Evidence for perceptual defense using a lexical decision task

In a tachistoscopic experiment employing a lexical-decision task, it was demonstrated that emotional ("taboo") words are not responded to as quickly or as accurately as non-emotional ("neutral") words by 32 college students. The results suggest evidence for "perceptual defense" uncontaminated by response bias.

Covert modeling vs. Behavior rehearsal in the training and generalization of assertive behaviors: a crossover design

Twenty-four underassertive individuals from the community were assigned randomly to two treatment orders that included covert modeling and behavior rehearsal in a crossover design. Dependent measures included two self-report inventories and a behavioral assertiveness test. This test included a self-rating scale, two nonverbal measures, and eight measures of speech content. No measurable differences between treatments were found, and both significantly improved assertive skills on 10 of the 13 measures. However, Ss had greater expectations of improvement from behavior rehearsal both during and after treatment. Generalization of assertive skills from trained to untrained situations occurred on 8 of the 11 behavioral measures. Suggestions were made for exploring the use of covert modeling as a personal coping procedure capable of enhancing generalization and maintenance.

Hyperthermic treatment of human tumors heterotransplanted in nude mice

A new model is presented for the study of the effects of supranormal temperatures on human tumors in vivo. Human tumors heterotransplanted serially in nude mice were heated in vivo by means of local radio-frequency heating. A lung carcinoma, a breast carcinoma, a colon carcinoma, and a malignant melanoma were studied. The tumors were transplanted s.c. in the inguinal area or under the kidney capsule of adult nude mice. The s.c. tumors were heated for 30 min. Temperatures of 43--44 degrees C were reached in the surrounding normal tissues, whereas in the center of the tumor temperatures of 46--49 degrees C were recorded. In 11 of 16 randomized pairs of mice, the growth of the tumor treated by hyperthermia was inhibited by 75% or more as compared with the growth of the untreated tumor control. No mortality and only temporary damage to skin and muscle were observed. The kidney tumors were also treated for 30 min, but it was possible to reach only 40 degrees C in the abdomen. Seventy-five % mortality was observed. Of seven randomized pairs evaluated, five exhibited a reduction of growth varying from 37 to 63%9 The model proposed appears to be a workable and promising one, especially for s.c. growing tumors.

Eugenic sterilization: medico-legal and sociological aspects

The court-ordered sterilization of a normal 18-year-old black female in North Carolina focused attention on the unfortunate impact of eugenic statutes that allow sterilization as a method of social control. The existence of these laws in many states allows misapplication and abuse of authority which, not infrequently, is directed liberally to blacks and other minority groups.Eugenic sterilization is, at this time, a legally accepted form of "medical treatment." The justification of such sterilization is the vague concept that the presumed "mentally deficient" individual is probably a potential parent of socially inadequate offspring who would likewise be socially inadequate.Since there never has been factual substantiation of whether the sterilization of these individuals will diminish the incidence of mental retardation, it is necessary to focus attention on the concept of eugenic sterilization and point out its many fallacies.

Heterotransplantation of human cancers into nude mice: a model system for human cancer chemotherapy

More than 200 human cancers have been successfully transplanted into nude athymic mice in our laboratory. Strict sterile techniques must be applied in caring for these animals and meticulous attention given to the preparation of the surgical specimens. That the tumors remain human in the mice has been documented by isozyme and karyotype analyses. Also, histopathologic comparisons between the original human tumors and their transplanted counterparts in the mice are strikingly similar or identical. Preliminary results of chemotherapy of human cancers in the nude mice are extremely encouraging. At this point, we believe that the greatest potential for the nude mice lies in their use in testing anticancer therapies for human neoplasms without placing the patients at risk.

Calibration methods for automated hematology instruments

Recent CAP survey data have documented marked improvement in the reproducibility of hematologic tests. The favorable outcome is attributable largely to the widespread use of automated whole-blood analyzers. Calibration variability, however, detracts from this enhanced precision, and there are clear indications that improvement is necessary. Primary calibration methods for hemoglobin, hematocrit and cell counting procedures are presented. The methods of applying these primary calibration methods to automated whole-blood analyzers are delineated. The use of both preserved reference blood and statistical control technics for the identification of calibration loss is described.

Human neoplastic and normal cells in tissue culture. I. Cell lines derived from malignant melanomas and normal melanocytes

Forty-six cell lines derived from 31 human melanomas obtained from 28 patients were cultured. Fourteen of 16 lines have produced malignant tumors when injected into nude (thymus-deficient) mice. Tumors in 5 of the nude mice metastasized to distant lymph nodes and/or to the lungs of the mouse host. Extreme variability from line to line was observed for doubling time (34 to 106 hr), plating efficiency (0-86%), and melanin production. All tested lines had type B glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, thereby excluding HeLa cell contamination. HeLa cells have been grown for some time in our laboratory. Our results clearly demonstrated that HeLa cell contamination does not occur invariably in heteroploid lines growing in a laboratory simultaneously with Hela cells, provided that proper care is taken to avoid such occurrence. Multiple cell lines derived from the same tumor had identical phosphoglucomutase enzyme phenotype, which suggested a lack of significant cross-contamination between the lines. Four long-term cultures of normal human uveal embryo melanocytes have also been established and characterized. Although all produced melanin after reaching saturation density, they differed from the melanoma cells morphologically; they were flat, not refringent, and lacked piling up and plating ability. When melanoma cells were exposed to bromodeoxyuridine (BUDR) for long periods, a phenotypic change toward non-neoplastic characteristics was observed. Cells became flat and not refringent and, when injected into nude mice, tumors appeared after a long latent period. These changes were completely reversible in vitro and in vivo. The BUDR-treated cultures were undistinguishable from the untreated mother cultures after 2 to 3 passages. Lines derived from tumors in nude mice (obtained by injection of BUDR-treated cells) were again indistinguishable from the untreated mother line. Normal melanocytes were mostly euploid; all the melanoma cells were aneuploid. All 29 cell lines derived from 14 patients had an average chromosome number higher than 46. Detailed group-by-group chromosome analysis always showed an excess of C chromosomes, which suggested that hyperreduplication of one or more C chromosomes is a specific characteristic of human melanomas.

Ultrastructure of the lung in Loeffler's pneumonia

A case is presented fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of "Loeffler's eosinophilic pneumonia". No etiologic factors could be determined, and the chest roentgenogram returned to normal. Lung biopsy at the peak of the disease demonstrated an interstitial eosinophilic pneumonia without tissue necrosia or vasculitis. By electron microscopy, the alveolar capillary basement membranes were intact and exhibited no immune deposits. Normal appearing eosinophils were abundant in the alveolar capillaries, interstitium and alveolar spaces. Occasional eosinophils released their granules within the alveolar wall. Macrophages were increased in number in both the alveolar wall and alveolar spaces.