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Biomedical subjects

G Mariuzzi

Publications and source records attributed to G Mariuzzi.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Evolutionary somatic cell changes in cervical tumour progression quantitatively evaluated with morphological, histochemical and kinetic parameters.

The somatic cell changes which characterise malignancy evolution in human cervical preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions have been assessed on histological sections by means of a computerised image analyser. Many features have been simultaneously measured on each cell of the lesions studied, and the following results have been obtained: Some features, mainly kinetic, show continuously increasing values which express changes correlated to the increasing malignancy; other features, especially related to nuclear atypia, cellular heterogeneity and the degree of aneuploidy, have values dropping at the level of early stromal infiltration, which can be morphometrically characterised as composed of relatively homogeneous phenotypes; these features seem to express the degree of genetic instability and relate to the evolutionary somatic cell changes; tumour progression evolves through sequential discontinuous steps, each of them characterised by specific phenotypical features of the neoplastic cell population; the neoplastic cells in the foci of early stromal infiltration and vascular invasion, phenotypically more homogeneous than the parent cell populations of carcinoma in situ and infiltrating carcinoma, seem to possess a greater genetic stability.

Aneuploidy

Cytometric evidence that cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I and II are dysplasias rather than true neoplasias. An image analysis study of factors involved in the progression of cervical lesions.

Image analysis was performed on 40 Feulgen-stained histologic samples and 48 Feulgen-stained cytologic preparations representing normal squamous epithelium and all grades of cervical lesions (from mild dysplasia to invasive carcinoma) in order to characterize the evolutionary progressive changes in cervical epithelial proliferative disease toward malignancy. Quantitative studies included the analysis of proliferative features, differentiation features, nuclear morphology and DNA content. The data obtained on the histologic sections showed that the various features, to a different extent, detected a gradual increase in phenotypic cellular disarrangements related to the progression of the cervical lesions toward malignancy--that is, the modifications to nuclear area, perimeter, DNA content, percentage of nuclei with nucleoli, nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio and percentage of cells with no membrane positivity for soybean agglutinin lectin were progressively greater, moving from normal epithelium and mild dysplasia toward infiltrating carcinoma. In particular, all the morphologic and histochemical features appeared to parallel a diploid reduction and the appearance of aneuploidy. The simultaneous evaluation of proliferation- and differentiation-related features, together with those of nuclear DNA content, showed two main successive preneoplastic lesions: one characterized by an increase in cell turnover without alterations in its organization and another by a true neoplastic disorder. The data obtained on sequential cytologic examinations showed that individual cell changes are detectable and seem basically to be characterized by the appearance of clusters of cells with somatic characteristics not observed in previous cytologic checks. From the results of our study, the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) concept appears to be inaccurate. In fact, only CIN III (severe dysplasia/carcinoma in situ) lesions have the morphologic and proliferative alterations of true neoplasia. In contrast, CIN I and some cases of CIN II lesions lack these characteristics and seem to be properly classified as dysplasia, thus avoiding the term neoplasia, implicit in CIN. Moreover, the multivariate study of data sets of features related to the progressive somatic changes, both in histologically and cytologically studied cases, allows us to detect the steps of progression; they are marked by the appearance of cell clusters with qualitatively different phenotypic characters when compared to the cell populations from which they presumably arise. These results seem to provide a further argument against the CIN theory, which stresses the concept that progression is related only to a gradual numerical increase in an initially established phenotype with the characteristics of malignancy.

Biopsy

[Biology and differentiation of lymphocytes in the classification of lymphomas].

The classifications of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are briefly discussed and the processes of proliferation and differentiation of B and T lymphocytes are analyzed. The B and T lymphocytes engaged in the immune response arise from precursor cells through a two-cycle process of proliferation and differentiation: the first cycle produces cells with antigen receptors of varying specificity (resting circulating B and T lymphocytes); the second cycle produces B and T type effector cells and "memory" cells. Each phase of B and T differentiation can give rise to a type of lymphoma; in fact, malignant lymphomas can be divided into categories of precursor B and T cell lymphomas, resting B and T cell lymphomas and activated B and T cell lymphomas. Hodgkin's lymphoma could be considered a lymphoma arising from activated cells with atypical phenotype, i.e. Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells. These cells secrete cytokines which recruit lymphocytes, histiocytes, eosinophils and plasma cells which form the cellular background typical of this tumor.

B-Lymphocytes

Comparison of computerized analysis of nuclear DNA changes in uterine cervix dysplasia and in urothelial non-invasive papillary carcinoma.

The nuclear DNA content was measured in preneoplastic lesions of the uterine cervix and in papillary carcinomas of the bladder. Three groups of features were calculated from the raw data: basic DNA, DNA deviation and DNA distribution. The basic DNA features, concerning both the cervix and the bladder, showed a progressive increase in the mean DNA content, a decrease in the percentage of diploid nuclei and steadily increasing values of polyploid and aneuploid nuclei. Among the DNA deviation features, the malignancy grade value was zero in the normal cervical epithelium and in the normal urothelium. An increase in this value was evident in moderate dysplasia and in urothelial papillary carcinoma of grade 2, the highest value being in CIS and in grade 3. Concerning the DNA distribution features, the values of the 15th and 95th percentiles and their difference were progressively higher both in the cervix and in the bladder, expressing a continuous shift and spread of the DNA content measurements in the different diagnostic categories, with respect to normal epithelium and urothelium. The statistical analysis showed that the strongest correlation is between 2c D.I. and % of polyploid nuclei in the cervix and between M.I. and % of aneuploid nuclei greater than 4c in the bladder. In the cervix the most discriminating feature is the Malignancy Grade, whereas in the bladder it is the percentage of diploid nuclei. The comparison between the results of the three groups of features showed that: 1) Mild dysplasia of the cervix and urothelial papillary carcinoma of grade 1 showed similar changes in DNA features. Both were basically characterized by increased proliferative activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Carcinoma, Papillary

Prognostic value of computerized DNA analysis in noninvasive papillary carcinomas of the urinary bladder.

DNA parameters and a DNA status index were calculated in cases of noninvasive urothelial papillary carcinomas and apparently normal urothelium. DNA feature analysis included the measurement of basic parameters as well as those related to DNA deviation. Normal urothelium had a diploid content with a few values between 2c and 4c. The papillary lesions in the three grades showed a progressive decrease in diploid nuclei and steadily increasing percentages of tetraploid ones. One case of grade 1 papillary carcinoma and some of grade 2 showed a small proportion of aneuploid cells; the proportion quintupled in grade 3. The values of parameters related to DNA deviation increased progressively in the three grades, numerically expressing the shift from diploidy. The DNA status index is a multiparameter classification in which a single number, ranging from 0.5 to 3.7, expresses the degree of DNA deviation from a non-proliferating diploid population. The cases of normal urothelium and of grade 1 had the lowest values, from 0.5 to 1.9, whereas grade 3 cases had the highest, from 2.2 to 3.7. The index values of grade 2 cases were partly intermediate and partly in the range of the neighboring grades. The DNA status index has a prognostic significance. In fact, associated lesions and recurrences were only observed in cases with index values over 2.0.

Carcinoma, Papillary

Benign and malignant mesothelial lesions of the pleura: quantitative study.

Benign and malignant mesothelial lesions of the pleura are quantitatively studied using a Leitz TAS image analyzing system. The Feulgen fast green staining method allows performing on the same cell measurements of the shape and size of the nucleus, the size of the nucleolus and the content of DNA. Numerical data are studied in a multivariate statistical analysis in order to obtain the probability of the morphometric diagnosis in each case. Results demonstrate that the most important measurements are the percentage of cells with evident nucleolus, the nuclear perimeter and the standard deviation of the DNA content, and that these measurements give a correct diagnosis in all cases.

Analysis of Variance

Noninvasive papillary transitional-cell tumors. Karyometric and DNA-content analysis.

An investigation was undertaken to quantify and correlate the nuclear and DNA-content modifications in the different grades of noninvasive urothelial papillary carcinoma. Nuclear area and a roundness factor were studied by histomorphometry in 35 cases, and the DNA content was analyzed in 27 cases. The values of the nuclear area and the roundness factor increased from normal-looking urothelium to grade 3 tumors. The DNA-content analysis indicated a progressive change of ploidy and the presence of an aneuploid (greater than 4c) population in some of the grade 2 and grade 3 lesions. A high coefficient of correlation between the nuclear abnormalities and the DNA content was found.

Aneuploidy