Sulfated glycosaminoglycans were extracted from arteriosclerotic and adjacent nonarteriosclerotic areas of human aortas from persons ages 28 to 83 years; the glycosaminoglycans were compared with the cholesterol and triglyceride content of the tissues. Sulfated glycosaminoglycans were isolated after proteolytic digestion of defatted arterial tissue and were quantified after reductive labeling with NaB3H4. The amount of glycosaminoglycans in the aorta increased with the age of the person and the cholesterol content (degree of arteriosclerosis) of the aorta. The proportion of chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate increased significantly with age and cholesterol content, whereas the corresponding amounts of heparan sulfate decreased.

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The current study was carried out on 88 colorectal carcinomas to assess the degree of intratumor heterogeneity as reflected by multiple aneuploid DNA stemlines and their relation to tumor stage and morphologic differentiation. Each tumor was segregated into an average of nine specimens (3-15), which were analyzed separately. DNA aneuploidies were identified in 72 cases (82%), 29 revealing multiple aneuploid DNA stemlines with up to four aneuploid subpopulations. In 10 of the 29 carcinomas with DNA stemline heterogeneity, a ratio of 2:1 was calculated from the different DNA indices, possibly indicating that the additional DNA stemline emerged from the first one by doubling its DNA content. No correlation was found between the overall frequency of DNA aneuploidies or heterogeneous DNA stemlines and the tumor stage according to Dukes' staging. Well-differentiated carcinomas tended to express aneuploid DNA stemlines more frequently than moderately or poorly differentiated tumors, although the morphologic intratumor heterogeneity did not correspond to the appearance of multiple aneuploid DNA stemlines. These data indicate a high degree of intraneoplastic diversity in colorectal cancer and emphasize the usefulness of DNA analyses for the quantitative assessment of tumor heterogeneity.

No abstract

Percutaneous biopsies of mediastinal tumors were successfully performed under sonographic guidance in 14 of 21 patients. In 10 of 11 malignant lesions, malignancy was determined by means of cytologic and histologic examination of the specimens obtained. A histologic diagnosis was reached in seven patients with malignant mediastinal tumors, including all four cases of Hodgkin lymphoma. Mediastinal biopsy under sonographic guidance is a technically simple, rapid, and accurate procedure, but its application is limited to tumors of the anterior mediastinum.