Pathologic seminal vesicle invasion after radical prostatectomy for patients with prostate carcinoma: effect of early adjuvant radiation therapy on biochemical control

BACKGROUND: The authors evaluated the effect of postoperative radiation therapy on freedom from biochemical failure (bNED) in men with prostate carcinoma who had pathologic seminal vesicle invasion after radical prostatectomy and negative pelvic lymph node dissection (pT3cN0). METHODS: Between 1989 and 1995, 375 men underwent radical prostatectomy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Fifty-three men (13%) had pT3cN0 prostate carcinoma and were the subject of this analysis. Men in whom prostate specific antigen (PSA) could not be detected were deemed free of biochemical failure. RESULTS: Of the 53 men with pT3cN0 prostate carcinoma, 18 had an elevated PSA immediately after surgery and received salvage radiation therapy (RT). The 3-year bNED rate for this group was only 38%. At 3 months, PSA could not be detected in the other 35 men. Fifteen of those 35 men underwent early adjuvant RT, and the other 20 were observed for biochemical failure. The 3-year bNED rate for the 15 patients treated with immediate adjuvant RT was 86%, compared with 48% for the 20 men who were observed (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that early adjuvant RT for men with pT3cN0 prostate carcinoma and no detectable PSA postoperatively reduces the likelihood of future biochemical failure. Men with pT3cN0 prostate carcinoma and a persistently elevated postoperative PSA level are less likely to benefit from RT and should be considered for systemic therapy.     

Functioning oxyphil adenoma of parathyroid gland. An ultrastructural and biochemical study

Oxyphil cells and oxyphil cell adenomas of parathyroid glands are, in most instances, regarded to be nonfunctioning. Although 21 cases of hyperparathyroidism associated with parathyroid oxyphil cell adenoma have been reported, secretion of hormone by these tumors has not been conclusively demonstrated. A parathyroid adenoma, diagnosed by light microscopy as oxyphil type, together with the results from ultrastructural and biochemical studies of the patient's adenomatous tissue, are reported here. The patient, a 64-year-old male, was found to have elevated serum calcium, low serum phosphorus, and elevated serum immunoreactive parathormone: findings consistent with hyperparathyroidism. After excision of two small normal-appearing glands and one greatly enlarged (1.9 g) parathyroid gland, those laboratory values returned to normal. Light microscopy of the enlarged parathyroid indicated that it consisted almost entirely of an oxyphil adenoma. Electron microscopy revealed that the adenoma was composed mainly of mitochondria-rich oxyphil cells but also of interspersed transitional oxyphil cells and rare scattered chief cells. Golgi zones, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and prosecretory and secretory-like granules were observed in some oxyphil cells, in most transitional oxyphil cells, and in the infrequent chief cells. Thus, many of these cells appear to contribute to the production and secretion of parathormone. Biochemical studies performed directly on the adenomatous tissue demonstrated that it was able to synthesize proparathormone and parathormone, although the proportion of hormonal peptide synthesis relative to that of the total protein synthesis in this tissue was much smaller (0.9%) than that found in normal parathyroid tissue (5.7%). There was a small increase in immunoreactive parathormone when the adenoma tissue was incubated in a low-calcium medium. These findings indicate that this oxyphil adenoma of the parathyroid gland synthesized and secreted parathormone, apparently to some extent autonomously, but suggest that its capacity to do so was largely dependent on its component of cells other than fully developed oxyphil cells, such as transitional oxyphil cells.     

Ethoxylation of fatty amines

It is well known that long chain alcohols and phenols cannot react with ethylene oxide in the absence of catalysts, whereas primary fatty amines can take up at least two moles of oxide to form tertiary amines. It has been found that further ethoxylation of this two mole adduct in the absence of added catalyst can proceed only if ethoxylation temperatures are lowered considerably. The present paper demonstrates that this low-temperature ethoxylation is really catalyzed by a previously overlooked highly alkaline compound generated during the course of the reaction. It is shown that this is a long-chain quaternary ammonium compound, and the mechanism of its formation is described. As the addition of ethylene oxide proceeds, this quaternary gradually decomposes and the reaction essentially comes to a halt when it has all disappeared.     

Relaxation time and effective mass of ions in liquid helium

A measurement of momentum relaxation times for charged particles in liquid helium is reported. The method is to measure the change in the reflection coefficient of a microwave cavity caused by the admission of ions. The measured relaxation times can be combined with the known dc mobilities of the ions to yield values for the effective masses. Most extensive measurements were performed using positive ions in He II. A temperature-dependent effective mass, increasing from approximately 40 helium masses at 1.3 K to over twice this value near the lambda point is found. The data are shown to be consistent with the electrostriction model of the ion, including contributions to the mass from both normal and superfluid components. A core radius of approximately 6 Å is shown to account both for the mass and for the mobility in the viscous flow region. Data on the negative carrier near 1.8 K yield an effective mass of 100 to 200 helium masses, and are consistent with the bubble model. The radius implied both by the mass and an analysis of mobility data in the viscous flow regime is 14±3 Å, quite consistent with the value deduced from other measurements. A measurement on the positive carrier in saturated (NBP) helium vapor indicates a mass of 75±20 helium masses. Both the mass and the mobility of this carrier are consistent with a droplet of radius 11±2 Å forming on the ion. The theoretical droplet radius is 12.6 Å.This work was supported in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and Research Corporation.