In an attempt to estimate the frequency of fungal infections among cancer patients, a survey of autopsy examinations was conducted in multiple institutions in Europe, Japan and Canada. Fungal infections were identified most often in leukemic patients and transplant recipients (25% each). Fifty-eight percent of fungal infections were caused by Candida spp. and 30% by Aspergillus spp. There was considerable variability in the frequency of fungal infections in different countries. Nevertheless, this study clearly demonstrates that fungal infections represent a common complication in cancer patients, especially in patients with leukemia.

Takayasu arteritis is a primary inflammatory disease of elastic arteries such as the aorta, its larger branches and the pulmonary artery trunk. According to our recent statistical survey of autopsy cases in Japan, the frequency of the disease in all autopsy cases was approximately 0.033% and the sex ratio was 1:4.5. The most frequent ages of the onset were 20-30 years, those of the death were 40-50 years. The latter was delayed about 20 years in comparison with a previous report. In the recent cases, the vascular lesions widely expanded. Luminal dilatation and aneurysm formation also increased in frequency, their ratio being approximately 57%. In the autopsy cases, the following active lesions were observed: (1) acute exudative inflammation (including suppuration), (2) chronic non-specific productive inflammation and (3) various types of granulomatous inflammation. These findings suggest that many triggers may play a role in the morphogenesis of Takayasu arteritis. The inflammatory lesions are produced in the media and adventitia through the vasa vasorum, and terminate in a diffuse or nodular fibrosis. New active lesions are often observed near the old fibrotic ones. This suggests that Takayasu arteritis may be a progressive disease. Intimal thickening of the peripheral branches from the affected arteries is very often observed. In consequence, secondary ischemic lesions are formed in various organs, especially the heart, brain and kidneys.

of systemic mycoses by specific immunohistochemical tests. APMIS 104, 241-258, 1996. Immunohistochemistry has proved to be a powerful tool for the accurate diagnosis of a number of important mycoses in humans and animals, such as aspergillosis, candidosis, cryptococcosis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis capsulati and duboisii, paracoccidioidomycosis, fusariosis, pseudallescheriosis (scedosporiosis), sporotrichosis, trichosporonosis, penicilliosis, and zygomycosis (mucormycosis). These techniques are also applicable to pneumocystosis and to non-mycotic infections caused by algae such as protothecosis. Apart from the specificity of immunohistochemistry, the application of fluorochromes is highly effective for the localization of typical or atypical fungal elements in lesions with only few organisms present. Occasionally, a dual aetiology of fungal infections may be suspected on the basis of morphological study, and dual staining techniques have the capacity for resolving this question by simultaneous and differential staining of two fungal species present in a tissue specimen.

To investigate the association among iron, desferrioxamine, and a Rhizopus infection, the influence of iron and/or desferrioxamine on experimental mucormycosis in mice was examined. All mice pretreated with iron, desferrioxamine, or a combination of iron and desferrioxamine died within 5 days after the inoculation of R. oryzae. In the mice fungal lesions were observed in the brain which resembled human cerebral mucormycosis. By contrast, the mortality in the control mice with R. oryzae was 20% through the 3-week experimental period. Therefore, it was demonstrated that iron as well as desferrioxamine administration markedly promotes the growth of R. oryzae. The increased susceptibility to R. oryzae was considered to be due to increased serum iron in the animals pretreated with iron only; however, pretreatment with desferrioxamine did not affect the amount of serum ion. Thus, the data suggest that desferrioxamine acts as a siderophore to R. oryzae and exerts an adverse effect on mucormycosis. This study has shown that the presence of iron and desferrioxamine enhances the virulence and pathogenicity of R. oryzae by serving as a growth factor.

A new technique to eliminate O-glycosidically linked glycoprotein (mucin-type glycoprotein) selectively has been developed. Composite paraffin sections were collodionized before and after alkaline treatment with 0.5 M NaOH in 70% ethanol; the effect of this procedure on mucosubstances was examined using the periodic acid-Schiff reaction. Exposure to alkaline hydrolysis for 72 to 144 hours at 4 C led to a complete loss of periodic acid-Schiff reactivity of epithelial mucins in rat sublingual gland, stomach and small intestine, but that of fuzzy coat, thyroid colloid, collagen fibers and tracheal cartilage was well preserved. These results agreed fairly well with biochemical findings. The present study also revealed that materials prepared by freeze-substitution provided the most satisfactory results.