In this proof-of-concept study, the administration of pioglitazone led to metabolic and histologic improvement in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Larger controlled trials of longer duration are warranted to assess the long-term clinical benefit of pioglitazone. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00227110 [ClinicalTrials.gov] .).

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We studied the association of estrogen receptor (ER) with several histologic variables that correlate with breast tumor differentiation and with patient prognosis. Contingency table analysis revealed highly statistically significant correlations between ER content and histologic and nuclear grades, tumor necrosis, and the degree of elastosis and lymphoid cell infiltration. ER positive tumors were more likely than ER negative tumors to demonstrate histological evidence of tumor differentiation. All tumors with histologic grade 1 or nuclear grade 1 (best differentiated) were ER positive or borderline positive. Eighty-nine percent of ER negative tumors were histologic grade 3 and 78.4% were nuclear grade 3 (poor differentiation). ER positive tumors were also correlated with absent tumor necrosis, higher elastic content, and absent lymphoid cell infiltration, all features of good differentiation. Medullary carcinomas were frequently (73%) ER negative, but no relationship between ER and other morphologic types of breast cancer or 9 other morphologic variables was found. ER appears to be a biochemical marker for the degree of differentiation of human breast cancer providing a rationale for the observed differences in biological behavior between receptor positive and negative tumors.

A case of sweat gland carcinoma arising from the right fifth finger which later metastasized to the regional lymph nodes and the lungs is the subject of this report which attempts to establish further the true characteristics of this definite pathological entity. The diagnosis of sweat gland carcinoma has been loosely applied to a variety of lesions, and it was not until recently that more exact and appropriate criteria were used to establish the diagnosis of sweat gland carcinoma. The case reported in this manuscript possesses most if not all the criteria necessary to make a diagnosis of sweat gland carcinoma. Further review of the literature shows that this is a rare and aggressive neoplasm as this case illustrates. Radical surgery of the primary lesions with radical regional lymph node dissection whenever possible is recommended for the initial treatment, and combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be employed in the palliative treatment of the more advanced forms of the disease.

A case of basosquamous or so-called transitional cloacogenic carcinoma of the sigmoid colon, which arose above the pelvic brim at the peritoneal reflection, is reported. We were not able to find a report of this histologic type of tumor arising this far from the pectinate line of the anus, which is the most common primary site of this neoplasm. Possibilities as to the histogenesis of this tumor at this site are stated. The neoplasm also produced parathyroid hormone (PTH) and also possibly adrenal corticotrophic hormone (ACTH), which had not been previously reported for this specific neoplasm.

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma is a rare tumor of cartilagenous origin, with only 41 previously reported cases. It has a distinctive histologic pattern and should be distinguished from chondrosarcoma of bone because of its different behavioral pattern. The light microscopic, histo-chemical and electron microscopic features of such a tumor are reported.

A study was undertaken to ascertain the morphological differences that exist between the primary tumor and the metastatic deposits of 55 selected cases of Wilms' tumors. The observations in this study point towards a greater degree of non‐epithelial differentiation and a decrease in the tubular and glomerular differentiation in the metastases as compared to the primary tumors. The study also suggests that irradiation accelerates and possibly induces non‐epithelial differentiation.

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