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Query: UMLS:C0017636 (glioblastoma)
 18,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Tumor tissues of glioblastoma multiforme, astrocytoma and medulloblastoma, maintained up to 21--28 days by gelfoam organ culture technique, were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Glioblastoma multiform has irregular cell surface and many cytoplasmic folds. Astrocytoma has many fibrils. The fibrils have smooth surface and are coiling. Fibrils of piloid astrocytoma are smooth and cylindrical. The focal thickness of fibrils are associated with so-called Rosenthal fiber. Capillary of astrocytoma has irregular surface and marked tortuosity. Medulloblastoma is composed of non-fibrillated round tumor cells. The tumor cells touch each other with short cell processes. These findings seemed to correspond to the malignancy of original tumor. Comparative observation of medulloblastoma maintained by monolayer cell culture with one maintained by organ culture, using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, was done. And medulloblastoma in monolayer culture was proliferated to two types of cells. One is epitheloid cell with taper cell processes, and the other is stellate cell with fine processes. In most organ culture, feature of cells corresponded to those observed in original surgical material by light microscopy.
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PMID:[Scanning electron microscopy of human cultured gliomas (author's transl)]. 625 76

Tissue transglutaminase is a Ca(2+)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the formation of protein cross-links by an acyl transfer reaction. Recent reports have suggested that tissue transglutaminase is induced by tumor progression and apoptosis. In this study we immunohistochemically investigated a series of gliomas by using an antiserum against a dodecapeptide from the COOH-terminal of tissue transglutaminase. Among the gliomas the presence of positive immunoreactivity tended to increase in malignant counterparts. It is also noteworthy to mention that glioblastoma cells surrounding the zonal necrosis in a palisade fashion were strongly immunolabeled. The degenerating products in tumor cells, such as round granulated bodies, were primarily immunopositive, whereas Rosenthal fibers were negative. Dying cells through apoptosis in the metastatic brain tumors could be easily recognized by the presence of tissue transglutaminase. In conclusion, tissue transglutaminase may therefore be valuable in the prognostic characterization of gliomas with respect to the detection of dying cells. However, the appearance of tissue transglutaminase-positive neoplastic cells was not limited to apoptotic bodies but could also be detected in necrobiotic cell nests.
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PMID:An immunohistochemical study of tissue transglutaminase in gliomas with reference to their cell dying processes. 752 29

The ultrastructural pathology of primary brain tumors of glial origin is examined. These are divided into two major groups. The first category comprises astrocytoma with the variants: fibrillary, protoplasmic, gemistocytic, and anaplastic. These are biologically aggressive tumors of a relatively high proliferative potential and include a substantial proportion of cases that transform into the most malignant secondary glioblastoma. The second category, comprised of rather benign tumors of a limited proliferative capacity and a reasonable good prognosis, includes such clinico-pathological entities as pilocytic astrocytoma, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, and subependymal giant cell astrocytoma of tuberous sclerosis. There is no ultrastructural feature, however, which makes it possible to discriminate between major subclasses of astrocytes; but secondary glioblastoma cells, while still retaining the stigmata of neoplastic astrocytes, are characterized by nuclei that seem to be more indented, cisterns of the endoplastic reticulum may be distended, and intranuclear pseudoinclusions are frequently observed. Primary glioblastoma, which probably originates de novo, is characterized by poorly differentiated cells with a paucity of subcellular organelles and no obvious features of astrocytic origin. Granular cell tumor also belongs to neoplasms of astrocytic lineage and the hallmark of this entity is a cell characterized by the presence of numerous membrane-bound, electron-dense autophagic vacuoles. Its malignant analogue is the granular cell glioblastoma. Two subtypes of granular cell glioblastoma have been distinguished. The first is characterized by the presence of numerous granular, electron-dense bodies which correspond to autophagic vacuoles. The second type is characterized by numerous electron-dense, amorphous masses within cellular processes. These electron-dense inclusions are virtually indistinguishable from minute Rosenthal fibers. The pilocytic astrocytoma is virtually indistinguishable at the ultrastructural level from fibrillary astrocytomas but cells tend to be more elongated. Besides Rosenthal fibers, two types of distinctive structures are relatively common in pilocytic astrocytomas: eosinophilic hyaline droplets and round granular bodies, which are composed of large aggregates of electron-dense secondary lysosomes or small electron-dense bodies, respectively. Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma is characterized by astrocytes surrounded by basal membranes. It belongs to a peculiar category of astrocytic "desmoplastic" brain tumors occurring in younger patients, the common denominator for which is the presence of basal lamina. The last category in this group is subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, a tumor of bivalent (glial and neuronal) differentiation, the cells of which are characterized by the presence of peculiar crystalloids. The hallmark of oligodendroglioma is the presence of concentric arrays of membranes (so-called membrane laminations, whorls, or scrolls). A fragment of the cytoplasm sequestrated within a particular whorl may contain mitochondria, lysosomes, or abundant glycogen granules. Ependymomas are characterized by a florid picture dominated by the presence of microlumina, cilia with basal bodies (blepharoplasts), microvilli, and long, interdigitating intercellular junctions of the zonulae adherentiae type. Ganglioglioma, the last category covered by this review, is a mixed glio-neuronal tumor. While glial cells are indistinguishable from their counterparts encountered elsewhere (mostly pilocytic astrocytes), the ganglion cells are characterized by abundant intracytoplasmic dense-core vesicles, absence of intermediate filaments, and numerous microtubules. Occasionally a close apposition of ganglion cells and Rosenthal fibers is seen. Dense-core vesicles are pleomorphic and ranged in a diameter from small synaptic vesicles to large lysosome-like neurosecretory granules.
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PMID:Ultrastructural pathology of glial brain tumors revisited: a review. 902 63

We report a case of glioblastoma with unusual histological features arising in the left frontal lobe of a 79-year-old woman. On routine histological examinations of specimens obtained at the surgical resection, the tumor was consistent with glioblastoma, and intracytoplasmic inclusions of bright eosinophilic, round objects were found in a large number of neoplastic astrocytes. Pathological studies using histochemical/ immunohistochemical stainings and electron microscopy demonstrated that the inclusions were compatible with eosinophilic hyaline droplets (EHD), which are predominantly seen in pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma and pilocytic astrocytoma. EHD-bearing cells were distributed throughout the tumor tissue and focally abundant (182/mm2). Most of those cells were negative for MIB- I immunostaining, although mitotic figures were rarely observed. Neither round granular body nor Rosenthal fibers were seen. Based on these neuropathological findings and a review of the literature, we concluded that this case was a very rare case of glioblastoma with numerous EHDs. The presence of numerous EHDs is considered a diagnostically helpful feature suggesting low-grade astrocytomas. The present case suggested that diagnostic application of numerous EHDs should be careful, particularly in small biopsy samples such as stereotactic biopsy.
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PMID:Glioblastoma with large numbers of eosinophilic hyaline droplets in neoplastic astrocytes. 1149 4