamine levels in erythrocytes of SLC:ICR mice inoculated with ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells

Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells (4×10⁵ cells/mouse) were inoculated intraperitoneally in 7-week-old SLC:ICR mice, and polyamine levels in peripheral erythrocytes and in ascites cells were determined periodically. Polyamine levels in peripheral erythrocytes increased linearly until 10 days after cell inoculation, while ascites cells showed exponential growth.The effect of carbazilquinone on cellular growth and polyamine levels in erythrocytes was also studied. When 1 or 2mg/kg of carbazilquinone was injected intraperitoneally on day 4 or on day 7, cellular growth was suppressed and the survival time of the mice was lengthened. The polyamine levels in erythrocytes were also markedly decreased 3 days after the carbazilquinone injection.These results suggest that the polyamine levels in peripheral erythrocytes are closely related to the cellular growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells.     

Differential influence of increased polyol pathway on protein kinase C expressions between endoneurial and epineurial tissues in diabetic mice

To explore the relationship between polyol pathway and protein kinase C (PKC), we examined PKC activities and expressions of PKC isoforms separately in endoneurial and vessel-rich epineurial tissues in diabetic mice transgenic for human aldose reductase (Tg). Tg and littermate control mice (Lm) were made diabetic by streptozotocin at 8 weeks of age and treated orally with aldose reductase inhibitor (ARI) (fidarestat 3-5 mg/kg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. At the end, compared with non-diabetic state, sorbitol contents were increased 6.4-fold in endoneurium and 5.1-fold in epineurium in diabetic Tg, whereas the increase was detected only in endoneurium in diabetic Lm. Endoneurial PKC activity was significantly reduced in diabetic Tg. By contrast, epineurial PKC activity was increased in both diabetic Lm and diabetic Tg and there was no significant difference between the two groups. These changes were all corrected by ARI treatment. Consistent with the changes of PKC activities, diabetic Tg showed decreased expression of PKC alpha in endoneurium, whereas there was an increased expression of PKC beta II in epineurium in both diabetic Tg and diabetic Lm. These findings suggest the presence of dichotomous metabolic pathway between neural and vascular tissues in the polyol-PKC-related pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy.     

Length‐weight relationships for 15 fish species from Atlantic rain forest streams,southeastern Brazil

Length‐weight relationships were determined for 15 fish species from the tributary Atlantic rain forest steams that drain into Sepetiba Bay, southeastern Brazil. This is the first record of length‐weight relationships for 12 of these species and new maximum lengths for four species. These results will be useful for management and conservation of this area of the Atlantic rain forest drainages.     

Vegetative diversification and radiation in subtribeDendrobiinae (Orchidaceae): Evidence from chloroplast DNA phylogeny and anatomical characters

The data derived from a chloroplast DNA restriction site analysis of subtribeDendrobiinae (Orchidaceae) indicate that extreme vegetative diversification is concentrated in two limited parts of this group. Overlaying the vegetative character states onto the chloroplast DNA cladogram suggests that several xeromorphic, vegetative characters evolved in the lines leading to the above-mentioned clades. Several anatomical characters are also associated with xeromorphy. These vegetative and anatomical characters facilitated the establishment of this group in various dry habitats. On the other hand, the modifications of size and number of parenchymatous cells substantially contributed to the vegetative diversification. This fact implies that a simple structural adjustment can result in a major modification of growth habits in theDendrobiinae.     

Norepinephrine triggers Ca2+-dependent exocytosis of 5-hydroxytryptamine from rat pinealocytes in culture

5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a precursor and a putative modulator for melatonin synthesis in mammalian pinealocytes. 5-HT is present in organelles distinct from l-glutamate-containing synaptic-like microvesicles as well as in the cytoplasm of pinealocytes, and is secreted upon stimulation by norepinephrine (NE) to enhance serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity via the 5-HT2 receptor. However, the mechanism underlying the secretion of 5-HT from pinealocytes is unknown. In this study, we show that NE-evoked release of 5-HT is largely dependent on Ca2+ in rat pinealocytes in culture. Omission of Ca2+ from the medium and incubation of pineal cells with EGTA-tetraacetoxymethyl-ester inhibited by 59 and 97% the NE-evoked 5-HT release, respectively. Phenylephrine also triggered the Ca2+-dependent release of 5-HT, which was blocked by phentolamine, an alpha antagonist, but not by propranolol, a beta antagonist. Botulinum neurotoxin type E cleaved 25 kDa synaptosomal-associated protein and inhibited by 50% of the NE-evoked 5-HT release. Bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of vacuolar H+-ATPase, and reserpine and tetrabenazine, inhibitors of vesicular monoamine transporter, all decreased the storage of vesicular 5-HT followed by inhibition of the NE-evoked 5-HT release. Agents that trigger L-glutamte exocytosis such as acetylcholine did not trigger any Ca2+-dependent 5-HT release. Vice versa neither NE nor phenylephrine caused synaptic-like microvesicle-mediated l-glutamate exocytosis. These results indicated that upon stimulation of a adrenoceptors pinealocytes secrete 5-HT through a Ca2+-dependent exocytotic mechanism, which is distinct from the exocytosis of synaptic-like microvesicles.     

Elementary processes in the interaction of serine protease with a possible transition state analog. Subtillisin-benzeneboronic acid system.

The interaction of benzeneboronic acid(BBA), a possible transition state analog, with subtilisin BPN' [EC 3.4.21.14] was studied by the temperature-jump method at various pH's, temperatures and in D2O as well as H2O. From analysis of the concentration dependence of the relaxation times, it was suggested that the subtillsin-BBA interactions consist of at least two elementary steps, a fast bimolecular association followed by a slow unimolecular process. Similar concentration dependence was observed at pH 6.1-6.7 at 25degrees. However, in D2O the reciprocal relaxation times generally decreased compared to those in H2O and became concentration-independent below pD 6.5. The relaxation times were influenced considerably by the temperature. From these results, the slow unimolecular process was assigned to the trigonal-tetrahedral interconversion of BBA at the active site of the enzyme.