IgG2/IgG4 subclass deficiency in a patient with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and bronchiectases

A 22-year-old man with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) and hypothyroidism developed severe bronchiectases following recurrent bronchopneumonia. Immunological investigations revealed IgG₂/IgG₄ subclass deficiency and absence of antibodies against pneumococcal and Haemophilus polysaccharides. Under regular immunoglobulin substitution every 3 weeks pulmonary symptoms improved markedly.     

Unsupervised Measurement of Brain Tumor Volume on MR Images

We examined unsupervised methods of segmentation of MR images of the brain for measuring tumor volume in response to treatment. Two clustering methods were used: fuzzy c-means and a nonfuzzy clustering algorithm. Results were compared with volume segmentations by two supervised methods, k-nearest neighbors and region growing, and all results were compared with manual labelings. Results of individual segmentations are presented as well as comparisons on the application of the different methods with 10 data sets of patients with brain tumors. Unsupervised segmentation is preferred for measuring tumor volumes in response to treatment, as it eliminates operator dependency and may be adequate for delineation of the target volume in radiation therapy. Some obstacles need to be overcome, in particular regard-big the detection of anatomically relevant tissue classes. This study shows that these improvements are possible.     

Modulation of FSH-controlled steroidogenesis in rat granulosa cells: direct in-vitro effects of LHRH and ICI-118630

Direct inhibitory effects of LHRH and an LHRH agonist (ICI-118630) on FSH-controlled steroidogenic processes in ovarian granulosa cells were characterized in vitro. Over a 2-day culture period in the presence of testosterone (10(-7) M), FSH (3-3 000 ng/ml) caused dose-dependent increases in the aromatase activity of granulosa cells isolated from oestrogen-pretreated immature rats. Progestogen biosynthesis was stimulated in a similar manner. The presence of LHRH (10(-9) - 10(-7) M) in the culture medium inhibited these responses by right-shifting the dose-response curves. Thus the net effect was one of reduced sensitivity to FSH. ICI-118630 was approximately 10 times more effective than LHRH as an inhibitor of aromatase induction and progestogen biosynthesis in response to FSH. Over a 1-h incubation at concentrations up to 10(-7) M, neither decapeptide had a consistent inhibitory effect on FSH-stimulated granulosa cell cAMP formation either in the presence or absence of 1-methyl-3-isobutyl-xanthine (MIX); but during the 2-day culture, ICI-118630 and occasionally LHRH significantly inhibited aromatase induction by cholera toxin and 2 different cAMP analogues. Over the same range of concentrations, each peptide progressively inhibited the stimulatory effect of MIX on FSH-induced aromatase activity and progestogen biosynthesis. Thus LHRH/ICI-118630 can directly modulate FSH-controlled granulosa cell steroidogenesis in vitro via effects on one or more biochemical loci distal to the FSH-receptor coupled adenylate cyclase system. These experiments have implications for the role of a putative LHRH-like ovarian substance(s) in the local co-ordination of follicular development and function.     

Tissue core biopsy of abdominal tumors with a 22 gauge cutting needle

Percutaneous needle sampling of malignant tumors carried out by fine-needle cytologic aspiration and large-needle cutting techniques both possess certain limitations. A fine caliber 22 gauge cutting needle and a modified sampling technique used in 78 patients with suspected abdominal neoplasms are described. Both cytologic and histologic samples were sought in each case and overall successful diagnoses were made in 88% of 50 proved cases, with specific histologic diagnoses in 56%. Cytologic specimens were more sensitive in 14 cases in the detection of malignancy, while histologic results were more specific in nine cases. No significant complications were encountered. This modified method has not replaced the former cytologic aspiration technique in this institution.     

Drug use by the polysurgical patient.

The authors compared the drug use of 23 patients with 5 or more major surgeries (mean number of surgeries = 9.8) with that of a matched control group (mean number of surgeries = 1). Total drug use of the polysurgical patients was 3.7 times greater than that of the controls and involved narcotics, analgesics, barbiturates, and minor tranquilizers. The authors describe the characteristics of polysurgical patients, one of which is chronic pain, and propose a treatment plan that involves psychological intervention for the patient and his or her family.     

Passive protective properties of serum fractions from mice inoculated with an anti-pseudomonas vaccine

Serum from mice injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of pseudomonas vaccine passively protected other mice against a lethal intraperitoneal Pseudomonas aeruginosa challenge. Early protection was given mainly by the IgM fraction of serum of vaccinated mice; 6–14 days after vaccination protection was given mainly by the IgG fraction.