Ploidy and proliferative activity of human gastric carcinoma: a cytofluorometric study on fresh and on paraffin embedded material

Flow cytometric DNA analysis was performed on both fresh and on paraffin embedded samples obtained by gastroscopic biopsies in 5 patients with histologically normal gastric mucosa (20 specimens) and by radical gastrectomies in 9 cases of human gastric cancer (36 specimens). Ploidy and the distribution of cells in the different cell cycle phases were estimated. Results from fresh tissue were compared with those from paraffin embedded material. All the samples of normal mucosa showed a diploid modal DNA content. Unimodal DNA distribution was found both in fresh and paraffin embedded material of 3 well differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas, whereas the remaining 6 tumors (1 moderately differentiated, 4 poorly differentiated and 1 undifferentiated adenocarcinomas) showed aneuploidy. The percentage of cells in S phase in normal tissue and in tumors were respectively 9.0% and 11.9% in the fresh material, and 10.0% and 15.0% in the paraffin embedded material. No statistically significant differences were found between fresh and paraffin embedded samples, whereas the proliferative activity was, in both cases, statistically higher in tumors than in normal mucosa (p less than .01 and p less than .001 respectively). The quality of DNA flow cytometry from paraffin embedded material was comparable with that from fresh samples.     

Early plasma cell recruitment in multiple myeloma following chemotherapy

Therapy-induced modifications of bone marrow plasma cell kinetics were studied in three patients with myelomatosis. The investigation was performed prior to and 15 d after termination of a course of aggressive chemotherapy. An increase in the labelling index (40-212% of pretreatment values) with a corresponding reduction of Ts (5-34%) was observed in all cases. As a consequence of this combined variation, the fractional turnover rate (which represents the percentage of cells produced per unit time) was the parameter with the highest increment (54-276%). These results indicate that plasma cell recruitment occurs soon after chemotherapy and is characterized by a shorter S phase and a higher number of DNA-synthesizing cells.     

Dropping Out of Sight: Social Anthropology Encounters Post-modernism

Notwithstanding the relatively self-assured and self-confident public image which social anthropology manages to maintain, there is little doubt that the discipline's encounter with post-modern thought has resulted in a major assessment of long-established methodological procedures. This paper provides a provisional ledger of the nature of that encounter. It is argued that not only does a critical eye need to be turned on some of the post-modernists' current proposals, notably that of polyvocality; the discipline's collective legacy in the analysis of structures of power should not be weakened by the dubious post-modern insistence on the fragmentary character of the contemporary world.     

Anatomy of a Blockade. Towards an Ethnography of Environmental Dispute (Part 2), Rural New South Wales 1996

In an earlier contribution to TAJA (Peace 1996), I aimed to initiate an anthropological approach to environmentalism in Australia. I argued that the unpacking of environmental disputes was an appropriate starting point. In this paper, I develop this further by detailing the politics of a forest blockade in southern NSW in 1996. The blockade has long been an important element in environmental conflicts for it can prove an effective political manoeuvre, both symbolically and strategically. This alone makes it a worthwhile subject for ethnographic exploration. However, in this extended case study I detail how local residents, many of whom were urban refugees, developed a sense of community, an awareness of the forest's richness, and a distinctive sense of the relation between community and forest, during the course of mounting the blockade. These elements of their political discourse served them well as they negotiated with the State Government to halt logging in the old growth forest and thus preserve the area from further exploitation.     

Proliferative characteristics and ploidy of human brain tumors by DNA flow cytometry

We studied nuclear DNA distribution by flow cytometry in 59 human brain tumors. Samples were frozen at -20 degrees C immediately after surgery and unicellular suspensions were obtained with a mechanical dissociation technique. Nuclear DNA was stained with propidium iodide. Normal human brain tissue was used as a diploid reference standard. In 86.3% of benign tumors an unimodal DNA distribution with a DNA index usually within the diploid range was found. Among malignant tumors, 64% had un unimodal DNA distribution with diploid or near-diploid modal DNA content. The remaining 36% showed an additional cell peak with a DNA index ranging from 1.15 to 1.92. The percentage of S-phase cells was higher in malignant (median = 3.8) than in benign tumors (median = 1.9) (p less than .001), without correlation to histological tumor subtype.     

Modulation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> biofilm growth by cell-free spent cultures from lactobacilli

E. coli biofilms cause serious problems in medical practice by contaminating surfaces and indwelling catheters. Due to the rapid development of antibiotic resistance, alternative approaches to biofilm suppression are needed. This study addresses whether products released by antagonistic bacteria — Lactobacillus isolates from vaginal and dairy-product samples could be useful for controlling E. coli biofilms. The effects of diluted cell-free supernatants (CFS) from late-exponential Lactobacillus cultures on the growth and biofilm production of Escherichia coli were tested. Most of the CFS applied as 10⁻² had no impact on bacterial growth, biofilm development however was influenced even by 10⁻⁴ of CFS. Initial screening by crystal violet assay showed that biofilm modulation varied between different CFS and E. coli combinations from inhibition to activation; however three of the tested CFS showed consistency in biofilm suppression. This was not due to antibacterial activity since Live/Dead fluorescence labeling showed insignificant differences in the amount of dead cells in control and treated samples. Some E. coli strain-specific mechanisms of response to the three CFS included reduction in hydrophobicity and motility. Released exoploysaccharides isolated from the three CFS stimulated sessile growth, but proteinase K reduced their inhibitory activities implying participation of protein or peptide biofilm suppression factor(s).     

Possibilities of preventing cardiotoxic complications in chemotherapy with carminomycin]

Carminomycin chemotherapy of the patients with malignant tumors is often complicated with cardiopathy which is sometimes assymptomic and registered only electrocardiographycally. Chemotherapy on the background of reparative regeneration stimulators from the series of synthetic pyrrimidine derivatives, such as methyluracyl for oral use and a soluble salt of methyluracyl for parenteral administration significantly decreased the rate of the cardiotoxic complications and promoted a decrease in their level. The use of methyluracyl and its soluble salt did not decrease the therapeutic effect of carminomycin. Methyluracyl and its soluble salt may be recommended for prophylaxis of cardiotoxic complications in chemotherapy of malignant tumors with carminomycin.