Analysis of pattern of recurrence in non-seminomatous testicular tumor

In non-seminomatous testicular tumor, 60% of failures are seen within the first three months after diagnosis. The most common site of metastasis is the lung. Occasionally, bone, liver and brain metastases are seen. In this series of 33 cases, the definitively treated Stage I patients are alive and well for an average of 6.3 years (12 patients); one was lost to follow-up. The 20 more advanced patients have not done well--16 are dead from disease with an average survival of 17 months, 3 are alive with disease for an average of two years, and one was lost to follow-up. In Stages II and III, the best results were obtained with an aggressive multimodality approach of surgery, postoperative irradiation and chemotherapy.

Free floating pigment cyst of the anterior chamber ten years after miotic therapy

A free-floating pigment cyst has been present in the anterior chamber of the eye of a 14-year-old patient with numerous pigment nodules on the border of both pupils for about ten years. As a small child this patient has been treated very successfully with miotics for accommodative esotropia.

Purification and characterization of high-molecular-weight forms of adrenocorticotropic hormone of ovine pituitary glands

A highly purified preparation of high-molecular-weight adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was prepared from ovine pituitary glands by dilute acetic acid extraction, oxycellulose fractionation. Sephadex gel filtration, and affinity chromatography on immobilized alphap(1-39)ACTH antibodies. Two ACTH peptides of molecular weights of 24 000 and 34 000 were detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gel electrophoresis in this preparation. It appeared that the immobilized antibodies adsorbed two forms equally well and could not distinguish between them under the conditions used. These two ACTH peptides were found to be present in crude extracts of ovine pituitary glands, indicating that they were not artifacts produced by the purification procedure. The high-molecular-weight forms of ACTH were found to be susceptible to degradation by tissue enzymes. They could be easily destroyed during the extraction, if precautions were not taken. Moreover, they were poorly adsorbed by oxycellulose which had been used for the adsorption of ACTH activity from crude preparations by most investigators. These properties probably accounted for the fact that high-molecular-weight forms of ACTH remained undetected until very recently.

Effect of alpha-MSH on the tyrosinase activity and the rate of melanin accumulation of melanoma cells in vitro

A stimulation of the tyrosinase activity was observed when melanoma cells isolated from transplantable mouse melanomas were incubated at 37 degrees C for 6 h in the presence of 1-10 X 10(-6) M alpha-MSH. All strains of mouse melanomas studied (B-16, Cloudman S-91 and Harding-Passey), exhibited similar responses. It was also observed that the intact cellular structure of melanoma cells was not required for the ability to respond to alpha-MSH. The stimulation of the enzymic activity was accompanied by an increase of the rate of incorporation of radioactivity into melanin from L-[U-14C]tyrosine, indicating an enhanced melanogenesis of tumour cells under in vitro conditions.

PHrmonal specificity of the melanotropin-sensitive adenylate cyclase of mouse melanoma and effect of cyclic AMP on the tyrosinase activity of mouse melanoma cells, in vitro

Transplantable mouse melanomas possess a melanotropin-sensitive adenylate cyclase system which is responsive to alpha-melanotropin, beta-melanotropin, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and prostaglandin E1. It was found that sensitivity to ACTH was not directed towards the ACTH activity but to the intrinsic melanotropin activity of the ACTH molecule. Therefore, the melanotropin-sensitive adenylate cyclase system is hormonally specific to the intrinsic melanotropin activity of peptide hormones and is unique in the melanoma tissue. The significance of the sensitivity to prostaglandin E1 is obscure at present. The melanotropin-sensitive adenylate cyclase requires the presence of Mg2+ or Mn2+, for its enzymic activity. Ca2+ inhibit the enzyme in the presence of a wide range of concentrations of Mg2+. The enzymic activity is ATP concentration-dependent and the saturation concentration appears to be 1 mM. The enzyme is very labile in the unfractionated tumor homogenates. A washed 11000 X g particulate fraction, representing about 30-60% of the total enzymic activity, was found to be more stable and could be stored at 5 degrees C for 2 h without appreciable loss of the activity. This fraction retained sensitivity to melanotropin, prostaglandin E1 and NaF. About 20% of the activity of the tumor homogenate could not be sedimented by centrifugation at 105000 X g for 60 min. This "soluble" fraction was not responsive to melanotropin, prostaglandin E1 and NaF and might be a degradative product produced by the fractionation. Cyclic AMP and alpha-melanotropin were able to increase the tyrosinase activity of isolated mouse melanoma-cells in vitro under the same conditions.

A modified screening method for estimating erythrocyte glucose phosphate isomerase

A fluorimetric method to estimate erythrocyte glucose phosphate isomerase is described. Five mul of blood is added to 100 mul of water. Ten mul of the resulting hemolysate is incubated with a reaction mixture (200 mul) containing Tris-HCl buffer pH 8.0, 20 mumoles, MgCl(2) 2 mumoles, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate 0.08 mumoles, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase 0.2 EU and fructose-6-phosphate 0.12 mumoles. After ten minutes of 25 degrees C 20 mul of the mixture is added to 2 ml of 0.01 M phosphate buffer pH 7.4 and the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate fluorescence determined. Two ml of water was added to the remaining reaction mixture and the hemoglobin concentration determined at 410 nm. The technique is primarily designed for use with small amounts of blood, of widely varying activity, from various animal species.