Cancer statistics of Chinese Versus Americans

Cancer incidence and mortality rates of Chinese in China (Shanghai, Kwangtung), Hong Kong, and the United States (San Francisco, etc.) are presented. The rates for the U.S. white population are included for comparison. Additional mortality rates of Chinese in Japan and incidence rates of Chinese in Singapore and British Columbia are also available. Such statistics emphasize both the distinctions and the similarities in cancer problems among chinese living abroad and Chinese living in China. Some ethnic and cultural differences, as well as differences in age, site distribution, and histological subtype, of certain cancers are discussed.     

Unicentric osteosarcoma of bone with subsequent skeletal metastases

Five cases of unicentric osteosarcoma with subsequent skeletal metastases are reviewed. Skeletal metastases may occur prior to pulmonary metastases in such patients. Initial and periodic bone scanning is therefore justified since early detection of distant bone lesions may have important therapeutic implications. A classification of multiple site osteosarcoma based upon clinical, pathologic, and radiologic characteristics is proposed.     

Astrocytes in hemangioblastomas of the central nervous system and their relationship to stromal cells

Summary Thirteen cases of CNS hemangioblastoma were examined with the immunoperoxidase technique for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GEAP) to determine if there were astrocytic elements among the stromal cells of these tumors.In six cases, including two leptomeningeal hemangioblastomas, none of the stromal cells were positive on GFAP stain. Seven cases, however, showed variable presence of GFAP positive cells, including clusters of heavily lipidized cells deep within cerebellar hemangioblastomas. These GFAP positive cells were indestinguishable by other stains from interstitial or stromal cells.Thus, it appears that in at least some hemangioblastomas of the CNS parenchyma, a few or many stromal cells are lipidized astrocytes. All stromal cells, however, cannot be of astrocytic origin, as proposed by Jakobiec et al. (1976), in view of our six cases where no GFAP-positive cells were found in the tumors.It is suggested that cells identified as stromal cells of hemangioblastomas on light microscopy are a heterogeneous group of cells including astrocytic as well as other elements and that they resemble each other on ordinary stains because of the equalizing effect of cell lipidization.     

Interaction of diazepam with synaptic transmission in the in vitro rat hippocampus

Summary Diazepam (5×10^–8–10^–6 M) was found to augment recurrent inhibition of pyramidal neuron firing in a dose-dependent manner in rat hippocampal slices. To determine possible loci of this effect, diazepam was locally administered by pressure ejection from a micropipette, while recording action potentials from single inhibitory (basket) interneurons. Diazepam induced reversible and reliable increases in interneuron firing in response to stimulation of Schaffer collateral and commissural afferents. Taken together with previous electrophysiological reports, these data suggest that benzodiazepines may augment central inhibition by increasing either the excitability of inhibitory interneurons, or by increasing the strength of excitatory afferents to these cells.     

Biological evaluation of Korean medicinal plants(III)

The extracts of sixty Korean plants were evaluated for their biological activities such as antitumor activities against Sarcoma 180, Leukemia SN-36 and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, antimicrobial activities and behavioral observation in mice. The results are tabulated.     

"Right" stay in hospital after sugery: randomised controlled trial.

A randomised controlled trial was carried out on 100 patients to compare the effects of discharge after certain pre-specified clinical criteria had been fulfilled--"right" stay--with those of discharge at an arbitrary 10 days after surgery--"fixed" stay. The operations concerned (cholecystectomy and vagotomy) were more hazardous than those previously included in studies of early discharge. Patients in the right-stay group were discharged, on average, 7-6 days after operation--that is, two days earlier than those in the fixed-stay group. In terms of clinical progress, social factors such as return to work, and the acceptability to patients and relatives of the implications of right stay, patients in this group fared as well as those in the fixed-stay group, and in some respects slightly better. Right stay entailed the transfer of some work from hospital to community medical and nursing staff, but this also was acceptable. The concept and use of the right-stay principle is of value in planning the postoperative discharge of suitable patients.     

Pressure effects on the distribution of extracellular materials in the rhesus monkey outflow apparatus

Summary An electron-microscopic investigation was conducted to determine the distribution of extracellular materials in the rhesus monkey outflow apparatus at various maintained levels of intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure was maintained at either 0,8, 15, 22, 30, or 50 mm Hg, by an intracameral needle attached to a reservoir system for a period of 1 h. Thereafter the eyes were fixed either by intracameral perfusion of glutaraldehyde at the appropriate pressure level, or by carotid perfusion of the fixative, or by rapid enucleation and immersion fixation. The electron-dense cationic stains, colloidal thorium and colloidal iron were used to indicate the presence of carbohydrate-rich extracellular materials in the drainage tissues.In the control tissue (15 mm Hg), heavy concentrations of stain were detected within the cores of the trabeculae and in the extracellular spaces of the endothelial meshwork. With pressure elevation there was a progressive decrease in the surface staining on the meshwork cells, an increase in staining intensity within the trabecular cores, and a washout of extracellular materials from the spaces of the endothelial meshwork. The washout was thought to occur via giant vacuoles up to 30 mm Hg, but at 50 mm Hg the process was accelerated by loss of association between the cells of the canal endothelial monolayer. Over the entire pressure range 0 to 50 mm Hg, there was an increase in the staining on the apical surface of the canal endothelium which was associated with a decrease in the incidence of micropinosomes.This paper was presented at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the European Club for Ophthalmic Fine Structure in Zurich, Switzerland on March 25 and 26, 1977