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H Fox

Publications and source records attributed to H Fox.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Brenner tumour of the vagina.

Polyps of the vagina are rare and are either of inflammatory/reactive or neoplastic origin. A case of extraovarian Brenner tumour of the vagina in a postmenopausal woman, who presented with a vaginal polyp, is described. The polyp was excised and on histological examination, had the triphasic pattern (transitional, glandular and stromal) characteristic of Brenner tumour. The histogenesis of Brenner tumour is discussed in the context of this unusual location and the controversy of its origin.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Accumulation of extracellular matrix and developmental dysregulation in the pancreas by transgenic production of transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Transgenic mice expressing transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) in the pancreatic beta-islet cells directed by human insulin promoter were produced to study in vivo effects of TGF-beta 1. Fibroblast proliferation and abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix were observed from birth onward, finally replacing almost all the exocrine pancreas. Cellular infiltrates comprising macrophages and neutrophils were also observed. Plasminogen activator inhibitor was induced in the transgenic pancreas as well as fibronectin and laminin, partly explaining accumulation of extracellular matrix. TGF-beta 1 inhibited proliferation of acinar cells in vivo as evidenced by decreased bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Development of pancreatic islets was dysregulated, resulting in small islet cell clusters without formation of normal adult islets; however, the overall islet cell mass was not significantly diminished. Additional transgenic lines with less pronounced phenotypes had less expression of TGF-beta 1 transgene. These findings suggest that TGF-beta 1 might be a mediator of diseases associated with extracellular matrix deposition such as chronic pancreatitis, and this mouse model will be useful for further analysis of the in vivo effects of TGF-beta 1, including its potential for immunosuppression.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Placental water content and distribution.

The percentage of total placental water (%H2O(T)), maternal (%MBV) and fetal (%FBV) blood volumes, non-vascular extracellular (%EW) and intracellular (%IW) water, and villous histology were studied in placentas from 12 normal term pregnancies after a normal vaginal delivery, 19 caesarean sections at term after a normal pregnancy and history of a previous caesarean section and 47 caesarean sections at term or preterm due to pregnancy complications. Values were derived from change in placental dry weight, maternal and fetal haemoglobin content and 51CrEDTA space after incubation of placental fragments. Normal ranges (mean +/- SD) after term vaginal delivery were: H2O(T) 83.9 +/- 0.2%, MBV 10.9 +/- 0.2%, FBV 7.4 +/- 0.9%, EW 57.3 +/- 1.3% and IW 11.2 +/- 0.6%. %H2O(T) was higher after caesarean section; other measurements were not affected. There were no differences between placentas after 33-37 and after 38-42 weeks gestation. Three of eight placentas after rhesus incompatibility had %H2O(T) above the mean +2SD of term placentas and five of 17 IUGR placentas were below the mean -2SD. The remaining placentas following maternal pre-eclampsia, hypertension, or diabetes had no apparent alteration in %H2O(T). A blind histological diagnosis of 'true' oedema was associated with both a significantly high %IW and %H2O(T). Perhaps this is due to alteration in placental cell volume regulation in certain situations.

Blood Volume↗
PubMed1993

Cathepsin-D expression in cervical carcinoma and its prognostic significance.

An immunohistochemical study was made of cathepsin-D protein expression in each of the three main types of uterine cervical carcinoma (squamous carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma) with particular reference to lymph node status and prognosis. Of the 61 cases, 54.1% showed cytoplasmic staining in more than 2.5% of tumour cells counted. Cathepsin-D expression was significantly higher in adenocarcinoma (mean -3.128) than in squamous carcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma (mean -3.709, p = 0.047 using logit transformation). Cathepsin-D had no prognostic value in any of the three tumour types. No relationship was found between cathepsin-D staining and lymph node status and there was no advantage in adding cathepsin-D values to lymph node status. These results suggest that immunostaining for cathepsin-D protein expression is unlikely to be of use as a prognostic marker.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Pathology of early malignant change in the ovary.

Our scanty knowledge of the pathology of early malignant change in the ovary is reviewed. The concept of ovarian intraepithelial neoplasia is discussed, and the malignant potential of ovarian cystadenomas is considered. The question of overt malignant change in tumors of borderline malignancy is reviewed. It is concluded that any advance in our understanding and our knowledge of the early stages of malignant change in the ovary will only come from the use of newer techniques that allow a more sophisticated approach than that allowed by purely morphological methods.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Bilateral ovarian cysts with squamous intraepithelial neoplasia.

We report a case of bilateral ovarian cysts lined exclusively by squamous epithelium showing multifocal intraepithelial neoplasia. The cervix showed synchronous high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN III). We interpreted the ovarian lesions as squamous carcinoma of borderline malignancy and believe that they are part of a "field change" that also involves the cervix.

Carcinoma in Situ↗
PubMed1993

Primary neoplasia of the female peritoneum.

Primary neoplasms of the female peritoneum may be mesothelial or Müllerian in nature. Primary mesotheliomas may be cystic, benign papillary or diffuse malignant. Primary Müllerian tumours of the peritoneum are thought to arise within the secondary Müllerian system: the overwhelming majority are serous in nature and probably develop from pre-existing endosalpingiosis. Primary peritoneal serous tumours of borderline malignancy are identical histologically to the peritoneal 'implants' found in association with ovarian serous tumours of borderline malignancy, whereas primary peritoneal serous adenocarcinomas are histologically identical to ovarian serous adenocarcinomas. The recognition of a primary peritoneal serous neoplasm of borderline malignancy rests on the presence of either normal ovaries, ovaries containing only a fully benign neoplasm or ovaries showing only minimal surface involvement. The diagnosis of a primary peritoneal serous adenocarcinoma is made if the ovaries are of normal size with either no tumour or only minimal surface involvement: in some cases normal ovaries will have previously been prophylactically removed because of a family history of ovarian cancer. The differential diagnosis between a primary serous adenocarcinoma and a diffuse malignant mesothelioma can be difficult and is often not resolved by either electronmicroscopy or immunocytochemistry.

Female↗
PubMed1993

Patterns of immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen and p53 in benign and neoplastic human endometrium.

Immunohistochemical staining was carried out on a spectrum of normal, hyperplastic and malignant endometrial curettings, for proliferating cell nuclear antigen--PCNA (using the monoclonal antibody PC10) and for abnormally stabilized p53 (using the polyclonal antibody CM-1). The mean proportion of glandular epithelial cells showing PCNA immunoreactivity was significantly lower in atypical hyperplasia/intra-endometrial adenocarcinoma than in invasive adenocarcinoma, but the degree of overlap between the cases was such that this was not considered to be of diagnostic value. p53 immunoreactivity was detected in 47% of invasive adenocarcinomas and in a much smaller proportion of endometria showing simple hyperplasia and atypical hyperplasia, but staining was only focal in the last two conditions. The majority of p53-positive invasive adenocarcinomas had a large proportion of glandular epithelial cells expressing PCNA, but a significant number of p53-negative cases also had a high PC10 index. This suggests that, in endometrial neoplasia, there is not a simple relationship between abnormally stabilized p53 and PCNA expression.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Use of proliferation cell nuclear antigen immunoreactivity for distinguishing hydropic abortions from partial hydatidiform moles.

AIMS: To determine whether the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in villous cytotrophoblast could distinguish between placental tissue from a hydropic abortion and that from a partial hydatidiform mole. METHODS: Tissue from 18 partial hydatidiform moles, 15 hydropic abortions, five normal first trimester placentas and five normal full term placentas were immunostained for expression of PCNA, using the monoclonal antibody PC10. RESULTS: PCNA immunoreactivity was very much higher in the cytotrophoblast of normal first trimester placentas than in normal term placentas. Villous tissue from partial hydatidiform moles showed, on average, less immunoreactivity for PCNA than did villous tissue from hydropic abortions. CONCLUSIONS: Immunostaining for PCNA is of no value for differentiating between partial hydatidiform moles and hydropic abortions. The findings indicate that trophoblastic proliferation or hyperplasia is not a feature of partial hydatidiform moles.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1993

Prognostic value of epidermal growth factor receptor expression in cervical carcinoma.

AIMS: To investigate the pattern of epidermal growth factor receptor expression and its prognostic value in the three main types of cervical carcinoma. METHODS: 62 cases of stage IB/IIA cervical carcinoma, all with a minimum of five years of follow up, were studied. Representative sections were stained for mucin to permit accurate tumour typing and a standard avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique using the polyclonal antibody 12E was used to demonstrate the presence of epidermal growth factor receptor. RESULTS: A proportion of all three tumour types expressed epidermal growth factor receptor, it being most common in squamous cell carcinomas (50%). Overall, there was a correlation between epidermal growth factor expression and mortality. This was particularly obvious in the absence of lymph node metastases. When the individual tumour types were considered this association with prognosis was not demonstrable for squamous cell carcinomas or adenocarcinomas but was a very prominent feature of adenosquamous carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: Immunohistochemical demonstration of epidermal growth factor receptor expression may be useful in identifying those patients with a poor prognosis, particularly those with adenosquamous carcinomas which have not metastasised to the regional lymph nodes.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Can histopathologists reliably diagnose molar pregnancy?

AIMS: To assess the degree of difficulty in diagnosing partial mole by analysing intraobserver and interobserver agreement among a group of pathologists for these diagnoses. METHODS: Fifty mixed cases of partial mole, complete mole, and non-molar pregnancy were submitted to seven histopathologists, two of whom are expert gynaecological pathologists; the other five were district general hospital consultants, one of whom works in Australia. These participants gave each slide a firm diagnosis of either partial mole, complete mole, or non-molar pregnancy. Some 12 months later, the slides were recorded and again submitted for a second diagnostic round to assess intraobserver as well as interobserver agreement. Standard histological criteria for each diagnostic category were circulated with the slides. RESULTS: kappa statistics showed that complete mole could be reliably distinguished from non-molar pregnancy, but neither non-molar pregnancy nor complete mole could be easily differentiated from partial mole. In only 35 out of 50 cases was there agreement between five or more of the seven participants. Agreement between the expert gynaecological pathologists was no better than for others in the group. Interestingly, the intraobserver agreement for each pathologist was good to excellent. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that the reported histological criteria are either not being applied consistently or that they are lacking in practical use. An atypical growth pattern of trophoblast, rather than the polar accentuation seen in normal first trimester pregnancies, seems to be the important diagnostic histological feature for partial mole. Ploidy studies might also help with problem cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Figures of Eberth in the amphibian larval epidermis.

Figures of Eberth are prominent extensive filamentous structures in the basal epidermal cells of larval amphibians. They are compared and contrasted qualitatively and quantitatively in a number of species of the three groups of living amphibians. Fully developed Figures consist of massive skeins of tonofilaments oriented in three dimensions and hinged on hemidesmosomes within the cell. The overall appearance of the Figures is similar in anurans, urodeles and Ichthyophis among the apodans. However, in terms of size and number per unit length of the proximal cell margin, the hemidesmosomes and the thickness or their emergent skeins in anurans and Ichthyophis differ significantly from those parameters in urodeles, a feature that is presumably independent of cell size. Figures are poorly developed or missing in embryos of Typhlonectes, which has no larval stage in its life history. These ubiquitous skeletogenous structures in the aquatic larval amphibians, among other things, could be protective of underlying delicate tissues and act as a stabilizer in bodily movement during swimming. They could also serve as a reserve of cytokeratin for use during later cellular division and sloughing.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Prognostic value of c-erbB-2 expression in uterine cervical carcinoma.

AIMS: To study the pattern of expression and prognostic importance of c-erbB-2 protein in cervical carcinoma. METHODS: Sixty two cases of stage IB/IIA cervical carcinoma, representing the three main tumour types, were investigated immunohistochemically for the presence of c-erbB-2 protein expression, using a monoclonal antibody (CB11) to its internal domain. Follow up of at least five years' duration was available in all cases. RESULTS: Definite membrane staining was seen in 38.7% of cases. There was a strong correlation with poor survival (p less than 0.0001) particularly. For those with adenocarcinomas, this was the case when nodal metastases were present. In contrast, for squamous carcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas, the association with a poor prognosis was most apparent in those patients without lymph node metastases. CONCLUSIONS: These findings raise the possibility that immunostaining for c-erbB-2 protein could be used as a prognostic marker and may help identify those patients for whom early adjuvant treatment might be beneficial.

Adenocarcinoma↗