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Biomedical subjects

S Coca

Publications and source records attributed to S Coca.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Neurocytoma of spinal cord.

We report a case of spinal cord neurocytoma in a 67-year-old man who had experienced a progressive numbness of the left foot during the previous 4 years. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined intramedullary tumor located at the T10-T11 level. The pathological examination revealed histological characteristics described in neurocytomas. The tumor cells showed a uniform small nucleus and clear or slightly eosinophilic cytoplasm with frequent perinuclear halos, resembling the picture of oligodendroglioma. Some tumor cells exhibited mature ganglion cell appearance. Electron microscopy showed cells with microtubules and dense-core vesicles in their cytoplasm and cytoplasmic process. Immunohistochemically, the majority of tumor cells expressed synaptophysin and neuron-specific enolase. We conclude that this tumor is an exceptional case of neurocytoma located in the spinal cord, and consider that the term neurocytoma can be applied to tumors with neuronal differentiation intermediate between neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma, even if arising in CNS outside of the intracranial ventricular system.

Aged↗

Experimental induction of primitive neuro-ectodermal tumours in rats: a re-appraisement of the ENU-model of neurocarcinogenesis.

A series of 122 experimental brain tumours, induced in the Wistar rat by means of prenatal exposition to ethyl-nitrosourea, were studied with histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural techniques. Although with conventional histological techniques, most of the induced tumours showed morphological features suggesting their classification as malignant schwannomas or oligodendroglioma-like neoplasms, their study by means of immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy suggested that they are, in fact, primitive neuroectodermal tumours, with a tendency toward neuronal differentiation. This finding obliges us to re-appraise the ethyl-nitrosourea model of neurocarcinogenesis and to consider its possible usefulness for the experimental study of therapeutic approaches with potential applications in human neuro-ectodermal neoplasms.

Animals↗

Immunohistochemical study of intracranial cysts.

We present the immunohistochemical study of 11 cases of intracranial cysts: two extraventricular ependymal cysts, three colloid cysts of the third ventricle, four extraventricular choroidal cysts and two Rathke's cleft cysts. Antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cytokeratins (AE1, CK5D, AE3), S-100 protein, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), vimentin, neuron specific enolase (NSE), neurofilaments protein (NF) and prealbumin, were used. The epithelium of choroidal cysts, showed strong immunoreactivity for Prealbumin and cytokeratins, similar to the normal choroid plexus epithelium. The ependymal cysts showed epithelial immunoreactivity for GFAP and S-100, both glial markers expressed by the normal ependymal epithelium. On the contrary, the epithelial wall of colloid cysts and Rathke's cleft cyst, expressed epithelial markers (cytokeratins and EMA) but no neuroepithelial markers, with a immuno-phenotype similar to that of other cysts of endodermal nature. This finding supports the neuroepithelial origin for choroid and ependymal cysts, and an endodermal nature for colloid and Rathke's cleft cysts. We conclude that these immunohistochemical markers are useful in the differential diagnosis of intracranial cysts.

Brain Diseases↗

Experimental neurocytomas.

Four ethyl-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced oligodendroglioma-like tumors of the rat showing large rosettes on haematoxylin-eosin stain were studied by means of immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, and their features compared with six human intraventricular neurocytomas. The similarities between the experimental and human tumors studied support the hypothesis that most of the so-called ENU-induced oligodendrogliomas in the rat are primitive neuroectodermal tumors with the tendency to differentiate toward a neuronal phenotype, and also suggest that the ENU-model of neurocarcinogenesis is useful for the induction of experimental neurocytomas.

Animals↗

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes expressing IOT-10 marker. An immunohistochemical study of a series of 185 brain tumors.

The presence of IOT-10-positive lymphocytes among the tumor-infiltrating-lymphocyte (TIL) population was studied in a series of 185 brain tumors. In most of the tumors, IOT-10-positive lymphocytes were identified, but generally they were scarce and masked among the tumor cells, suggesting that NK-cells exercise a poor participation in the tissular response against brain tumors. Isolated tumor cells showing IOT-10-positivity were found in low-grade astrocytomas, neurinomas and medulloblastomas. IOT-10-positivity on both tumor neuropil and tumor cells was considered a characteristic finding in oligodendrogliomas. The number of IOT-10-positive NK-cells in brain metastases and in cerebellar hemangioblastomas was comparatively greater than in other types of brain tumor. Since in brain metastases, the presence of IOT-10-positive NK-cells can be related to the tissular response to an extracerebral malignancy, their considerable presence in cerebellar hemangioblastomas is an enigmatic finding that deserves further attention.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

Delayed transplantation of foetal cerebral tissue into injured spinal cord of adult rats.

Delayed transplantation of foetal cerebral tissue into injured spinal cord of adult rats was performed for the purpose of evaluating the usefulness of the procedure for reconstructing the spinal cord and providing motor recovery. Transplanted tissue showed a survival rate greater than 80% and integration with the host tissue. Nerve fibers of the host surrounded the transplanted tissue, penetrating it. Foetal cerebral neurons matured into recipient spinal cord, but they were not organized in layers. The experience obtained suggests that delayed transplantation of foetal cerebral tissue into contused spinal cord is useful in morphological spinal cord reconstruction. Nevertheless, at least during the first two months after transplantation, clinical assessment of motor recovery showed no differences between transplanted and nontransplanted rats.

Animals↗

Expression of neuronal markers in the so-called ENU-induced schwannomas.

The present data show that the so-called ENU-induced malignant schwannomas express neuronal markers. This finding supports the hypothesis that a population of tumor cells in these neoplasms are neuroblastic in nature, and suggests the classification of ENU-induced schwannomas as primitive neuroectodermal tumors.

Animals↗

Synaptophysin expression in "ependymal tumors" induced by ethyl-nitrosourea in rats.

Synaptophysin expression was studied in seven "ependymomas" induced by transplacental administration of ethyl-nitrosourea in rats. In all the cases, strong positivity for synaptophysin was found on tumor cells. This finding supports previous studies suggesting that ENU-induced brain tumors considered to be ependymal neoplasms, are, in fact, primitive neuroectodermal tumors.

Animals↗

Influence of recombinant interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on the development of ethyl nitrosourea-induced brain tumors.

Using the experimental model of brain tumors induced by ethyl-nitrosourea (ENU), human recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were administered to Wistar rats in early stages of carcinogenesis. The results obtained suggest that IL-2 does not influence the development of nervous system tumors. In contrast, TNF-alpha was capable of modulating the development of ENU-induced tumors, producing a reduction in the number of schwannomas and a delay in the appearance of intraparenchymatous brain tumors.

Animals↗

Expression of neuronal and glial markers in so-called oligodendroglial tumors induced by transplacental administration of ethyl-nitrosourea in the rat.

A series of 18 tumors with histological features of oligodendrogliomas, induced in the rat by means of transplacental ethyl-nitrosourea administration were studied for immunohistochemical demonstration of neuronal (synaptophysin and neurofilament protein) and glial (gliofibrillar acidic protein and vimentin) markers. Most of the tumors showed cells with strong positivity to synaptophysin and to a lesser degree, to neurofilament protein, suggesting the neuronal character of these neoplasms. In 10 tumors, cells with strong positivity to vimentin were found, and in three cases, tumoral cells expressed gliofibrillar acidic protein. The observation that ENU-induced oligodendroglial tumors express neuronal and, to a minor degree, glial markers, suggests their interpretation as primitive neuroectodermal tumors with clear neuronal differentiation.

Animals↗

Postnatal development of the vomeronasal epithelium in the rat: an ultrastructural study.

Three basic types of cells are distinguished in the rat vomeronasal epithelium at birth: bipolar neurons, supporting cells, and basal cells. Neurons at this time include both immature and differentiated cells. By the end of the first postnatal week, all neurons show morphological signs of maturity in their cytoplasm, including abundant granular and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, neurotubules, dense lamellar bodies, apical centrioles, and tufts of microvilli. During the third week microvilli are more frequently encountered and appear to be longer and more branched. Supporting cells appear well-developed by the second day after birth. During the first ten days of life, supporting cells lose their centrioles and all of the complex associated with ciliary generation in the apical zone. Basal cells appear to be more numerous in newborns than in older animals. Protrusions projecting into the lumen are frequently observed in the epithelium of newborn animals, both on the dendrites of neurons and on supporting cells. After the third week, such protrusions are only observed in the transitional zone between the sensory and the non-sensory epithelia of the vomeronasal tubes. In this transitional zone, a fourth cell type showing apical protrusions with microvilli differentiates. Cytoplasm in this type resembles that of neighboring ciliated cells but has no cilia or centrioles. These transitional cells are considered to be cells in an intermediate state of differentiation, between that of the differentiated neurons and supporting cells of the sensory epithelium and that of the predominate ciliated cells of the non-sensory epithelium. The results suggest that by the end of the third week the vomeronasal epithelium is morphologically mature.

Age Factors↗

Symptomatic diverticulum of the 4th ventricle.

A case of symptomatic diverticulum of the 4th ventricle in a 57-year-old man is presented. This clinicopathological observation supports a relationship between ventricular diverticula and ependyma-lined paraventricular cysts.

Brain Diseases↗

Natural killer cells in meningiomas.

A monoclonal antibody against the surface marker IOT-10 of natural killer (NK) cells was used to investigate the presence of these cells in a series of twenty intracranial meningiomas. In all of these tumours, IOT-10 positive NK cells were found in small numbers, mainly distributed among the tumor cells. Two recurrent tumors showed a relatively high number of immunostained cells. The data obtained in the present study suggest that a NK-cell-mediated immunological response can occur in meningioma tissue.

Adult↗

Immunohistochemical study of IOT-10 natural killer cells in brain metastases.

The presence of NK-cells in a series of 40 metastatic brain tumours has been studied by means of the monoclonal antibody IOT-10. There appeared IOT-10 NK-cells in all tumours studied, but in most cases these cells represented less than 10% of the tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). In the present series, the obtained data suggest that the number of NK-cells in brain metastases can be influenced by other factors than the mere quantity of TIL.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Convexity meningioma and glioblastoma in collision.

An unusual case of benign convexity meningioma and glioblastoma in collision is presented. The preoperative diagnosis of this association is difficult to make based on symptomatology or computed tomography scans alone. This case supports the possibility of a malignant transformation within the gliosis surrounding a convexity meningioma.

Aged↗