Gallbladder carcinoma limited to the mucosa (pT1a) or muscularis proper (pT1b) with no lymph node metastasis (stage I) is defined as early carcinoma of the gallbladder. Eleven patients with early carcinoma of the gallbladder, treated by either simple or extended cholecystectomy (cholecystectomy plus wedge resection of the gallbladder bed of the liver and lymphadenectomy), were reviewed to determine the diagnostic capability and to clarify the rational resectional procedure for this stage of the disease. A definitive pre-operative diagnosis was made in only 2 patients with pT1b tumors. Most of the remaining 9 patients were diagnosed incidentally after cholecystectomy for polyps or stones. Among 7 patients with pT1a tumors, 5 underwent simple cholecystectomy and 2 underwent extended cholecystectomy. All 7 patients survived with a recurrence-free condition for 5 years or more following the operation. Two patients with pT1b tumors, however, died of a local recurrence or bile duct carcinoma following simple cholecystectomy. Two patients with pT1b tumors who were correctly diagnosed before the operation and underwent extended cholecystectomy survived without recurrence. It is concluded that patients with pT1a tumors can be successfully treated by simple cholecystectomy, while patients with pT1b tumors require extended cholecystectomy.
NAITO, K., TAMAHASHI, N., CHIBA, T., KANEDA, K., OKUDA, M., ENDO, K., YOSHINAGA, K. and TAKAHASHI, T. The Microvasculature of the Human Bone Marrow Correlated with the Distribution of Hematopoietic Cells. A Computer-Assisted Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Study. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1992, 166 (4), 439-450-Surgical specimens of ordinary bone marrow from eight patients were submitted to computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction from resin-embedded, semi-thin serial sections. This was undertaken with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of hematopoietic microenvironment by establishing the basic architecture of the bone marrow, particularly the microvasculature and its relation to the hematopoietic cell series. The basic vascular structure was found to consist of mutually intertwining sinuses and hematopoietic cords (or compartments), the latter with an arteriole running along the axis. This allowed to define the unitary structure of the bone marrow as a hematopoietic cord with a central arteriole and surrounded by sinuses. Here granulopoietic cells were distributed mostly along the wall of the central arteriole. Erythropoietic cells, located mainly around the sinus wall, proved to be forming a continuous network of cord instead of separate "islands" as usually assumed, justifying a designation of "erythroblastic cords". Megakaryocytes were positioned in close vicinity to the sinus wall. These findings appear not only to be helpful in analyzing factors involved in the in vivo hematopoietis of man, but also to visualize the importance of structural studies of bone marrow.
Summary We established two cell lines, YN‐1 and Y‐1K. from the peripheral blood of two chronic myelogenous leukaemia patients in blastic crisis. Characterization of the YN‐1 and Y‐1K cells revealed that these cells expressed erythroid lineage markers. However, there was a marked difference in the level of γ‐globin mRNA and haenioglobin in YN‐1 and Y‐1K cells. YN‐1 contained approximately 1–5% benzidine‐positive staining cells, whereas no benzidine‐positive cells were observed in Y‐1K cells. Haemoglobin production in YN‐1 cells was markedly increased with various chemical inducers of erythroid differentiation, but was not in Y‐1K cells. In contrast, Y‐1K cells expressed CD34 stem cell antigen and CD41 megakaryocyte‐specific antigen. These observations suggested that, although both cell lines were committed to the erythroid lineage. each cell line represented a distinct differentiation stage in the erythroid differentiation programme. Y‐1K seemed to correspond to an early stage of cells in erythroid lineage, whereas YN‐1 represented a more advanced stage in human erythropoiesis.
Permeability, magnetization, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements are carried out on the ferromagnetic shape memory alloys Ni${}_{2}$MnGa${}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$Co${}_{x}$ (0 \ensuremath{\le}$\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}x$ \ensuremath{\le} 0.20). On the basis of the experimental results, the phase diagram in the temperature-concentration plane is determined. The determined phase diagram is spanned by a paramagnetic austenite (Para-A) phase, paramagnetic martensite phase, ferromagnetic austenite phase, ferromagnetic martensite (Ferro-M) phase, and a premartensite phase. The measurements show that a magnetostructural transition between the Para-A and Ferro-M phases does not appear in this alloy system. The phase diagram is discussed using phenomenological Landau theory.
