Combination chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and BCG immunotherapy in limited small-cell carcinoma of the lung: a Southwest Oncology Group Study

From November 1976 to March 1979 the Southwest Oncology Group treated 298 patients with limited (disease confined to the chest and encompassed by one radiotherapy port) small-cell carcinoma of the lung with combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy with or without BCG immunotherapy. Two induction chemotherapy programs were utilized: (1) cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate, fluorouracil; or (2) cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine. Patients received 4500 rads of radiation therapy to the bulk primary tumor and 3000 rads to whole brain followed by maintenance chemotherapy. One-half of all the patients were randomized to receive one vial (5 x 10(8)) of high viability Pasteur BCG by scarification technique given on days 8 and 15 of each 21--28 day treatment cycle. Increased granulocytopenia accompanied the addition of BCG immunotherapy. Patients receiving BCG achieved a response rate of 49% vs. those patients not receiving BCG of 44% (P = 0.579). Median response duration was 40 weeks for the BCG arms and 38 weeks for the arms without BCG; survival was no different, 42 weeks for the BCG arms vs. 50 weeks for the arms without BCG. In patients who responded to therapy and survived longer than one year, those who continued to receive BCG therapy demonstrated a slight, yet significant, survival benefit over those patients not receiving BCG (93 weeks vs. 81 weeks, P = 0.03). It appears that BCG immunotherapy has no beneficial effect on response rate, duration of response, or survival in programs using chemotherapy and radiotherapy for control of limited small-cell carcinoma of the lung except in this small group of long-term survivors.

Plasminogen activator released as inactive proenzyme from murine cells transformed by sarcoma virus

We have previously reported the purification of a plasminogen-activating serine protease with an approximate Mr of 48 000 from sarcoma-virus-transformed murine cells. We now report that under serum-free conditions the enzyme is released from the cells in an inactive form. After affinity chromatography with 4-aminobenzamidine-cellulose, ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration, the proenzyme could be obtained from culture fluid as a pure, homogeneous protein as evaluated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecylsulphate. Proenzyme was quantitatively converted to active enzyme by incubation with catalytic amounts of plasmin. Analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecylsulphate under reducing and non-reducing conditions showed that the inactive form consisted of a single polypeptide chain with an Mr of approximately 48 000, while the active form consisted of two chains with Mr values of approximately 18 000 and 29 000 , held together by one or more disulphide bridges. The active-site reagent diisopropylfluorophosphate in radiolabelled form was incorporated into the 29 000-Mr chain of the active enzyme, but not into the inactive form. These findings provide conclusive evidence for the existence of an inactive proenzyme to this plasminogen activator and thus demonstrate and additional step in a cascade-like reaction leading to extracellular proteolysis. Regulatory as well as methodological implications of this findings are discussed.

DNA sequence relationship of the baboon endogenous virus genome to the genomes of other type C and type D retroviruses

Baboon endogenous virus (BaEV) is a type C retrovirus present in multiple proviral copies in the DNA of baboons. Although interspecies antigenic determinants present on reverse transcriptase and gag proteins are shared among all mammalian type C viruses, no nucleic acid homology between BaEV and other type C viruses (except RD-114) has been found in conventional liquid hybridization experiments. In this study, we used restriction fragments of cloned BaEV DNA immobilized on nitrocellulose to test for relatedness with [(32)P]cDNA's of various type C and type D viruses. We detected the following distant relationships previously found only through immunological and protein sequencing techniques: (i) eight type C viral cDNA's (the endogenous virus of rhesus monkeys, feline leukemia virus, simian sarcoma virus, gibbon ape leukemia virus, Rauscher murine leukemia virus, BALB-2, NZB, and RD-114) and two type D viral cDNA's (Mason-Pfizer monkey virus and squirrel monkey retrovirus) were able to hybridize with cloned BaEV DNA; (ii) the eight type C probes hybridized to restriction fragments spanning most of the BaEV genome, but only RD-114 hybridized to fragments within the 1.9 kilobases at the 3' end of the genome; (iii) the two type D probes hybridized primarily to fragments within the 1.9 kilobases at the 3' terminus and weakly or not at all elsewhere; and (iv) [(32)P]cDNA's of several other oncornaviruses (mouse mammary tumor virus, equine infectious anemia virus, bovine leukemia virus, and reticuloendotheliosis virus) exhibited no homology with BaEV DNA. DNA sequence analysis has allowed us to orient the BaEV restriction map with the genetic map at both ends of the genome. Homologies between retroviral cDNA's and BaEV clone restriction fragments could thus be related to specific BaEV genes. Whereas type C cDNA's hybridized to fragments from gag, pol, and the pol-env junction, squirrel monkey retrovirus cDNA hybridized only to a fragment coding for the p15E portion of env. Mason-Pfizer monkey virus cDNA also hybridized within the p15E region, but exhibited homology to the 3' half of gp70 as well. These results are discussed relative to previously reported antigenic relatedness of retroviral proteins. The data suggest that BaEV represents an important link in oncornavirus evolution.

Metachromatic leucodystrophy: review of 38 cases

Clinical and laboratory features of 38 children suffering from metachromatic leucodystrophy (MLD) are reported. Twenty-four children with the late infantile form of MLD presented between ages 6 and 25 (mean 17) months with a delay or deterioration in walking, followed by a general loss of abilities. There was severe handicap by age 3 years and death occurred between 5 months and 8 years after presentation. Neurological signs at the time of diagnosis were varied. Motor nerve conduction velocity was slowed in the 18 children tested. The disease became evident at a later age in 14 children. One boy presented at 13 years, while in the remainder there appeared to be two clinical patterns of the disease which could be termed (1) early juvenile or intermediate and (2) juvenile MLD. In 7 children with early juvenile or intermediate MLD a gait disorder developed between ages 4 and 6 (mean 5) years. This was accompanied in 4 children, and followed between 8 and 26 months later in the remaining 3, by loss of other abilities. Neurological signs were varied. Motor nerve conduction velocity was slowed in 2 of the 5 patients tested. Six children with juvenile MLD presented between ages 6 and 10 years with educational or behavioural difficulties. Motor disorders arose from 6 months to 4 years later. Neurological signs at the time of diagnosis, although mixed, were predominantly extrapyramidal and motor nerve conduction velocity was slowed in 2 of the 3 children tested. In the early juvenile form of MLD, progression of the disease was slower than in the late infantile form and death occurred between 31/2 and 18 years after presentation. Only one-third of patients had fits and these tended to be a late feature.

Antenatal diagnosis of Niemann-Pick disease in a twin pregnancy

An Ashkenazi Jewish woman had a child with Niemann-Pick disease in her first marriage. She subsequently remarried a man who was also heterozygous for the condition and conceived twins. Prenatal diagnostic tests were performed and one twin was shown to be homozygous and the other heterozygous for Niemann-Pick disease. The problems of prenatal diagnosis and counselling in twin pregnancies are discussed.

Combination chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and BCG immunotherapy in extensive (metastatic) small cell carcinoma of the lung. A Southwest Oncology Group study

From November 1976 to November 1978, the Southwest Oncology Group treated 254 patients with extensive (metastatic) small cell carcinoma of the lung with combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy with and without BCG immunotherapy. Patients receiving BCG achieved a response rate of 50% versus those patients not receiving BCG of 46% (P = .704). Response duration was 20 weeks for the BCG arms and 23 weeks for the no-BCG arms; survival was 28 weeks for the BCG arms versus 29 weeks for the no-BCG arms. An adverse effect in patients surviving more than one year was detected; those continuing to receive BCG had significantly shorter survival, 60 weeks versus 85 weeks (P = .019). Toxicities of the programs were not affected by the addition of BCG immunotherapy. It appears that BCG immunotherapy has no beneficial effect on response rate or duration of response in programs using chemotherapy and radiotherapy for control of metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung. In addition, because of the adverse effect on long-term survival, we do not recommend the addition of BCG immunotherapy as a treatment modality in this tumor type.

A wavelength specifie photo-electric detecter

A photo-electric detector is described which is capable of showing selectivity towards atomic resonance radiation. Details are given of the construction of such a device suitable for use with the mercury 253.7 nm line. A possible mechanism for the operation of the detector is considered. Its spectral selectivity is illustrated by an examination of the atomic absorption signals obtained with a partially reversed line source.

Feasibility studies of oncornavirus production in microcarrier cultures

Studies conducted with virus-infected monolayer cell cultures have demonstrated the feasibility of producing several tumor-associated viruses in microcarrier (mc) cultures (Sephadex G50 beads treated with DEAE-chloride). The efficiency of cell adherence to mc varied with the cell type, the pH of the growth medium, and the stirring force applied to keep the mc in suspension. Most cells attached firmly to the mc and could not be removed easily with routine trypsinization procedures. Techniques using Enzar-T and Pronase were effective in detaching cells from mc in 10 to 15 min while retaining 95% cell viability. After detachment, Ficoll gradients were used for rapid and complete separation of viable cell suspensions from the mc. Retrovirus production in large volumes of mc cultures was investigated with periodic harvesting of growth fluids. Physical, biochemical, and biological properties of the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus and the RD114 virus recovered from the mc cultures were identical to those produced in conventional cultures. The utilization of mc has several applications in research and short-term cultures, but the as-yet-unsolved technical problems met were found to be serious limitations when attempting mass cell culturing on a long-term basis.

Cis-platinum therapy of previously treated head and neck cancer: the Southwest Oncology Group's two-dose-per-month outpatient regimen

The Southwest Oncology Group tested an outpatient Cis-platinum regimen in patients with carcinoma of the head and neck. Courses which consisted to two doses, a week apart, were scheduled to be given at 4-week intervals. Eighty-nine poor risk head and neck cancer patients, who had received extensive prior therapy with surgery, radiation, and/or multiple drugs were studied. Sixteen (18% of all entered and 25% of the 65 fully evaluable) had objective tumor regression. The median duration of response was 136 days. Toxicity was moderate. Myelosuppression was minimal with only 3% of patients exhibiting leukocyte nadirs below 2,000 and less tha 2% experiencing platelet counts below 50,000. Significant, but reversible, impairment of renal function occurred in 8% of patients. Individual susceptibility to such renal toxicity appears to have been predictable. This simple outpatient program with its effectiveness and minimal toxicity in poor risk patients deserves further utilization.

cis-Dichlorodiamminepltinum(II) in adult patients: Southwest Oncology Group Studies

In addition to cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) studies in lymphomas and testicular cancer and a broader phase II study of all genitourinary malignancies, the Southwest Oncology Group is currently conducting eight other studies which examine the effectiveness of this drug in adult patients with a variety of tumor types. This report will give preliminary analyses of the five studies for which there are early data, plus briefly describe the design of the three remaining protocols for which there are no data as yet.

Phase II evaluation of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) in advanced malignancies of the genitourinary and gynecologic organs: a Southwest Oncology Group Study

One hundred and forty-seven fully and partially evaluable patients with advanced measurable malignancies of the genitourinary and gynecologic organs were given cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) at a dose of 75 mg/m2 iv every 3 weeks. Thirty-six patients with testicular neoplasms were studied; five complete responses (13.9%) and seven partial responses (PR) (19.4%) were noted. Thirty-seven patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma were evaluated; five PRs (13.5%) were seen. One complete response (11.1%) and two PRs (22.2%) were obtained among nine patients with urinary bladder cancer. Four PRs (19.0%) were seen among a group of 21 patients with advanced prostate cancer. One PR (4.8%) was noted among 21 patients with renal cell cancer and no responses were seen in eight patients with cervical cancer. There was a highly statistically significant (P less than 0.001) survival advantage for the responding testicular tumor patients. Toxicity was similar to that previously reported, with gastrointestinal side effects and nephrotoxicity most commonly seen. Prospective and sequential analysis of renal function provided strong evidence for cumulative nephrotoxicity in these patients given bolus injections of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) without prehydration or treatment with fuosemide or mannitol.

Phase I-II study of ftorafur and methyl-CCNU in advanced colorectal cancer

The combination of Ftorafur (NSC-148958) and methyl-CCNU (NSC-95441) was evaluated in 36 patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The principle toxicities encountered were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal, and neurological. There were no complete responses and only 5/34 (14.7%) patients achieved a partial response. Methyl-CCNU and Ftorafur does not appear to be an effective combination in advanced adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum.

Relationship between monocytosis and T-lmphocyte function in human cancer

This study was designed to: 1) determine the relative number of monocytes in mononuclear cell suspensions derived from the peripheral blood of cancer patients and 2) ascertain if any relationship existed between the numbers of monocytes in those cell suspensions and T-lymphocyte function. Monocytes were quantitated by morphology verified by phagocytosis of antibody-coated erythrocytes. A significant difference (P less than or equal to 0.01) existed between the number of monocytes in suspensions from normal individuals (26.2 +/- 4.3) and cancer patients (38.0 +/- 13.4). The cancer patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) those who exhibited normal in vitro T-cell responses to phytohemagglutinin and 2) those in whom responses were significantly suppressed. The mean number of monocytes in suspensions from the cancer patient group with normal responses was 29 +/- 9, whereas that from the cancer patients with suppressed responses was 47 +/- 11, a highly significant difference (P less than or equal to 0.01). Therefore, the study demonstrated two things: 1) Mononuclear cell suspensions derived from cancer patients exhibited significant monocytosis relative to those from normal individuals and 2) a strong correlation existed between monocytosis and suppressed T-lymphocyte function in vitro.

Phase II evaluation of hexamethylmelamine in advanced breast cancer: a Southwest Oncology Group study

Ninety-eight patients with metastatic breast cancer, heavily pretreated with other agents, were entered in a phase II trial of hexamethylmelamine (HEX). Patients were randomized to receive HEX alone or combined with prophylactic pyridoxine. There was a 2% response rate in 89 partially or fully evaluable patients. Seven percent of these patients developed neurologic toxicity which occurred in the HEX-alone group only.

Characterization of a retrovirus isolated from normal mink cells co-cultivated with a dog mammary tumour

A retrovirus antigenically distinct from known type C, B and D viruses was isolated from normal mink (Mustela vison) lung cells that had been co-cultivated with 5-iododeoxyuridine- and dexamethasone-treated dog mammary tumour cells. Cytogenetic studies of the virus-releasing co-culture showed mitotic figures identical to the normal mink cell line (MvlLu) with the exception of a low frequency of cells with extensive chromosomal breakage and uncoiling. The new virus bands at a buoyant density of 1.16 g/ml, contains 60S RNA and a reverse transcriptase which prefers Mn2+ over Mg2+ for the synthesis of DNA. This enzyme utilizes poly(rA).oligo(dT) more efficiently than poly(dA).oligo(dT) and is also able to synthesize DNA copies from the endogenous RNA. Morphologically, it is a typical type C virus. Filtered virus readily infects mink, dog and other mammalian cells indicating the amphotropic nature of its cell growth requirement. Hybridization studies showed that normal mink DNA contains multiple copies of proviral sequences of this newly isolated virus. Serological analyses indicate that the mink endogenous virus contains in its core protein, in addition to the interspecies type-C determinant, an antigenic component related to one of the determinants found in the feline leukaemia virus p30 protein. This determinant is not present in the Rauscher leukaemia virus, RD114 virus or simian sarcoma virus.

Electroencephalographic change in Parkinsonian patients treated with levodopa-carbidopa

Our findings in a relatively small series of cases seem to confirm a lack of statistically significant EEG changes when Carbidopa is combined with Levodopa in the therapy of patients with Parkinson's disease. There appears to be a slight increase in basic background frequency which was one of the earlier findings when Levodopa was first used clinically. From the literature surveyed there appears to be a definite lack of consistency in the effects of Levodopa therapy on the electroencephalogram and on the clinical status of the patients followed. We think this well may be explainable by the fact that no large study has been accomplished in which a neuroanatomical (pathological) correlation has been done with both the clinical and the EEG data. Neurological examination and the electroencephalogram are both clinical tools and have yet to be closely reviewed with the added parameter of neuro-pathologic investigation in this new day of therapy for Parkinson's disease.

A signal-comparison parameter for zeeman background-corrected spectrometers

An ideal background-corrected spectrometer is suggested as a standard to which the sensitivity of any practical Zeeman-corrected spectrometer can be related. Appropriate equations describing the relation are derived.

Neck dissection: radical or conservative

Four hundred and forty-five neck dissections for epidermoid carcinoma over a 10-year period are reviewed as to local recurrence of neck disease. Three hundred and forty-seven dissections were radical en bloc procedures and in 98 a modified conservative technique was utilized. Cervical lymph node classification was applied and a comparison made of the two techniques. A review of the anatomy of cervical fascias and the technique of conservative neck dissection is given. Evaluation of this series of cases indicate that the control of local disease in the neck in the N0 and N1 groups is is accomplished as well with conservative dissection as with radical neck dissection. The number of conservative neck dissections for N2 disease was too limited for accurate comparison. There were no conservative neck dissections done for N3 disease. We suggest that conservative neck dissection be utilized for subclinical and N1 disease and that the classic en bloc dissection be reserved for N2 and N3 situations.

Mutagenesis by 4-nitrobenzofurazans and furoxans

15 nitrobenzofurazans and 10 nitrobenzofuroxans synthesized primarily for testing as potential anti-rheumatic drugs were also tested for mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. The method used involved placing each compound in a "well" cut out of a plate of selective medium previously seeded with the appropriate tester strain, and then adding a rat liver microsome/cofactor mixture to one of the two wells on each plate. This method is considerably cheaper and more convenient than the conventional agar overlay technique, but in the present series of experiments failed to detect 4 compounds which could be detected by the overlay technique. Using a combination of the two techniques, 21 of the 25 compounds tested were found to be mutagenic. All 10 benzofuroxans and 9 of the 15 benzofurazans were detected as direct-acting mutagens with at least one of the two tester strains. Two of the benzofurazans gave positive results only in the presence of rat liver microsomes, and hence are pro-mutagens. One of the 4 benzofurazans which gave negative results for mutagenicity in these tests was found to be an efficient inhibitor of a neutral protease activity found in rheumatic synovial fluid, and may therefore have some potential as an anti-rheumatic drug.

Productive Epstein-Barr viral infection of the human lymphoblastoid cell line 6410 with release of early antigen inducing and transforming virus

The human lymphoblastoid cell line 6410 was superinfected with P3HR-1 derived Epstein-Barr virus. Subsequent to the first cycle of infection, characterized by early (EA) and virus capsid (VCA) antigen synthesis, the culture, designated 6410-EBV, continued to synthesize VCA. Further immunofluorescence and electron microscopic examination over 18-24 months showed the 6410-EBV culture to be productively infected with EBV. Virus was recovered, in quantity, from the culture fluids and assayed for ability to induce EA synthesis in Raji cells and to transform human umbilical cord lymphocytes. The virus was found to possess both properties, in contrast to P3HR-1 virus which only induces EA. HLA and karyologic analyses of P3HR-1, 6410 and 6410-EBV cultures showed relatedness of 6410-EBV to 6410 cells and dissimilarity to P3HR-1. The biologic activity data coupled with the cytologic analyses confirm a productive infection of the target cells. The reason for differences in biologic activity between the infecting (P3HR-1) and progeny virus is unresolved. It may be speculated that the endogenous EBV genome of 6410 cells was activated and gave rise to a different strain of EBV or to a mixed progeny-parent population as a result of dual infection. Alternatively, the parent strain of virus may have been modfied as a result of interaction with the new host cell.

Tooth lead levels in Birmingham children

The mean lead content of deciduous teeth from children living in the city of Birmingham (U.K.) has been shown to be 11.8 ppm dry weight, irrespective of the sex of the donor. Lead content varies according to type of tooth, and there is a gradient from incisors, with the highest level, to second molars, with the lowest. A relationship was shown between age of donor and lead content of canines and (when lognormalized data were considered) first molars. We were not able to demonstrate a correlation between tooth lead levels and residence near a potential industrial lead source, and we conclude that pollution from a general source is responsible for the body burdens we found.

Applications of the zeeman effect to analytical atomic spectroscopy--IV: capacitively-coupled radiofrequency spectral sources

A magnetically-stable spectral source is described in which a radiofrequency plasma is generated within a single hollow-cathode electrode. Power is coupled to the plasma by placing metal electrodes at the radiofrequency supply potential, around the outside of the lamp-casing. The sources are simple to build, and the capacitive power-coupling technique is convenient for generating a plasma at any desired point within the envelope. The performance of the sources is compared with that of the corresponding commercial hollow-cathode lamps driven from a direct current supply.

Comparative studies on EBV antigens by immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques

Three groups of EBV antigens, VCA, MA and EA, were compared by the techniques of electron microscopic immunoperoxidase (IP) and immunofluorescence (IF). P3HR-1 and EBV superinfected Raji cells served as targets for labelled sera from patients with BL, NPC and IM or from healthy donors. 125I peroxidase-labelled antibodies were also prepared to determine, autoradiographically, the penetration of the complex into the cell system, and to monitor the incubation and washing procedures. The development of a gentle sedimentation technique proved critical in handling the fragile target cells. VCA and MA were readily identified and localized by both procedures without significant modification of the basic techniques. Indentification of early antigens by IP required modification of the fixation method to include a brief treatment in acetone. The diffuse early antigen (EAD) was found to be associated with cellular ribosomes.

Hydroxyldaunomycin (Adriamycin) combination chemotherapy in malignant lymphoma

Combination chemotherapy with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone) and HOP (Adrimycin, vincristine, and prednisone, was used as treatment for patients with pathologically staged, advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Among 204 evaluable patients treated on CHOP there were 71% complete remissions with 92% overall responses. Among the 216 evaluable patients on HOP there were 61% complete remissions and 88% responses. Complete remission rates among patients with histiocytic lymphoma were comparable to those of patients with lymphocytic disease. Patients with nodular lymphoma had higher rates of complete remission than their counterparts with diffuse lymphoma. This was noted with both CHOP (78% vs. 67%) and HOP (67% vs. 60%) induction therapy. Rapid responses were common, as more than 14% of complete remissions and 66% of overall responses were achieved with the first course of treatment. Patients in complete remission have been maintained with either cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (COP) or arabinosyl cytosine, vincristine, and prednisone (OAP). After 1 year, 86% of patients on COP and 80% on OAP are projected to be free of disease.

An investigation of the chest radiographs in a controlled trial of busulphan, cyclophosphamide, and a placebo after resection for carcinoma of the lung

A standard series of radiographs of 588 patients allocated at random to treatment with busulphan (B patients), cyclophosphamide (C patients), or a placebo (P patients) for two years after surgery for bronchial carcinoma were viewed in three stages (following procedures which avoided bias) by an independent assessor, unaware of the allocated treatment of any patient, with a view to identifying pulmonary changes due to busulphan. Radiographic appearances consistent with busulphan lung were not reported in any of the 195 B patients (receiving a mean dosage of 464 mg of busulphan over 301 days) or of the 192 C patients but were present in one of the 201 patients receiving placebo.

An assessment of the carcinogenicity of isoniazid in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

In an assessment of the carcinogenicity of isoniazid, 3,842 adult tuberculous patients admitted to 2 sanatoria in the period 1950 to 1957 (that is, in the years immediately before and after the introduction of isoniazid) have been followed up for a mean period of over 19 years. Their mortality has been compared with that expected during the same calendar period in a general population group in England and Wales with the same age and sex distribution. The relative risk of death (the observed divided by the expected number of deaths) from all malignant neoplasms in patients first starting chemotherapy in 1950 to 1952, before the general introduction of isoniazid, was 0.8 for those who received isoniazid at some time, compared with 0.5 for those who never received it; for those first starting chemotherapy in 1953 to 1957, after the general introduction of the drug, the respective risks were 1.4 and 1.8. The relative risk of death from malignant neoplasms was 2.1 in the first 4 years after starting the treatment with isoniazid; this high relative risk is unlikely to be attributable to isoniazid and largely disappears subsequently, for in successive 4-year periods it was 1.3, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.4. The relative risks of death from all malignant neoplasms for patients receiving a total dosage of less than 50, 50-99, 100-199 and 200 g or more were 1.5, 1.5, 1.0 and 1.3, respectively. For patients receiving a maximum daily dose of less than 250 g the relative risk was 1.3, and for those receiving 250 g or more it was 1.2. There was a curious and unexplained difference in the mortality from malignant neoplasms in patients first starting chemotherapy in 1950 to 1952 (relative risk 0.6) and those first starting in 1953 to 1957 (relative risk 1.5). This is being studied further. This study has provided no evidence of a carcinogenic effect of isoniazid in a period of follow-up averaging nearly 20 years. The follow-up is being continued.

Prenatal diagnosis of Wolman's disease

Amniocentesis was performed in the 15th week of a pregnancy at risk for Wolman's disease. The cultured amniotic fluid cells were found to have a severe deficiency of acid esterase activity consistent with homozygosity of the fetus. The pregnancy was terminated in the 19th week and the prenatal diagnosis confirmed by enzymic and chemical evaluation of the fetal tissues.

New method for the removal of extraneous proteins from purified oncornaviruses

Conventional methods (i.e. gradient centrifugation) for the purification of oncornaviruses are usually not effective in complete removal of nonviral proteins. Such contaminants often prove to be a nuisance in subsequent immunological or biochemical studies. Hyperimmune sera prepared from these viruses must be absorbed to assure specificity; cell-derived proteins can be shown to interfere with studies of virus structural proteins, nucleic acids, or viral enzymes. Herein is described a method for removal of most of these contaminants. Viruses are diluted in a high concentration of NaCl to achieve a final concentration of 15%, incubated for 30 min, sedimented, and resuspended in buffer. This procedure results in reductions of up to 48% of the protein without affecting particle count. Immunological, biochemical, and biological properties are not adversely affected. Of the proteins removed, fetal calf serum components and a ribonuclease (presumably cell-derived) were identified. This technique differs significantly from other high-salt methods in that the virus is not precipitated from suspension. It is believed that absorbed proteins are desorbed and left in solution (or suspension) as the virus is sedimented by centrifugation.