Histamine level and transglutaminase activity may provide indication of the development of spontaneous mammary tumor in C3H mice

Histamine (HA) concentrations and HA metabolizing enzyme activities were measured in macroscopically unchanged mammary glands and in tumor tissue of C3H mice carrying spontaneous mammary tumor as well as im mammary glands of control subjects matched for age.The great fall in HA level and the enzyme activities in tumor tissue was confirmed. In host mammary glands which showed no current evidence of neoplasm, consistently lower than normal HA concentrations and elevated transglutaminase (TG) activity were found, It is suggested, therefore, that HA level and TG activity may provide an early indication of the development of spontaneous mammary tumor.     

Astrocytomas of the cerebellum in children: treatment and results]

Between 1980 and 1987, 113 children with astrocytoma of the cerebellum were treated. The range of the age was 11 months to 15 years. 103 children were treated by surgery only and 10 received surgery and postoperative irradiation. Shunting was necessary in 22% patient with cerebellar astrocytoma. One-year survival for patients with cerebellar astrocytoma was 97%, five-year 89%.     

Gunshot wound of the lumbar spine]

A case of 20 years old patient with the gunshot injury of the spine was presented. The bullet has stuck in the spinal canal at L3-L4 level causing no neurological disturbances. It was removed in our department gunshot wounds to do this in district hospital. No complication occurred in the postoperative course.     

How reproducible is cutaneous electrogastrography? An in-depth evidence-based study1

AIM: To check on reproducibility of parameters of the cutaneous electrogastrogram registered at a close or a distant time span. METHODS: Twenty-two volunteers recruited by an advertisement (11 females and 11 males, median age 25 years, range: 18-35) underwent three surface electrogastrography examinations of which two were taken on consecutive days and the third one was accomplished at least 2 weeks before or after the two other sessions. The examination involved a 30-min fasted recording, followed by a 90-min postprandial registration after intake of a 394-kcal mixed solid-liquid test meal. RESULTS: Parameters of the electrogastrogram pertaining to the frequency of the gastric slow waves exhibited good to moderate reproducibility, whereas fair reproducibility characterized parameters expected to describe the power of gastric slow waves. With the exception of the difference fed minus fasted power (DeltaDP), in no instance was the medium term reproducibility any worse than the short term one. Categorical data analysis revealed that the relative time share of normogastria postprandially exhibited a better reproducibility than in the fasted period. The Cohen's kappa-value of 0.459 for the DeltaDP for the medium term reproducibility placed this parameter within the range of moderate agreement between repeat examinations. Of the two two-parameter combinations considered, the alliance of the fasted and fed normogastria performed worse than any of those parameters considered alone, whereas a combination of the DeltaDP with the fed-state normogastria revealed a kappa-value amounting to 0.510 for the medium term reproducibility. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility of some electrogastrographic parameters to convey clinically useful information may be hampered by their fair reproducibility. Recoding of parameters of the cutaneous electrogastrogram from primary continuous to secondary categorical may help achieve a better agreement between repeat examinations.     

Interferonogenic and antiviral effect of extracts from Erodium cicutarium

Extracts from Erodium cicutarium L. Herit were tested for antiviral and interferon inducing properties. Both water extract and methanol extract as well as its fractions were observed to exert antiviral effect in relation to myxoviruses, Herpes virus type 1, Vesicular stomatitis and vaccinia virus. None of these extracts did induce interferon in a suspension of human leukocytes.     

The influence of prolonged clofibrate treatment on the plasma drug concentration and liver NADP-linked enzymes activity

The clofibric acid (CPIB) concentration in the rat blood plasma during 14 days of treatment with clofibrate and after cessation of the treatment, was measured and compared with the changes of some NADP-linked dehydrogenases activity. CPIB rapidly accumulates in the plasma during the first two days of clofibrate administration reaching a maximum concentration of about 0.6 mM. Then a linear decrease of the drug concentration was observed. The second day after clofibrate treatment had been completed, CPIB could no longer be detected in the plasma. Liver malic enzyme activity increased constantly up to the third day after cessation of the treatment. There was a decrease of activity which reached its control level on the 32nd day of the experiment. The variation patterns of hexose monophosphate shunt dehydrogenases activity and liver weight were similar to the changes of malic enzyme activity.