No abstract

Two cases of fibrolamellar carcinoma of the liver are reported in young female patients of 12 and 21 years of age. Small amounts of perinuclear alpha-fetoprotein were found, unrelated to hyaline globules, as well as alpha 1-antitrypsin in a periglobular fashion in isolated cells. Ferritin was present in a large number of cells. Ultrastructurally, the well differentiated nature of the neoplasm was substantiated by previously unreported findings such as intercellular lumina analogous to bile canaliculi and peroxisome-like bodies containing a central crystalloid. Filamentous material resembling Mallory's type of hyaline was also found. We conclude that both immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features reflect a high degree of differentiation.

A cameral mucous gel (CMG) has been described in human eyes lining the anterior and posterior ocular chambers. We assay a battery of 11 lectins to characterize the accessible sugars of the presumed glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans present in the gel. Results show a predominance of alpha-linked sugars over beta-linked ones. There is evidence for the prominence in the gel of α-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine and/or α-D-galactose, together with α-N-acetyl-glucosamine. The second most important sugars are β-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and the dissacharide β-D-galactose-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. β-N-acetyl-galactosamine could possibly be identified in third place. Neither fucose nor mannose are detected. These results point towards heparan and perlecan as possible components of the glycidic fraction of the gel, although a specific proteo-glycan adapted to the osmotic role of the CMG is not at all unlikely.