An evaluation of bone scans as screening procedures for occult metastases in primary breast cancer

Preoperative bone scans were obtained in 104 patients with operable breast cancer. Areas of increased radioactivity detected by the bone scan were correlated with appropriate radiographs. One of 64 patients (1.5%) with clinical Stage I and Stage II breast cancer had a metastatic lesion detected by the preoperative bone scan. In contrast, 10 of 41 patients (24%) with Stage III breast cancer had occult metastatic lesions detected by the preoperative bone scan. The majority of patients with abnormal bone scans and no radiographic evidence of a benign lesion to explain the cause of the increased radioactivity proved to have metastatic breast cancer on follow-examination. Even though 20% of patients with operable breast cancer will eventually develop bone metastases, our results indicate that preoperative bone scans are not an effective means of predicting which patients with Stage I and Stage II disease will develop metastatic breast cancer. Because of the considerably increased frequency of detection of occult metastases in patients with Stage III breast cancer, bone scans should be obtained routinely in the preoperative assessment of these patients.     

Effect of antipurine antibodies on the immunodepressive activity of 6-mercaptopurine

In repeated injections of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) covalently bound with protein (6-MP-P) antibodies binding 6-MP appeared in rabbits. In such animals free 6-MP produced a lesser immunodepressive and toxic action. Injection to mice immunized with sheep erythrocytes (SE) of rabbit serum containing antibodies against 6-MP not only failed to lead to reduction of the immunodepressive action of this cytostatic, but, on the contrary, intensified the inhibition of antibody formation to the SE. Injection to mice of 6-MP bound with rabbit antiserum in vitro also enhanced its immunodepressive activity. Evidently own antibodies neutralized 6-MP, whereas foreign ones, serving as an antigen, apparently caused its accumulation in the macrophagal lymphocytic complex.     

Isolation of phagocytic cells from the rat renal glomerulus

A method is described for the dissociation of rat glomerular cells in vitro. Isolated endothelial cells were characterized by the persistence of fenestrae. Mesangial cells showed a variety of morphologic appearances; if dissociation was performed after an intravenous injection of ferritin, such cells were identified by the presence of large ferritin-filled vacuoles. Intact epithelial cells were rarely seen, presumably because they did not survive the separation procedure. In culture, a high proportion of cells adhered to glass surfaces, were phagocytic, and had labeled heavily in vivo with ferritin; they were, thus, considered to be mesangial in origin. Receptors for immunoglobulin (Fc) and complement (c3) were also detected in such cells after 24 hours in culture, but not immediately after dissociation. Our findings suggest that a population of isolated glomerular cells, probably comprising mainly mesengial cells, is highly phagocytic and has the potential to develop Fc and C3 receptors. We propose that this technique offers a useful approach for the delineation of glomerular cell properties and functions.     

Collision with spring-loaded football tackling and blocking dummies. Report of near-fetal and fatal injuries

Two infants had congenital atlantoaxial dislocation associated with myelopathy. One of them, a 3-month-old girl, showed anterior dislocation of the atlas on the axis, and had extreme weakness of the extremities. Another patient, an 8-month-old boy, showed tetraplegia, and posterior dislocation with absent odontoid process was demonstrated radiologically. These cases add another cause to the varied etiologies of floppiness in early infancy.     

Sodium nitroprusside-induced hypotension for supine total hip replacement

Deliberate hypotension was produced during general anesthesia by the infusion of sodium nitroprusside in 13 patients undergoing total hip replacement. Hemodynamic data from these patients were compared with those obtained from 5 patients under normotensive anesthesia for the same procedure. During the hypotensive period, which averaged 1.5 hours, the cardiac index rose 20 percent compared with controls. No acidotic tendency was seen. Blood loss in the study group averaged 475 ml, compared with 1475 ml in controls. From these data, a dose-response curve was derived which may allow the accurate prediction of the minute dosage of sodium nitroprusside required to safely induce hypotension during anesthesia.     

Embedded proteins and sacrificial bonds provide the strong adhesive properties of gastroliths

The adhesive properties of gastroliths from a freshwater crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) were quantified by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) between heavily demineralized gastrolith microparticles and gastrolith substrates of different composition. Combined AFM and transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrated that the sequential detachment and large adhesion energies that characterise the adhesive behaviour of a native gastrolith substrate are dominated by sacrificial bonds between chitin fibres and between chitin fibres and CaCO(3). The sacrificial bonds were shown to be strongly related to the gastrolith proteins and when the majority of these proteins were removed by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), the sequential detachment disappeared and the adhesive energy was reduced by more than two orders of magnitude.     

New Physicochemical Treatment Method of Poppy Seeds for Agriculture and Food Industries

Poppy seeds(Papaver somniferum L.) are often attacked by various fungal diseases,and their field germination rate is low.The aim of this experiment was to increase the germination rate and growth of seedlings by modifying the poppy seeds using cold plasma discharge.The seeds were treated in a Plasonic AR-550-M under power of 500 W with argon gas flow of 50 mL/min,oxygen gas flow of 50 mL/min for diferent time durations in seconds(0,180,300,600,1800,3000,4200,and 5400).The seed germination rate and growth of the seedlings were recorded.Cold plasma positively afected the seed germination rate for time exposure between 180~3000 s.Seedling acceleration on the sixth day of the experiment showed the highest values at exposure 180~600 s.Cold plasma seems to be a good physicochemical way to modify seeds without chemical agronomical application.