[Treatment of infection in the patients wih hematopoietic malignancy with ceftezole (Falomesin) (author's transl)]

Ceftezole (CTZ) was administered to 20 patients with hematopoietic malignancy complicated with infections. These patients consisted of 7 cases of AML, 2 ALL, 2 AMMoL, 1 APL, 1 blast crisis of CML, 2 HD, and 5 NHL. In 13 cases, sites of infection were determined and causative organisms were identified. In other 7 cases, sites of infection or causative organisms were unknown. In the former 13 cases, pneumonia was demonstrated in 6 patients, tonsillitis in 4 patients, pyelonephritis in 2 patients and sepsis in 1 patient. Klebsiella was separated from 5 patients as the causative organisms, E. coli from 2 patients, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 1 patient, Pseudomonas cepacia from 1 patient, Streptococcus viridans from 2 patients, Proteus from 1 patient and Torulopsis from 1 patient. Gram-negative rods were separated from 10 of the 13 cases (77%) as the causative organisms. CTZ was administered intravenously in dose from 4 g to 16 g per day combined with other antibiotics (AMK, GM, DKB, TOB, SBPC, CBPC, LC, ST). The response rate in 12 cases of acute leukemia and in 7 cases of malignant lymphoma was 58% and 43%, respectively. Infections occurred in 4 patients with less than 100 neutrophil per mm3 did never favorably responded even with CTZ.

Determination of purity and identification of animal sources of insulin in various insulin preparations

Prolonged administration of insulin leads to the formation of insulin-binding antibodies due to contaminant peptides and the animal source of the insulin. It follows that quantitation and identification of these factors are of significant importance in pharmaceutical insulin preparations. The assay and test procedures stipulated in the current pharmacopoeia of various countries, nevertheless, cannot determine either of these effects. In the present study, the content of impurities in insulin preparations was measured by polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis and the animal source of insulin identified by amino acid analysis. Assays of 17 commercial insulin preparations by these techniques revealed diversity in purity and animal sources of insulin. The present results suggest potential usefulness of these assay methods and advisability of their adoption not only by the manufacturers but also by the official pharmacopoeia as well.

A case of heterotopic pancreas in lymph node

A case of pancreatic heterotopia in a lymph node is described. Small pieces of pancreatic tissue were found incidentally in four lymph nodes located around the common hepatic artery in a 65-year-old man. Both exo- and endocrine elements of the pancreas, together with ductal structures were found to constitute the heterotopic tissue. No authentic case of heterotopic pancreas in lymph nodes has been previously reported in the literature.

Neuroepithelial Cyst of the cerebellar vermis

A cyst located in the cerebellar vermis and causing obstructive hydrocephalus is described. The wall of the cyst was lined with ciliated and non-ciliated cuboidal epithelial cells which were completely invested by a basement membrane.

A new universal stereoencephalotome (model 6)

This new model is a modification of a previous one (No. III by Spiegel and Wycis). It permits access to the brain not only from the top but also from either side and from the back. It carries miniature X-ray tubes.

Evaluation of a Rapid Procedure for Determining Organochlorine Insecticides in Raw and Canned Beef and Cheese Fat by Microcoulometric GLC

The ingenious, completely column chromatographic cleanup procedure described by Wood for organochlorine pesticide residues in fats was found to be excellent for sample preparation for GLC analysis by chloride determination using a microcoulometric detector. Fortification studies on corned beef and ground beef fats (0.07–3.90 ppm) and cheese fat (0.02–0.50 ppm) with lindane, dieldrin, p,p′-DDT, and p,p′-DDE indicated recoveries no lower than 60% but generally greater than 80%. Only noninterfering trace amounts of fatty materials remained after the cleanup of 2 g fat samples.