CNS metastases of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland

Pleomorphic adenomas (PAs), also known as benign mixed tumors, are common tumors of the parotid gland. These tumors occasionally undergo malignant transformation, with potentially devastating consequences. This case report presents the clinical and radiographic features of a rare case of biopsy proved brain and spinal cord metastases arising from carcinoma ex PA of the parotid gland.

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas: MR and myelographic findings

PURPOSE

To examine the clinical and radiographic findings in a large group of patients having or suspected of having a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula.

METHODS

An analysis of 240 spinal angiograms in 132 patients revealed 97 vascular malformations that included 66 spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas. Sixteen patients had 1 or more normal spinal angiograms that were performed for suspected spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas on other imaging studies. The imaging and clinical data were reviewed in all patients who had or were suspected of having a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula and who had a spinal MR (n = 44) and a myelogram (n = 37).

RESULTS

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas were more common in males (3.4:1) with an average age of 62 years (range, 37 to 81 years). The average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 27 months. Clinical findings included weakness (55%), a progressive clinical course (100%), and a myelopathy on exam (84%). The nidus of the fistula was located between T-6 and T-12 in 61%, in the sacrum in 9%, and intracranially in 8%. In the spinal dural arteriovenous fistula group, vessels were seen on supine myelography in all patients. MR findings in this group included increased T2 signal in the cord (100%), gadolinium enhancement (88%), mass effect (45%), and flow voids (T1, 35%; T2, 45%). The patients in the negative spinal angiogram group were younger (average age, 51 years), had symptoms longer (average time from symptom onset to spinal angiogram, 59 months), and presented with numbness or pain (76%). When compared with the patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistula, acute or stable deficits were more common (31%), and myelopathy on exam was less common (56%). Although the angiogram-negative patients commonly had vessels on the myelogram (92%), abnormal T2 signal in the cord was unusual (17%).

CONCLUSIONS

In the appropriate clinical setting, high T2 signal of the spinal cord is the most sensitive imaging finding in spinal dural arteriovenous fistula. The presence of mass effect and enhancement should not discourage this diagnosis. The likelihood of finding a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula in a patient without T2 signal on MR is low.

Antifungal properties of 2-n-alkyn-1-ols

Fourteen 2-n-alkynols (C3-C14, C16, and C18) were tested against Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma viride, and Myrothecium verrucaria in Sabouraud dextrose agar at pH 5.6 and 7.0. Toxicity to Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Mucor mucedo was determined in the same medium at pH 5.6 and 7.0 in the absence and presence of 10% beef serum. Fungitoxicity was strongly influenced by chain length, slightly by the pH of the medium, and significantly by the presence of beef serum. 2-n-Undecyn-1-ol was the most active member of the series, and there was marked synergism between it and ketoconazole.

Use of lipids to potentiate the antibacterial activity of aminoglycosides

Linolenyl alcohol has been shown to inhibit the in vitro growth of several species of gram-positive bacteria. Since the double bonds in linolenyl alcohol could undergo autooxidation, the antimicrobial activities of saturated primary alcohols of similar molecular sizes against Streptococcus mutans BHT were evaluated. Tridecan-1-ol was identified as the most active compound, eliciting a bacteriostatic effect at concentrations at which growth occurred in the presence of other saturated alcohols or linolenyl alcohol. Evidence is also presented that the combined use of tridecan-1-ol and gentamicin sulfate produces a synergistic effect that is bactericidal to S. mutans BHT. A similar bactericidal response was observed when tridecan-1-ol was combined with other aminoglycosides or tested alone against other strains of S. mutans.

Effect of 2-alkynoic acids on in vitro growth of bacterial and mammalian cells

3-Decynoyl-N-acetylcystamine is known to inhibit the in vitro growth of Escherichia coli but not of yeasts or mammalian cells. Neither the free acid nor the 2 positional isomer is active (L. R. Kass, J. Biol. Chem. 243:3223-3228, 1968). Other studies have shown that 2-hexadecynoic acid is fungitoxic whereas most of the shorter chain isomers are inactive (H. Gershon and L. Shanks, Can J. Microbiol. 24:591-597, 1978). Since these studies suggested that positional or chain length isomers of the acetylenic acids may selectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms, the effect of the alkynoic acids on the in vitro growth of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria was evaluated. 2-Hexadecynoic acid was found to be the most active species. This acid was bacteriostatic for all gram-positive bacteria tested. The acid was readily taken up by the treated cells and incorporated into the phospholipid fraction. When added to the culture medium, 2-hexadecynoic acid inhibited the growth of HeLa cells, but when mixed with an equivalent amount of palmitic acid, growth inhibition was not observed.

Effect of linolenyl alcohol on the in-vitro growth of the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans

The effect of primary aliphatic alcohols of varying chain length and degree of unsaturation on bacterial growth was assessed, using Strep. mutans BHT as the main test organism. Unsaturated alcohols, linoleyl and linolenyl, effectively inhibited bacterial growth. Of the saturated alcohols, only lauryl and myristyl alcohols inhibited the growth of Strep. mutans BHT, but at concentrations much higher than those required for the unsaturated alcohols. All Gram-positive organisms tested were sensitive to linolenyl alcohol. Gram-negative bacteria did not exhibit the sensitivity. Linoleic and linolenic acid were inactive as antibacterial agents at the same concentration as the related alcohol. Repeated exposure of Strep. mutans BHT to linolenyl alcohol produced no change in the sensitivity of the organism to the alcohol. Significant amounts of linolenyl alcohol were found in bacteria grown in the presence of this lipid for 24 h but linolenic acid was not detected. Thus the primary polyunsaturated aliphatic alcohols, particularly linolenyl alcohol, could be effective antibacterial agents for the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease.

Inactivation of mycoplasmas by long-chain alcohols

In this report, we describe the inhibitory activity of long-chain alcohols on the growth of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Peak inhibition was recorded with saturated primary alcohols (64 microM) varying in chain length from 16 to 19 carbon atoms. The unsaturated alcohols (oleyl, linoleyl, and linolenyl) and the secondary alcohol (pentadecan-2-ol), when employed in the same test conditions, were considerably less effective growth inhibitors than the primary saturated alcohols. Stearic and palmitic acids were also ineffective as growth inhibitors of M. pneumoniae and M. gallisepticum at a 128 microM concentration. Because these antimycoplasma agents are fatty alcohols and cholesterol is known to be required for the growth of some mycoplasmas, additional cholesterol was added in an attempt to reverse the inhibition observed with these agents. Cholesterol at a 128 microM concentration did not significantly relieve the growth inhibition observed with stearyl alcohol at a 48 microM concentration. Mammalian cell cultures were found to be significantly more resistant to the effects of these inhibitory alcohols than were the mycoplasmas. Electron micrographs showed that inclusion of stearyl alcohol in the culture medium produced changes in the cellular morphology of the treated mycoplasmas.

Comparison of rates of hydrolysis of N-oleoyl and N-stearoyl glucocerebroside in patients with Gaucher's disease

The deficiency of oleic acid as one of the fatty acids in glucocerebrosides that accumulate (31--77 mg/g dry weight) in the spleen in patients with Gaucher's disease was confirmed in 9 cases. In an effort to account for the 10-fold difference between the oleoyl glycocerebroside content of glucocerebrosides in spleen from controls and patients with Gaucher's disease, we compared the ability of extracts of spleen and fibroblasts from individuals with various forms of Gaucher's disease and controls to hydrolyze [14C]stearoyl and [3H]oleoyl glucocerebroside. The residual glucosylceramidase activity in patients with Gaucher's disease hydrolyzes the glucose moiety of oleoyl glucocerebroside at approximately the same rate as that of stearoyl glucocerebroside. Similarly, the more active glucosylceramidase of control tissue acts upon both oleoyl and stearoyl glucocerebrosides with equal efficiency. These observations indicate that a mutation affecting the substrate specificity of glucosylceramidase cannot account for the lack of oleic acid-containing glucocerebrosides in patients with Gaucher's disease. Thus, the hypothesis that the difference in fatty acid composition found in glucocerebroside is obtained as a result of a mutation affecting the specificity of the residual glucosylceramidase must be rejected.

Serum long-chain alcohol levels in healthy individuals and in patients with breast cancer

Total long-chain alcohols were analyzed in blood sera from normal individuals and patients with diagnosed breast cancer. Tetra-, hexa- and octadecan-1-ol were the major long-chain alcohols detected in both groups. While the qualitative composition of the serum alcohols was similar in the two groups the average alcohol content of the serum of the breast cancer patients was approximately six times greater than that of the normal group. This difference in serum alcohol levels between the two groups was significant at p less than 0.01.

Effects of small amounts of pentadecan-2-one on the growth of Clostridium butyricum

Primary alcohols occur as trace lipids and are the only long-chain alcohol species present in Clostridium butyricum. Secondary alcohols do not occur physiologically in this microorganism. Exposure of these cells to the methyl ketone, pentadecan-2-one, results in a marked decrease in the primary alcohol content with the secondary alcohol, pentadadecan-2-ol, becoming the major alcohol present. This change in lipid composition is associated with a significant decrease in growth rate that is proportional to the log of the pentadecan 2-one concentration of the incubation medium. When these cells are incubated with pentadecan-2-ol alone, growth is unaffected. Simultaneous exposure of the bacteria to pentadecan-2-one and a mixture of primary alcohols results in a partial relief of the growth inhibition observed with the ketone alone. These observations indicate that pentadecan-2-one inhibits the formation of primary alcohols that are important for normal growth of this bacterium.

Effect of pentadecan-2-one on lipid metabolism in HeLa cells

HeLa cells exposed to trace amounts of pentadecan-2-one showed changes in metabolism of 1(-14)C-palmitate. These changes consisted of an increased incorporation of radioactivity into the triglycerides and free fatty acids and a decreased 14C incorporation into the ether moiety of alk-1-enyl acyl phosphoglycerides. Chemical analysis of the several lipid fractions showed a threefold increase in triglyceride content but no change in the amount of alk-1-enyl acyl or diacyl phosphoglycerides in the treated cells. Pentadecan-2-one added to the culture medium apparently gains entrance to the cell since both pentadecan-2-one and pentadecan-2-ol were detected in the ketone-treated cells and their culture medium.

Inhibition of growth of Morris hepatomas 7777 and 7800 by corn oil

Intraperitoneal injection of trace amounts of corn oil prior to and following the injection of 40-50 mg of tissue from hepatoma 7777 or 7800 into the thigh of adult male Buffalo rats resulted in a marked decrease in the growth rate of both tumors. Exhaustive extraction of the corn oil with water indicated that the active component was not water soluble. Similar injections of safflower oil or isotonic saline had no effect on tumor growth rate. Analysis of the tissue phospholipid fatty acids revealed that the injected corn oil caused no change in the esterified fatty acids in this lipid fraction.

Effects of pentadecan-2-one on the growth of cells in culture

The effect of inclusion of trace amounts of pentadecan-2-one in the incubation medium on the growth of HeLa Cells was evaluated by measuring viable cell counts (cells excluding trypan blue) and incorporation of [14C] leucine into acid precipitable protein. Evidence is presented to show that exposure of the cells to trace amounts of the methyl ketone, 36mug/ml, effectively inhibits cell growth. This inhibition is relieved by simultaneously incubating the cells with a long chain primary alcohol, hexadecan-1- o1, but not with the secondary alcohol, pentadecan-2-o1. The observation that the ethyl ketone, hexadecan-3-one, also inhibits cell growth but at higher concentrations than that observed with pentadecan-2-one and that pentadecan-2-o1 at similar concentrations has no effect on cell growth indicates that, for optimal effect, the keto function must be at the 2-position. Inhibition of cell growth by pentadecan-2-one is not unique to HeLa cells, as suggested by the inhibitory effects of this lipid type on the growth of other malignant cell lines of human origin.

Permeability of the blood-brain barrier to long-chain alcohols from plasma

Cis-9-octadecenyl alcohol was fed as a dietary supplement to adult male rats for 7 and 14 days. At the end of these feeding intervals, lipids were extracted from brain and liver. The neutral lipids were analyzed for free and esterified long-chain alcohols and alkyl and alk-1-enyl glycerols. Total lipid phosphorus, alkyl acyl and alk-1-enyl acyl phosphoglycerides were determined in the phospholipid fraction. A marked change was observed in these lipid types in the liver, but not in the brain. In liver the free and esterified long-chain alcohols increased threefold following feeding of the dietary supplement. Feeding cis-9-octadecenyl alcohol had no effect on the neutral alkoxy lipids of liver but resulted in an approximately three- to eightfold increase in the ionic alkoxy lipids.

Natural occurrence of free fatty aldehydes in bovine cardiac muscle

Free fatty acids, aldehydes, alcohols, and 1-O-alkyl and alk-1-enyl glycerols were identified and quantified in lipid extracts from bovine cardiac muscle. Although a number of components present in the free fatty aldehydes were also noted in the fatty chains in the 1-O-alk-1-enyl glycerols, a direct qualitative similarity did not exist as would be expected if the free fatty aldehydes were artifactual in origin. Also, a qualitative similarity did not exist between the fatty chains of the 1-O-alkyl and alk-1-enyl glycerols. This latter observation would suggest a mechanism other than biodehydrogenation of the alkyl ethers for the origin of the alk-1-enyl glycerols. Free fatty aldehydes were distributed evenly between the 105,000 g supernatant and particulate fractions of cardiac muscle, while the 1-O-alk-1-enyl glycerols were associated primarily with the particulate fraction. Free fatty alcohols were noted only in the supernatant fraction, while the 1-O-alkyl glycerols were present in both fractions.

Evidence for the existence of cholesteryl alk-1-enyl ethers in bovine and porcine cardiac muscle

Evidence is presented for the existence of cholesteryl alk-1-enyl ethers in bovine and porcine cardiac muscle. Several different fatty chains are present in the cholesteryl ethers, the major species having 16 and 18 carbon atoms. The cholesteryl alk-1-enyl ether concentration was found to be 0.08 and 0.01 micro moles/100 mg of neutral lipid in bovine and porcine cardiac muscle, respectively.

Isolation and identification of cholesteryl alkyl ethers from bovine cardiac muscle

Cholesteryl alkyl ethers have been isolated from bovine cardiac muscle and characterized by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography. The fraction contained at least three homologues. Cholesteryl hexadecyl ether, which accounted for over 90% of the total components observed on gas chromatography, was identified by mass spectrometry.

Isolation and analysis of free fatty aldehydes from rat, dog, and bovine heart muscle

Procedures are described for the isolation of free fatty aldehydes from total lipid extracts of rat, dog, and bovine heart muscle. These aldehydes did not arise from hydrolysis of the naturally occurring alkenyl ethers in either the extraction or isolation procedures. The free fatty aldehydes were present in heart muscle in amounts between 0.27 and 0.56 micromole per 100 mg of lipid. Hexadecanal and octadecanal are the principal free fatty aldehydes present, except in dog heart muscle where an unidentified, unusual aldehyde constitutes 20% of the mixture.