Histological grade in breast cancer: association with clinical and biological features in a series of 229 patients

In order to study the association of histological grade (HG) with specific clinical and biological parameters which may influence the clinical behavior of infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast (IDC), we analyzed in 229 tissue samples the cytosolic concentrations of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), pS2, cathepsin D, hyaluronic acid (HA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), as well as those of the erbB2 oncoprotein, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HA, CD44v5 and CD44v6 in the cell membrane fraction. Likewise, we considered size, ploidy, S-phase fraction and axillary node involvement as variables of the study. The transition from HG1 to HG2 and from HG2 to HG3 was accompanied by a number of common features: global increase in size, greater number of tumors >2.0 cm, decrease in membrane hyaluronic acid concentrations, increased cell proliferation (S-phase >7%) and greater aneuploidy. Other events observed during the transition from HG2 to HG3 were a decrease in ER, PR, t-PA and cytosolic hyaluronic acid. These results led us to consider that HG is associated with certain clinical-biological changes that may help explain its value as a prognostic factor in breast carcinomas.     

Rock-inhabiting fungi originated during periods of dry climate in the late Devonian and middle Triassic

Non-lichenized rock-inhabiting fungi (RIF) are slow-growing melanized ascomycetes colonizing rock surfaces in arid environments. They possess adaptations, which allow them to tolerate extreme abiotic conditions, such as high UV radiations and extreme temperatures. They belong to two separate lineages, one consisting in the sister classes Dothideomycetes and Arthoniomycetes (Dothideomyceta), and the other consisting in the order Chaetothyriales (Eurotiomycetes). Because RIF often form early diverging groups in Chaetothyriales and Dothideomyceta, the ancestors of these two lineages were suggested to most likely be rock-inhabitants. The lineage of RIF related to the Chaetothyriales shows a much narrower phylogenetic spectrum than the lineage of RIF related to Dothideomyceta, suggesting a much more ancient origin for the latter. Our study aims at investigating the times of origin of RIF using a relaxed clock model and several fossil and secondary calibrations. Our results show that the RIF in Dothideomyceta evolved in the late Devonian, much earlier than the RIF in Chaetothyriales, which originated in the middle Triassic. The origin of the chaetothyrialean RIF correlates well with a period of recovery after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and an expansion of arid landmasses. The period preceding the diversification of the RIF related to Dothideomyceta (Silurian--Devonian) is also characterized by large arid landmasses, but temperatures were much cooler than during the Triassic. The paleoclimate record provides a good explanation for the diversification of fungi subjected to abiotic stresses and adapted to life on rock surfaces in nutrient-poor habitats.     

Clinical behaviour of prostatic specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase: a comparative study

We assayed prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) serum levels in 1383 patients using a double antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA) I125. Establishing the upper normal limit in 10 ng/ml PSA and 2.5 ng/ml for PAP, the false positive results were only 1.9 and 5.1 percent in men with non-prostatic benign or malignant pathology and respectively 0 and 2.2 percent in women. We detected false positive levels for these two tumoral markers in 3.5 and 4.7 percent of patients with non-complicated benign prostatic hypertrophy, 64.8 and 19.2 percent in complicated benign prostatic hypertrophy, 24 and 16 percent in acute prostatitis and 3.3 percent in chronic prostatitis. The sensitivity in patients with prostate cancer was 87.2 percent for PSA and 64.1 percent for PAP, and there was a better correlation with PSA than PAP for tumoral spread and histological grading. Finally, clinical efficacy was higher with PSA and was no better when both markers were assayed.     

Reduced clinicopathological influence of hormone-dependence on breast carcinomas in women older than 70 years

In order to evaluate the influence of hormone dependence on the features of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast we have assayed the cytosolic levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), pS2 and cathepsin D in 53 women aged over 70 years and in 95 women aged between 55 and 70 years. Tumor size, axillary involvement, distant metastasis, histological grade, ploidy and S-phase were taken into account. Carcinomas of women aged over 70 did not show higher concentrations or higher positive results for ER and PR than those of women in the 55-70-year age group. In older patients, negativity for ER was associated only with higher S-phase fraction, while negativity for PR was not associated with any of the parameters analyzed. In the younger subgroup, negativity for ER was associated with larger tumor size, higher S-phase fraction, lymph node involvement, histological grade 3 and lower pS2 values. Negativity for PR was associated with the same parameters, as well as with a higher frequency of recurrence. Our results suggest a reduced influence of hormone dependence on the clinicopathological features of breast carcinomas in patients older than 70 years compared with women aged between 55 and 70 years.     

Gastric Pepsin in an Anuran Larva

Larval stomach development was studied in the obligate carnivorous larva of the frog Lepidobatrachus laevis . Pepsin producing cells of the larval stomach were identified using rabbit anti-porcine pepsin and immunohistochemical techniques. Pepsin production was detected at a very early stage of development (stage 24: during opercular development) when the larvae were first competent for feeding. Peptic activity in isolated larval stomachs was demonstrated in a microassay using acid denatured hemoglobin at pH 1.7. The total activity per stomach increased 5,400 fold through the beginning of metamorphosis and the specific activity increased 345 fold through the same period. Electrophoretic analysis of the larval pepsinogens, using a caseinolytic assay revealed the presence of one major pepsinogen at stage 24; two additional isozymes were observed during later larval development. The molecular weight of the isopepsinogens was 34,800.     

Structure and Macromolecular Composition of the Jelly Coats of the Urodele Ambystoma mexicanum

Cleavage-stage embryos of the neotenic urodele Ambystoma mexicanum are surrounded by a fertilization envelope and four macroscopic jelly coats termed J₁ (innermost) through J₄ (outermost). In sections prepared for light microscopy, each of the jelly layers stained with protein stains and the periodic acid-Schiff's reagent, but only J₁ stained with alcian blue at pH 2.5. These results suggest that each layer consists of proteins and glycoproteins and that J₁ uniquely contains some sulfate esters. Only J₄ was solubilized with alkaline mercaptan treatment in situ , however, the isolated inner jelly complex (J₁, J₂ and J₃) was easily dissolved in this reagent suggesting that solvent access is impaired in situ . A single alcian blue-staining component plus one protein-staining component were detected on reducing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of outer jelly (J₄). In the inner jelly complex (J₁, J₂, J₃), two protein-staining components were detected and no alcian blue-staining components were observed. A predominant polypeptide of 110,000 molecular weight was detected and purified to homogeneity on reducing and denaturing gels of the inner jelly complex. Amino acid analysis of the polypeptide demonstrated a slightly higher fraction of acidic over basic amino acids (Glx+Asx=18.1 mole% vs . Arg + Lys = 11.7 mole%). The N-terminal amino acid was Glu and the sequence of the first eleven amino acids was determined.