A quantitative cytologic study of sputum in early squamous cell bronchogenic carcinoma

The abnormal cells (atypical squamous cells and cancer cells) in the sputum of 12 in situ and 20 early invasive squamous cell carcinomas were studied quantitatively and compared with the cells in 12 borderline cases and 11 frankly invasive squamous cell carcinomas, In in situ and early invasive squamous cell carcinomas, the mean nuclear diameters were larger and multinucleated cells and distinct nucleoli were more frequent than in borderline cases. Furthermore, the mean cellular diameters and the number of abnormal cells per slide were smaller, the distinct nucleoli were less frequent and acidophilic cytoplasms were more frequent than in frankly invasive squamous cell carcinomas. The results indicate that (1) in situ and early invasive squamous cell carcinomas are generally distinguishable cytologically from borderline cases and from frankly invasive squamous cell carcinomas and (2) the cytologic differentiation between in situ and early invasive squamous cell carcinomas is quantitatively insufficient.     

Phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma

Summary Human bronchoalveolar cells were obtained by lavage during diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy of 21 patients suspected of having lung malignancies. Of these patients 11 were diagnosed as having primary lung cancer (Group I) and included individuals with squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, undifferentiated large and oat cell carcinoma at varying locations and TNM stages, 4 patients demonstrated nonprimary metastatic carcinoma (Group II), and 6 patients did not reveal detectable tumors by bronchoscopy or follow-up (Group III) and were included as study controls. We examined the ability of pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) lavaged from patients in each of the three study groups to phagocytose opsonized sheep red blood cells. Phagocytic activity varied among patients in the same and different study groups; however, no significant differences were observed in the phagocytic or tumoristatic activities of PAMs recovered from tumor-bearing and nontumor-bearing lung regions of the same patient. Moreover, lavage fluids collected from tumor-bearing regions did not suppress the phagocytic activity of PAMs collected from control lungs nor lung regions contralateral to the tumor-bearing lung. The data do not support the view that bronchial neoplasms or their secreted products suppress phagocytic functions of alveolar macrophages.     

Pulmonary cytology in the posttherapeutic monitoring of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma

A study of 113 patients with histologically confirmed bronchogenic carcinoma and survival for at least 18 months was performed. Posttherapeutic cytologic specimens were submitted for only 52.2% (59/113), and for only 8.5% (5/59) of the individuals was specimen procurement related to clinic visits. Yet, when utilized as a diagnostic procedure for the hospitalized patient, a positive cytodiagnosis was made on 55.6% (15/27) of the patients with recurrent carcinoma, in 61.1% (11/18) with persistent disease and in all 5 patients with a metachronous primary bronchogenic carcinoma. Cytologic diagnoses of cancer compared favorably with concurrent histologic interpretations of biopsies and radiologic observations of chest films.     

A qualitative and quantitative study of mites in similar alfalfa fields in Greece

The present study investigated the mite fauna and the relative abundance of mites present in foliage and litter of two adjacent and similar alfalfa fields, differing only in the number of cuttings, in Kopais Valley (Central Greece) through 2008–2010. We also examined the relationship between assemblage patterns of Mesostigmata, Oribatida and Prostigmata by comparing their population fluctuation, population density, species richness and diversity. Spatial distribution of common dominant and influent mite species was also estimated. Our results showed that both fields supported a very rich and similar mite fauna with eight new species records for alfalfa of Greece, although these species have been previously reported from other habitats in Greece. The pattern of population fluctuation in foliage was similar in both fields, unlike the fluctuation in litter. Population density significantly differed between fields, being higher in the less harvested field, except Prostigmata. Species richness in litter was higher in the less harvested field, whereas it was higher in the foliage of the more harvested field, apart from that of prostigmatic mites in litter, which was higher in the more harvested field, and that of oribatid mites in foliage, which was higher in the less harvested field. The diversity of mites was higher in the more harvested field, with the exception of prostigmatic mites. The spatial distribution of mites in foliage and litter was aggregated in both fields. Our results indicate that despite the considerable similarity of the study fields, the different harvesting frequency might have disturbed differently the mite communities hosted in foliage and litter.     

Staining of blood smears with rivanol in patients suffering from bronchogenic neoplasms]

Blood smears of patients suffering from bronchiogenic lung cancer were stained with Rivanol and observed by means of the fluorescence microscope. The results were compared with those obtained by FEULGEN's method. It was found that a single intravenous infusion of cyclophosphamide 30 mg/kg did not change the picture of Rivanol-coloured nuclei which is not always true of the results obtained by FEULGEN's method.     

Stage-associated incidence of serum circulating immune complexes in patients with untreated bronchogenic carcinoma

Summary Serum circulating immune complexes were quantitated by means of a C1q-binding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the serum from 46 untreated bronchogenic carcinoma patients, and the results compared with those obtained in 48 patients with nonmalignant thoracic diseases and 75 normal healthy donors. The incidence and levels of serum immune complexes in the bronchogenic carcinoma patients were found to be akin to those previously observed, and no modifications of their levels were found to result from surgery. We also found a high degree of association between the presence of immune complexes and the lung cancer stage as defined by the tumor (T), node (N), metastasis (M) system. However, our data indicate that their occurrence has neither a prognostic value, as determined after analyzing the late outcome of the patients, nor a diagnostic one, since the incidence of immune complexes in patients with nonmalignant thoracic diseases was found to be similar to that in the bronchogenic carcinoma patients.     

The cochlear nuclei in Colubrid and boid snakes: A qualitative and quantitative study

The cochlear nuclear complex was investigated in snakes of the advanced family Colubridae and the primitive family Boidae. This study was undertaken in an attempt to correlate the elaboration of the cochlear nuclei with behavior and phylogeny and to elucidate the relative effects of these factors on the evolution of the cochlear nuclear complex. Fifty-five brains, of 14 colubrid species and three boid species, were examined to collect data on neuron diameter, neuron population, nuclear volume, and neuronal density of the cochlear nuclear complex and of its component nuclei (nucleus angularis and nucleus magnocellularis). Intraspecific and interspecific comparisons of the data were performed by nested analysis of variance. The species were grouped by cluster analysis and ranked on the basis of the morphometric parameters. Interspecific comparisons indicate that the elaboration of the cochlear nuclei is related, first, to prey preference and, second, to habitat preference. The most elaborate cochlear nuclei occur in species with a preference for vertebrate prey. Burrowing species that prey on vertebrates exhibit the highest degree of elaboration of the cochlear nuclei. In some burrowing species, the nucleus magnocellularis is differentiated into medial and lateral subdivisions. The primitive boid snakes show greater elaboration of the cochlear nuclei than do most of the advanced colubrid snakes. The elaboration of the cochlear nuclear complex in snakes seems to reflect the influence of both behavior and phylogeny. Further investigation of primitive snakes of varied behaviors is needed to establish more clearly the influence of phylogeny on the evolution of the cochlear nuclear complex.     

Clinical significance of tumor necrosis factor in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and benign lung diseases: a comparative study.

Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) was determined in the serum of 72 lung carcinoma patients. Twenty-four healthy subjects younger than 50 years and 10 healthy subjects older than 70 years were considered as control group. TNF was also measured in 20 patients with stage I sarcoidosis and in 15 patients with pulmonary fibrosis. The marker was detected in 32% of cases in the neoplastic group, in 37.5% of disease confined to the chest and in 25% of advanced disease cases. A large proportion of TNF-positive samples was found in sarcoidosis (30%), and even larger in pulmonary fibrosis (66.6%). TNF was also present in healthy subjects older than 70 (40%). We conclude that TNF is not specific of malignancy, being demonstrable in other benign pulmonary diseases and even in the course of physiological aging.     

Plasma levels of 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-prostaglandin E2 in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma

Plasma levels of the circulating metabolite of prostaglandin (PG) E2, 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGE2 (KH₂PGE₂), were determined radioimmunologically after conversion to the stable degradation product 11-deoxy-15-keto-13,14-dihydro-11, 16-cyclo-PGE2 (DKH2-cyclo-PGE₂). In healthy volunteers a plasma level of 25 + 2 pg/ml (mean ± S.E.M., n=24) was found. The plasma level of KH₂PGE₂ was significantly decreased after administration of acetylsalicylic acid (4 × 1 g/24 hours). A significant elevation of the plasma levels of the circulating metabolite of PGE₂ was observed in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma as compared to healthy controls, while no elevation was found in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, lymphatic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The increased plasma levels of KH₂PGE₂ in the patients with bronchogenic carcinoma were independent of the clinical condition, histological type of tumor, tumor spread and therapeutic regimen. The results indicate that the elevated plasma level of the circulating PGE2 metabolite in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma is not an expression of malignant disease in general. On the other hand, the results do not suggest that the increase in the plasma level of KH₂ PGE₂ is a biochemical tumor marker closely related to a particular clinical feature of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma.     

A qualitative and quantitative study of the cellular fatty acids of 'Streptococcus milleri' with capillary gas chromatography

Fatty acid analysis was done with GC and GC-MS on 21 strains of 'Streptococcus milleri', representative of the various proposed species. Although no qualitative differences were found in the fatty acid profiles, discriminant analysis of the quantitative data revealed three groups. Streptococcus anginosus and Streptococcus constellatus were indistinguishable but separated from the other two groups which comprised Streptococcus intermedius, with a wide fermentation pattern and Streptococcus intermedius with a narrow fermentation pattern. Three of the strains could be distinguished from the others by a 'fingerprint' of a particularly prominent fatty acid peak. The results support the suggestion that there is more than one species in this group of organisms and that the technique might be of value in epidemiological investigations of 'S. milleri'.     

IgA 肾病患者与膜性肾病患者外周血单核细胞mRNA分析

为了寻找诊断、鉴别IgA肾病(IgAN)和膜性肾病(MN)的血液特异性标记物,利用公共数据库中的IgAN和MN患者的外周血单核细胞(PBMCs)的转录组表达谱数据集识别特异性生物标记物,为诊断和鉴别提供简便、可靠的依据补充。从公共基因表达数据库(GEO)下载IgAN患者组(n=15)和MN患者组(n=8)芯片数据集,筛选前250个差异表达基因(DEGs)。通过分析筛选关键基因和途径,进行基因本体(GO)富集分析、京都基因与基因组百科全书(KEGG)通路分析和蛋白质与蛋白质相互作用关系(PPI)分析等进一步了解DEGs。通过分析共发现75个显著DEGs,其中73个上调基因,2个下调基因。GO富集分析的生物学过程(BP)主要包括蛋白质转运、内溶酶体到溶酶体转运、趋化因子介导的信号通路作用等。显著富集差异表达基因KEGG通路分析包括Endocytosis和Hepatitis B的相关信号通路。PPI筛选出EPS15、STAT4、CCL2、SUN2、SEC24C、SEC31A、GOLGB1、F2R,RAB12和PTK2B等关键基因。成功筛选出核心差异表达基因,为IgAN和MN的诊断和鉴别提供简便、可靠的依据补充,甚至提供治疗的新靶点。     

Subacute cerebellar degeneration associated with bronchogenic carcinoma

In surgical procedures for the improvement of function in lower extremities paralyzed by poliomyelitis, even the best that can be done will fall far short of normal function. But choosing and carrying out the operation best suited to the paralytic situation of the patient and to the kinds of function that will benefit him most, often can make the patients more self-sufficient, can make improvements that enable him to walk farther with less fatigue, to balance without support, to walk without grotesque limping, or that sometimes permit discarding a brace. Sometimes improving his ability to carry out even seemingly minor tasks of personal care is a definite positive service which to the patient is a boon.     

A phase I study of intrapleural Corynebacterium parvum after complete resection of bronchogenic carcinoma

Summary Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum) was instilled into the pleural space via the chest tube in 11 patients after curative resection for lung cancer. Doses were escalated from 20–70 mg in approximately every third patient in an attempt to determine the maximum tolerated dose. Fever and chest pain were the only toxicities encountered; severity and duration were not dose-related. Six of seven surgical stage I patients were alive and free of recurrence with a median follow-up of 2 1/2 years. A single patient developed light-chain-producing multiple myeloma 1 year after C. parvum injection.American Cancer Society Clinical Fellow     

Chemotaxis of blood monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with diabetes mellitus]

The chemotaxis of blood monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes was measured in 20 adult patients with diabetes mellitus and 11 normal control subjects. In experiments dealing with monocytes, the diabetics had a chemotaxis value (125+/-10) significantly lower than that of controls (368+/-22); the polymorphonuclear leukocytes chemotaxis value of diabetics (468+/-31) was also lower than normal (1256+/-62). Adding insulin (10 unit/1000 cc) to the diabetes leukocytes suspension significantly increased the value of chemotaxis.