Asteroid Bodies Research Articles

Prevalence of Granulomatous Pleuropneumonia Associated with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Serotype 2 in Slaughter Pigs

A total of 14,818 slaughtered pigs were examined macroscopically. Of these, 25 pigs with porcine pleuropneumonia were collected and the relations among Actinobacillus spp. and granulomatous lesions in organs (lungs and tonsils) were evaluated. In the lungs, only Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 was isolated from 20 of the pigs. Histologically, granulomatous pneumonia with A. pleuropneumoniae antigen was detected in 8 of the pigs. The antigen was visible in the centers of the lesions along with asteroid bodies, epithelioid cells and multinucleated giant cells. In the tonsils, granulomatous lesions were not detected, although A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 (5 pigs), serotype 7 (1 pig), Actinobacillus porcitonsillarum (1 pig) and Actinobacillus minor (1 pig) were isolated. The present survey suggests that multifocal granulomatous pneumonia in slaughter pigs could be highly associated with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 infection.

Late Gadolinium Enhanced High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Pathophysiological Condition of Cardiac Sarcoidosis

A 40-year-old man, who had been diagnosed with stage 2 pulmonary sarcoidosis, was referred to our hospital for further evaluation of dyspnea and cardiac function. The echocardiogram displayed thinning of the basal interventricular septum (IVS) and a reduced ejection fraction of 21%. Contrast-enhanced cardiac high resolution MRI (3 tesla) showed patchy subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement in the IVS, and anterior and lateral walls. There was no abnormality in the coronary angiography and the cardiac biopsy showed several small and well-defined noncaseating epithelioid granulomas. The granulomas contained multinucleated giant cells and asteroid bodies (a typical finding of sarcoidosis). Late gadolinium enhancement in high resolution MRI provided information on the pathophysiological condition of cardiac sarcoidosis very clearly, because 3 of 5 samples of endomyocardial biopsy from the septal wall of the right ventricle where late gadolinium enhancement was detected had positive findings for cardiac sarcoidosis (very high rate). These findings indicate that high resolution late gadolinium enhanced MRI might be very useful as a guide for endomyocardial biopsy in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis.

Mucocutaneous Splendore‐Hoeppli phenomenon

Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon (asteroid bodies) is the in vivo formation of intensely eosinophilic material (radiate, star-like, asteroid or club-shaped configurations) around microorganisms (fungi, bacteria and parasites) or biologically inert substances. This study presents a literature review concerning Splendore-Hoeppli reaction in the mucocutaneous diseases. It examines the histopathological features, nature and differential diagnosis of this reaction. It also discusses the mucocutaneous infections and the non-infective diseases associated with it. Available studies indicate that several mucocutaneous infections can generate Splendore-Hoeppli reaction. The fungal infections include sporotrichosis, pityrosporum folliculitis, zygomycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis and blastomycosis. The bacterial infections include botryomycosis, nocardiosis and actinomycosis. The parasitic conditions include orbital pythiosis, strongyloidiasis, schistosomiasis and cutaneous larva migrans. In addition, Splendore-Hoeppli reaction may be seen with non-infective pathology such as hypereosinophilic syndrome and allergic conjunctival granulomas. The Splendore-Hoeppli reaction material comprises antigen-antibody complex, tissue debris and fibrin. Although the exact nature of this reaction is unknown, it is thought to be a localized immunological response to an antigen-antibody precipitate related to fungi, parasites, bacteria or inert materials. The characteristic formation of the peribacterial or perifungal Splendore-Hoeppli reaction probably prevents phagocytosis and intracellular killing of the insulting agent leading to chronicity of infection. To conclude, Splendore-Hoeppli reaction is a tell tale of a spectrum of infections and reactive conditions. The molecular pathways involved in the development of this reaction are open for future investigations.

Asteroide Hyalose in einer epiretinalen Membran

In May 2007 an 80-year-old man with a known proliferative diabetic retinopathy presented in our outpatient department with a decrease in visual acuity of his right eye. There was a thick asteroid hyalosis preventing fundus examination. Sonographically, there were vitreoretinal tractions requiring a vitrectomy. During surgery an epipapillary membrane was removed. Microscopically round amorphous bodies were conspicuous which were slightly basophilic in the H&E stain. The amorphous bodies were strongly positive in the periodic acid-Schiff staining. They were embedded in a fibrovascular stroma and partly surrounded by inflammatory cells with numerous giant cells of foreign body reaction. Asteroid hyalosis is a common degenerative disorder in the vitreous body. The aetiology and the pathogenesis of the asteroid bodies are not yet fully understood. An association of asteroid hyalosis with systemic diseases like diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, hyperlidpidaemia and atherosclerotic vasculopathy is postulated. Normally, therapy for an asymptomatic asteroid hyalosis is not necessary. The tractive proliferative diabetic retinopathy in our patient did require surgery. The incorporation of hyaloid bodies into an epiretinal membrane with the induction of a foreign body reaction is unusual.

Multifocal Granulomatous Hepatitis Caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Serotype 2 in Slaughter Pigs

In a survey of 66 894 slaughter pigs, 11 animals from three farms were found to have multifocal granulomatous lesions in the liver, caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 2. The lesions consisted of epithelioid cells and multinucleated giant cells, with asteroid bodies and discernible gram-negative bacteria. Lymph nodes and spleen were occasionally affected. The results suggested that haematogenous spread had occurred from pre-existing pulmonary infections.

Asteroid hyalosis: pathogenesis and prospects for prevention

Asteroid hyalosis (AH) is a common degenerative process in which fatty calcium globules collect within the vitreous humour. The condition rarely causes visual disturbances, and surgical removal is only rarely required. The presence of AH has been associated with systemic diseases such as diabetes; however, research in this area has been hampered by the lack of an animal model of AH. Recently, we have reported that AH occurs in galactose-fed beagles that develop the advanced stages of diabetes-like retinopathy. Comparisons of vitreous humour containing asteroid bodies (ABs) collected from these galactose-fed beagles and vitreous samples from age-matched normal beagles without ABs indicate that ABs contain calcium and phosphorous. Subtraction analysis of chloroform extracts of the vitreous samples by electrospray mass spectroscopy resulted in the identification of the quasimolecular ion of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE) as the main component of ABs. Since several reports indicate that ABs are composed of lipid-calcium complexes, we have proposed that the main component of ABs in the galactose-fed dogs with AH is a quasimolecular ion of DPPE in which two molecules of DPPE are complexed through their phosphates groups with calcium. We suggest that these lipid components diffuse into the vitreous from the degenerating retinas of these dogs.

Asteroid body in sporotrichosis. Yeast viability and biological significance within the host immune response

The asteroid body in Sporotrichosis (AB) is a characteristic structure that allows diagnosis in lymphangitic presentations and whose generation and composition is not fully understood. Our study focused on the biological relationship between the yeast and host elements present in the AB. Indirect immunofluorescence showed that on ABs obtained from naturally infected individuals there were antigenically related IgG and IgM molecules in the spikes of the radiated crowns. However, there were differences in the pattern of distribution for each immunoglobulin isotypes. The yeast cells located at the center of the ABs were viable, as shown by the generation of germ tubes and conidial formation after 36-48 hours of incubation at 22 degrees C. The central yeast could divide and proliferate even in the ABs that had been pre-treated with specific anti-Sporothrix schenckii serum and fresh complement. The data suggests that AB in sporotrichosis might be a resistance structure which uses the host immune molecules to the advantage of the yeast.

A Case of Pseudoalveolar Sarcoidosis with Unilateral Pulmonary Infiltration

A sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disorder that has a predilection for pulmonary involvement, and the common radiological findings for the disease are bilateral nodular or reticulonodular patterns. Pseudoalveolar sarcoidosis is a rare presentation of sarcoidosis. The radiological finding is an alveolar pattern that involves or compresses the alveoli by clustered interstitial granuloma. A 58-year-old man was admitted due to incidental findings of a unilateral consolidative lesion as seen on chest radiography. A chest computed tomography (CT) examination showed multiple bronchoalveolar consolidations that were suspicious of a malignancy. However, a percutaneous needle biopsy revealed non-caseating granuloma with an asteroid body that was compatible with sarcoidosis. After one month, the consolidative lesions improved without any treatment. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2008;64:149-152)

The pathology of pulmonary sarcoidosis: update

Sarcoidosis is a multi-system disease of unknown etiology, usually affecting the respiratory tract and other organs, and is characterized by the formation of nonnecrotizing epithelioid granulomas. The diagnosis depends on a combination of a typical clinicoradiological presentation, the finding of nonnecrotizing epithelioid granulomas in a tissue biopsy, and exclusion of other possible diseases, especially those of infectious etiology. The granulomas contain epithelioid cells, giant cells, CD4+ T cells in their center, and CD8 + T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes at their periphery. The granulomas are present in a lymphatic pattern around bronchovascular structures and, because of this, may show angioinvasion. The bronchial involvement produces a high diagnostic yield for transbronchial and endobronchial biopsies in this disease. Finally, small amounts of fibrinoid necrosis may occur within granulomas of sarcoidosis and do not exclude the diagnosis. Larger amounts suggest either infection or the rare disease necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis (NSG). A number of cytoplasmic structures/inclusions can be identified within the granulomas of sarcoidosis, including asteroid bodies, Schaumann's bodies, calcium oxalate crystals, and Hamazaki-Wesenberg bodies; the last two of these can cause difficulties in differential diagnosis. Extra-pulmonary sarcoid can be an important factor in prognosis. Involved sites include (in decreasing frequency): skin, endocrine organs, extra-thoracic lymph nodes, neurologic sites, eyes, liver, spleen, bone marrow, cardiac, ear/nose/throat, parotid/ salivary, muscles, bones/joint, and kidney. NSG is a controversial variant of sarcoidosis consisting of granulomatous pneumonitis with sarcoid-like granulomas, variable amounts of necrosis, and granulomatous vasculitis. The lesions are most often confined to lung, and they usually appear as multiple nodules or nodular infiltrates, but occasionally as solitary or unilateral nodules ranging up to 5 cm in diameter. Nodular sarcoidosis is rare, varying from 1.6% to 4% of patients with sarcoidosis, and, as the name suggests, it shows radiographic nodules measuring 1 to 5 cm in diameter that typically consist of coalescent granulomas. Lung transplantation can be used in selected patients with fibrotic late-stage sarcoidosis. There is a high reported frequency of recurrence of disease in the pulmonary allograft, ranging from 47% to 67%, but recurrence is usually not clinically significant. Studies of the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis suggest that it is a chronic immunological response produced by a genetic susceptibility and exposure to specific environmental factors.

Preliminary Identification of β-Carotene in the Vitreous Asteroid Bodies by Micro-Raman Spectroscopy and HPLC Analysis

beta-carotene was first identified from the vitreous asteroid bodies (ABs) excised from one patient with asteroid hyalosis (AH) by confocal Raman microspectroscopy and was also verified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Two patients had been diagnosed with AH and intervened by surgical vitrectomy due to blurred vision. The morphology and components of both AB specimens were observed by optical microscopy and determined by using confocal Raman microspectroscopy and HPLC analysis, respectively. Surprisingly, two unique peaks at 1528 and 1157 cm(-1) were found in the Raman spectrum for the AB specimen of patient 1 alone, which were in close agreement with that of the Raman peaks at 1525 and 1158 cm(-1) for beta-carotene and/or lutein. However, HPLC analytical data clearly indicated that the retention time for the extracted sample from the AB specimen of patient 1 was observed at 13.685 min and just identical to that of beta-carotene (13.759 min) rather than lutein (2.978 min). In addition, the lack of any peak in the HPLC profile for the AB specimen of patient 2 also confirmed the absence of Raman peaks at 1525 and 1158 cm(-1). Thus this preliminary study strongly suggests that beta-carotene as a unique component of ABs was specifically detected from the AB specimen of one AH patient by using confocal Raman microspectroscopy and HPLC analysis.

FT-IR and Raman vibrational microspectroscopies used for spectral biodiagnosis of human tissues

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman vibrational microspectroscopies used for biomedical diagnosis of human tissues are reviewed from basic principle to biological applications. The advantages and disadvantages of both vibrational microspectroscopies are compared to highlight their efficiency and adaptability for noninvasively investigating the chemical compositions of ultrastructual human tissues at different disease states. Biochemical fingerprints applied to the biological samples by using FT-IR and Raman microspectroscopies are illustrated. The spectral biodiagnoses of several diseased human tissues such as ophthalmic disorders (risk factors-induced cataractous lens capsules and lens, lens and corneal calcifications, opacification and contamination of intraocular lens, vitreous asteroid bodies), alcohol-disordered human gastric mucosa, skin disorders (cancer and calcification), brain tumors (pituitary adenomas and astrocytomas), genetic hair roots disorder (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, phenylketonuria and congenital hypothyroidism), benign prostatic hyperplasia, and interstitial cystitis investigated by both vibrational microspectroscopies in our laboratory are introduced.

Ataxia cerebelosa de Norman-Jaeken. Presentación de siete pacientes españoles

To show that the cerebellar ataxias described by Norman and by Jaeken (CDG1a) are the same disease. Seven patients, five females and two males (there were two siblings pairs), who presented a severe cerebellar disease slowly progressive associated with generalized cerebellar atrophy. The sister of one of the patients of the series had been studied because of psychomotor retardation but she died at two years of age due to respiratory problems. An autopsy was carried out that showed severe cerebellar atrophy, and the histological study revealed loss of granular cells and diverse abnormalities of Purkinje's cells, especially focal swellings of 'asteroid bodies' or 'cactus like' type. This suggested to us that Norman's ataxia and CDG1a could be the same pathological entity. All seven patients had severe cerebellar hypoplasia-atrophy and a small brainstem. Most patients showed peripheral neuropathy with decreased motor nerve conduction velocity, but very little decreased sensory nerve conduction velocity. All seven patients had highly raised serum concentrations of asialotransferrin, and heterozygous molecular PMM2 deficit (CDG1a). One of these seven cases was the patient whose sister had histological cerebellar changes corresponding to Norman's ataxia. The findings observed in our series suggest that the diseases described by Norman and Jaeken are the same pathological entity and CDG1a can be the biological basis of the histological changes of the cerebellum in Norman's ataxia. We suggest the name of Norman-Jaeken ataxia or disease for this entity.

A Case of Scar Sarcoidosis of The Eyelid

PurposeWe report the case of a patient with scar sarcoidosis that developed along a previous eyelid scar. There was no evidence of ocular or systemic sarcoidosis.MethodsA 29-year-old man presented with a mass on his right eyelid that had been present for two month. On ocular examination an erythematous, firm, and non-tender mass was diffusely palpable along the upper and lower eyelid scar. We performed an incisional biopsy of the lower lid mass.ResultsHistopathologic examination of the mass revealed numerous, noncaseating granulomas with multi-nucleated giant cells. The giant cells contained asteroid bodies and calcium oxalate crystals characteristic of sarcoidosis, although the patient had no other evidence of systemic sarcoidosis. The mass in the upper lid disappeared after intralesional triamcinolone injections.ConclusionsThis case represents a rare occurrence of sarcoidosis that arose in an old eyelid scar. Scar sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an unusual mass in a scar.

Conjunctival Deposits as the First Sign of Systemic Sarcoidosis in a Pediatric Patient

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease of unknown cause, characterized by noncaseating granulomas. In this study, the authors present a sarcoidosis patient without systemic signs diagnosed by histopathologic analysis of conjunctival deposits. A 10-year-old girl had bilateral, focal, multilobular, multiple pale yellow deposits in bulbar conjunctiva for a year. In the patient's biomicroscopic examination, numerous 0.50- to 2-mm diameter pale yellow deposits were determined in both bulbar conjunctivas. The patient had no other systemic or ocular complaints. A conjunctival biopsy was performed. The biopsy specimens showed noncaseating granulomas with prominent asteroid bodies. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme levels were increased in the patient. Conjunctival deposits were the first manifestation of sarcoidosis in the patient and the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was confirmed with a conjunctival biopsy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the second study that reports a sarcoidosis patient with non-systemic involvement diagnosed after histopathologic analysis of conjunctival deposits.

Relevancia del cuerpo asteroide esporotricósico en el diagnóstico rápido de la esporotricosis

Eighty patients with cutaneous sporotrichosis were studied between 1985 and 1996. The investigation of asteroid bodies (AB) was done by direct microscopic slides examination of pus obtained from the lesions. Patients were divided into two groups: 32 consulting before 1989, and 48 consulting after 1990. In the first group, material was obtained as usual by simple digital pressure of the most productive lesion, and then wet preparation microscopic examination was performed. Fourteen patients with AB were found in this group (43.75%). In the second group the initial pus was discarded and new samples were taken more deeply, and examined up to five slides for each patient. The slides were carefully examined at light microscope. Fourty five patients with AB were detected in this group (93.75%). All eighty samples were cultured and all of them were positive for Sporothrix schenckii. The change of methodology to obtain the samples and the exhaustive observations, increased the possibility of AB detection. ABs are of great diagnostic value and might be of importance to initiate treatment before reporting culture.

Autopsy case of acute encephalopathy linked to familial hemiplegic migraine with cerebellar atrophy and mental retardation

A 19-year-old female patient, who had exhibited esotropia, mild cerebellar ataxia, mild mental retardation, and cerebellar atrophy on magnetic resonance images at the age of 15, developed signs of acute encephalopathy, and thereafter died of disseminated intravascular coagulation on the day of her admission. Both her mother and sister suffered from attacks of hemiplegic migraine, mild mental retardation, and cerebellar ataxia. Neuropathological examinations revealed acute changes in the widespread cerebral cortex, chronic degenerative changes in the anterior lobe of the cerebellar vermis, axonal spheroids in the Goll's nucleus, pseudo-calcinosis in the globus pallidus, and glial bundles in the cranial nerves. The most fascinating features were changes of Purkinje cells, such as cactuses (asteroid bodies, dendritic expansions), somatic sprouts, and torpedoes. These changes may be characteristic of familial hemiplegic migraine with cerebellar atrophy, as well as the other metabolic diseases, such as Menkes' kinky hair disease, infantile (Tay-Sachs type) amaurotic idiocy, organic mercury intoxication, and mitochondrial encephalopathy, of which cases often exhibit such pathological changes of Purkinje cells. Therefore, familial hemiplegic migraine may share some metabolic abnormalities with the diseases mentioned above.

Molecular diagnosis of feline sporotrichosis

SPOROTRICHOSIS is a chronic infection caused by Sporothrix schenckii, and usually presents as a fixed cutaneous or lymphocutaneous infection in animals (Kwon-Chung and Benett 1992, Rosser and Dunstan 1998). Since a number of diseases can resemble sporotrichosis quite closely (KwonChung and Bennett 1992), it should be diagnosed definitively on the basis of histopathological and mycological findings. Direct microscopic examination is rapid, but can be quite insensitive and is reliant on the operator’s skills. Kano and others (2003) developed a PCR method to detect S schenckii directly in biopsy samples from human patients with sporotrichosis using specific oligonucleotide primers based on the chitin synthase 1 (CHS1) gene of S schenckii (Kano and others 2001). The primer pair (S2 and R2) did not amplify DNAs from other pathogenic fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Candida species, Cryptococcus neoformans, dermatophytes, Malassezia species and Histoplasma capsulatum), bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), normal human skin cells or normal feline skin cells (Kano and others 2001). The sensitivity of the PCR was equivalent to the detection of 10 pg of S schenckii genomic DNA (Kano and others 2001). This short communication describes a study to identify S schenckii DNA directly from biopsy specimens obtained from a case of feline sporotrichosis. A 23-month-old male crossbred cat, weighing 5·4 kg, was referred to the Gifu University Animal Medical Center with abscesses and a draining puncture wound on the left foreleg and right hindleg which had been present for seven months. The lesions had been drained surgically and treated with chitin and chitosan. A subcutaneous nodule, 18 x 6 x 15 mm in size, was found on the right hindleg. Histopathological analysis of a biopsy of the nodule revealed granulomatous inflammation and many globular and ovoid budding yeast cells (Fig 1), with no asteroid bodies. Therefore, molecular diagnosis of sporotrichosis was performed. DNA was extracted from the biopsy. The tissue sample (approximately 100 mg) was digested at 37°C for 16 hours with 100 μg of proteinase K in 400 μl of a lysis buffer containing 0·1mM Tris-HCl (pH 8·0) and 0·3 per cent 2-mercaptoethanol. The DNA was obtained by phenol and chloroform extraction and then dissolved in Tris-EDTA buffer (10mM Tris-HCl [pH 8·0] and 1mM EDTA) and used directly for PCR amplification. A sample (200 ng) of DNA was amplified by PCR in a 30 μl reaction mixture containing 10mM Tris-HCl (pH 8·3), 50mM potassium chloride, 1·5mM magnesium chloride, 0·001 per cent gelatin, 200μM of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate, 1·0 U Taq polymerase (Takara) and 0·5 μg of the primer pair. To detect S schenckii rapidly, species-specific primers for PCR based on its CHS1 gene sequence were used (Kano and others 2001, 2003). The sequence of the forward primer (S2) was 5′-TGGGCGTCTACCAAGAGGGTATTGC-3′ (nucleotides 173 to 197 of the S schenckii CHS1 gene) (GenBank accession number L24908) and the sequence of the reverse primer (R2) was 5′-GCACATGGGCTCAAGATCAAAGGCC-3′ (nucleotides 468 to 492 of the S schenckii CHS1 gene). With these primers, a 318 base pair (bp) fragment of the CHS1 gene was expected to be amplified. The PCR amplification was carried out for 40 cycles consisting of template denaturation (one minute at 94°C), primer annealing (two minutes at 68°C) and polymerisation (two minutes at 72°C). Then, 10 μl of PCR products were separated in a 2 per cent (w/v) agarose gel, stained with ethidium bromide and visualised with ultraviolet light. The S2-R2 primer pair amplified approximately 320 bp fragments of the DNA from the clinical specimen and a control sample of S schenckii DNA (Fig 2). The primer pair did not amplify 320 bp fragments from normal feline skin DNA (Fig 2). Therefore, the case was diagnosed molecularly as sporotrichosis. The biopsy material from the nodule on the right hindleg was cultured on sunflower seed agar at 27°C for one week and then examined morphologically. The clinical isolate developed a black colony with a grey aerial surface after incubation for two weeks on sunflower seed agar. Microscopic examination of the isolate revealed one-cell, dark brown, thick-walled, subglobular, elliptical to cylindrical, smooth and hyaline conidia, which were 2 to 3 x 3 to 6 μm in size, produced on hyphae and in a bouquet at the tip of conidiophores. The conidiophores were slender and tapered from 1 to 2 μm diameter at the base to 0·5 to 1 μm at the tip. Since these findings were consistent with the description of S schenckii by Kwon-Chung and Bennett (1992), the isolate was identified as S schenckii. The cat was treated with itraconazole (Itrizole; Janssen Pharmaceutical) administered orally at a dose of 15 mg/kg once a day. After two months of treatment, the nodule had healed and the itraconazole was discontinued. The cat was in Veterinary Record (2005) 156, 484-485

Evidence of space weathering in regolith breccias I: Lunar regolith breccias

Abstract— We have analyzed a suite of lunar regolith breccias in order to assess how well space weathering products can be preserved through the lithification process and therefore whether or not it is appropriate to search for space weathering products in asteroidal regolith breccia meteorites. It was found that space weathering products, vapor/sputter deposited nanophase‐iron‐bearing rims in particular, are easily identified in even heavily shocked/compacted lunar regolith breccias. Such rims, if created on asteroids, should thus be preserved in asteroidal regolith breccia meteorites. Two additional rim types, glass rims and vesicular rims, identified in regolith breccias, are also described. These rims are common in lunar regolith breccias but rare to absent in lunar soils, which suggests that they are created in the breccia‐forming process itself. While not “space weathering products” in the strictest sense, these additional rims give us insight into the regolith breccia formation process. The presence or absence of glass and/or vesicular rims in asteroidal regolith breccias will likewise tell us about environmental conditions on the surface of the asteroid body on which the breccia was created.

Surface calcification of a 3-piece silicone intraocular lens in a patient with asteroid hyalosis: A clinicopathologic case report

To illustrate the laboratory findings in a patient with bilateral asteroid hyalosis who presented with calcified deposits on a 3-piece silicone intraocular lens (IOL). Observational case report. A 76-year-old diabetic woman underwent uneventful cataract surgery in 1994 with implantation of a silicone-optic polypropylene-haptic IOL in the left eye. A neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy was performed 2 years after cataract surgery, but persistent whitish deposits were observed on the posterior optic surface of the lens. Over the next 3 years, the opacification increased in the region corresponding to the capsulotomy. The IOL was explanted/exchanged. The right eye had cataract surgery in 1995. The acrylic lens implanted in this eye developed no opacities after 6 years. Gross, microscopic, and surface analyses of the explanted IOL. Gross and light microscopic analyses revealed the presence of confluent crustlike deposits on the central area of the posterior optic surface, as well as Nd:YAG pits. Individual spherules exhibiting a Maltese-cross pattern under polarizing light were also observed. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopic analyses demonstrated the composition of the confluent deposits to be similar to hydroxyapatite. An association between asteroid hyalosis and dystrophic calcification of IOLs has been reported only with silicone plate haptic designs. The material opacifying the 3-piece silicone lens probably was derived from the asteroid bodies or from the process that results in this vitreous condition. Clinical evaluation of other pseudophakic patients with asteroid hyalosis will confirm if this phenomenon is restricted to silicone IOLs.

Importance of the direct fresh examination in the diagnosis of cutaneous sporotrichosis

To date the direct fresh examination has not been considered, except by a few authors, as a valid laboratory procedure for the diagnosis of cutaneous sporotrichosis. Forty-two patients with cutaneous sporotrichosis (36 lymphangitic and six fixed) were studied. Pus was obtained through digital compression of opened lesions followed by collection with a spatula and examination of the material between the slide and the coverslip. Cultures on Sabouraud's glucose agar slants with cloramphenicol and cicloheximide were made in all cases. Direct, fresh examination asteroid bodies of Sporothrix schenckii were found in 85.7% of the cases, which allowed the authors to immediately diagnose the disease. Cultures confirmed the diagnosis in 95.2% of the patients. Fastness, simplicity and low cost of the fresh examination lead us to recommend systematic use of the method for primary diagnosis of the disease, mainly at first level public health laboratories.