Inflammatory cell infiltrate in a responding metastatic nodule after vaccine-based immunotherapy

A patient with von Hippel Lindau disease, bilateral symmetric renal cell carcinoma and pulmonary metastases treated with immunotherapy is the subject of this study. A left kidney and tumour mass were removed and the tumour cells used to make an autologous tumour/bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine as part of the treatment protocol. The patient's pulmonary nodules responded, but the remaining renal nodule subsequently grew. Samples of both tumours were obtained allowing for an internally controlled evaluation of the histological and immunohistologic differences between a responding and non-responding tumour nodule after therapy. The immunotherapy protocol is designed to promote a T cell response to autologous tumour. Cellular infiltrates were demonstrated in both responding and non-responding nodules compared with the pretreatment tumour specimen, but the responding nodule contained proportionately more T cells as well as markedly increased numbers of plasma cells and granulocytes. This suggested that several arms of the immune system may have been operative in the responding nodule.     

Histological studies on certain autonomic ganglia in the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

In the buffalo the sympathetic ganglionic neurons were multipolar and contained finely granular or vesicular Nissl material and eccentric nuclei with more than one nucleolus. They measured (mean values) 23.62 X 14.30 mum in the cranial cervical ganglion, 22.51 X 13.58 mum in the vertebral ganglion, 25.25 X 15.75 mum in the cervicothoracic ganglion and 22.84 X 14.27 mum in the fourth thoracic ganglion. Their density values were 256 neurons/mm2 in the cranial cervical ganglion, 250 neurons/mm2 in the vertebral ganglion, 248 neurons/mm2 in the cervicothoracic ganglion and 252 neurons/mm2 in the fourth thoracic ganglion.     

Isodirectional tuning of adjacent interneurons and pyramidal cells during working memory: evidence for microcolumnar organization in PFC

Studies on the cellular mechanisms of working memory demonstrated that neurons in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dPFC) exhibit directionally tuned activity during an oculomotor delayed response. To determine the particular contributions of pyramidal cells and interneurons to spatial tuning in dPFC, we examined both individually and in pairs the tuning properties of regular-spiking (RS) and fast-spiking (FS) units that represent putative pyramidal cells and interneurons, respectively. Our main finding is that FS units possess spatially tuned sensory, motor, and delay activity (i. e., "memory fields") similar to those found in RS units. Furthermore, when recorded simultaneously at the same site, the majority of neighboring neurons, whether FS or RS, displayed isodirectional tuning, i.e., they shared very similar tuning angles for the sensory and delay phases of the task. As the trial entered the response phase of the task, many FS units shifted their direction of tuning and became cross-directional to adjacent RS units by the end of the trial. These results establish that a large part of inhibition in prefrontal cortex is spatially oriented rather than being untuned and simply regulating the threshold response of pyramidal cell output. Moreover, the isodirectional tuning between adjacent neurons supports a functional microcolumnar organization in dPFC for spatial memory fields similar to that found in other areas of cortex for sensory receptive fields.     

汉族男子体格及生殖器发育特点

2411例汉族男性大学生体格和生殖器的测量结果如下:阴茎周径8.17±0.64cm,阴茎长度7.43±1.04cm,阴茎牵长13.33±1.19cm,右睾丸容积17.91±4.09ml,左睾丸容积17.83±4.05ml,身高171.07±5.66cm,体重58.43±7.75kg.北方学生体格和生殖器发育均优于南方.城、县、乡学生的生殖器发育无明显差异,但城市学生体格发育优于农村.16岁后阴茎、睾丸大小变化不大,但生殖器的发育可持续到30岁.     

45,X/46,X,+r(X) can have a distinct phenotype different from Ullrich-Turner syndrome.

We present a patient with 45,X/46,X,+r(X) mosaicism and lack of inactivation of either the normal or the ring X in the 46,X,+r(X) cells. The patient has mental retardation, syndactyly, minor facial anomalies, and a congenital heart defect. Although most patients with 45,X/46,X,+r(X) have the Ullrich-Turner syndrome, 2 previously described patients with this karyotype also had a distinct phenotype consisting of severe mental retardation, syndactyly, and abnormal face. The unusually severe phenotype in these patients was thought to be due to lack of X-inactivation of the ring X chromosome. The findings in our patient support this hypothesis.     

Neurological aspects of del(1q) syndrome

We have studied three children with de novo terminal deletion of the long arm of chromosome 1 (46,XX,del(1)(q43)). They all have minor anomalies and neurological signs (severe psychomotor developmental delay, generalized hypotonia, and seizures) that have been described previously. In addition, all of these three patients have autistic-like behavior. They avoid eye contact, show no interest in people, express little emotion, and repeat stereotypic movements such as head nodding and purposeless finger manipulation. They also spend excessive time in making unusual sounds consisting of a high-pitched shrill cry with little intonation in infancy and a harsh, strained, and glottal stridency in later life. They make no labial, lingual, or nasal sounds. We suggest that these observations may be unique clinical manifestations of certain terminal 1q deletions.     

A genetic study of hyper-alpha-lipoproteinemia

Because of its association with longevity and reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, it becomes important to find out how elevated HDL-cholesterol levels are determined. Analyses of family data from Cincinnati initially suggested environmental factors common to sibs; however, some form of dominant inheritance could not be ruled out. Reanalysis of the Cincinnati data by Iselius and Lalouel concluded against a major locus, but did identify three families as possibly segregating for a major locus. Analysis of an additional 26 kindreds from the same population in Cincinnati by Siervogel and associates concluded that a major gene could be causing familial aggregation of high density lipoprotein in white kindreds. In this analysis, we pooled all the white Cincinnati kindreds (n = 31), and investigated the familial transmission using complex segregation analysis. We failed to obtain clear evidence for major locus determination. Under the parsimonious hypothesis of no major locus, the polygenic heritability and common sibling environmental correlation were estimated as 0.531 and 0.263, respectively, consistent with other evidence.