Endometrioid carcinoma arising from endometriosis of the sigmoid colon during estrogenic treatment

A case of endometrioid carcinoma arising from endometriosis of the sigmoid colon is reported. The patient had been treated with unopposed continuous estrogen injection for twenty years after bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy because of severe endometriosis. The pathology, pertinent literature and implications of the present case are discussed.     

Influence of schedule and mode of administration on effectiveness of podofilox treatment of papillomas

We investigated the timing of podofilox delivery to see how it correlated with papilloma size. We looked at times ranging from once per week (morning and afternoon) to five times per week (morning and afternoon). We also looked at delivery systems that might enhance the effectiveness of the drug by increasing penetration of the overlying cutaneous horn. These included soaking prior to drug administration, the use of a grooved needle subsequent to drug administration, and the various possible combinations of these techniques. We found that the timing of treatments had relatively little effect on the size of the papillomas. For example, at the end of ten weeks, the geometric mean diameter (GMD) (mm) of the papillomas treated five times per week and induced by a 10(-1) dilution of the virus (group B) was 18. Likewise the GMD (mm) of papillomas treated once per week was 18 (group D). On the other hand, we found that soaking plus the use of a grooved needle plus podofilox resulted in the curing of all lesions induced by a 10(-2) virus dilution and of most induced by the 10(-1) dilution, whereas soak plus podofilox or podofilox alone were not as effective in curing the lesions. Podofilox plus needle approached the soak plus podofilox plus needle in effectiveness. Treatment schedule was not a critical determinant of podofilox effectiveness. Therapeutic benefits were enhanced by hydration of the overlying cutaneous horn and penetration with a grooved needle.     

Cure of malignant ascites and generation of protective immunity by monoclonal antibody-targeted activation of a glucuronide prodrug in rats

We examined the in vivo efficacy of targeting beta-glucuronidase (betaG) to activate a glucuronide prodrug (BHAMG) of p-hydroxyaniline mustard (pHAM) at hepatoma ascites in Sprague-Dawley rats. Injection i.p. of 500 microg RH1-betaG, a conjugate formed between recombinant betaG and monoclonal antibody RH1 with specificity for an antigen expressed on AS-30D rat hepatoma cells, into rats bearing AS-30D ascites resulted in the accumulation of 54 microg conjugate per 10(9) tumor cells after 2 hr. Ascites fluid and serum contained 0.53 and 0 microg/ml, respectively, RH1-betaG 2 hr after injection of the conjugate. Conjugate binding to AS-30D cells was heterogeneous and non-saturated, as determined by flow cytometry. BHAMG was less toxic than pHAM to SD rats based on measures of animal mortality, weight loss and hematological toxicity. Treatment of rats bearing established hepatoma ascites with 500 microg RH1-betaG followed 2 hr later with a single i.p. injection of 30 mg/kg BHAMG or 3 i.p. injections of 10 mg/kg BHAMG 2, 3 and 4 hr later resulted in the cure of 6/8 and 8/8 animals, respectively. Treatment with BHAMG or pHAM alone did not produce cures, whereas treatment with a control antibody-betaG conjugate and BHAMG produced significantly greater hematological toxicity compared to treatment with RH1-betaG and BHAMG. All cured rats were completely protected from rechallenge with 2 x 10(7) AS-30D cells, indicating that successful treatment of animals induced protective immunity.     

Phase behavior of ternary blends containing dimethylpolycarbonate,tetramethylpolycarbonate and poly[styrene‐co‐(methyl methacrylate)] copolymers (or polystyrene)

The miscibility and phase behavior of ternary blends containing dimethylpolycarbonate (DMPC), tetramethylpolycarbonate (TMPC) and poly[styrene‐co‐(methyl methacrylate)] copolymer (SMMA) have been explored. Ternary blends containing polystyrene (PS) instead of SMMA were also examined. Blends of DMPC with SMMA copolymers (or PS) did not form miscible blends regardless of methyl methacrylate (MMA) content in copolymers. However, DMPC blends with SMMA (or PS) blends become miscible by adding TMPC. The miscible region of ternary blends is compared with the previously determined miscibility region of binary blends having the same chemical components and compositions. The region where the ternary blends are miscible is much narrower than that of binary blends. Based on lattice fluid theory, the observed phase behavior of ternary blends was analyzed. Even though the term representing the Gibbs free energy change of mixing for certain ternary blends had a negative value, blends were immiscible. It was revealed that a negative value of the Gibbs free energy change of mixing was not a sufficient condition for miscible ternary blends because of the asymmetry in the binary interactions involved in ternary blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes: The Women's Health Initiative.

This study examined whether widowhood was associated with physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes using a cross-sectional (N=72,247) and prospective (N=55,724) design in women aged 50-79 years participating in the Women's Health Initiative observational study (85.4% White). At baseline, married women reported better physical and mental health and generally better health behaviors than widowed women. Whereas women who remained married over the 3-year period showed stability in mental health, recent widows experienced marked impairments and longer term widows showed stability or slight improvements. Both groups of widows reported more unintentional weight loss over the 3-year period. Changes in physical health and health behaviors were inconsistent, with generally small effect sizes. Findings underscore the resilience of older women and their capacity to reestablish connections, but point to the need for services that strengthen social support among women who have difficulty during this transition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bat-deafness in day-flying moths (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae, Dioptinae)

Assuming that bat-detection is the primary function of moth ears, the ears of moths that are no longer exposed to bats should be deaf to echolocation call frequencies. To test this, we compared the auditory threshold curves of 7 species of Venezuelan day-flying moths (Notodontidae: Dioptinae) to those of 12 sympatric species of nocturnal moths (Notodontidae: Dudusinae, Noctuidae and Arctiidae). Whereas 2 dioptines (Josia turgida, Zunacetha annulata) revealed normal ears, 2 (J. radians, J. gopala) had reduced hearing at bat-specific frequencies (20-80 kHz) and the remaining 3 (Thirmida discinota, Polypoetes circumfumata and Xenorma cytheris) revealed pronounced to complete levels of high-frequency deafness. Although the bat-deaf ears of dioptines could function in other purposes (e.g., social communication), the poor sensitivities of these species even at their best frequencies suggest that these moths represent a state of advanced auditory degeneration brought about by their diurnal life history. The phylogeny of the Notodontidae further suggests that this deafness is a derived (apomorphic) condition and not a retention of a primitive (pleisiomorphic), insensitive state.     

Development of contrast sensitivity and temporal-frequency selectivity in primate lateral geniculate nucleus

We studied the development of spatial contrast-sensitivity and temporal-frequency selectivity for neurons in the monkey lateral geniculate nucleus. During postnatal week 1, the spatial properties of P-cells and M-cells are hardly distinguishable, with low contrast-sensitivity, sluggish responses, and poor spatial resolution. The acuity of P-cells improves progressively until at least 8 months, but there is no obvious increase in their maximum contrast-sensitivity with age. The contrast sensitivity of M-cells is already clearly higher than that of P-cells by 2 months, and at 8 months of age this characteristic difference between M- and P-cells approaches the adult pattern. There is a major increase in responsiveness during the first 2 postnatal months, especially for M-cells, the peak firing rate of which rises fivefold, on average, between birth and 2 months. Many P-cells in the neonatal and 2-month-old animals did not give statistically reliable responses to achromatic gratings, even at the highest contrasts: this unresponsiveness of P-cells might result from low gain and/or chromatic opponency. The upper limit of temporal resolution in the neonate is low--about one-third of that in the adult. Among M-cells, the improvement in temporal resolution, like that in contrast sensitivity, is rapid over the first 2 months, followed by a slower change approaching the adult value by 8 months of age. The development of contrast sensitivity, responsiveness and temporal tuning are little affected, if at all, by binocular deprivation of pattern vision from birth for even a prolonged period.     

Reengineering a surgical service line: focusing on core process improvement

Integrating principles from a variety of theory has led to the development of a conceptual framework for reengineering in a clinical care delivery setting to improve the value of services provided to the customer. A conceptual framework involving the identification of three high level core processes to reengineer can provide clarity and focus for clinicians to begin directing reengineering efforts. Those core processes are: clinical management of the patient's medical needs, patient operational processes to support the clinical processes, and administrative decision-making processes to support the implementation of the clinical and operational processes. Improvement in any one of these areas has the potential to increase value, but the concurrent targeting of these core processes for reengineering has provided a synergy that has accelerated the achievement of the desired outcomes in the area of surgical services.