Cortical and trabecular bone mineral content in women with endometriosis: effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and danazol

Cortical bone (distal radius and ulna) and trabecular bone mineral content of the thoracolumbar vertebrae (T-12 to L-4) were measured with single-photon absorptiometry and quantitative computed tomography, respectively, in 55 women with laparoscopically staged endometriosis before, during, and after treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) or danazol. Mean pretreatment potassium phosphate mineral contents of T-12 to L-4 were 174 to 201 mg/ml in stage I to IV endometriosis and were within the 100 to 115th percentile of normal women. Similarly, cortical bone mineral contents were normal and were not significantly affected by either medication. Trabecular bone decreased significantly to 92.6 +/- 1.7% (n = 11, P less than 0.001) and 92.3 +/- 2.5% (n = 7, P less than 0.01) of baseline year after 6 months and 9 months of GnRH-a treatment and remained significantly depressed at 95.8 +/- 1.9% (P less than 0.0025) and 94.8 +/- 2.5% (P less than 0.005) 6 months after stopping treatment. Thus, cortical and trabecular bone mineral contents of women with endometriosis are normal, but treatment with GnRH-a induced significant loss of trabecular bone.

Characteristics of galactose transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and reconstituted lipid vesicles

Growth on galactose induces two transport processes, a high-affinity and a low-affinity process. The most important results of a comparison of the two processes were that (i) both depended on GAL2 expression, (ii) only the high-affinity process required galactokinase, (iii) both were down-regulated by catabolite inactivation, (iv) neither was significantly inhibited by carbonyl cyanide-p-trifluoromethoxy-phenyl-hydrazone, (v) neither was differentially inhibited by silver nitrate or mercuric chloride, and (vi) transport activity with a Km closer to that of the low-affinity process of whole cells was reconstituted in fused phospholipid membrane vesicles.

Role of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase in catabolite inactivation of the glucose and galactose transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The derepressed high-affinity glucose transport system and the induced galactose transport system are catabolite inactivated when cells with these transport systems are incubated with glucose. The role of the cyclic AMP cascade in the catabolite inactivation of these transport systems was shown by using mutants affected in the activity of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK). In tpk1(w) mutants with reduced cAPK activity, the sugar transport systems were expressed but were not catabolite inactivated. In bcy1 mutants with unbridled cAPK activity resulting from a defective regulatory subunit, the transport systems were absent or present at low levels.

Effect of normal sleep and sleep deprivation on interhemispheric correlation during subsequent wakefulness in man

EEG activity was recorded from the right and left central, temporal, parietal and occipital derivations in 10 volunteers under the following conditions: at night before going to sleep, at night before sleep deprivation, in the morning after waking, in the morning after sleep deprivation and in the morning 48 h after recovery. Interhemispheric correlation and relative power were calculated for EEG samples of 20.48 sec. In the morning after normal sleep interhemispheric correlations were higher in all derivations in comparison to presleep values, while in the morning after sleep deprivation, interhemispheric correlations were lower or similar to predeprivation values in all derivations except the temporal cortex. The relative power of beta was significantly lower after normal sleep and higher after sleep loss, while the relative power of low frequencies was higher in the morning after sleep and lower in the morning after deprivation.

[Dysplastic nevus syndrome with familial melanoma (type D2)]

A 37 year-old woman presented with type D2 familial dysplastic nevus syndrome with melanoma. A melanoma was excised of her back and more than one hundred pigmented lesions, four of which presented histologic characteristics of dysplastic nevus were observed. Several relatives of her presented multiple nevi and a sister of her mother and a brother of the patient had been diagnosed of melanoma. It is well established that such kind of nevi are precursor for melanomas, particularly familial forms. The clinical identification of such lesions is very simple and facilitates the diagnosis and early treatment of melanoma.

Evidence that temporary complete occlusion of splenic vessels prevents massive embolization and sudden death associated with intrasplenic hepatocellular transplantation

It has been reported elsewhere that liver cell suspensions injected at several locations retain some proper hepatic functions, significantly improve the survival rate of rats with different models of acute fulminant hepatic injury, correct some congenital enzyme deficiency diseases, and improve liver function in cirrhotic animals. Among several locations, the splenic parenchyma has been shown to be the most suitable place for hepatocellular transplantation. Unfortunately, infusion of cells into the splenic pulp is not without risk. In fact, portal hypertension and hepatic embolizations have been described after intrasplenic transplantation of hepatocytes or pancreatic islets or fragments. In addition, pulmonary hepatocyte embolizations have been observed in rats with spontaneous (unpublished observations) or surgically induced portosystemic shunts. In this work, we evaluate the efficacy of temporary occlusion of splenic vessels to prevent hepatic and pulmonary embolizations after liver cell transplantation into the spleen in portal hypertension cirrhotic rats with portosystemic shunts.

Regional distribution of glycoconjugates in normal, transitional and neoplastic human colonic mucosa. A histochemical study using lectins

Regional distribution of glycoconjugates in normal and neoplastic colonic mucosa was studied by means of eight lectins: Dolichos biflorus (DBA), Glycine max (SBA), Triticum vulgare (WGA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), Griffonia simplicifolia-I (GS-I), Canavalia ensiformis (Con A), Limax flavus (LFA), and Ulex europaeus-I (UEA-I). The lectin binding patterns were examined in 40 normal colonic mucosa (NM) (12 proximal (P) and 28 distal (D], 38 carcinomas (15 P and 23 D), and 31 transitional mucosa (TM) (9 P and 22 D). Sections of NM located 5 cm and 10 cm distant from the tumour and sections from the resection margins (more than 10 cm from the tumour) of the surgical specimens were also studied in 19 cases (6 P and 13 D). In NM, regional differences between the proximal and distal colon were detected with most lectins. DBA, SBA and LFA bound mainly to the goblet cell mucin of the distal colon, while GS-I and UEA-I labelling predominated in proximal colonic mucosa. The lectin reactivity in carcinomas was: DBA 26%, SBA 63%, PNA 95%, GS-I 66%, UEA-I 76%, WGA 100%, Con A 92% and LFA 42%. No regional differences were observed in the lectin patterns of proximal and distal colonic carcinomas nor was any relationship detected between lectin reactivities and Dukes stage, size or histological type of tumours. Transitional mucosa of both the proximal and distal colon showed an increase in PNA-binding and loss of DBA and SBA. LFA and UEA-I reactivity in proximal TM was similar to that observed in proximal NM. Distal TM showed a decrease in LFA labelling and the appearance of UEA-I reactivity in goblet cell mucin in 5 cases (23%). The reactivity of the other lectins was as with NM. The only change in normal mucosa distant from tumours was a focal increase in PNA reactivity in 4 cases. These findings suggest that carcinomas from different colonic regions have a more uniform distribution of carbohydrates than the respective NM.

Plasma and peritoneal fluid levels of CA 125 in women with endometriosis

Determined by a sandwich, solid-phase radioimmunoassay with mouse monoclonal antibody, OC 125, plasma CA 125 levels were significantly elevated in stage III (mean +/- SEM = 32.7 +/- 5.2 U/ml, n = 17, p = less than 0.01) and stage IV endometriosis (37.2 +/- 10.5 U/ml, n = 6, p = less than 0.005) compared with levels during the follicular (15.9 +/- 1.5 U/ml, n = 12) and secretory phases (15.8 +/- 1.3 U/ml, n = 15) of control women and users of oral contraceptives (15.5 +/- 1.2 U/ml n = 10). However, CA 125 levels were not significantly elevated in women with stage I (16.6 +/- 2.0 U/ml, n = 28) or stage II endometriosis (17.9 +/- 2.1 U/ml, n = 13). Peritoneal fluid levels of CA 125 (n = 14) were significantly higher (2 to 9.3 times) than the corresponding paired plasma levels in participants with stage I, II, or III endometriosis. In patients treated with danazol (n = 10) or buserelin (n = 17), plasma CA 125 levels decreased significantly by midtherapy, remained suppressed at the end of therapy, but rebounded to near pretreatment levels 6 months after treatment was completed. With gestrinone therapy a similar decline was observed but became significant only at the end of therapy. Our findings indicate that elevated plasma CA 125 levels may prove useful in the management of endometriosis.

Relationship between low- and high-affinity glucose transport systems of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The high-affinity glucose transport process in Saccharomyces cerevisiae whole cells was regulated by catabolite repression and inactivation. The low-affinity process was constitutive, and its activity was inhibited in proportion to the extent of derepression of the high-affinity process. The latter finding suggests that there is some regulatory relationship between the two processes.

Interhemispheric correlation of EEG activity during successful and unsuccessful cognitive performance

EEG activity of eight male volunteers was monopolarly recorded at P3 and P4 during an initial baseline and during performance of three series of cognitive tasks: one verbal, one spatial and one "mixed" demanding verbal and spatial processing. Interhemispheric correlation of the EEG activity was compared among tasks and between successful and unsuccessful trials. There was a significant main effect for success or failure of cognitive processing with increased interhemispheric correlation during unsuccessful trials regardless of their nature. There was no main effect for tasks. Interhemispheric correlation proved to be sensitive to success or failure in information processing.

Patterns of interhemispheric correlation during human communication

Correlation patterns between the electroencephalographic activity of both hemispheres in adult subjects were obtained. The morphology of these patterns for one subject was compared with another subject's patterns during control situations without communication, and during sessions in which direct communication was stimulated. Neither verbalization nor visual or physical contact are necessary for direct communication to occur. The interhemispheric correlation patterns for each subject were observed to become similar during the communication sessions as compared to the control situations. These effects are not due to nonspecific factors such as habituation or fatigue. The results support the syntergic theory proposed by one of the authors (Grinberg-Zylberbaum).

The effect of estrogen-progestin treatment on opioid control of gonadotropin and prolactin secretion in postmenopausal women

Naloxone (10 mg) was given intravenously to seven postmenopausal women not receiving hormone treatment and to six postmenopausal women receiving Premarin-Provera treatment during the Premarin phase and also during the Premarin-Provera phase of therapy. Baseline estrone and estradiol levels (mean +/- SEM) were significantly lower in the group not receiving hormones (46.0 +/- 5.2 pg/ml and 28.4 +/- 3.1 pg/ml, respectively) than in the group in the Premarin phase of therapy (154 +/- 14 pg/ml and 79 +/- 13 pg/ml) and the group in the Premarin-Provera phase (135.1 +/- 8.3 pg/ml and 57.5 +/- 3.0 pg/ml) (p less than 0.005). Follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin levels were 118.7 +/- 5.3 mIU/ml, 118.7 +/- 9.5 mIU/ml, and 9.2 +/- 0.7 ng/ml, respectively, with no significant change after naloxone administration in untreated women. With hormone therapy the basal follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels decreased significantly while basal plasma estrone and estradiol increased significantly. In both the group in the Premarin phase of therapy and the group in the Premarin-Provera phase, luteinizing hormone levels increased significantly at 30 (135% +/- 10%, 144% +/- 8%), 45 (150% +/- 12%, 133% +/- 11%), 60 (149% +/- 15%, 128% +/- 11%), and 90 (139% +/- 15%, 132% +/- 13%) minutes after naloxone administration (p less than 0.01 to p less than 0.001). Follicle-stimulating hormone levels did not change significantly whereas prolactin levels showed a trend toward a decrease. These findings indicate that opioid inhibition of gonadotropins is reduced in postmenopausal women but increased with Premarin-Provera treatment. The effect of sex steroid on the opioid system in the postmenopausal women differs from that in the premenopausal women.

Radiation-induced intracranial fibrochondrosarcoma

A 50-year-old patient developed a left temporal fibrochondrosarcoma 27 years after radiation therapy for a suspected pituitary adenoma. The long latency between the irradiation and the development of the sarcoma and the histological nature of the tumour are unusual features for a malignant radiation-induced intracranial tumour. The histogenesis of fibrochondrosarcoma of the brain is discussed.

Regulation and interconversion of the potassium transport systems of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as revealed by rubidium transport

The kinetics of Rb+ transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae depended on the K+ content of the cells and on K+ starvation, as follows. In cells with normal K+ (grown at millimolar K+), Rb+ transport was regulated by internal K+. The loss of K+ first decreased the Km and later increased the Vmax of Rb+ transport. K+ starvation of normal-K+ cells for 4-5 h decreased the Km of Rb+ transport below the minimum observed after K+ loss. During this time Eadie-Hofstee plots of Rb+ transport suggest that the existing system was converted into a new one with a higher affinity. Growth at 10 microM K+ only required the system triggered by K+ loss, and the system expressed in K+-starved cells was not expressed under these conditions.

Patterns of mortality from selected causes in an urban population

Mortality data for selected non-cancer causes for the period 1974-1980 were analyzed for the City of Philadelphia to examine spatial patterns. Four categories of conditions--ischemic heart disease (including acute myocardial infarction), chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, cerebrovascular disease, and external causes--demonstrated significant variation in death rates. Moreover, neighborhoods with high levels of mortality for these conditions appeared in significant clusters. With the exception of ischemic heart disease, neighborhoods with high levels of mortality were characterized by below average levels of SES. A group of predominantly black neighborhoods in the central part of the city had extremely high rates for five or more of the nine causes investigated in this paper. In an earlier analysis, all but one of these neighborhoods were found to have the highest level of overall cancer mortality. These findings support the hypothesis that there are social and behavioral factors that are associated with a wide range of disease conditions, and many of these factors are associated with socioeconomic status.