acid-phosphatase and Precancerous-Conditions

Our knowledge of prostate cancer is less well-defined than our knowledge of cancers of other organs. In the colon, for example, morphological criteria to identify carcinomas in situ and some putative preneoplastic lesions are clear; phenotypic differences in the expression of enzymes and antigens are documented in experimental models and are starting to be defined in humans. Experimental models of cancer of the liver and colon show evidence that "enzyme-altered foci" are preneoplastic. In these organs, the "normal" context is much clearer than in the prostate. In contrast, in the prostates of men in the same age range as those who develop prostate cancer, morphological aberrations are almost always present, diverse, and poorly understood. Murphy and Gaeta said that, "in the study of prostatic disease..., almost every aspect remains controversial...[and].... many of the 'known facts' concerning prostatic disease are poorly documented..." While being aware that the definitions of all benign and malignant lesions of the prostate are based on complex morphological criteria which must form the contemporary context for comparisons, our laboratory is searching for markers that will permit the identification of putative preneoplastic lesions in the prostate. In our opinion, these changes will not be found most efficiently, if they are present at all, in long established cell lines, advanced carcinomas, or serially transplantable xenografts of primary prostatic carcinomas. Our preliminary data suggest that several enzyme histochemical and immunohistochemical approaches are worthy of study. Markers that show promise include acid phosphatase, 5'-nucleotidase, leucine aminopeptidase, and CD44.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: 5'-Nucleotidase; Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Animals; Antigens, CD; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma in Situ; Carrier Proteins; Humans; Hyaluronan Receptors; Leucyl Aminopeptidase; Male; Middle Aged; Organ Size; Precancerous Conditions; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing

In this article, the pathologic findings of carcinoma of the prostate were reviewed. Criteria were discussed for the pathologic diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma (PC), premalignant lesions, lesions that simulate PC, immunopathologic findings, special types of PC, effects of therapy on the prostate, and recent efforts to improve diagnostic and prognostic capabilities. The possible role of the study of nucleolar organizing regions was reported. A new method for demonstrating chromosomes in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue was mentioned. The need for research in all aspects of the pathology of prostatic cancer was emphasized.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Cell Nucleus; Humans; Male; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Staging; Precancerous Conditions; Prognosis; Prostate; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Prostatic Neoplasms

Aberrant crypts are recognized in methylene blue-stained, unsectioned, colonic mucosa by their increased size, elliptical lumenal opening, thicker epithelial layer, and increased pericryptal region. Aberrant crypt foci in rodents are observed as early as 2 weeks and for at least 9 months after a single dose of carcinogen, have a distribution that parallels that of tumors, and have an increased number of aberrant crypts per focus with time after the carcinogen dose. The ability to quantify these lesions in the entire colon of rodents in less than an hour suggests that aberrant crypts may provide a highly efficient in vivo bioassay for colon carcinogens. Since aberrant crypt foci appear to be the earliest identifiable putative precursors of colon cancer, they represent lesions that can be characterized further for the earliest genetic and biochemical alterations. In F344 rats, we have demonstrated that aberrant crypts have multiple histochemically-detectable enzyme alterations. Using similar techniques, we were the first to demonstrate aberrant crypts in unsectioned human mucosa. After embedding and sectioning, these microscopic aberrant crypts resemble rare lesions described earlier in the literature after extensive serial sectioning. In rats and humans, aberrant crypts may be histologically normal or display varying degrees of dysplasia and histochemically-detectable altered enzyme activities. These putative, preneoplastic lesions should reveal early changes that precede colon cancer and ways to alter their progression.

Topics: 5'-Nucleotidase; Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Biomarkers, Tumor; Colon; Colonic Neoplasms; Enzymes; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Humans; Intestinal Mucosa; Mice; Precancerous Conditions; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344

We quantified telomerase activity (TA) in patients with oral and maxillofacial malignant and nonmalignant lesions, and compared it with their clinical status and grade of malignancy. Fifty-two malignant and 52 nonmalignant lesions were analyzed. All malignant lesions were pathologically diagnosed as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Normal gingival tissue served as a control. These specimens were obtained by biopsy or surgical resection, and stored at -80 degrees C until use. TA was quantified by a fluorescence-based TRAP method. TA levels ranged from 0.00 to 95.24 (average 33.24)U/microgP in 52 malignant lesions, and from 0.00 to 79.35 (average 11.91)U/microgP in 52 nonmalignant lesions (P < 0.0001). TA was detected in 96.2% of malignant and 65.4% of nonmalignant lesions. There was no relationship between TA levels and clinical stages or YK classification. However, under WHO classification, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between Grades I and III or II + III. Among nonmalignant lesions, epithelial dysplasia showed a significantly higher TA level than that of oral lichen planus (P < 0.05) and other benign lesions (P < 0.0001). Oral lichen planus also significantly differed from other benign lesions (P < 0.05). These results suggest that TA is related to the histological grade of malignancy, and is also useful as a prognostic predictor for precancerous lesions and conditions.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Case-Control Studies; Child; Epithelium; Female; Humans; Isoenzymes; Lichen Planus, Oral; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Neoplasms; Neoplasm Staging; Precancerous Conditions; Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase; Telomerase

Cytoplasmic clarity is a histological feature of normal prostatic secretory cells, but in this study, tissue fixation in strong (>2.5%) glutaraldehyde dramatically altered cytological staining. Secretory cytoplasm appeared red and granular on routine stains because of myriad intensely staining eosinophilic granules (PSG). Immunostaining for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) showed their exclusive localization to the PSG. Electron microscopy confirmed these findings and also showed that after fixation in many agents, including formaldehyde, PSG appeared empty, accounting for the artefactual "clear cell" appearance on light microscopy. PSG were most densely concentrated apically in a bud-shaped luminal compartment in which cytokeratin was selectively absent. Normal exocrine secretion was visualized as detachment of apocrine buds or their in situ disintegration. Distinctively in dysplasia and almost all carcinomas, PSG were rare to absent, and proteases were free in the cytoplasm, often concentrated beneath the apical membrane. The apocrine compartment was absent, with no observed secretory mechanism. Tumor cells had dark amphiphilic cytoplasm after all fixatives. This provided a reliable method of distinguishing malignant from benign glands in tissues fixed in strong glutaraldehyde. Clear cell carcinomas, whose cytoplasm mimicked routinely fixed normal secretory cells, surprisingly had almost no PSG. Instead, their "granules" were lipid-filled vacuoles reflecting a secretory pathway not seen in normal cells, dysplasia, or the common "dark cell" carcinomas. These observations may define two distinctive biological pathways of prostate cancer evolution and may facilitate diagnostic decisions on needle biopsy samples.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cytoplasmic Granules; Epithelial Cells; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Male; Precancerous Conditions; Prostate; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Neoplasms

The effect of a high vitamin E diet on the early stages of colon carcinogenesis and on the proliferative indexes in the colon and in the prostate glands was investigated in rats. F344 male rats were injected with azoxymethane (AOM, 15 mg/kg sc). One week later, animals were randomly allocated into two dietary groups (n = 8 rats/group): normal vitamin E (50 IU/kg diet) and high vitamin E (200 IU/kg diet). The basal diet was the AIN-76 diet modified to contain high corn oil (23% wt/wt). After eight weeks of feeding, concentrations of vitamin E in plasma, liver, and prostate were analyzed. Enumeration of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in colons and proliferative indexes of colons and prostate glands were determined. The total number of ACF and the average number of aberrant crypts (AC) per focus were similar in both dietary groups. ACF were classified as small (1-3 crypts/focus), medium (4-6 crypts/focus), or large (> or = 7 crypts/focus). Only the ACF in the small category showed a significant treatment effect, with values being lower in the high vitamin E group than in the control group (p < or = 0.05). No significant difference was observed in colonic proliferative indexes assessed by enumeration of metaphase cells, S phase cells, or cells exhibiting proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The PCNA labeling index in the prostate glands and the activity of prostatic acid phosphatase in plasma were higher in high vitamin E-fed rats (p < or = 0.05) than in control animals. The present study demonstrates that additional vitamin E does not inhibit the induction and growth of ACF; also it enhances the proliferative status of the prostate glands.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Azoxymethane; Cell Division; Colon; Colonic Neoplasms; Male; Precancerous Conditions; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Prostate; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Vitamin E

A histochemical study of 27 well-differentiated prostatic carcinoma cases associated with prostatic intra-epithelial neoplasia (PIN) was carried out. In the histological areas examined a decreasing production of neutral mucin was found as follows: normal prostatic tissue (70%), prostatic carcinoma (55%), PIN 1 (50%), PIN 2 (30%) and PIN 3 (15%). A progressively increasing content of acidic mucin (AB 2.5) was observed in the areas of PIN 3 (25%), PIN 2 (35%) and prostatic carcinoma (70%), while it was absent in the areas of PIN 1 and normal prostatic tissue. Acidic mucin sulphated type (AB 1) was secreted only in PIN 3 (5%) and prostatic carcinoma (10%) areas. These data were correlated with the proliferative activity of PIN. It is postulated that the lower neutral mucin production by PIN 3 can be linked to the higher proliferative activity of this lesion. Moreover, the acidic mucin secretion by PIN and prostatic carcinoma is considered to be a further feature of these lesions.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Male; Mucins; Precancerous Conditions; Prostate; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Neoplasms

In patients with precancerous states and cancer of the uterine cervix prior to and after radiotherapy exhibit the decreased activity of neutrophil beta-glucuronidase. Moreover, patients treated by radiotherapy before the age 6 to 9 years demonstrate deficiency of N-acetyl-beta-glucuronidase in the above cells. The main finding in lymphocytes of the patients studied was in the appearance by diffusion of the above enzymes and of acid phosphatase in the cytoplasm, reflecting their release from lysosomes and immunological mobilization of these cells. The authors discuss the possible role of neutrophil enzymatic deficiency in lowering the antitumor cytotoxic effect of these cells.

Topics: Acetylglucosaminidase; Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Alkaline Phosphatase; Brachytherapy; Female; Glucuronidase; Humans; Middle Aged; Neutrophils; Precancerous Conditions; Radiotherapy Dosage; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Carcinomas of the rat prostate induced by a single injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, and 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl, after sequential treatment with cyproterone acetate and testosterone propionate, were evaluated as potential animal models for prostatic cancer. All ten carcinomas examined were located in the dorsolateral prostate region and did not involve the distal parts of the seminal vesicles and coagulating glands. The incidence of urinary obstruction leading to the animals' death was 6 of 10 rats, and metastases in the lung, abdominal lymph nodes, and/or liver also occurred in 6 of 10 rats. The tumors were invasive adenocarcinomas, showing frequent perineural invasion and a variable degree of differentiation. There were ultrastructural similarities with human prostatic carcinomas, such as intracellular lumina. Plasma acid phosphatase was increased. Enzyme histochemical analysis revealed similarities with the Dunning R3327H and -HI prostatic carcinomas but was not helpful in determining the site of origin of the tumors. The gross and microscopic appearance of the tumors and the observation of preneoplastic lesions exclusively located in the dorsolateral prostate suggest this lobe as site of origin of the carcinomas. Preneoplastic lesions (n = 9) included atypical hyperplasias (n = 5) and lesions with all histological characteristics of carcinoma except for local invasion and metastases, which were classified as carcinoma in situ (n = 4). Although androgen sensitivity could not be assessed, the observed characteristics of the tumors [their long latency time (46-80 weeks), the presence of preneoplastic lesions, and the short duration of the treatment, leaving the animals intact] all indicate that the present approach is a valid animal model for the study of prostatic carcinogenesis.

Topics: 9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; Acid Phosphatase; Adenocarcinoma; Aminobiphenyl Compounds; Animals; Carcinoma in Situ; Cell Differentiation; Histocytochemistry; Hyperplasia; Male; Methylnitrosourea; Microscopy, Electron; Neoplasm Metastasis; Precancerous Conditions; Prostatic Neoplasms; Rats

Epithelial cell differentiation was evaluated in 15 samples of duct-acinar dysplasia, a putative premalignant lesion of the prostate, through immunohistochemical staining for five differentiation markers. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), Leu-7, pepsinogen II (PG II), and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) are all constituents of seminal fluid that are produced by prostatic epithelium. Dysplasia foci were classified into three grades of severity and their locations mapped by camera lucida drawings of each slide. The degree of abnormal staining with each antibody was recorded on the map, and its correlation with dysplasia grade was evaluated. PSA, PAP, and Leu-7 staining were reduced in dysplasia and often absent in severe dysplasia, indicating that reduced differentiation is an early change in prostatic carcinogenesis. PG II and t-PA stains were sometimes positive in a region where they are usually absent, suggesting that deregulation of differentiation markers may accompany reduction in differentiation in these preneoplastic lesions.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Antibodies; Antigens, Differentiation; Antigens, Neoplasm; Cell Differentiation; Humans; Immunochemistry; Male; Pepsinogens; Precancerous Conditions; Prostate; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Neoplasms; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

The sequential histochemical changes during colon carcinogenesis were studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats given 16 weekly subcutaneous injections of 15 mg 1,2-dimethylhydrazine per kg body wt and serially killed at regular intervals. Cryostat sections were used to study the mucus content of the colonic mucosa with the periodic acid Schiff's reaction, and enzyme histochemical methods were applied to investigate the activity of some key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism at different stages of carcinogenesis. Enlarged mucus-rich crypts with a marked hypercellularity (149% of control as determined morphometrically) appearing very early during carcinogenic treatment revealed almost normal activities of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Hyperbasophilic crypts lacking mucus production were observed later and showed a loss of G6Pase, but marked increase of G6PDH and GAPDH activity. Mucus-rich signet ring cell carcinomas showed the same enzymatic pattern as the mucus-rich crypts, whereas mucus-free adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated carcinomas revealed a loss of G6Pase and highly increased G6PDH and GAPDH activities. The results showed that focal changes in polysaccharide content and in the activity of some enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism, as observed in various organs, also accompany the carcinogenic process in the colon. This supports the concept that aberrations in carbohydrate metabolism play an important role during the process of carcinogenesis.

Topics: 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine; Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Colonic Neoplasms; Dimethylhydrazines; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Gluconeogenesis; Glucose-6-Phosphatase; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; Glycogen Synthase; Glycolysis; Histocytochemistry; Male; Methylhydrazines; Pentose Phosphate Pathway; Phosphorylases; Precancerous Conditions; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains

Patients with various malignancies are characterized by decreased numbers of intact acid phosphatase-positive lysosomes within the peripheral blood lymphocytes as compared to the control groups of healthy subjects.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Lymphocytes; Lysosomes; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Precancerous Conditions

Glycosidases were determined in the supernatant from normal, benign, premalignant, and cancerous human tissue. The total enzyme activities of alpha-fucosidase, hexosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, and acid phosphatase in both malignant tumors and tissues with premalignant lesions were significantly greater than those in normal tissues, whereas a very low enzyme activity alteration in benign lesions was observed. The least specific enzyme alteration was aryl sulfatase, which was elevated in only 58% of the tissues with malignancies and in 19% of the tissues with benign lesions. Nearly 90% of tissues with premalignant lesions had simultaneously elevated levels of two or more enzymes whereas only 5% of the control tissues had simultaneously elevated alpha-fucosidase, hexosaminidase, and acid phosphatase activity. Present results indicate that acid glycosidases have high activity in both premalignant and malignant human tissues.

Topics: Acetylglucosaminidase; Acid Phosphatase; alpha-L-Fucosidase; Female; Glycoside Hydrolases; Humans; Neoplasms; Organ Specificity; Precancerous Conditions; Tissue Distribution

The structural and metabolic indicators of the function of the end secretory divisions, intercalary ducts, and salivary tubes of the salivary gland were assayed in white rats aged 20 1/2 months. This age period is characterized by the occurrence of noticeable changes in the reproductive tract and of spontaneous tumors in different organs. Abnormalities of transport processes followed by an insignificant variation in intracellular metabolism indicate that reconstitution of the salivary glands accompanied by profound shifts in endocrine regulation is a secondary process, a consequence of a systemic injury to the microcirculatory bed. Disorders seen in the processes of secretion elimination and reduced activity of lysosomal enzymes are likely to be the triggering mechanism of the occurrence of the delayed phase of storing secretory granules observed during the development of metabolic sialoses.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Aging; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase; DNA; Estrus; Female; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction; Precancerous Conditions; Pregnancy; Rats; RNA; Submandibular Gland

An enzyme histochemical study was performed to investigate abnormal enzyme activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and, by application of these staining reactions to noncancerous liver disorders, to clarify the true nature of putative percancerous lesions. The enzyme activity of hepatocytes in cirrhotic livers, hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive cells, and dysplastic liver cells was investigated. Although the tumor cells in HCC gave an intensively positive reaction for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity at the cytoplasm and the whole-cell membrane, they were essentially deficient in glucose-6-phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and nonspecific esterase activities. Cirrhotic liver showed loss of the orderly zonal difference of enzyme activity that is present in normal liver. However, a pattern of enzyme deviation similar to that of HCC was not recognized anywhere. Neither HBV-positive hepatocytes nor dysplastic liver cells were shown enzymatically to be direct precusors of HCC.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Alkaline Phosphatase; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cytoplasm; Female; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Glucose-6-Phosphatase; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; Humans; Liver; Liver Cirrhosis; Liver Diseases; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Precancerous Conditions

CEA as well as alkaline and acid phosphatase were measured in patients with fibrocystic breast disease. The values recorded from the punctured fluids were compared to those in peripheral blood. CEA concentrations in cyst fluid were elevated in patients with proliferative breast disease, whereas no correlations could be established between alkaline and acid phosphatase, on the one hand, and various histological forms of breast disease, on the other.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Female; Fibrocystic Breast Disease; Humans; Precancerous Conditions; Radioimmunoassay

In patients with precancerous states and cancer of the larynx prior to and after radiotherapy exhibit the decreased activity of neutrophil beta-glucuronidase. Moreover patients treated by radiotherapy before the age of 6 to 9 years demonstrate deficiency of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in the above cells. The main finding in lymphocytes of the patients studied was in the appearance by diffusion of the above enzymes and of acid phosphatase in the cytoplasm, reflecting their release from lysosomes and immunological mobilization of these cells. The authors discuss the possible role of neutrophil enzymatic deficiency in lowering the antitumour cytotoxic effect of these cells.

Topics: Acetylglucosaminidase; Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Aged; Glucuronidase; Humans; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Leukocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Lysosomes; Male; Middle Aged; Neutrophils; Precancerous Conditions

Activity of beta-glucuronidase (GR) and acid phosphatase (AP) has been determined in peripheral blood neutrophils from 24 men with precancerous states of the larynx that is leukoplakia papillomas and pachydermia by means cytochemical methods described by Hayashi et al., and Barka and Anderson, respectively. The results obtained were expressed in terms of absolute counts of enzyme-positive and enzyme-negative cells with regard to enzyme activity variation within the enzyme-positive neutrophil population; the enzyme activity index score has been calculated. The control group consisted of 20 healthy subjects of the same sex. No significant alterations were found so far as AP activity is concerned between the group studied. In contrast, activity of GR in patients with precancerous states exhibited significant lowering. The most striking feature was in almost complete absence from the blood of GR-positive neutrophils with high activity of the enzyme. Majority of these cells showed only traces of the GR activity. According to authors opinion the deficiency of GR in neutrophils of patients with precancerous lesions pertains to problem of neutrophil-mediated cytotoxic effect against mammalian tumour cells.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Glucuronidase; Humans; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Neutrophils; Precancerous Conditions

In 24 men with precancerous states of the larynx, i.e. leukoplakia, papillomas and pachydermia, the peripheral blood lymphocytes were cytochemically stained for N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, beta-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase and glycogen (PAS reaction). The results were expressed in terms of the absolute counts of enzyme- (or compound-) positive cells. The serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA and IgM levels were also determined by Mancini's method. The results obtained were compared with those in 20 healthy men aged 20 to 30 years. It was found that the patients exhibited elevated numbers of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase- and beta-glucuronidase-positive lymphocytes. A characteristic feature was an increase in the absolute counts of lymphocytes with diffuse and granular-diffuse types of cytochemical reaction for all enzymes studied. The number of cells with the granular type of enzymatic reaction (intact enzyme-positive lysosomes) was significantly diminished. These cytochemical alterations were accompanied by a significant increase in the serum IgA level. These results are discussed with reference to the lymphoid system response to tissues with precancerous lesions of the larynx.

Topics: Acetylglucosaminidase; Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Glucuronidase; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulins; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Lymphocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Precancerous Conditions

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Glucuronidase; Humans; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Lymphocytes; Lysosomes; Male; Middle Aged; Precancerous Conditions

In cytological investigations the following forms of cancer of the prostate may be verified: differentiated (clear-cellular and dark-cellular adenocarcinoma); poorly differentiated; and nondifferentiated (microcellular and polymorphic-cellular cancer). In the unchanged epithelium of the prostate there was noted a high activity of acid phosphotase, nonspecific esterase, nonspecific 5'-exonuclease, acid RNA-ase, acid DNA-ase, leucine aminopeptidase, and the absence of activity of alkaline phosphotase, neutral DNA-ase, alkaline RNA-ase. In the cancerous epithelium the activity of leucine aminopeptidase was either drastically decreased or absent altogether; the activity of acid DNA-ase and acid RNA-ase was non-uniform with the tendency to decrease in poorly differentiated tumours. The activity of other investigated enzymes in the cancerous epithelium showed no significant changes. At early stages of development of squamous cell metaplasia in the epithelium there was identified alkaline RNA-ase dissapearing in manifested metaplastic changes.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenocarcinoma; Alkaline Phosphatase; Cytoplasm; Deoxyribonucleases; Esterases; Exonucleases; Humans; Hyperplasia; Leucyl Aminopeptidase; Male; Precancerous Conditions; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Ribonucleases

We have previously reported on the ultrastructure of platelets in preleukemia and myelomonocytic leukemia. We referred to an unusual and distinct anomaly of the platelet granules found in 15 of 16 patients. In the present communication we wish to describe and illustrate the light microscopic appearance of giant anomalous granules. Close scrutiny of the platelet morphology and a search for the aforementioned platelet granulopathy are important in the evaluation of patients with myeloproliferative diseases. In this paper we describe and illustrate in more detail the ultrastructure and ultrastructural histochemistry of the abnormal granules. In those patients with the platelet granulopathy, we have conducted in vitro platelet aggregation studies and carried out an electron microscopic evaluation of the aggregates. At least some of the giant granules remained morphologically intact in advanced stages of the aggregation phenomenon, and thus they are probably composed of elements that were not released during aggregation.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Anemia, Aplastic; Blood Platelets; Cell Membrane; Cytoplasmic Granules; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid; Peroxidases; Platelet Aggregation; Precancerous Conditions; Vacuoles

Male Wistar rats were given 50 mug of aflatoxin B1 twice a week for 4 weeks, and thereafter 75 mug twice a week for 10 weeks. Their livers were investigated histologically and histochemically for glycogen, RNA, fat, alkaline and acid phosphatases, adenosine triphosphatase, 5'-nucleotidase, glucose-6-phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, succinic dehydrogenase, and alkaline and acid nucleases. No significant lesions occurred before 15 weeks. During this period, the liver was histochemically unchanged except for a periportal decrease of alkaline phosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase. Scattered hepatocytes with a strong glucose-6-phosphatase activity appeared. These changes represent toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 and are irrelevant to carcinogenesis. From 15 weeks onward, three types of liver cell hyperplastic foci and nodules developed. Histologically, and with respect to glycogen, fat, and RNA content, only two of these types were considered as potential precursors of hepatocarcinomas. However, all types exhibited a decrease or absence of the enzymes studied. Both histological and histochemical changes stressed the complex heterogeneity existing between and within hepatic foci and nodules. From 11 months on, hepatocarcinomas developed. The tumors disclosed similar histochemical changes. This similarity further supports the "precarcinomatous" nature of hyperplastic foci and nodules. It appears that focal changes in surface as well as in cytoplasmic and nuclear enzymes are intimately and very early linked to the carcinogenic process. Whether they are fundamental or only represent an epiphenomenon remains unclear.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Aflatoxins; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Glucose-6-Phosphatase; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; Glycogen; Lipid Metabolism; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Neoplasms, Experimental; Nucleotidases; Precancerous Conditions; Rats; RNA, Neoplasm; Succinate Dehydrogenase; Time Factors

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Administration, Oral; Animals; Cathepsins; Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase; Glucose-6-Phosphatase; Hepatectomy; Isoenzymes; Liver; Liver Neoplasms; Liver Regeneration; Male; Mitosis; Neoplasms, Experimental; p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene; Precancerous Conditions; Rats

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Cells; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Electron Transport Complex IV; Erythrocytes; Esterases; Histocytochemistry; Leucyl Aminopeptidase; Leukemia; Neutrophils; Periodic Acid; Precancerous Conditions; Schiff Bases; Time Factors

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adult; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Chronic Disease; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Hyperplasia; Laryngeal Diseases; Laryngeal Neoplasms; Laryngoscopy; Leukoplakia; Papilloma; Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; Precancerous Conditions

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Esterases; Humans; Leukoplakia, Oral; Lip Neoplasms; Mouth Neoplasms; Oxidoreductases; Precancerous Conditions

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose; Electrophoresis; Glycerophosphates; Isoenzymes; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Neoplasms, Experimental; p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene; Phenols; Phosphoric Acids; Precancerous Conditions; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Glucuronidase; Glycogen; Glycosaminoglycans; Histocytochemistry; Humans; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Nucleic Acids; Precancerous Conditions; Skin; Skin Diseases; Skin Neoplasms; Succinate Dehydrogenase

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Carcinoma; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; DNA; Epithelium; Esterases; Female; Glycogen; Glycosaminoglycans; Histocytochemistry; Humans; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Precancerous Conditions; Pregnancy; RNA; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adenocarcinoma; Aged; Glycerophosphates; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Precancerous Conditions; Prostatic Neoplasms

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Carcinogens; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cats; Guinea Pigs; Liver; Liver Neoplasms; Methods; Mice; Neoplasms, Experimental; Precancerous Conditions; Rabbits; Rats; Time Factors