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J Figols

Publications and source records attributed to J Figols.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Experimental study on neurorrhaphy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in dogs.

The effectiveness of anastomosis of a divided recurrent laryngeal nerve was evaluated in six adult mongrel dogs. Videolaryngoscopy and evoked compound muscle action potentials in the intrinsic laryngeal muscles were performed at six months and the posterior cricoarytenoid muscles and recurrent laryngeal nerves were processed for histomorphometric studies. Recovery of compound muscle action potentials in all re-innervated muscles and histomorphometric findings confirmed a good grade of axonal regeneration. The most significant histomorphometric changes observed were: a reactive hypertrophy of type I fibres in the posterior cricoarytenoid muscles of the re-innervated side, and a high nerve fibre density in the distal stump to the anastomosis. However, incomplete recovery of motion and fasciculated movements of the re-innervated vocal folds were observed. Reduction of effective motor units in the re-innervated muscles might be a factor that cause incomplete restoration of vocal fold movements.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1996

Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) counting in astrocytic gliomas: prognostic value.

In 87 astrocytic gliomas the number of AgNORs/nucleus was retrospectively studied and data correlated with the histological type of the tumors and survival. All patients were treated by the same surgical team and with uniform criteria. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) were found in relation with the AgNOR averages among the histological types of tumors. A statistically significant linear correlation (p < 0.05) between the AgNOR values and survival of the patients was also found. Patients with mean AgNOR values higher than 2.23 and lower than 2.9 survived an average of 11.5 +/- 9.1 months vs. a survival in average of 24.4 +/- 34.1 months with mean AgNOR values under 2.23 (p < 0.05). Patients with AgNOR values higher than 2.9 survived, on average, 7.7 +/- 3.9 months. AgNOR counting in astrocytic gliomas is a reproducible, easy, quick method with prognostic value. AgNORs may be successfully applied in routine material to assess the growth potential of astrocytic gliomas.

Astrocytoma↗
PubMed1995

Cutaneous plexiform schwannoma associated with neurofibromatosis type 2.

BACKGROUND: Plexiform schwannoma (PS) is a rare benign tumor of the nerve sheath that can be located either in the deep soft tissues or in the dermis or subcutis. The tumor predominantly affects young adults and occurs most commonly as a slowly growing asymptomatic solitary nodule in the head and neck region, trunk, and upper extremities. METHODS: A cutaneous PS located in the preauricular region of a 19-year-old white female is reported. The patient exhibited six "café-au-lait" spots in the trunk and the extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging examination showed bilateral tumors in both acoustic nerves (considered schwannomas) and also masses in the right major sphenoidal wing, falx, and T2-T3 level of rachis and a solid and cystic tumor in the low medulla oblongata. Tumors of the preauricular region, medulla oblongata, spinal cord at level T2-T3, and major sphenoidal wing area were surgically removed. The tumors were studied by immunohistochemistry and diagnosed as PS, pilocytic astrocytoma, and meningiomas, respectively. RESULTS: Seventy-eight cases of PS have been reported in the literature: 8 (10.2%) have been associated with clinical schwannomatosis, 6 (7.7%) with multiple cutaneous schwannomas syndrome, and only 3 (3.8%) with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). CONCLUSIONS: In this report, to the authors' knowledge, for the first time PS is described associated with neurofibromatosis type 2. The tumor does not appear to have significant association with NF-1. Plexiform schwannoma should be recognized because it may be misdiagnosed as plexiform neurofibroma or other plexiform malignant tumors. Differentiation from plexiform neurofibroma is important, because the latter is virtually pathognomonic of neurofibromatosis type 1 and has a propensity for malignant transformation.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Changes in aminergic receptors in a PSP postmortem brain: correlation with pathological findings.

The state of different aminergic receptors was assessed, by quantitative autoradiography in tissue sections, in several representative brain regions from a typical progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patient and from 9 matched brains. The densities of muscarinic receptors were within control limits in most of the brain areas of this PSP brain. Serotonin1 receptors were clearly reduced only in areas with very relevant neuropathological damage, such as locus niger and globus pallidus. The density of D1 dopamine receptors in the caudate-putamen and frontal cortex of the patient was within control limits. By contrast, nigral D1 and striatal D2 dopamine receptors were dramatically reduced in the patient as compared to controls. Finally, alpha 2-adrenoceptors were clearly reduced in all the examined areas of this PSP patient as compared to control group. Both the potential role of these receptor changes in the pathophysiology of the clinical features of PSP and their correlation with the neuropathological findings of this PSP patient are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Primary leptomeningeal lymphoma presenting as cerebellopontine angle lesion.

We report a primary leptomeningeal lymphoma (PLML) presenting as a cerebellopontine angle lesion. CT showed slight enlargement of the ventricular system, obliteration of the basal cisterns and a dense lesion in the left cerebellopontine angle which enhanced with contrast medium. Cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities included sterile lymphocytic pleocytosis without malignant cells, low sugar and high adenosine deaminase levels. An erroneous diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis was made, but autopsy revealed a leptomeningeal B-cell lymphoma with infiltration of the middle cerebellar peduncle giving the appearance of a cerebellopontine angle lesion. Seven cases of cerebellopontine angle lymphoma have previously been described, only one of which could be classified as PLML.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Scedosporium inflatum infection in immunocompromised haematological patients.

We report four cases of Scedosporium inflatum (S. inflatum) infection in severely immunocompromised haematological patients. Six well-documented cases of S. inflatum disseminated infection in haematological patients have been reported: four in Australia and two in Spain. Their clinical and pathological characteristics are heterogenous, particularly in the Australian cases. However, the clinical and pathological profile emerging from our and other Spanish cases is homogenous and very similar to the clinico-pathological spectrum of other disseminated mycoses, including Aspergillus and S. apiospermum. The optimal treatment of S. inflatum infection is unknown and the outcome in haematological patients is very poor. Eight patients died despite systemic antifungal treatment.

Amphotericin B↗
PubMed1994

Cervical schwannoma presenting as a spinal subdural haematoma.

We report a case of cervical spinal subdural haematoma as the presenting manifestation of a small intradural schwannoma. In patients without a bleeding diathesis and an apparently spontaneous spinal subdural haematoma, the possibility of an underlying tumour should always be considered.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Axonal form of Guillain-Barré syndrome: evidence for macrophage-associated demyelination.

We report on the clinical, electrophysiological, and pathological findings in a patient with pure motor and axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome, who died 29 days after onset. There was marked reduction of compound motor action potential amplitudes and denervation potentials in the tibialis anterior muscle. Motor and sensory conduction velocities of median nerve were normal. Peroneal nerve was inexcitable at the ankle but its latency from knee to tibialis anterior was normal. F waves were absent or delayed. The major burden of pathological changes fell on ventral spinal roots. Fundamental lesions included segmental demyelination, axonal degeneration, widespread endoneurial lipid-laden macrophage infiltrates, remyelination, and clusters of small regenerating fibers. These findings suggest that axonal damage in the axonal form of Guillain-Barré syndrome is secondary to demyelination.

Axons↗
PubMed1993

Autoradiographic demonstration of loss of alpha 2-adrenoceptors in progressive supranuclear palsy: preliminary report.

We assessed, by quantitative autoradiography in tissue sections, the density of alpha 2-adrenoceptors in several representative brain regions from a typical progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patient and in 9 matched brains. The full agonist 3H-bromoxidine was used as a ligand. The density of alpha 2-receptors was dramatically reduced in all the examined brain areas of this PSP patient as compared to the control group. The locus ceruleus degeneration observed here is the most plausible explanation for this loss of alpha 2-receptors. Our data show that abnormalities in the noradrenergic system may justify some clinical features of the PSP clinical picture, this supporting the idea of further study of the clinical effects of noradrenergic drugs in PSP.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed1993

Lectins: reliable differentiation markers in human oligodendrogliomas.

Ninety tumours classified as well-differentiated oligodendrogliomas (43 cases) and anaplastic oligodendrogliomas (47 cases) were studied with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and bound with different lectins including: peanut agglutinin (PNA), concanavalin A (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA-1). PNA has shown high affinity to cellular membranes of well-differentiated oligodendrogliomas. The affinity decreases with the cellular differentiation to astrocytic lines and is lost in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas. Con A labelling is restricted to anaplastic oligodendroglioma cells and to reactive astrocytes showing a predominant somatic (cytoplasmatic) pattern of staining. Our findings showed that a combined search with GFAP and lectins may allow an accurate grading of oligodendrogliomas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Clinico-pathological correlations in meningiomas: a DNA and immunohistochemical study.

We have studied 41 meningiomas classified histologically as benign, atypical or anaplastic. There were 26 females and 15 males and the mean age was 53 years. 36 tumours were supratentorial, 4 infratentorial and one spinal. Flow cytometry was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue using a selective staining technique for DNA. The ploidy index of DNA and percentage of cells in the S and G2/M phases were calculated. Results were correlated with clinical, histological and immunohistological data. 16/41 tumours were found to be diploid, 17/41 aneuploid and 8/41 could not be analysed. Significant correlations were found between aneuploid tumours and some qualitative features such as recurrence, pleomorphism, high cellular density, mitotic activity and brain and soft tissue infiltration. A high proliferative index appeared to be associated with clinical aggressiveness. No particular correlation between the expression of cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen markers and flow cytometry was found. Our results suggest that DNA flow cytometry in meningiomas may be of value in predicting the behaviour of these neoplasms and confirm that epithelial pattern in meningiomas is not linked to increased anaplasia or poor prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in progressive supranuclear palsy: an autoradiographic study.

Dopamine D1 and D2 receptors were studied in brain tissue sections from a typical patient with progressive supranuclear palsy and in 7 age-matched brains. The density of D1 receptors in the caudate-putamen and frontal cortex of the patient was within control limits. By contrast, the density of nigral D1 receptors and striatal D2 receptors was dramatically reduced in the patient as compared to the control brains. This work shows again that the loss of striatal D2 receptors is the most plausible explanation for the poor response to dopaminergic drugs in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. While the loss of nigral D1 receptors can be explained by the loss of nigral neurons, it seems that neurons bearing striatal D1 receptors are spared in progressive supranuclear palsy. The clinical effects of selective D1 agonists are worth testing in this devastating disorder.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1992

Krause's end-bulb microtumor of the conjunctiva: optic and ultrastructural description of a case.

Ultrastructural examination of a conjunctival biopsy of a 90-year-old woman with a history of chronic lymphatic leukemia showed numerous densely packed structures located below the epithelial conjunctival layer. They were composed of concentrical flattened lamellae arranged around one or several clear cores containing a large number of mitochondria. The plasma membranes of the lamellae displayed large numbers of pinocytotic vesicles and resembled perineurial cell processes. The central areas were thought to be axons. Because of their conjunctional location and morphological features. The structures were categorized as nerve endings of the Krause's end-bulb type. The aberrant and profuse growth of these structures led to the diagnosis of Krause's end-bulb microtumor of the conjunctiva. We compare our findings with mucosal neuromas, paraneoplastic lesions and age-related alterations are discussed, although they differ morphologically from Krause's end-bulb microtumor.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Epithelial differentiation in gliomas, meningiomas and choroid plexus papillomas.

The immunohistological findings using antibodies to different intermediate filaments (glial fibrillary acidic protein, vimentin and two types of cytokeratin) and epithelial membrane antigen are described in 89 gliomas, 19 meningiomas and 8 choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) from adult patients. All the patients had total or subtotal surgical excision of their tumours with clinical follow up for between 3 and 7 years. The immunohistological results were correlated with the histological features and patient survival. Tumours other than low grade astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and anaplastic ependymomas expressed one or more epithelial markers. This immunohistological evidence of epithelial differentiation in the absence of histological epithelial features in gliomas confirms that the two are not necessarily correlated. It is concluded that the expression of epithelial markers in some intradural tumours may reflect aberrant differentiation related to the degree of anaplasia in poorly differentiated astrocytomas and glioblastomas. All the patients with anaplastic epithelial marker-positive gliomas died within 1 year, whereas only 68% of patients with marker-negative tumours died within the follow-up period. In ependymomas and meningiomas, the expression of epithelial markers may reflect their histogenesis, while in malignant CPPs such expression could denote either their aberrant differentiation or histogenetic derivation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Presynaptic parkinsonism in olivopontocerebellar atrophy: clinical, pathological, and neurochemical evidence.

The substrate for olivopontocerebellar atrophy parkinsonism is obscure due to the lack of clinical and pathological reports and the absence of studies on dopamine receptors in this entity. We describe a patient with olivopontocerebellar atrophy whose clinical presentation was levodopa-responsive parkinsonism in whom pathological examination disclosed pronounced nigral cell loss with no striatal damage. Autoradiographic labeling with 3H-spiperone showed normal densities of D2 dopamine striatal receptors. These data show that indistinguishable nigral, presynaptic parkinsonism occurs in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and in patients with olivopontocerebellar atrophy, and also how a favorable response to levodopa is neither synonymous with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, nor does it exclude multiple-system, atrophy-related parkinsonism.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Cytokeratin expression in a congenital multipotential primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

A case of an uncommon congenital primitive neuroectodermal cerebellar tumor (PNET) in a 5-month-old child is reported. After subtotal surgical resection, the residual tumor did not respond to radiation and chemotherapy. Histologically, the tumor was composed of small, round, undifferentiated cells and several other patterns like astrocytomatous, oligodendrogliomatous, and ependymomatous structures. Immunostaining was positive for most of the cells for vimentin and S 100, fewer were positive for glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) and neuron-specific enolase, and only a few for synaptophysin. Surprisingly, the tumor showed strong expression of several monoclonal cytokeratins (CK) with different molecular weights, together with epithelial membrane antigen. Furthermore, we found a coexpression of the tumor cells for CK and vimentin, while CK-GFAP and CK-S 100 were negative. Ultrastructurally, intracytoplasmic intermediate filaments could be observed corresponding to immunohistochemical CK expression. The very strong CK and vimentin expression in this case was interpreted as a sign of the embryonic nature of the tumor.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1991

[Diagnostic possibilities of conjunctival biopsy].

Conjunctival biopsy was found to play a major role in neuropathological and ophthalmopathological diagnosis. Quite a number of general and systemic diseases have proved to be reflected in the conjunctiva, although the latter was not necessarily conspicuous in clinical examination or slit-lamp microscopy. No review papers have so far become available to give a summarising account of the most important findings from ultrastructural and immunohistochemical investigations or optical light microscopy. A brief description of both conjunctival anatomy and the technique of conjunctival biopsy, including impression cytology is followed, in this paper, by an account of 40 pathological patterns. Particular attention is given to the most common indications, juvenile thesaurismosis, sarcoidosis, oculocutaneous diseases, and Sicca syndrome.

Biopsy↗