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The alveolar adenoma of the lung is a rare benign tumor in which the normal parenchymal architecture is imitated by a proliferation of both the alveolar epithelial cells and the mesenchymal septal cells. The first description, based on six cases, was published in 1986 by Yousem and Hochholzer. From their ultrastructural findings they presumed a type II pneumocytes differentiation of the epithelial cells. We investigated an alveolar adenoma of the lung immunohistochemical by means of antibodies against apoprotein B and C of human surfactant. Both the lining cells and the macrophages in the alveolar-like spaces were stained. The septal connection tissue cells did not react. These findings confirm the expression of surfactant constituents and, hence, the differentiation into type II pneumocytes of the epithelial cells of the alveolar adenoma.

In 10 patients with polytrauma and 2 patients with sepsis a relation of the severity of trauma and the change of lipoproteins has been found. Cholesterol and triglycerides as well as apolipoproteins A-I and B decrease significantly in the first days after the injury. During the following rise of cholesterol and triglycerides apolipoprotein A-I increases also to a concentration of lower normal range; apolipoprotein B remains lowered. Apolipoprotein C-III2 is determined in 3 patients and is increased. The concentration of apolipoprotein A-I decreases in three of five patients, who had parenteral fat administration. Apolipoprotein B increases during fat administration. The following fat free parenteral nutrition causes a decrease of apolipoprotein B again. The composition of lipoproteins is similarly changed in 2 patients with sepsis. The apolipoproteins as well as the lipids decrease more in patients who died later than in the case of reconvalescence, in which the increase of concentrations of lipids and apolipoprotein B may be accelerated with parenteral nutrition. Apolipoprotein A-I reacts variably, A-II is lowered.