Antitumor effect of two-drug simultaneous or sequential use of cisplatin, vindesine or etoposide on human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines in tumor clonogenic assay

The antitumor effects of two-drug simultaneous or sequential use of cisplatin, vindesine or etoposide were examined in human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines by human tumor clonogenic assay. Different tumor cell lines (PC-9, PC-13 and PC-14) that originated from the same histological cell type responded quite variably to simultaneous and/or sequential therapy. The antitumor effects of various sequential combinations of cisplatin, vindesine and etoposide depended strongly on the nature of the individual tumor cell line tested.

Hypoxia-sensitive NMR contrast agents

The rate of reduction of nitroxides is shown to be more rapid in hypoxic cells. The rate of reduction and the effect of hypoxia on the reduction rate vary for different nitroxides. These findings indicate that it may be feasible to develop in vivo NMR contrast agents that selectively will indicate areas of hypoxia and thereby aid in the detection of disease processes such as neoplasia, ischemia, and inflammation.

Observations on the clinical presentations and the neuropathological findings of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Australia and Guam

Among 20 consecutive autopsies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) occurring in Caucasians in Western Australia (WA), 85% were males. The median age of onset was 58.9 years and the average duration of illness was 2.4 years. Twenty-two randomly selected ALS occurring among natives in Guam also showed a male predominance of 75%, younger age of onset (median 48.5 years) and longer survival period (median 3.4 years). 45% of the WA patients presented with bulbar involvement at the time of first examination. These patients had the lowest median survival period of 1.5 years when compared with the other forms of ALS, the classic upper and lower motor system involvement and progressive muscular atrophy. Theneuropathologic lesions of ALS in WA and Guam were similar with the exception that neurofibrillary tangles were frequently present in the Guamanian brains. In 14%, neuronal loss, gliosis and frequency of tangles in the cerebral cortex especially in Ammon's horn, substantia nigra, and locus ceruleus, were sufficiently severe to indicate the coexistence of another disorder, Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex. This condition was not clinically recognized. In the WA cases only one patient had tangles in the brain and he had concurrent Alzheimers disease. While senile plaques were present in this patient they were usually absent in the Guamanian brains.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia on Guam: a 30-year evaluation of clinical and neuropathologic trends

We reviewed the records of 279 Guamanian Chamorro patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 293 patients with parkinsonism-dementia (PD), who had onset of symptoms between 1950 and 1979, to determine if there were changes in the clinical and neuropathologic features that might clarify the declining incidence rates in the past decade. There were no major temporal changes in the frequencies of physical findings or histopathologic features, but in the past three decades, an increase in age at onset was observed for both ALS and PD. There was also a shorter duration of illness in ALS and a longer duration in PD. Good correlation was found between the clinical and pathologic findings for both ALS and PD throughout this period.

Ultranarrowband searches for extraterrestrial intelligence with dedicated signal-processing hardware

Multichannel spectroscopy with millihertz resolution constitutes an attractive strategy for a microwave search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), assuming the transmission of a narrow-band radiofrequency beacon. Such resolution matches the properties of the interstellar medium, and the necessary receiver Doppler corrections provide a high degree of interference rejection. We have constructed a frequency-agile swept receiver with an 8,388,608-channel spectrum analyzer, on-line signal recognition, and multithreshold archiving. A search of 250 Sun-like stars at 1.4 and 2.8 GHz has been carried out with the Arecibo 305-m antenna, and a meridian transit search of the northern sky is in progress at the Harvard-Smithsonian 26-m antenna. Successive spectra of 400 kHz at 0.05 Hz resolution are searched for features characteristic of an intentional narrowband beacon transmission. These spectra are centered on guessable ("magic") frequencies (such as the 21-cm hydrogen hyperfine line), referenced successively to the local standard of rest, the galactic barycenter, and the cosmic blackbody rest frame.

Clonogenic patterns of human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines (PC-9, PC-13 and PC-14) and how they influence the results of test for chemosensitivity to cisplatin in the human tumor clonogenic assay

The clonogenic patterns of three human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines (PC-9, PC-13 and PC-14) were studied by human tumor clonogenic assay (HTCA), and factors which could influence the results of tests for the chemosensitivity of these tumor cells to cisplatin in HTCA were determined. The results showed that each tumor cell line had a characteristic clonogenic pattern. The time intervals for the cells to grow to the plateau phase varied from 9 to 16 days, depending on the cell line and number of cells plated. The number of cells plated could substantially influence the results of chemosensitivity tests. The percentage of surviving colonies increased markedly if too many cells (usually 5 X 10(4) or more/plate) were plated. For continuous exposure, the results of chemosensitivity tests were rather stable after 7 days of incubation in each cell line, especially when fewer than 2 X 10(4) cells/plate were plated. For 1-hour exposure, the incubation periods for the results to become stable varied from 7 to 16 days depending on the cell type, number of cells plated and drug concentration. It was stressed that for the correct evaluation of the chemosensitivity of cultured cell lines in HTCA, the clonogenic pattern of each tumor cell line should be checked in detail before further experiments are conducted. The higher the concentration and the longer the exposure time, the more strongly cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) suppressed the colony growth in each of the three cell lines in HTCA, and it was recommended that CDDP should be used clinically in such a way as to maintain a high serum level of the active form of CDDP for a long time.

A study of aeroallergens in Nanning, Guangxi, China

There were 43 families of airborne pollen in Nanning, and the major sensitizing pollens were those of Gramineae, Artemisia (a genus of Compositae), Chenopodiaceae, and Moraceae. It was found that sensitization with pollens of the same genus is similar. This may be helpful in selecting the proper antigen for immunotherapy.

[A case of hyperthyroidism combined with thyroid carcinoma]

A 33-year-old woman, with hyperthyroidism combined with thyroid carcinoma is presented. She was given antithyroid medication before the operation, and sub-total thyroidectomy was performed under local anesthesia. Her postoperative course was smooth. Histologically, the resected thyroid was shown to have two small nodular lesions of papillary carcinoma in the diffuse goiter. The current classification, statistics, diagnosis and therapy of this disease are discussed.

Proteoglycans in arterial smooth muscle cell cultures: an ultrastructural histochemical analysis

The extracellular matrix in cultures of arterial smooth muscle cells has been examined by ultrastructural histochemistry using each of the following cationic dyes: ruthenium red, Alcian blue, acridine orange, and safranin O. All dyes exhibited an affinity for a structural component that was either preserved as a granule with ruthenium red or Alcian blue, or as an extended filament or bottlebrush structure with acridine orange or safranin O. Both granules and filaments were removed when the cultures were pretreated with chondroitinase ABC, an enzyme that degrades the glycosaminoglycan moiety of some proteoglycans. These structural components of the extracellular matrix were not observed when cultures were prepared in the absence of the cationic dyes. Labeling experiments (35S-sulfate) revealed that approximately 40% of the total labeled proteoglycans were lost during routine processing for electron microscopy (i.e., fixation through dehydration). Inclusion of any one of the cationic dyes during fixation reduced the losses to less than 1%. The extended filamentous structure preserved by safranin O and acridine orange resembled the structure of purified proteoglycans prepared from the same cultures and spread on cytochrome c monolayer films. These observations suggest that proteoglycans exist as extended bottlebrush structures within the extracellular matrix, and support the interpretation that the granular deposits observed in the ruthenium red and Alcian blue preparations most likely represent individual proteoglycan monomers that have undergone molecular collapse during processing. In addition, the dyes also exhibited an affinity for chords of fine fibrils that contained small granules and/or filaments. Both the fibrillar material and the associated granular and filamentous structures enmeshed in the fibrils resisted digestion with chondroitinase ABC.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the rib

Aneurysmal bone cysts are uncommon lesions, especially in the ribs. Four patients with aneurysmal bone cysts of the rib are presented and previously reported cases reviewed. A brief discussion of the clinical manifestations, pathology, aetiology, and current treatment of aneurysmal bone cyst is also included.

Calcium and vitamin D metabolism in Guamanian Chamorros with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia

We evaluated 16 Guamanian Chamorros with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 33 patients with parkinsonism-dementia for disturbances of calcium and vitamin D metabolism. The serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone level was mildly elevated in 6 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in 5 patients with parkinsonism-dementia. There were significant positive correlations between serum immunoreactive parathyroid levels and duration of illness in male patients with motor neuron disease, but not in female patients or in patients with parkinsonism-dementia. Intestinal absorption of calcium, as assessed by serum and urinary activity of calcium 47 following oral administration, was decreased in 2 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in 4 patients with parkinsonism-dementia, all of whom had low levels of serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. Reductions in cortical bone mass were striking in patients with motor neuron disease. A significant negative correlation was found between the percentage of cortical area of the second metacarpal bone and muscle atrophy and weakness, and significant positive correlations were found between degree of immobility and ratio of urinary hydroxyproline to creatinine in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia. In general, abnormalities in calcium metabolism were subtle. Thus, if the demonstrated deposition of metals, particularly calcium and aluminum, in central nervous system tissues of Guamanians with these two conditions is a cause of the diseases and of the early appearance of neurofibrillary tangles in neurons, the accumulation has apparently occurred long before onset of symptoms, and detectable abnormalities of calcium and vitamin D metabolism may already have been corrected.

Cortical bone loss and measurements of the second metacarpal bone. I. Comparisons between adult Guamanian Chamorros and American Caucasians

The amount of radiographically detectable cortical bone, as determined by measurements of the second metacarpal, was evaluated in 42 male and 45 female Guamanian Chamorros and compared with the degree of bony demineralization in U.S. Caucasians participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging of the Gerontology Research Center. All Chamorros were individually matched to the Caucasian participants for age, sex, and menopause status. Chamorros of both sexes showed bilateral asymmetry in bone measurements and in the amount of cortical bone. Both Chamorro and Caucasian males had longer second metacarpals and more cortical bone than females. Caucasian males, however, had longer and larger second metacarpals than Chamorro males. Despite differences in the length and total width, Chamorro and Caucasian participants generally showed no significant differences in the amount of cortical bone or percent cortical area in the second metacarpal, suggesting that larger bones may not always indicate greater cortical mass. Although cross-sectional data suggested apparent age differences in the onset and rate of bone loss between Chamorros and Caucasians, the numbers of participants were too small to allow meaningful age-by-age statistical comparisons.