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A 51-year-old female suffering from right shoulder pain had chest radiography, which showed the huge round shadow (10 x 8.5 x 8.0 cm) on the right upper lung field. Horner syndrome and superior vena cava syndrome were presented. Thoracoscopic appearance showed that the tumor with complete smooth capsulation was neurogenic. After that added ideal thoracotomy (compatible with location and length) was performed, from which tumor was carried out and made a pathologic diagnosis of neurilemoma originated from thoracic sympathetic nerve. Harmonic Scalpel, an ultrasonically activated surgical device was effective in such a case of using near by nerve and small vessels. After operation, superior vena cava syndrome except for Horner syndrome was improved. It is important that we should consider less invasive and safe approach with combination of thoracoscopic and thoracotomic procedures even in case of huge tumor.

The histological localization of S-100 beta protein in the hippocampus of human autopsy brains of 47 males (71-103 years old) and 90 females (56-104 years old) was studied immunohistochemically. Astrocytes and their processes were positively stained, but neuronal cells were not stained. However, Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangle-like, senile plaque-like and fibrillary spindle figures were stained positively. S-100 beta positive structures increased in grade with age, but not always equally on Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles or senile plaques stained by Bodian method. Astrocytes decreased in number with age, and showed marked compensatory hypertrophy of their processes. S-100 beta positive structures seemed to be related to astroglial changes in terms of degeneration or loss of synapses.

Relationship between aging and cancerization is a very interesting problem to be clarified in future. As the most important finding in the aged, Tauchi previously proposed a decrease in number of the parenchymal cells due mainly to "inhibitory factors for cell division", which increase with growth, differentiation, maturation and aging of the cells, and for the cancerization he suggested a loss of the "inhibitory factors" due to dedifferentiation of the cells. On the growth promoting and/or inhibitory factors, some discussions have been made, in relation to the immortalization, and cancerization of the cells and also to the aging process of them.