In 141 mastectomy specimens, performed for invasive or noninvasive carcinomas, histopathologic study was performed to assess the extent of nipple‐areola involvement by the tumor. In this study, patients were excluded if (1) the tumor was located beneath the areola; and (2) nipple and/or areola abnormalities were clinically present. Tumor involvement of the nipple and/or areola was found in 44 of 141 specimens (31%), with intraductal growth in 36 (82%) of 44, stromal invasion in 3 (7%), and ductal and stromal invasion in 5 (11%). Analysis of nipple‐areolar involvement with consideration of the different variables indicates that it occurred in association with tumor size, tumor‐areola distance, and histologic type. Such information provides clinically relevant guidelines in decision making for limited breast surgery.

BACKGROUND: Antigen retrieval, a crucial technique for immunostaining, is often carried out on formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded (FFPE) tissue sections. The role of antigen retrieval in immunostaining of ethanol-fixed smears remains unclear.The authors evaluated the effects of 2 common antigen retrieval procedures, heat-induced antigen retrieval and proteaseinduced antigen retrieval, for immunostaining using a broad panel of antibodies. METHODS: Papanicolaou-stained ethanol-fixed smears from 36 surgical specimens were immunostained with 43 antibodies. Three widely used heat-induced antigen retrieval solutions, namely, citrate buffer (pH 6.0 and pH 7.0) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution (pH 8.0) for heat-induced antigen retrieval, and pronase were used. The staining results were compared between the ethanolfixed smears and the corresponding FFPE tissue sections. RESULTS: Heat-induced antigen retrieval was essential for all the 9 antibodies examined against nuclear antigens, and for 7 of 26 antibodies against cytoplasmic and cell membrane antigens. Superior results were obtained using lower-pH heat-induced antigen retrieval solutions for ethanol-fixed smears than was the case for FFPE tissue sections; use of citrate buffer (pH 6.0) was optimal for most antibodies. For 17 antibodies against cytoplasmic/cell membrane antigens, satisfactory results were obtained even without antigen retrieval on the ethanol-fixed smears, whereas antigen retrieval was necessary for detection on the FFPE tissue sections. Proteaseinduced antigen retrieval frequently exerted deleterious effects on ethanol-fixed smears. Despite antigen retrieval, detection of 2 lymphocytic markers failed on ethanol-fixed smears. This limitation was overcome by heat-induced antigen retrieval on formalin vapor-fixed smears. CONCLUSIONS: In ethanol-fixed smears, most of the antibodies can be immunostained successfully without antigen retrieval treatment or mild heat-induced antigen retrieval using citrate buffer (pH 6.0). The optimal antigen retrieval condition for each antibody must be individually determined. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2012;120:167À76. V C 2012 American Cancer Society.KEY WORDS: ethanol-fixed smear, formalin vapor-fixed smear, immunocytochemistry, heat-induced antigen retrieval, protease-induced antigen retrieval.

A case of a 47-year-old woman with pulmonary varix is reported herein. Saccular dilatation of the inferior pulmonary vein resembled a pulmonary perihilar mass which could not be palpated at the time of thoracotomy. Aneurysmal dilatation of the pulmonary vein, otherwise known as pulmonary varix, is rare. Only 71 such cases, including 17 cases in Japan, have been reported. Pulmonary varices may be classified into three types, namely: saccular type, tortuous type and confluent type. Most of the varices seen in patients with valvular disease have been of the confluent type (62 per cent), however tortuous type varices have also been seen in some cases (19 per cent). Pulmonary venous hypertension may be one of the major causes of confluent type pulmonary varices as regression of pulmonary varices after mitral valve replacement has been reported. None of the saccular type cases, however, were accompanied by valvular disease. This indicates that local factors may also be an important cause of saccular type varices.

1-0-Hexadecyl-2-0-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor) at 10(-10)-10(-9) M induced slow contraction of isolated guinea-pig ileal muscles and the contraction persisted for a long time. At a higher concentration of 10(-7) M, this phospholipid induced more rapid, but not greater, contraction. At higher concentrations (10(-6)-10(-5) M), this phospholipid induced a biphasic response: rapid contraction followed by relaxation. At high concentrations, this compound inhibited acetyl-choline-induced contractions. The stimulatory effect of this phospholipid was ca. 300 times that of 1-palmitoyl-2-0-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, while its inhibitory potency on induced contraction was similar to those of 1-palmitoyl-2-0-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and its lyso derivative. It was suggested that the differences in effects on contraction of different concentrations of 1-0-hexadecyl- and 1-palmitoyl-2-0-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine were due to the effects of these compounds on the ileum: a strong stimulatory effect and a moderate inhibitory effect on contraction.

Chronic osteomyelitis of the jaw (COMJ) is one of the most intractable diseases among head and neck infections. Antimicrobial agents are routinely administered for COMJ without sufficient bacterial information, resulting in frequent treatment failures. To improve our knowledge of the bacterial aetiology of COMJ and to assist in the development of effective treatments, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the microbiome. Sixteen patients with four clinical types of COMJ (four with suppurative osteomyelitis, three with osteoradionecrosis of the jaw, four with primary chronic osteomyelitis, and five with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw) were enrolled in this study. Bone samples were subjected to bacterial community comparisons by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. As a result, we clarified that COMJ was caused by a far greater range of bacterial species (12 phyla and 163 genera) than previously reported. Moreover, the bacterial structures in COMJ changed dramatically with disease stage and the condition of the affected bone. Multiple correlation analyses revealed that sequestration and bone exposure could affect the community structure. On the basis of these factors, we reclassified COMJ into three clinical stages: I, inflamed or sclerotic bone without exposure; II, sequestrum without exposure; and III, exposed sequestrum. In stage II, the bacterial diversity was significantly lower, and the anaerobe genera Fusobacterium, Tannerella (formerly Bacteroides) and Porphyromonas were more abundant, than observed during other stages. Because these bacteria habitually reside in any clinical stage, they were considered to constitute the core microbiome of COMJ. Targeting these bacteria should lead to the development of effective preventive measures and cures.