The distribution of type I, III, IV and V collagen in 35 gliomas and 20 meningiomas was studied by indirect immunofluorescence staining. In addition, the presence of fibronectin (FN) and laminin (LN) is also reported. In gliomas expression of type IV collagen and LN was found in the vessel walls and associated with the endothelial glomerulus-like proliferations. FN and type V collagens were located in proliferating vessel walls in a pattern corresponding both to the basement membrane and the perivascular matrix around the vessels. In the extracellular matrix of grade III and IV gliomas occasional faint intercellular fluorescence was also observed with both FN and type V collagen. Type I and III collagens were localised in the vessel walls and in the perivascular connective sheet. Glioma cells did not express any of the antigens investigated. In meningiomas, type IV and V collagens, LN and FN were found in vessel walls, whorls formations and psammoma bodies. These stainings support the hypothesis of a vascular origin of these psammoma bodies which were only found in syncytial and transitional meningiomas. Both type I and III collagens were detected in the perivascular connective tissue. In general, meningioma cells and extracellular matrix did not express any of these molecules, except in transitional meningiomas where occasional fluorescence was observed in extracellular matrix with type V collagen and FN.
A 58-year-old man showed bone marrow crystalline structures associated with a lambda light chain producing multiple myeloma. Analysis and processing of electron images clearly displayed the periodic structure of the crystals. Immunochemistry suggested that they contained the whole or a fragmented constant portion of immunoglobulin.
The authors report the case of a young white girl in whom the diagnosis of lymphoblastic leukaemia was made at the age of 5 years. Chemotherapy induced remission and long term surveillance began. Seven years after the onset of the first disease this girl died of an undiagnosed illness characterised by multiple nodules in both lungs. The autopsy gave the diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma.
Forty laryngeal carcinomas were studied by immunofluorescence with specific antisera against components of the basement membrane (type IV collagen and laminin) as well as antisera against connective tissue antigens (type V collagen and fibronectin). The basement membrane surrounding well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas showed an appearance similar to that seen beneath normal epithelium. In contrast, marked alterations of the basement membrane were constantly observed around infiltrating and poorly-differentiated carcinomas. The staining of connective tissue components in most cases was as intense in carcinomas as in normal laryngeal mucosa. The use of antibodies to basement membrane components may help to elucidate the mechanism of invasion of connective tissues by malignant cells.
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