Giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone is a primary osteolytic tumor that is characterized by the formation of osteoclast-like giant cells. In addition to GCT of bone, extraskeletal GCT are known to be formed in several soft tissues. Giant cells in GCT of bone were suggested to be identical to osteoclasts, but the characterization of giant cells in extraskeletal GCT remains incomplete. In this study, a case of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells was analyzed. Immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of almost all markers of osteoclasts: tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, CD68, CD51, CD54 and matrix metalloprotease-9, in osteoclast-like giant cells in the tumor. In situ hybridization revealed the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B (RANK) in the giant cells and receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) in the tumor cells. The hepatic origin of the sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma cells was confirmed by the expression of albumin. This is the first report suggesting that hepatocyte-derived cells possess the potential for osteoclastogenesis. In addition, these findings suggest that osteoclast-like cells in the hepatocellular carcinoma were formed by the same mechanism as osteoclastogenesis in bone.

Calcified psammoma bodies often appear in human ovarian serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma. Osteocalcin (OC), osteonectin (ON) and osteopontin (OPN) are three members of non-collagenous bone-related proteins known to be related with mineralization of bone. To clarify possible involvement of these bone matrix proteins in the calcification of the psammoma bodies, the expression of OC, ON and OPN was analyzed by immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization studies using 15 surgical specimens. OPN protein was detected in the calcified area of the psammoma bodies which was positively stained by von Kóssa's staining, while OC and ON proteins were not. OPN protein was not detected in any cells in tissues, but OPN messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) was detected in CD68-positive macrophages, indicating that OPN was produced and promptly secreted by macrophages. These results suggest that OPN produced and promptly secreted by macrophages and subsequently translocated to psammoma bodies may be causally related with the calcium phosphate deposition in the psammoma bodies of the ovarian serous papillary cystadenocarcinomas.

The present study suggests that UHGPSs are derived from BM stromal cells, probably mesenchymal stem cells.

The collection of bone marrow cells (BMCs) using a perfusion method has been advantageous not only because of the low contamination of BMCs with T cells from the peripheral blood but also the enrichment of stromal cells, which support hemopoiesis. Before the application of this new method to humans, its safety needed to be confirmed using cynomolgus monkeys. We therefore performed the perfusion method on more than 100 cynomolgus monkeys using the long bones (such as the humerus and femur) and also the iliac bones (for human application); in the more than 150 trials to date, there have been no accidental deaths. Furthermore, the technical safety of a new method for the intra-bone marrow (IBM) injection of BMCs (termed IBM-bone marrow transplantation) has also been confirmed using 30 monkeys. STEM CELLS

The dynamics of vibrational energy relaxation by collisions in molecular beams and free jet expansions are examined. Within the stochastic approach afforded by the use of the master equation, the incomplete relaxation process may be modelled by assuming a time-dependent transition rate matrix. In particular, we prove that for non-degenerate levels and weak interactions the state distribution is Boltzmannian if the transition rate matrix is of the Landau-Teller type. The ramifications of this result on the analysis of recent studies of vibrational relaxation in seeded beams is briefly discussed.