Radioonkologische Therapie des Ovarialkarzinoms

Grundlage der Diagnostik und Therapie von malignen Ovarialtumoren bildet die gyn?kologische Chirurgie. Ziel ist dabei die optimale Reduktion des Tumorvolumens. Die Reduktion auf einen maximalen Tumorduchmesser <2 cm ist hierbei die wesentliche Voraussetzung für eine Verbesserung der Heilungsraten. Die überwiegende Mehrzahl der Patientinnen mit malignen Ovarialtumoren befindet sich jedoch bei Diagnosestellung bereits in fortgeschrittenen Stadien. Die Ergebnisse alleiniger operativer Ma?nahmen sind in diesen F?llen unbefriedigend. Priv.-Doz.Dr. F.Würschmidt Klinik und Poliklinik für Strahlentherapie und Radiologische Onkologie der TU München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Ismaninger Stra?e 22, 81675 München, E-Mail: wuerschmidt@gmx.de     

Professional development in law, health care, and aging: a model fellowship program

There is a growing need for a strong core of professionals with the knowledge, skills, and sensitivities necessary to integrate the fields of law, health care, and gerontology. This article describes a unique professional development program that attempted to address this need by making it possible for a small number of recently graduated attorneys to observe, experience, and question on a firsthand level the provision of various forms of health care to older patients.     

A CD16/CD30 bispecific monoclonal antibody induces lysis of hodgkin's cells by unstimulated natural killer cells In AND In vivo

In order to target NK cells against the Hodgkin's-derived cell line L540, we developed bispecific monoclonal antibodies (Bi-MAbs) by somatic hybridization of the 2 mouse hybridoma cell lines HRS-3 and A9 which produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with reactivity against the Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cell-associated CD30 antigen and the CD 16 antigen (FcγIII receptor), respectively. The CD 16 MAb-producing cell line A9 was selected as a partner for HRS-3 because of its efficiency in inducing lysis of the A9 hybridoma cells by resting NK cells. The hybrid hybridoma cell line HRS-3/A9 produced the supernatant with the strongest bispecific reactivity and was repeatedly subcloned and used for ascites production. Crude supernatant and purified HRS-3/A9 Bi-MAb triggered specific lysis of the CD30⁺ Hodgkin's-derived cell line L540, but not of the CD30^? cell line HPB-ALL by unstimulated peripheral-blood lymphocytes and NK-cell-enriched populations. Moreover, treatment of SCID mice bearing heterotransplanted human Hodgkin's tumors with HRS-3/A9 and human peripheral blood lymphocytes induced specific complete tumor regression in 10/10 animals. We thus report successful tumor treatment in an in vivo model using NK-cell-associated Bi-MAbs and show that the Bi-MAb HRS-3/A9 is an efficient promoter of the anti-tumor effects of NK cells in vitro and in vivo.     

Multiple unit activity recorded from amygdala central nucleus during Pavlovian heart rate conditioning in rabbit

Using a Pavlovian heart rate conditioning paradigm, a rapid development of short latency increases in the multiple unit activity of the amygdala central nucleus were observed in response to a tone conditioned stimulus. In some cases the increases in multiple unit response showed a parallel development with the conditioned develerative heart rate response and were significantly correlated with it. These results suggest a direct role for the central nucleus in the expression of conditioned heart rate responding in rabbit.     

Hyperbaric oxygen as an adjunct to acute revascularization of the brain

Two recent cases suggest that hyperbaric oxygen may be an important adjunct to the surgical treatment of occlusion of major cerebral arteries within the first few hours after onset of neurological deficit. In both patients, one with an embolus to the right middle cerebral artery and one with a surgical occlusion of the left internal carotid artery, circulation to the ischemic area was restored more than eight hours after occlusion. In the patient with the middle cerebral artery embolus, hemiplegia cleared after a six-minute exposure to hyperbaric oxygen. The patient with occlusion of the internal carotid artery was revascularized by anastomosis of a superficial temporal artery less than 1 mm in diameter to a branch of the middle cerebral artery. Her hemiplegia and aphasia cleared rapidly and concomitantly with intermittent exposure to hyperbaric oxygen during the first nine postoperative days. Postoperative angiograms demonstrated patency in both cases. The implications of these observations are discussed.     

Detection of experimental brain tumor in rat by computed tomography

The feasibility of the use of computerized tomographic (CT) scanning for detecting an experimental brain tumor in rats was evaluated. Tumors were induced in newborn rats by intracerebral inoculation of Rous sarcoma virus. At varying times contrast-enhanced scans were obtained on an Ohio Nuclear 2010 scanner, the brains examined, and the findings at autopsy correlated with the CT findings. Five tumors were demonstrated by CT scans and their presence confirmed at autopsy. Four small tumors were not detected by CT scans. In 1 animal, multiple tumors were demonstrated by a CT scan, and in another a large cyst was correctly diagnosed. It is concluded that the technology currently available can be used to identify some tumor-bearing animals and should be useful for following the change in size of tumors in response to therapy. Further improvements in scanner resolution should make this technique more useful for animal research.     

Hippocampal stimulation and memory: effects of stimulation parameters and reinforcement magnitude

The present study investigated the extent to which post-conditioning stimulation-induced hippocampal seizure activity is a necessary condition for the production of retrograde amnesia in rats. Groups of animals received dorsal hippocampal stimulation at several different current intensities immediately following one-trial passive avoidance conditioning. The results suggest that current intensities far in excess of those which produce hippocampal seizure activity are a necessary condition for the production of retrograde amnesia. Reinforcement magnitude is not a significant variable at hippocampal seizure threshold current intensities. Current intensities insufficient for the production of retrograde amnesia, but sufficient for the production of dorsal hippocampal seizure activity, produced a spread of seizure activity into the ventral hippocampal formation. The results suggest that caution be exercised in attributing a role to the hippocampus in memory consolidation processes in the rat.