Storage mites culturing, sampling technique, identification and their role in housedust allergy in rural areas in the United Kingdom

Patients with symptoms suggesting housedust mite allergy were tested to storage mites, housedust, and Dermatophagoides spp. Housedust was examined for mites. All patients responded to storage mites. Some were negative to Dermatophagoides. All houses proved to have storage mites in the dust as well as Dermatophagoides, mainly in food stores or pet beds. Storage mites, therefore, are involved in dust allergy.     

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma. A clinicopathologic analysis of 44 cases

The clinical aspects and pathologic findings in 44 cases of pure clear cell carcinoma of the ovary are presented. The patients ranged in age from 28 to 78 years (mean, 50.6 years); 54% were nulliparous. Thirty-three percent of the patients had endometriosis in the involved ovary, and an additional 25% had endometriosis only in sites distant from the tumor. Microscopically, three architectural patterns (papillary, tubulocystic, and solid) and four cell types (clear, hobnail, eosinophilic, and flattened) were seen. A predominant tubulocystic architectural pattern was a good prognostic factor (p less than 0.01); however, no significant difference in survival by cell type was found. Grading of the tumors by conventional architectural and cytologic criteria had no predictive value for survival. Stage at presentation was the most important prognostic factor (p less than 0.001), with a 5-year overall survival of 34% and stage I survival of 55%. The poor stage I survival reflects the 15 patients (34%) in the study with stage Iaii lesions. In the 25 patients who developed recurrence, both distant organ involvement (40%) and lymph node involvement (40%) were frequent. Ovarian clear cell carcinoma has unusual pathologic and clinical features, and it represents a distinct histologic type of ovarian carcinoma.     

Intraperitoneal radioimmunotherapy for ovarian cancer: pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and efficacy of I-131 labeled monoclonal antibodies

Thirty-six patients with ovarian cancer were treated with intraperitoneal I-131 labeled monoclonal antibodies to tumor associated antigens. The activity of I-131 administered was increased from 20 mCi to 158 mCi and the pharmacokinetics and toxicity evaluated. Five patients who had developed HAMA (Human Antimouse Antibodies) were retreated, and the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of the first and second treatment compared. Patients receiving their first therapy (HAMA negative), had a maximum of 25% (range 19.8-39.8%) of the injected activity in their circulation. This was accompanied by severe marrow suppression at I-131 activities over 120 mCi. The 5 HAMA positive patients had only 5% injected activity in the systemic circulation (range 3.8-6%), with rapid urinary excretion and neglible marrow suppression. In 31 patients with assessable disease there were no responses in 8 patients with gross disease (nodules greater than 2 cms), partial responses in 2 out of 15 patients with nodules less than 2 cms, and complete responses in 3 out of 6 patients with microscopic disease. The non specific radiation dose to the peritoneal cavity was estimated to be less than 500 cGy by lithium fluoride TLD, and could not be expected to account for the responses seen.     

The relationship of glucose utilization and morphological change in the visual system in hexacarbon neuropathy

A reduction in local glucose utilization occurs in the superficial layer of the superior colliculus of rats following exposure to 0.5% 2,5-hexanedione in drinking water for 3 weeks. Axonal pathology, with increased neurofilaments and swelling, is seen at about 5 weeks in the distal portions of the optic pathways to the superior colliculus. These lesions in the optic system occur earlier and are more marked than those in the peripheral nerves and dorsal columns. The results suggest that a functional abnormality, as implied by the decreased glucose utilization, precedes the morphological changes in hexacarbon neuropathy.     

The management of intussusception

A scheme of management to achieve maximum success in hydrostatic reduction of intussusception is presented. This takes into account patient selection, radiological technique and the follow-up clinical assessment. By standardizing the management we have increased our success rate and avoided laparotomy in 64% of our patients. Most of the patients in whom the technique failed had infarcted bowel which required resection.     

Cytotoxic actions and effects on intracellular Ca2+ and cGMP concentrations of sulphur-containing excitatory amino acids in cultured cerebral cortical neurons

Effects of the sulphur-containing acidic amino acids (SAAs) cysteic acid (CA), homocysteic acid (HCA), cysteine sulphinic acid (CSA), homocysteine sulphinic acid (HCSA), and S-sulphocysteine (SC) on intracellular concentrations of Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_i) and cGMP ([cGMP]_i) as well as their cytotoxic actions were investigated in cultured cerebral cortical neurons. The glutamate receptor subtype selective antagonists APV (D-(?)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate) acting on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and DNQX (6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione) acting on non-NMDA receptors were employed to obtain information about the involvement of glutamate receptor subtypes in these actions of the SAAs. It was found that all SAAs exerted a cytotoxic action on the neurons. The ED₅₀ values for CSA, CA, HCSA, and HCA were around 30 to 50 μM and that for SC was about 150 μM. The glutamate transport blocker L-aspartate-β-hydroxamate increased the efficacy of CSA and CA but had no effect on the cytotoxic actions of the remaining SAAs. In case of CA, HCA, and SC the cytotoxicity could be prevented by APV alone and for HCSA, DNQX could block the toxic action. DNQX reduced the toxicity of HCA somewhat but the presence of APV was required for complete protection. CSA toxicity could only be blocked by the combination of APV and DNQX. All SAAs induced an increase in [cGMP]_i and [Ca²⁺]_i and with regard to [Ca²⁺]_i SC was the most potent and CA the least potent SAA. The effect of all SAAs on [cGMP]_i could be blocked by APV alone whereas DNQX had no effect except in the case of HCSA where the response was blocked completely and HCA where the response was inhibited by 75%. The SAA-induced increase in [Ca²⁺]_i could in all cases be significantly reduced by 0.6 mM Mg²⁺ and in the presence of Mg²⁺, APV dose dependently blocked the remaining SAA induced increase in [Ca²⁺]_i completely. Under these conditions DNQX was also found to block the SAA-induced increase in [Ca²⁺]_i dose dependently. In the absence of Mg²⁺, DNQX (25 μM) inhibited the response of the SAAs only by 65–75%. Under these conditions all SAA responses except that to SC could be fully antagonized by 300 μM APV. The SC-induced increase in [Ca²⁺]_i was inhibited by 60% by APV. The results show that no simple correlation exists between SAA-induced cytotoxicity and their ability to increase intracellular levels of Ca²⁺ and cGMP. However, when both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors were antagonized no toxicity or changes in calcium or cGMP were observed. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.