We confirm that placental lesions are associated with impaired pregnancy and neonatal outcome. During pregnancy it may be useful to identify some markers of inflammatory status and chronic hypoxia for an early diagnosis and a detailed monitoring of pregnancy course. Placental pathological analysis is very important to predict the risk of developing serious complications of preterm birth as ROP and IVH.

ABSTRACT

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) is a particular type of adenocarcinoma of the lung which accounts for up to 9 per cent of pulmonary malignancies. The aetiology and pathogenesis of this unique neoplastic disease are still unclear. Three histological subtypes of BAC have been recognized: mucinous, non‐mucinous, and sclerosing. Of these, mucinous and sclerosing BAC have a worse prognosis than non‐mucinous tumours. The different morphological patterns and clinical outcomes of the subtypes of BAC suggest differences in their biological behaviour. Previous reports have shown that the mucinous form of BAC is characterized by constant mutations at codon 12 of the K‐ras gene, whereas the other two histotypes show a frequency of K‐ras mutations which is not different from that observed in conventional lung adenocarcinomas. The present study of a series of 51 BACs, previously investigated for K‐ras gene mutations, has evaluated the status of two other genes, p53 and FHIT, known to be frequently altered in non‐small cell lung cancer. Loss of heterozygosity at microsatellite‐containing loci located within the FHIT gene was observed in 22 (43 per cent) BACs. The distribution of FHIT gene abnormalities was not statistically different in the three histological subtypes. p53 mutations were present in 13 (32 per cent) non‐mucinous/sclerosing BACs, while no mutations were seen in mucinous tumours (P‐0·039). Correlations with clinicopathological parameters showed that p53 mutations in BACs are associated with more aggressive tumours. No correlations were observed between FHIT or K‐ras gene abnormalities and clinicopathological data. In conclusion, these results indicate that FHIT alterations are frequently involved in BAC tumourigenesis and that genetic changes in the p53 and K‐ras genes can distinguish between different histotypes of BAC. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

No abstract

A case of a feline Merkel cell tumour is described. An 8-year-old, female cat developed a round, alopecic, reddish mass on the nose. Wide excisional surgery was performed with cartilage resection. Histologically the mass was composed of solid islands of mostly basophilic densely packed cells with a scant cytoplasm, which was suggestive of a neuroendocrine origin. Results of immunohistochemical studies using antibodies against neurone-specific enolase, chromogranin, synaptophysin and pan-cytokeratin allowed classification of the lesion as a Merkel cell tumour. Ultrastructurally, dense core granules were identified in the cytoplasm. In a 2-year follow-up no relapses or metastases were observed. The clinical course recorded is in contrast with the malignant nature of a Merkel cell tumour recently described in a cat and of the human Merkel cell tumour, but is similar to the course of the canine Merkel cell tumour which is often benign. Early diagnosis along with the use of wide surgical excision might be considered an important factor in preventing relapse of this tumour.