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Study Objectives: Many reports have shown the efficacy of talc to induce an effective pleurodesis. However, there is little information about the side effects related to this sclerosing agent. The objective of this experimental study is to recognize the systemic distribution of talc after its instillation into the pleural space of rats., Design: Forty animals were assigned to receive talc through a catheter placed in a left minimal thoracotomy. They were randomly divided in two groups: group 1 received 20 mg of talc and group 2 received 10 mg in the same total volume of 1 mL of saline solution. Half of the animals in each group were killed 24 h and the other half 48 h after the procedure. BAL was collected and histologic sections of both lungs, chest wall, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart, and brain were examined. Crystals were tracked using polarized light and we have used a "birefringent particles index of deposition" in an attempt to quantify the amount or talc encountered in different organs., Results: Talc crystals were found in every organ of all animals studied (100%). There was no statistical difference either on the dose of talc used or in the time of death. The amount of talc was statistically different in the organs, which made us divagate about a route of absorption., Conclusions: We conclude that there is a progressive deposition of talc particles in the organs examined after its administration into the pleural space of normal rats. This report suggests that there is a rapid absorption of talc through the pleural surface and that the systemic distribution thereafter is not dose related. Further studies are necessary to assess the amount of crystals and the clinical correlation to these findings.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the potential associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and histopathologic evidence of damage to the lungs in humans., Design: Lung tissue samples were collected during necropsies of individuals who died due to violent causes, selected on the basis of their exposure background., Patients: The exposed group was composed of individuals who lived in Guarulhos, an area with high mean levels of inhalable particles. The control group was composed of individuals who lived in two cities with economies based on agricultural activities: Ribeirão Preto and Ourinhos., Interventions: Information about cigarette smoking and occupational exposure was obtained from family members., Measurements and Results: Morphometric evaluation of the main bronchus was conducted to determine the volume ratio of submucosal glands. Histopathologic alterations of the bronchioli were evaluated by scoring the presence of inflammatory reaction, wall thickening, and secretory hyperplasia. The number of spots of carbon deposition was counted along the regions of lymphatic drainage (visceral pleura and axial connective tissue around bronchi and blood vessels). Statistical analysis was done by means of regression models controlled for age, smoking, and occupational exposure. Lungs collected from the high pollution area presented evidence of more histopathologic damage in comparison to those from the clean environments. These effects were observed even after controlling for individual differences in age, sex, and cigarette smoking levels., Conclusions: These results suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution may contribute to the pathogenesis of airway disease, and that urban levels of air pollution have adverse effects on the respiratory tract.

Nucleolar organizer regions identified by means of an argyrophilic technique (AgNOR) were quantified by digital image analysis in 81 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. Survival rate was modeled as function of AgNOR expression by Cox regression models controlled for staging, histologic grade, age, and sex. Our results indicate that AgNOR expression has a significant prognostic role. Tumors at lower stages have a lower expression of AgNOR than those with more advanced disease. Tumors with high histopathologic grade have a higher expression of AgNOR. Patients with low AgNOR expression presented a higher survival rate than those with higher amounts of AgNOR. The foregoing results strongly encourage the development of prospective trials to assess the real role of AgNOR in determining prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

The present work was designed to evaluate the role of morphometric parameters in contributing to establish prognosis in 35 patients who underwent surgical resection of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung. Morphometric studies were performed by means of point counting techniques. Patients considered as disease-free survivors, ie, those without tumor recurrence for more than 60 months (n = 6), were designated as DOWELL, whereas the remaining 29 patients comprised the DOBAD group. In order to characterize DOWELL patients, multivariate models combining numeric and categoric variables were constructed considering numeric variables (age and morphometric parameters) or indexes for categoric data such as stage, and presence of residual tumor. Staging, incomplete tumor resection, and nucleus-cytoplasm ratio were selected by the model as significantly associated with survival. In addition, nuclear volume contributed (although nonsignificantly per se) to further refine the model by increasing its r value. Our results indicate that histopathologic data, when evaluated quantitatively, could predict prognosis in patients with SCC, together with staging and clinical data and encourage the use of morphometric procedures in the histopathologic analysis of SCC.