Renal tubular dysgenesis: a description of early renal maldevelopment in siblings

A family is described in which three siblings, born after pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios, developed renal abnormalities. In the first infant, of 38 weeks gestation, histologic changes were nearly identical to those found in renal tubular dysgenesis (RTD), a recently identified disorder characterized by the absence of recognizable renal proximal tubules. Additional findings include bilateral renal vein thrombosis and marked calvarial bone hypoplasia. The other two gestations were 20 and 22 weeks long. Renal histology in these cases showed nonspecific abnormalities with focal tubular dilatation, decreased tubule formation, and increased interstitial connective tissue. Clearly recognizable proximal tubules were present, though decreased in number. The latter two gestations described herein are the earliest examined in a family with RTD and the renal abnormalities may represent early changes seen in this disorder.

Polysialic acid as a marker of both immature and mature neural tissue in human teratomas

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is involved in cell-cell interaction during neural development. We employed a monoclonal antibody directed against the long chain polysialic acid moiety of NCAM to evaluate its usefulness as a marker of primitive neural elements in teratomas. This marker was compared with other neural markers, S-100, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament protein (NFL), nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), as to its effectiveness in labeled neural tissue in human teratomas. The anti-polysialic acid antibody was the only reagent that consistently marked all types of neural tissue, both mature and immature in these lesions. Immature neural elements alone have prognostic significance in teratomas. Our results indicate that anti-polysialic acid antibodies are the most sensitive and useful markers of immature neural elements in these lesions.