Comorbidities in head and neck cancer: agreement between self-report and chart review.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the accuracy of self-reported comorbidities compared with medical record review and the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with accuracy of self-reported comorbidities. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective study of 458 newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients using self-administered questionnaire and medical chart review data. Overall and itemwise consistency between self-report and chart review was evaluated. Social, clinical, and demographic characteristics of consistent versus inconsistent responders were analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-four percent of patients had at least one comorbidity. There was good overall consistency between self-report and chart review (kappa = 0.50). Compared with consistent responders, inconsistent responders were found to be older (P < 0.05), have lower sleep (P < 0.05) and physical activity scores (P < 0.05), be more depressed (P < 0.05), and have more severe comorbidities (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Self-report may be considered as an alternative to chart review for comorbidity assessment in head and neck cancer patients. Younger patients, those with good general health, fewer depressive symptoms, and mild comorbidities, are more likely to give responses consistent with chart review.     

Complete, circular papovavirus genomes in the cells of hamsters exposed to a horizontally transmitted lymphomagenic agent

Contagious lymphomas were produced in a colony of Syrian golden hamsters by an unknown agent that also caused fatal ulcerative bowel disease (UBD) lesions prior to lymphoma development. A low percentage of these animals developed epitheliomas of the skin independently of the UBD or lymphomas. Previous work has shown that the epitheliomas contain numerous hamster papovavirus (HaPV) particles, whereas lymphomas do not. Cells from both kinds of tumors do contain HaPV DNA sequences, however. In this study, Southern blot hybridization showed that complete, circular HaPV genomes were present in these cells. Complete, circular HaPV genomes also were found in the cells of animals with UBD. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of HaPV particles in UBD lesions. These results, together with previous data, indicate that in the hamster, lymphomas contain complete, circular papovavirus genomes in the absence of virus particles, whereas epitheliomas and UBD lesions contain these genomes in the presence of virus particles.     

Decreased brain metabolism in neurologically intact healthy alcoholics.

OBJECTIVE: The extent to which cerebral dysfunction in alcoholics is related to the direct effects of alcohol in the brain rather than to indirect mechanisms and/or alcohol withdrawal remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether healthy alcoholics with no evidence of alcohol-associated complications showed changes in brain glucose metabolism. METHOD: Positron emission tomography and [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose were used to measure regional brain metabolism. The study group consisted of 22 normal, healthy, right-handed volunteers and 22 neurologically intact, healthy, right-handed alcoholics tested 6 to 32 days after alcohol discontinuation. RESULTS: Alcoholics showed significantly lower whole brain metabolism than normal control subjects. Normalization of regional metabolic values to the whole brain metabolic rate revealed that the left parietal and right frontal cortices were the most affected regions. Although the whole brain metabolic rate was correlated with the amount of time since alcohol discontinuation, the "normalized" decreases in left parietal and right frontal glucose metabolism were not. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the contribution of the direct effect of alcohol as well as alcohol withdrawal on the changes in regional brain metabolism seen in alcoholics. They also provide evidence of cerebral changes in neurologically intact healthy alcoholics.     

Behavior-decrementing effects of low doses of haloperidol result from disruptions in response force and duration

By using a factorial experimental design, the joint effects of two levels of sucrose reward, two levels of required force, and four levels of haloperidol dose (0. 0.04, 0.08, 0.16mg/kg) were examined for three measures of operant response: peak force, duration, and interresponse time. Even though a 24% sucrose reward led to more rapid acquisition of the operant than an 8% concentration during the drug-free response shaping period, neither the reward nor the required-force manipulations interacted with haloperidol dose during subsequent testing. Haloperidol had significant elevating effects on peak force and duration of response, while lengthening interresponse time. A within-session analysis revealed drug-related slowing of both response duration and interresponse time as the operant session progressed. Finally, dose effects on peak force and duration were apparent from the beginning of the session, but effects on interresponse time reached significance later in the session. Taken together the results downplay the importance of stimulus efficacy, anhedonia and required effort in accounting for haloperidol's behavior-decrementing effects. Instead, the results raise the possibility that the haloperidol-treated rats experienced difficulty in sensorimotor control of the operant response.     

Lysosome lipid storage disorder in NCTR-BALB/c mice. II. Morphologic and cytochemical studies.

Electron-microscopic and cytochemical studies were carried out on tissues of NCTR-BALB/c mice. These mice are affected with a neurovisceral genetic disorder involving excessive tissue accumulation of lipid. Distinctive polymorphic intracellular inclusions, bounded by a membrane and containing lamellated bodies, were found in many cells of liver, spleen, lung, kidney, intestine, lymph nodes, and brain. The inclusions transformed reticuloendothelial cells into massive foam cells. Acid phosphatase cytochemical studies performed on sections of liver demonstrated that the inclusions were lysosomes. Fixation of liver in the presence of digitonin produced "spicules" in the inclusions characteristic of digitonin-cholesterol complexes. Clefts of cholesterol crystals were seen in the inclusions in liver, spleen, and lung. We conclude that the NCTR-BALB/c mice are affected by a lysosome lipid storage disease and that cholesterol is a major storage product.     

The Morphologic Effects of Dieldrin and Methyl Mercuric Chloride on Pars Recta Segments of Rat Kidney Proximal Tubules

This investigation was undertaken to evaluate the morphologic effects in rat kidney resulting from chronic exposure to low doses of the pesticide dieldrin, methyl mercuric chloride (CH₃HgCl) and the combination of dieldrin plus CH₃HgCl. Histologic and ultrastructural changes were confined to the proximal tubules. Alterations in these tubules were consistent and reproducible for each regimen and did not become more severe with duration of exposure. The straight segment of the proximal tubule (pars recta) was more severely affected by dieldrin and CH₃HgCl than the convoluted portion. Female rats were more markedly affected than males. Pars recta tubule cells of male and female rats exposed to dieldrin showed an increase of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). Male rats displayed a greater increase in SER than females. Pars recta tubule cells of animals given CH₃HgCl also exhibited increased amounts of SER, degenerating mitochondria and cell death. Pars recta tubules of females were dilated and contained within the lumens many spherical, hematoxylin-positive staining, cytoplasmic masses, which were visible by light microscopy. These masses were characterized ultrastructurally by the presence of an SER aggregate in an area of material similar to cell matrix. In addition, cells of the pars recta of female animals contained electron-dense membranous cytosomes not present in control animals. Pars recta cells of males showed an increase in SER, but the dense membranous cytosomes observed in the pars recta cells of female rats were not seen. Rats exposed to dieldrin plus CH₃CgCl showed less morphologic alteration of the pars recta tubules than animals given methyl mercuric chloride; however, increased amounts of SER and more degeneration in tubule cells were observed in these animals when compared to control animals. The findings are discussed in relation to the conversion of CH₃HgCl to inorganic mercury in vivo and the known toxicity of inorganic mercury to the pars recta. Decreased tubular alteration in males and dieldrin-treated animals may be explained by sexual differences in renal enzyme levels or activities and the induction of microsomal enzyme systems by dieldrin.     

部分背根切断对备用背根节NT-3表达的影响

目的　探讨部分去背根后备用背根节 (L6 )各类细胞NT 3及其mRNA的含量变化。　方法　对成年雄性猫行单侧部分背根切断术 (切除一侧L1 ～L5,L7～S2 DRG ,保留L6 为备用根 )。取正常组一侧和术后 3d及 7d组手术侧的L6 DRG制作 2 0 μm厚冰冻切片 ,分别用NT 3抗体及NT 3cRNA探针行免疫组织化学及原位杂交染色。观察NT 3及其mRNA在DRG各类细胞的分布 ,测定NT 3及其mRNA在神经元和卫星细胞的光密度值 ,所得数据用q检验进行统计分析。　结果　部分去背根后 ,各时相备用背根节大神经元内NT 3的光密度值较正常者进行性减少 ,(P <0 0 5 ) ,而NT 3mRNA的光密度值术后 3d减少 ,7d回升至近正常者水平。比较之 ,小神经元和卫星细胞NT 3及其mRNA的光密度值进行性增多 (P <0 0 5 )。　结论　部分背根切断对备用背根节各类细胞NT 3表达的影响不同 ,其功能意义可能与NT 3参与脊髓Ⅱ板层可塑性有关     

甲氨喋呤对胶原诱导性关节炎大鼠滑膜骨桥蛋白和整合素αVβ3表达的影响

目的 探讨甲氨喋呤对胶原诱导性关节炎(collagen-induced arthritis,CIA)大鼠滑膜骨桥蛋白(osteopontin,OPN)及其受体整合素αvβ3表达的影响及其作用机制.方法 建立CIA大鼠模型,分为模型组和甲氨喋呤(MTX)组,后者用MTX进行干预治疗;采用免疫组织化学染色技术检测滑膜组织OPN和整合素αvβ3的表达,ELISA方法检测血清TNF-α水平.结果 ① CIA模型组和MTX组大鼠的滑膜OPN、整合素αvβ3表达均明显高于正常大鼠对照组(均为P<0.01);与模型组比较,MTX组OPN和整合素αVβ3的表达减少(均为P<0.01). ②正常对照组和MTX组大鼠血清TNF-α水平显著性低于模型组大鼠(均为P<0.01).结论 滑膜OPN和整合素αvβ3异常表达在CIA发病中具有重要意义.MTX通过下调滑膜OPN和整合素αvβ3的表达,降低血清TNF-α水平从而达到治疗CIA的作用.     

Comparison of radioimmunoassay and ELISA methods for detection of antibodies to chromatin components

A solid phase radioimmunoassay has been compared with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for efficacy in measuring anti-chromatin antibodies. The low backgrounds achieved with the radioimmunoassay method produced a high signal-to-noise ratio and enabled detection of the human test antiserum at a dilution of 1:102,400. By contrast, the ELISA could detect the same antiserum only at a dilution of 1:3200 and above. The radioimmunoassay was consistently more sensitive than the ELISA for detection of anti-chromatin antibodies in a number of human and mouse sera and ascites fluid containing a monoclonal antibody. Factors affecting sensitivity in both assays are discussed.