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We report an exceptional case of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) associated with ALK translocation in an adult. The tumor was located in the left kidney and measured 4cm. The tumor was composed of sheets of large eosinophilic cells with frequently intracytoplasmic vacuoles. The nuclei were large with a nucleolar grade 3. At immunohistochemistry, tumor cells were diffusely positive for PAX8 and vimentin and focally stained with CK7. ALK immunostaining was diffuse and fluorescent in situ hybridization showed a rearrangement of ALK in numerous tumor cells. To date, less than 17 cases of RCCs with ALK rearrangements are reported in children and adults. The prognosis remains uncertain but ALK rearrangement may be of potential value for target therapy with crizotinib., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Case report of a 38-year-old man who, 14 months after resection of a malignant melanoma from the right shoulder in September 1990, presented with a tumour of the right adrenal gland. Resection confirmed metastatic melanoma. Chemotherapy was administered for 3 months. The patient was followed until his death in March 1995, i.e. three years after resection of the secondary adrenal tumour.

A domestic microwave oven was used to modify the Feulgen staining procedure in order to speed up the preparation of cytopathologic smears for the quantification of cell DNA in image analysis. This simple technique needs some precautions concerning the temperature, the hydrolysis time and the position of staining dishes inside the oven must be taken in order to get reproducible results. Thereafter, the conventional staining time can be reduced to 30%. This technique can be applied to cytopathologic smears from various tissues: bladder, prostate, breast, ovary.

By means of a review of a series of 30 cases of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, the authors propose a classification of the various sonographic patterns; they point out the heterogeneous form which associate necrosis and calcification inside an hyperechoic mass and is the most frequent. The interest of ultrasonography for detection of lesions, its limits for diagnosis of extension, the contribution of percutaneous biopsy are discussed, as its place in the survey of the affection.

Subpleural emphysema induction was attempted by injecting elastase intrapleurally into rats and cats. Microscopic evaluation of emphysema (alveolar dilation and septal rupture) was compared with a quantification of alveolar dilation (Fawell-Newman method). The emphysema found in animals treated with an intrapleural injection of porcine pancreatic elastase did not appear to be specifically located in a subpleural zone, and was identical to the focal emphysema induced by an enzyme instillation into the airways. It should be noted that a placebo instillation into the feline airways sometimes induced alveolar dilation without septal disruption presumably by causing bacterial contamination. Cats were seen to be very sensitive to pleural stress since this enzyme injection produced an alveolar dilation (increased mean intercept) as significant as that in cats treated by an intrabronchial instillation of elastase (P less than 0.001).

The pores of Kohn are apertures in the alveolar septum, which allow the communication of two adjacent alveoli. Their existence has been most disputed, but was lastly supported in man and adult mammalians by observations from electron microscopy. Located between the meshes of the capillary network, these alveolar apertures are circular or oval, and are bordered by extensions of type I pneumocytes. Type II pneumocytes are often located close to the pores of Kohn. The presence of two near apertures gives a "double-barrelled gun" aspect, frequently observed in the old animal. The specific connections of the pore of Kohn with the septal components, particularly by the myofibroblasts, are analysed. The quantification of the pores of Kohn in various species shows great variations according to the fixation technique, animals age and site of alveoli in the lung and the lobules. The size of these apertures also depends on species, varying from 0.8 to 15 micrograms. Histogenesis of these apertures is still poorly understood and various processes can be evoked. Ventilation, which differs according to the site of the alveoli in the lung, is a determinant factor, proved by the great number of pores of Kohn in the hyperventilated areas. The role of the macrophages (synthesis and excretion of proteases and lipases) is also discussed. The formation of pores of Kohn is linked with renewing and dehiscence of alveolar epithelial cells. The role of alveolar pores in collateral ventilation seems relatively weak in the physiological state, whereas it is certain in lung pathology, contributing to the propagation of bacterial infections in the adult and to changes of local ventilatory conditions in atelectasis and asthmatic bronchoconstriction. The alveolar apertures can explain the specific propagation of some epitheliotropical peripheral cancers (bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma). The pore of Kohn is one of the first signs of parenchymatous senescence of the pulmonary alveolus; its part in the appearance and extension of emphysematous disorders is also discussed.

We are reporting here a case of chondrosarcoma of the soft tissues of the thoracic wall. As far as we can tell it is the first case published in the world. The tumour appeared 13 years after radical mastectomy and radiotherapy for an adenocarcinoma of the breast. The tumor was greyish-white in appearance and hard, but friable and haemorrhagic. Clinically and biologically it looked like an inflammatory mass. This disappeared when the tumour had been removed but recurred 6 days post-operatively when nodules showing that it had permeated the tissues appeared. Histological and immunohistochemical examination confirmed the diagnosis. We discuss the clinical and histological aspects of the case and state what we found in the literature about other sarcomas that have followed adenocarcinomata of the breast that had been irradiated and operated on. The role of radiotherapy in bringing about this tumour is discussed, including the relationship between the site of the tumour and the dose and field of irradiation. The prognosis is particularly bad in this type of sarcoma which was induced by irradiation.

The pulmonary parenchyma is characterized by a marked development of blood-tissue and gaz-tissue interfaces. Thus the study of the lung is easy by scanning electron microscopy. Numerous and various technics of sample preparation are described and discussed. They permit to carry out morphological and morphometrical studies of fine structures in the adult and foetal lung surface. The systematisation of the different parts of the pulmonary air tract (bronchi, bronchioli, alveolar ducts and alveoli) is analysed. The different epithelial cells are characterized by their apical differentiations and by their often specific localization. Bronchial (mucus), bronchiolar and alveolar (surfactant) secretions are studied after different fixations. The observation of the vascular network (arteries, veins and pulmonary capillaries) is performed after vascular injection of fixator liquid. The scanning electron microscope is also used to study the alveolar macrophage (in situ or in cell culture), the visceral surface of pleura, the pre and post-natal development of the lung parenchyma. The SEM is a complementary and modern method of lung observation. It gives a dynamic view of the fine structure of lung surfaces, which appears needful for the study of the local histophysiological processes.