Immunochemical studies of the insulin-like material in the parotid gland of rats

Through the use of radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemical techniques, it was found that the parotid glands of male rats possess a population of cells that contain an insulin-like substance. These cells were situated mainly in groups along the intercalated ducts of the gland, or less frequently as isolated cells dispersed throughout the acini. No cells displaying insulin-like immunoreactivity were observed in the striated or main excretory ducts of the parotid. After intravenous (i.v.) injections of streptozotocin (STZ) there was a marked depletion of insulin from the pancreatic islets of rats having diabetes for a 3-27-day interval. Although this cytotoxin also reduced the amount of insulin extractable from the parotid, it did not destroy the insulin-like immunoreactive cells found in this gland. The results of this study suggest that the parotid may be an important source of extrapancreatic insulin. Moreover, these findings indicate that insulin-immunoreactive cells of this salivary gland are spared from the cytotoxic action of STZ.

Alterations of pancreatic islet size and growth following substantia nigra lesions in the rat

Lesions of certain autonomic centers in the brain are known to alter feeding behavior, body weight, and influence the morphology and function of the pancreatic islets. Because marked reductions of food intake and body weight have been reported following damage to the substantia nigra (SN), we investigated the role of this brain area as a potential regulator of the endocrine pancreas. Rats were given bilateral SN lesions using the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) at a dose of either 6 or 12 micrograms/hemisphere. Animals given sham lesions served as controls. Both the control and experimental rats were placed on a high-fat diet to minimize lesion-induced reductions of food intake and body weight. Eleven weeks following lesion placement, pancreatic tissues were collected and islet size and volume density were determined using point-counting stereological analyses. At the time of tissue collection, the body weights of control and experimental rats were comparable. Rats with SN lesions exhibited a reduction of pancreatic islet size and volume density, when compared with that of sham-lesioned controls. Moreover, the islets of SN-lesioned rats were comparable in size and volume density to that of younger animals. Hence, these observations suggest that damage to the SN produces an overall impairment of islet growth independently of changes in body weight.

Do bone scans predict prognosis in prostatic cancer? A report of the EORTC protocol 30762

This report is an evaluation of the changes in bone scans in certain patients entered into the EORTC protocol 30762 and discusses the relevance of these expensive investigations.

Does intravesical chemotherapy prevent invasive bladder cancer?

Intravesical chemotherapy has been shown to prolong the interval free of disease and to reduce the tumor recurrence rates in patients with superficial bladder cancer. These observations led us to consider whether a course of intravesical chemotherapy might provide a long-term decrease in the recurrent tumor rate or reduce the incidence of progression to invasive carcinoma. The records of 123 patients entered into a randomized multicenter protocol between 1975 and 1978 were examined. Patients had received a 1-year course of thiotepa or VM26, or transurethral resection alone. Mean followup was 47 months. Patients receiving thiotepa or VM26 had a lower rate of tumor recurrence, expressed as recurrences per 100 patient-months, than those undergoing transurethral resection only (5.25 versus 5.71 versus 7.98) but this was not statistically significant. However, 28 per cent of the controls required therapy besides transurethral resection to control the bladder cancer and 19 per cent died of advanced bladder cancer during followup. Only 15 per cent of the patients undergoing intravesical chemotherapy required therapy other than transurethral resection and only 3 per cent died of advanced carcinoma of the bladder. This finding suggests that intravesical chemotherapy given for 1 year is associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of tumor progression, and provides the justification to conduct future trials with extended followup.

Low-dose doxorubicin in the management of advanced carcinoma of the prostate

Twenty-one patients with advanced metastatic carcinoma of the prostate, no longer responsive to conventional therapy, were treated with weekly low-dose doxorubicin (Adriamycin). Twelve had an impressive subjective response in terms of pain relief and improved performance status and in nine this was maintained for 3 or more months.

Asepsis and out-patient cystoscopy

Cystoscopy was performed on a control group of 74 patients under full sterile precautions and on a study group of 83 patients under aseptic conditions, which required fewer materials. The incidence of urinary infections in the two groups was 4 and 6% respectively; this difference is not statistically significant. Rigors were rare in both groups (1%). The financial savings achieved by using an aseptic technique for out-patient cystoscopy are discussed.

A phase II study of intravesical mitomycin C in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer

Twenty-three patients with histologically proven superficial bladder cancer (Tis, Ta, T1) were treated with intravesical instillations of Mitomycin C at a dose of 20 mg in 20 ml of water 3 times weekly for 21 instillations. Seventeen patients (77%) showed complete disappearance of all known disease and a further 4 showed partial responses. In 8 patients toxic effects developed (thrombocytopaenia 1, chemical cystitis 2, skin rash 3, urinary tract infection 2). All resolved rapidly on stopping the treatment but were severe enough in 5 patients to prevent them from receiving a full course of treatment.

Immunoreactive hormones in human breast tissues

Samples of breast tissue obtained at biopsy or mastectomy from women with benign breast disease and infiltrating duct or anaplastic carcinoma were maintained for 2 weeks in organ culture synthetic medium 199 without additional serum or hormones. Media were changed every 48 hours. Media withdrawn from the tissues were assayed for insulin, prolactin (Prl), and parathyroid hormone (PTH). In addition, tissue explants were extracted in acid-alcohol and assayed for insulin by standard radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedures. At day 0 portions of breast tissue from patients with malignant or benign disease were fixed in Bouin solution; they were then embedded in paraffin; and serial sections were obtained for histologic and immunocytochemical examination. The dissection media assayed for insulin and PTH by RIA showed that the hormones were present in media from patients with benign as well as malignant disease. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups of women. Only traces of Prl were detected in media. The amount of insulin present in certain tissue explants appeared to increase with time in culture. Immunocytochemical studies showed that insulin-like or PTH-like immunostaining appeared most often in malignant tumor tissue and was observed infrequently or not at all in patients with benign disease. Prl-positive cells were rare. These data suggest that breast tissues contain and may synthesize significant amounts of certain hormones that may influence the growth and proliferation of breast cells.

Solid-phase enzyme immunoassay of bovine antibody responses following immunization against and natural infection with Pasteurella haemolytica

A solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was developed in order to monitor bovine antibody responses following immunization against and natural infection with Pasteurella haemolytica serotype A:1. Non-ionic surfactants, used in many antibody EIAs to reduce non-specific immunoglobulin binding, had to be avoided because they inhibited specific binding of bovine antibodies to P. haemolytica antigens. Calves were immunized with a KSCN extract of P. haemolytica. Subcutaneously immunized animals developed a significantly higher humoral antibody response than did intranasally vaccinated animals. Intranasally immunized calves developed a slightly, but not significantly higher nasal antibody response than did calves vaccinated subcutaneously. Field study results based on bacterial isolation and EIA detection of antibodies to P. haemolytica indicate that cattle can generate carrier states where bacteria are present in the upper respiratory tract, yet no humoral antibody response is induced. The converse was also found where cattle were free from P. haemolytica in the upper respiratory tract, yet possessed a good humoral antibody response to P. haemolytica.

Morphological and functional aspects of pancreatic islet innervation

Pancreatic islets are collections of 4 functionally-related endocrine cells distributed nonrandomly in the pancreas. Their major physiological actions center about the regulation of metabolic homeostasis. Experimental evidence shows that, in addition to circulating substates, the islets are controlled by outflow from the central nervous system communicated through autonomic nerves. Islet cells also interact with one another via hormonal messengers and, possibly, electrotonic impulses producing a complex--yet well-controlled--system for the integration of numerous types of signals. This paper is a brief review of some of the numerous interactions between the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine pancreas. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of recently discovered autonomic factors and newly recognized autonomic centers in the brain.

Immunocytochemical localization of glucagonlike and gastric inhibitory polypeptidelike peptides in the pancreatic islets and gastrointestinal tract

The distribution of cells displaying glucagonlike or gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP)-like immunoreactivity was examined in the pancreatic islets and gastrointestinal tracts of rats, dogs, and humans. A-cells in the pancreatic islets in all three species were stained by antisera having regional specificity for pancreatic-type glucagon, gut-type glucagon (glicentin), or GIP. Oxyntic A-cells of the gastric mucosa in dogs and humans also were stained comparably by these three antisera. In contrast, the K- and L-cells in the intestinal mucosa of those species were stained only by antisera capable of reacting with GIP or gut-type glucagon, respectively. Tests of antibody specificity showed that the GIP antiserum did not cross-react with either pancreatic- or gut-type glucagon. Likewise, the glucagon antisera showed no cross-reactivity with GIP. Hence, these findings suggest that pancreatic and gastric A-cells contain a peptide with GIP-like immunoreactivity distinct from glucagon or glicentin per se. Although the exact basis of th GIP-like immunostaining of A-cells is unknown, it may be due to the presence of a glucagon precursor sharing certain amino-acid sequences with GIP. This hypothesis is consistent with several recent investigations showing that the processing of proglucagon molecules differs between the A- and L-cells.

Change in white cell count during treatment of advanced cancer of the prostate with estramustine phosphate and with stilboestrol

Patients with locally advanced (category T3-4 of the TNM system) and metastatic prostatic cancer, not previously treated, seen by one of the authors (P.H.S.) have been entered into EORTC Protocol 30762 which has compared the therapeutic effects of estramustine phosphate (Estracyt) and of diethyl-stilboestrol (DES) as primary treatment. A gradual and as yet unexplained rise in the total leucocyte count was seen in patients treated with estramustine phosphate. This was always apparent within 2 months of starting treatment and did not change significantly thereafter unless treatment was stopped, when the raised values soon returned to normal. In four patients in whom the white cell count rose to levels above the normal range a neutrophil leucocytosis was always reported. The cause of this is not yet understood.

Adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and 5-fluorouracil in T3, NX, MO bladder cancer treated with radiotherapy

Radical radiotherapy alone has been compared with radical radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy using doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and 5-fluorouracil in a randomised prospective study on 129 patients presenting with T3, NX, MO transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. One hundred and ten patients were evaluable with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The addition of this form of chemotherapy did not appear to influence the survival rate or the proportion of patients free from tumour. It cannot be recommended for routine use in the primary treatment of infiltrating bladder cancer.

Suprapubic catheterisation after spinal cord injury: a follow-up report

The spinal injury patients who were initially treated by suprapubic catheterisation and reported from this unit in 1976 have been reviewed. Fifteen had died by early 1982; only in two cases from renal causes. All but one of the 23 survivors seen has a normal blood urea, and 15 have normal intravenous pyelograms. Eight patients have abnormal IVPs; the abnormalities were insignificant in four, and have been treated in two. Two patients have unilateral nonfunctioning kidneys. These results suggest that no long term ill effects result from the technique. In view of its considerable administrative advantages suprapubic urinary drainage should become more widely used.

A comparison of etidocaine and lidocaine for retrobulbar anesthesia

In this double-blind study of retrobulbar block for cataract surgery, 62 patients scheduled for cataract surgery were randomly assigned to treatment with either (1) lidocaine 2% with epinephrine 1:200,000 (21 patients); (2) etidocaine 1% plain (20 patients); or (3) etidocaine 1% with epinephrine 1:200,000 (21 patients). The time of onset of sensory and motor block after administration of the three drugs was the same. The duration of motor nerve block produced by etidocaine plain and by etidocaine with epinephrine was considerably longer than that produced by lidocaine with epinephrine, and fewer patients reported postoperative pain after either etidocaine plain or etidocaine with epinephrine than after lidocaine with epinephrine.

Infant response to facelike patterns under fixed-trial and infant-control procedures

10-week-old infants were shown 4 facelike patterns that differed along 2 dimensions: number of elements and the extent to which the elements were organized to resemble the human face. The purpose was to determine whether the stimulus dimension to which infants respond is different with fixed-trial than with infant-control methodologies. Each infant was tested under 1 of 3 experimental conditions: fixed trials (trials and intervals of fixed, predetermined durations), offset control (trial termination controlled by the behavior of the infant), or onset-offset control (trial initiation and termination both controlled by the infant's behavior). Although the relationship was linear with fixed trials and offset control but was curvilinear with onset-offset control, infants responded to number, rather than organization, of elements in all 3 conditions. Furthermore, no specific methodological advantages were demonstrated for infant-control procedures.

Physiological response properties of cells labeled intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase in cat ventral cochlear nucleus

To determine the correspondence between anatomical and physiological cell types in the ventral cochlear nucleus of the cat, intracellular injections of horseradish peroxidase were made into cells whose extracellular and intracellular responses to sound had been studied. Three identified cells responded to a short tone burst at their characteristic frequencies with an onset pattern. This pattern is characterized by a strong response to the onset of the stimulus. One was an octopus cell. The second cell, located in the octopus-cell area, was a giant cell with a few somatic spines and thin tapering dendrites; the intracellular record revealed that even in the absence of sound it received continuous synaptic input, while tones at characteristic frequency produced a sustained depolarization. A third cell, which had an onset response at low intensities and a chopper response at high intensities, was a stellate cell located in the intermediate acoustic stria with dendrites oriented parallel to the fiber tract. This cell had an unusually broad dynamic range in response to changes in intensity. Two cells with transient chopper response patterns were stellate cells in the posteroventral cochlear nucleus with many branched and beaded dendrites. Three cells with more sustained chopper response patterns were stellate cells in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus with fewer, less-branched, smooth dendrites. Two cells with primarylike responses to tones were bushy cells with numerous short, thin, highly branched dendrites in the posterior division of the anteroventral cochlear nucleus. Intracellular responses to tones at the characteristic frequency consisted of large brief depolarizations, which were not sustained. Another cell, which responded to tones in a phase-locked fashion, was also located in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus. It was a small, stellate cell with relatively few, smooth dendrites. The labeled cells largely support previous attempts at physiological-morphological correlations: (1) bushy cells exhibit primarylike pattern; (2) stellate cells exhibit chopper patterns; and (3) octopus cells exhibit an onset pattern. It was also demonstrated that more than one cell type can exhibit a particular response pattern.

Physiological response properties of cells labeled intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase in cat dorsal cochlear nucleus

The physiology and morphology of fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus were studied using extracellular and intracellular recording and intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase. Fusiform cells displayed a variety of responses to tone pips presented at the characteristic frequency; most often these cells exhibited the pauser/buildup pattern defined in earlier studies. The response pattern of each neuron was dependent on frequency and sound-pressure level. Tone pips evoked short-lasting depolarizations of about 10 mV and long-lasting hyperpolarizations of about 10 mV in cells whose resting potentials were -50 to -65 mV. The time courses of both the excitation and the inhibition depended on frequency and sound-pressure level. Generally the depolarization was sustained for the duration of the tone pip, whereas the hyperpolarization could last as long as 600 ms after the end of the tone pip. Often a neuron exhibited a sustained chopper pattern after microelectrode impalement. This was probably a result of a decrease in membrane potential which altered the relative effectiveness of the excitatory and inhibitory inputs. The large, bitufted fusiform cells had many apical dendrites, which branched one to five times and were covered with spines, and fewer basal dendrites, which exhibited little branching and had few appendages. The morphology of fusiform cells varied systematically as a function of location within the dorsal cochlear nucleus. Response patterns for tone pips were not exclusive to individual cell types as two nonfusiform cells were found to exhibit a buildup pattern. Axons of injected neurons left the nucleus via the dorsal acoustic stria and 14 of 15 had collaterals within the dorsal cochlear nucleus.

Ultrastructural features of lung lesions in sheep dipped in a carbolic dip

Ultrastructural changes in the lungs of 3 young sheep which became acutely ill with respiratory distress and severe pulmonary lesions 4 to 5 days after dipping in a proprietary carbolic sheep dip consisted of extensive alveolar damage associated with regenerative changes. Damage to alveolar epithelium was associated with accumulations of plasma fluid and cell debris in alveolar spaces, which also contained neutrophils and macrophages. Concurrently, damage to capillary endothelium resulted in liberation of plasma fluid and erythrocytes into the tissues and alveoli. Interstitial oedema was also present. Regeneration took the form of hyperplasia of type II alveolar epithelial cells, many of which were in mitosis, and which often lined alveolar spaces completely. Many of these cells were undergoing early metaplasia into type I pneumocytes, as shown by the development of elongated cytoplasmic extensions which increased the thickness of the blood-air barrier. Interstitial fibrosis was not a prominent feature. It is presumed that these effects resulted from skin absorption of an unknown toxic substance in the dip.

Prognostic significance of the symptoms associated with prostatic carcinoma

This paper discusses the prognostic significance of the symptoms of prostatic carcinoma. In a series of 123 patients, 72 presented with prostatism, of which 11% died with progressive malignant disease. Of 36 patients with retention of urine, 30% died with progressive malignant disease, and of 15 patients with a combination of skeletal pain and prostatism, 53% died of progressive malignant disease. Skeletal pain is a very poor prognostic factor.

Prevalence of parasitism diagnosed by fecal examination in Louisiana dogs

The prevalence of canine intestinal parasitism was evaluated by fecal examination of 4,058 dogs admitted to the Louisiana State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Clinics from March 1977 to March 1980). One or more species of parasites was identified in 2,048 (50.5%) dogs. Hookworms were encountered in 38.5% of the dogs examined, whipworms in 14.9%, ascarids in 8.5%, coccidia in 2.6%, tapeworms in 2.2%, and giardia in 0.8%. Single parasitic infection was present in 1,456 (35.9%) dogs. For hookworm and whipworm infections, male dogs were significantly (P less than .05) more often affected, compared with females or spayed females. Ascarid, coccidia, and giardia infections were more prevalent in pups than in mature dogs, whereas whipworm infections were detected less often in dogs less than 6 months of age. Hookworms were the most prevalent parasites in male (39.2%) and female (35.7%) dogs less than 6 months of age and maintained high prevalence in mature dogs. Tapeworm infections were diagnosed sporadically in all age groups. In female dogs greater than 24 months of age, significantly less parasitism was present as compared with younger females. In male dogs, the prevalence of parasitism diminished less markedly with increasing age.

EFficacy of albendazole for treatment of naturally acquired fasciola hepatica in calves

In calves given various doses of albendazole as a 4.55% (w/v) drench suspension, removal efficacies against mature Fasciola hepatica were 77.5% with the dose of 7.5 mg/kg; 92.3%, with 10 mg/kg; and 85.9%, with 15 mg/kg. Against immature F hepatica, drug efficacies with these doses were 32.7%, 20.0%, and 36.7%, respectively. Reductions in length and width measurements of mature and immature flukes recovered from the bile ducts correlated with the larger doses reflected a greater efficacy against mature flukes or a possible inhibiting effect of the drug on fluke size or growth. Numbers of eggs recovered in bile at necropsy were reduced by 87.8% with the dose of 7.5 mg/kg; 91.8%, with 10 mg/kg; and 95.6%, with 15 mg/kg.

Microcomputer system in an accident unit

A microcomputer-based records system has been developed for use in the accident unit of a district general hospital. Patient details are entered directly at the reception desk and the computer generates a casualty card that is updated after the patient has been seen by the doctor, who determines the diagnosis to be recorded and specifies the injury coding. Information is stored on floppy discs, each holding the details of 3400 patients. The computer is used to produce a daily log-book of attendances, including revisits. The stored data may be examined and analysed for both administrative and medical purposes. The work load can be rapidly analysed according to various options that include the nature, type, and site of injuries. The system was introduced in December 1980. Location within the unit allows control over its operation, and many of the limitations of a manual system have been overcome.

Interactions between autonomic nerves and endocrine cells of the gastroenteropancreatic system

Autonomic nerves and endocrine cells of both the gastrointestinal tract and the pancreatic islets participate in the control of several processes related to the digestion and metabolism of nutrients. While it was once thought that they acted separately to regulate these processes, it is now appreciated that numerous interactions exist between the functions of autonomic nerves and GEP endocrine cells. Recent studies show that autonomic signals play a role in the secretory activity of various GEP cells, thus providing a mechanism by which the central nervous system can integrate digestive and metabolic functions. It also has been shown that nerves and endocrine cells frequently share certain common peptides and/or amines. Therefore, in functional terms, it is often difficult to determine whether a specific peptide or amine should be considered a neurotransmitter or a hormone. Within the next few years, one can reasonably expect that new techniques and methods of investigation will clarify the roles of putative chemical messengers such as the peptides found within autonomic nerves and the amines found within endocrine cells. It also seems likely that future studies will demonstrate that the specific chemical messenger and the mechanism by which it reaches its target cells are far more important factors in the understanding of gastrointestinal and endocrine pancreatic function, than whether or not these signals are neural or endocrine in origin.

Interactions between autonomic nerves and endocrine cells of the gastroenteropancreatic system

Autonomic nerves and endocrine cells of both the gastrointestinal tract and the pancreatic islets participate in the control of several processes related to the digestion and metabolism of nutrients. While it was once thought that they acted separately to regulate these processes, it is now appreciated that numerous interactions exist between the functions of autonomic nerves and GEP endocrine cells. Recent studies show that autonomic signals play a role in the secretory activity of various GEP cells, thus providing a mechanism by which the central nervous system can integrate digestive and metabolic functions. It also has been shown that nerves and endocrine cells frequently share certain common peptides and/or amines. Therefore, in functional terms, it is often difficult to determine whether a specific peptide of amine should be considered a neurotransmitter or a hormone. Within the next few years, one can reasonably expect that new techniques and methods of investigation will clarify the roles of putative chemical messengers such as the peptides found within autonomic nerves and the amines found within endocrine cells. It also seems likely that future studies will demonstrate that the specific chemical messenger and the mechanism by which it reaches its target cells are far more important factors in the understanding of gastrointestinal and endocrine pancreatic function, than whether or not these signals are neural or endocrine in origin.

Chemotherapy of bladder cancer: a review

Cytotoxic chemotherapy is used increasingly in the management of bladder cancer. The agents used, intravesically and systemically, are reviewed, together with preliminary reports of certain trials of adjuvant chemotherapy that have now been activated.

Pattern of immunoreactive glucagon in portal, arterial and peripheral plasma before and after removal of glucagonoma

Gel fractionation of portal, arterial and peripheral plasma glucagon levels was performed before and after the successful removal of a glucagonoma. A 47 year old woman had symptoms of dermatitis, weight loss, anemia and diabetes mellitus over a 16 year period. Removal of the alpha-cell tumor corrected all of her symptoms. Gel filtration of portal, arterial and peripheral blood showed two peaks of glucagon radioimmunoassay activity, a higher molecular weight glucagon with a molecular weight of 9,000 and a 3,500 dalton glucagon. Five minutes after tumor removal, the higher molecular weight glucagon had disappeared completely from the arterial and peripheral blood but not from the portal vein.

Proportional inhibition of glucose-induced insulin release by somatostatin

To test the hypothesis that somatostatin is a proportional inhibitor of glucose-induced insulin release, we examined the effect of somatostatin on the release of insulin stimulated either by endogenous signals (basal), by glucose infusion, or by glucose injection. Somatostatin infusions (1.7 micrograms/min x 30 min) produced a decrement of basal insulin output from the right lobe of the canine pancreas that was proportional to the initial rate of basal insulin secretion (r = -0.87, p < 0.001, n = 16). Glucose infusions of 1-6 mg/kg/min produced much higher rates of insulin output; again, the decrement of insulin output produced by somatostatin correlated with the initial rate of insulin secretion (r = -0.68, p < 0.01, n = 16). Rapid intravenous injection of either 2 or 20 g of glucose produced a wide range of acute insulin responses (AIR). Somatostatin produced a decrement that was proportional to the original magnitude of the AIR (r = -0.70, p < 0.005, n = 16). Thus, the absolute amount of inhibition produced by somatostatin increases, not decreases, with the magnitude of the stimulus. These data suggest that the inhibitory effect of somatostatin cannot be overcome by increasing the size of glucose stimulus. Thus, exogenous somatostatin, and presumably endogenous somatostatin as well, will produce an inhibitory effect at any physiologic level of glucose stimulation than the beta-cell receives.

Etidocaine used for retrobulbar block: a comparison with lidocaine

Fifty patients in a double-blind study received in randomized fashion either etidocaine HCl (Duranest) 1% or lidocaine HCl (Xylocaine) 2% with epinephrine 1:200,000 in a retrobulbar block for cataract surgery. Two parallel groups of 25 patients each were studied comparing the clinical properties of the drugs. The onset time for sensory and motor blocks of both drugs was essentially the same (3 minutes). The duration of action of etidocaine was considerably longer than lidocaine and less postoperative pain medication was required by patients blocked with etidocaine.

An instrument for checking the radioactivity in shielded syringes

A description is given of an instrument that can be used for checking, to within ten percent, the radioactivity in shielded syringes. The unit is simple in design and construction and easy to use. The lead shield of the syringe does not have to be removed, since only radiation emitted along the direction of the barrel is detected. A range of syringe sizes can be accommodated and, whilst the instrument is calibrated for 99Tcm with activities in the range 1-10 mCi, both higher and lower activities and other radionuclides can be used. Each measurement takes only a few seconds and the activity of radiopharmaceuticals can be routinely checked immediately before injection.

Imaging Photopolarimeter on Pioneer Saturn

An imaging photopolarimeter aboard Pioneer 11, including a 2.5-centimeter telescope, was used for 2 weeks continuously in August and September 1979 for imaging, photometry, and polarimetry observations of Saturn, its rings, and Titan. A new ring of optical depth < 2 x 10(-3) was discovered at 2.33 Saturn radii and is provisionally named the F ring; it is separated from the A ring by the provisionally named Pioneer division. A division between the B and C rings, a gap near the center of the Cassini division, and detail in the A, B, and C rings have been seen; the nomenclature of divisions and gaps is redefined. The width of the Encke gap is 876 +/- 35 kilometers. The intensity profile and colors are given for the light transmitted by the rings. A mean particle size less, similar 15 meters is indicated; this estimate is model-dependent. The D ring was not seen in any viewing geometry and its existence is doubtful. A satellite, 1979 S 1, was found at 2.53 +/- 0.01 Saturn radii; the same object was observed approximately 16 hours later by other experiments on Pioneer 11. The equatorial radius of Saturn is 60,000 +/- 500 kilometers, and the ratio of the polar to the equatorial radius is 0.912 +/- 0.006. A sample of polarimetric data is compared with models of the vertical structure of Saturn's atmosphere. The variation of the polarization from the center of the disk to the limb in blue light at 88 degrees phase indicates that the density of cloud particles decreases as a function of altitude with a scale height about one-fourth that of the gas. The pressure level at which an optical depth of 1 is reached in the clouds depends on the single-scattering polarizing properties of the clouds; a value similar to that found for the Jovian clouds yields an optical depth of 1 at about 750 millibars.

Medical management of prostatic cancer: some current questions

The choice of treatment for the patient with prostatic cancer is discussed with particular reference to the evaluation of alternative regimes by the use of randomized clinical trials, and to the possible role of cytotoxic therapy.

Glucose infusion potentiates the acute insulin response to nonglucose stimuli during the infusion of somatostatin

These studies assessed the ability of glucose infusions to potentiate the acute insulin response (AIR) to iv isoproterenol (12 micrograms), arginine (750 mg), or glucose (5 g) that was previously inhibited by an infusion of somatostatin (SRIF). SRIF (1.7 micrograms/min) markedly inhibited the AIR to isoproterenol (AIR before SRIF, 28 +/- 1 microU/ml; AIR during SRIF, 8 +/- microU/ml; P less than 0.025), arginine (AIR before SRIF, 6 +/- 2 microU/ml; AIR during SRIF, 1 +/- 1 microU/ml; P less than 0.01), and glucose (AIR before SRIF, 19 +/- 7 microU/ml; AIR during SRIF, 1 +/- microU/ml; P less than 0.05). The administration of a glucose infusion of 105 mg/min partially restored the AIR to isoproterenol and arginine. Glucose infused at 440 mg/min fully restored the AIR to both isoproterenol (AIR during SRIF plus glucose, 31 +/- 4 microU/ml) and arginine (AIR during SRIF plus glucose, 9 +/- 2 microU/ml). In contrast, the AIR to glucose was not affected by infusion of glucose (AIR during SRIF plus glucose, 0 +/- 1 microU/ml). In the absence of SRIF, glucose infusion potentiates the AIR to isoproterenol and arginine but not to glucose. Therefore, during SRIF infusion, glucose retains the ability to potentiate the AIR to nonglucose stimuli despite the loss of the ability to stimulate insulin release directly. These data suggest that the potentiating effects of glucose and the inhibiting effects of SRIF may be mediated by a common mechanism affecting insulin release.

Absorption of Sunlight in the Atmosphere of Venus

In this report the fluxes measured by the solar flux radiometer (LSFR) of the Pioneer Venus large probe are compared with calculations for model atmospheres. If the large particles of the middle and lower clouds are assumed to be sulfur, strong, short-wavelength absorption results in a net flux profile significantly different from the LSFR net flux measurements. Models in which the smallest particles are assumed to be sulfur gave flux profiles consistent with the measurements if an additional source of absorption is included in the upper cloud. The narrowband data from 0.590 to 0.665 micrometer indicate an absorption optical depth of about 0.05 below the cloud bottom. The broadband data imply that either this absorption extends over a considerable wavelength interval (as might be the case for dust) or that a very strong absorption band lies on one side of the narrowband filter (as suggested by early Venera 11 and Venera 12 reports). Thermal balance calculations based on the measured visible fluxes indicate high surface temperature for reasonable assumptions of cloud opacity and water vapor abundance. The lapse rate becomes convective within the middle cloud. For water mixing ratios of 2.0 x 10(-4) below the clouds we find a subadiabatic region extending from the cloud bottom to altitudes near 35 kilometers.

Cancer of the prostate: early diagnosis by zinc and hormone analysis?

Zinc, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations have been measured in normal prostatic tissue and in specimens obtained from untreated patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and carcinoma of the prostate (CaP). The metal--androgen relationship was examined and related to the pathological condition of the patients. The evidence suggests that discriminant analysis combining the hormonal data into a single variable is a reliable test for distinguishing between BPH and CaP patients. We have observed that the high Zn values found in BPH specimens were always associated with a DTH:T ratio greater than 1. Androgen tissue ratios less than 1 were characteristic of all CaP specimens, and these were usually preceded by a reduction in prostatic Zn concentration. Since these patterns, particularly those associated with neoplasia, precede the clinical manifestations, they may be used as an index for predicting the onset of carcinoma in the prostate gland. They may also be of value in monitoring the progress of the disease.

Preliminary Results of the Solar Flux Radiometer Experiment Aboard the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe Mission

The solar flux radiometer aboard the Pioneer Venus large probe operated successfully during its descent through the atmosphere of Venus. Upward, downward, and net fluxes from 0.4 to 1.0 micrometers were obtained at more than 390 levels between 185 millibars (at an altitude of approximately 61 kilometers) and the surface. Fluxes from 0.4 to 1.8 micrometers were also obtained between 185 millibars and about the level at which the pressure was 2 atmospheres. Data from 80 to 185 millibars should be available after additional decoding by the Deep Space Network. Upward and downward intensities in a narrower band from 0.59 to 0.66 micrometers were also obtained throughout the descent in order to constrain cloud properties. The measurements indicate three cloud regions above the 1.3-atmosphere level (at an altitude of approximately 49 kilometers) and a clear atmosphere beneath that level. At the 67 degrees solar zenith of the probe entry site, some 15 watts per square meter are absorbed at the surface by a dark ground, which implies that about 2 percent of the solar energy incident on the planet is absorbed at the ground.

Differential effects of somatostatin analogues on alpha- and beta-cells of the pancreas

We examined the effect of somatostatin (SS) and its analogues on basal insulin and glucagon output from the right lobe of the in situ canine pancreas. Somatostatin (0.17 and 1.7 microgram/min, iv) significantly inhibited insulin (delta = -48 +/- 9% and delta = -88 +/- 3%) and glucagon (delta = -13 +/- 16%, P = NS and delta = -55 +/- 8%). Des-Asn5-SS Significantly inhibited insulin (delta = -40 +/- 9% and delta = -92 +/- 3%) but not glucagon (delta = +35 +/- 18% and delta = +4 +/- 12%). Likewise, [D-Ser13]-SS significantly inhibited insulin (delta = -40 +/- 14% and delta = -71 +/- 8%) with only slight inhibition of glucagon (delta = +26 +/- 15%, P = NS and delta = -16 +/- 6%, P less than 0.05). In contrast, [D-Cys14]-SS significantly inhibited both inhibited both insulin and glucagon. We conclude that structural changes of cyclic somatostatin can dissociate its ability to inhibit pancreatic insulin and glucagon secretion. Because the putative receptors on the pancreatic alpha- and beta-cell appear to recognize different configurations of the somatostatin molecule, it is suggested that the receptors themselves are different.