The effect of cigarette smoking on skin-flap survival in the face lift patient

Our data demonstrate that a significant number of skin sloughs observed after face lift surgery are due to patients' cigarette smoking. Because an appreciable part of every surgeon's practice consists of smokers, the implications of this study, in terms of patient selection and preoperative counseling, seem considerable.     

A Male Sterilization Clinic

In the Cardiff Family Planning Association Clinic 330 men have been sterilized during the past 20 months. Selection for operation was made after a detailed discussion between husband, wife, and a Family Planning Association doctor, and with the general practitioner''s agreement. The outpatient operation was performed under local anaesthetic by a surgeon. It was regarded as being successful or complete when two semen analyses showed azoospermia at an interval of one month.     

Identification of peptide epitopes of MAGE-1, -2, -3 that demonstrate HLA-A3-specific binding

 The MAGE gene family of tumour antigens are expressed in a wide variety of human cancers. We have identified 43 nonamer peptide sequences, from MAGE-1, -2 and -3 proteins that contain binding motifs for HLA-A3 MHC class I molecules. The T2 cell line, transfected with the cDNA for the HLA-A3 gene, was used in a MHC class I stabilisation assay performed at 37°C and 26°C. At 37°C, 2 peptides were identified that stabilised HLA-A3 with high affinity (fluorescence ratio, FR >1.5), 4 peptides with low affinity (FR 1.11 – 1.49) and 31 peptides that did not stabilise this HLA haplotype (FR <1.1). At 26°C, 12 peptides were identified that stabilised HLA-A3 with high affinity, 8 peptides with low affinity and 17 peptides that did not stabilise this HLA haplotype. Two peptides stabilised HLA-A3 at both temperatures. Small changes in one to three amino acids at positions distinct from the anchor residues altered peptide affinity. Data were compared to a similar study in which a peptide competition assay was used to investigate MAGE-1 peptide binding to several HLA haplotypes. This study demonstrates that anchor residues do not accurately predict peptide binding to specific HLA haplotypes, changes in one to three amino acids at positions distinct from anchor residues influence peptide binding and alternative methods of determining peptide binding yield different results. We are currently investigating the ability of these peptides to induce antitumour cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity as they may be of potential therapeutic value. Received: 4 January 1996 / Accepted: 20 March 1996     

Involvement of 3-dehydroecdysone in the 3-epimerization of ecdysone.

The epimerization of ecdysone to 3-epiecdysone has been investigated in a dialysed cytosolic enzyme preparation from midgut of sixth instar Spodoptera littoralis larvae, with particular emphasis on establishing the intermediacy of 3-dehydroecdysone. Incubation of ecdysone with the dialysed cytosolic preparation furnished 3-dehydroecdysone as the only detectable product, the reaction being oxygen-dependent. The enzyme preparation catalysed reduction of 3-dehydroecdysone to 3-epiecdysone and ecdysone in the presence of NADH or NADPH. Whereas formation of 3-epiecdysone greatly predominated over that of ecdysone in the presence of NADPH, the converse applied when the cofactor was NADH. 3-Epiecdysone incubated with the enzyme preparation in the presence of various cofactors was not metabolized, indicating the irreversibility of the reduction of 3-dehydroecdysone to 3-epiecdysone and, hence, of the 3-epimerization process. The foregoing results, together with comparison of the metabolism of 3-dehydro[3H]ecdysone and [3H]ecdysone by the enzyme preparation in the presence of unlabelled ecdysone and NADPH, support the intermediacy of 3-dehydroecdysone in the 3-epimerization of ecdysone.     

Actomyosin organisation for adhesion, spreading, growth and movement in chick fibroblasts.

Examination of the actomyosin structures and their relation to adhesion, movement and growth in the first fibroblasts migrating from chick heart explants shows striking differences with fibroblasts adapted to grow in culture. The latter have focal adhesions which seem to immobilize them for anchorage-dependent growth, rather than facilitate their movement. The fibroblasts specialized for movement from the explants, though equally well spread, make contact with substratum through extensive areas of relatively unspecialized membrane, have less well developed stress fibres and a low growth rate.     

Gonadal function in men treated for acute leukaemia.

Gonadal function was assessed in eight men in remission of leukaemia who had completed treatment eight months to eight years previously. All four men treated for acute myeloid leukaemia had normal sperm counts and motility, compared with only one of the four with acute lymphatic or undifferentiated leukaemia. Hormonal studies indicated that the sterility resulted from gonadal failure rather than pituitary dysfunction after cranial irradiation. These findings are important in the counselling of patients with leukaemia.