Disseminated testicular cancer with bulky disease: results of a phase-II study with cisplatin ultra high dose/VP-16/bleomycin

This is a preliminary analysis of the AIO-Testicular Tumour Study Group trial in patients with disseminated bulky testicular cancer. Treatment plan: cisplatin 35 mg/m2 days 1-5, VP-16 120 mg/m2 days 1-5 (two daily divided doses), bleomycin 15 mg/m2 days 1, 8, 15. Of 98 patients at present evaluable 63% had complete remission or have no evidence of disease (CR/NED), 30% had partial remission (PR) and 7% had no change or progressive disease (NC/P). Relapse-free survival is 93% for the CR/NED group after a median follow up of 2.2 years: the overall survival for the entire patient population is 70%. Toxicity included predominantly granulocytopenic fever and infection with septicaemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, vomiting, neurotoxicity and lung toxicity, with 7% fatal toxicity. A prospective randomized trial is warranted to evaluate the apparent superior activity of ultra high dose cisplatin in combination with VP-16 and bleomycin.     

自固定式显微椎间盘镜系统治疗腰椎间盘突出症

目的：采用自固定式显微椎间盘镜系统治疗腰椎间盘突出症。方法：从2000年10月采用自固定式显微核间盘镜髓核摘除术共治疗44例腰椎间盘突出症，其中男28例，女16例，年龄22－71岁（平均39．6岁），病程4个月至8年，平均16．4个月。结果：本组经3－10个月随访，优：31例；良：7例；优良率86．4％，可6例。3例出现硬膜囊撕裂，脑脊液漏，1例出现马尾神经损伤引起下肢局部麻木，均发生在早期手术病全，随着临床经验的积累，目前未发生类似并发症，未见椎间盘隙感染的发生。结论：自固定式显微椎间盘镜系统具有手术创伤小，容易操作，术后恢复快的特点，最适用于单侧单节段的椎间盘突出症，伴或不伴有椎管狭窄的病例。     

Cellulitis due to Escherichia coli in three immunocompromised subjects

A case of severe photosensitivity in a girl with the Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome is reported. Children with this recessively inherited metabolic disorder of cholesterol metabolism present with a variety of congenital abnormalities of the nervous system and internal organs in association with varying degrees of mental retardation. Photosensitivity is a feature which has previously only briefly been mentioned in the literature in association with this syndrome. However, more recently, it has become apparent that photosensitivity is not uncommon among children with the Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome, although the nature of the photosensitivity in these patients has remained undefined. Our patient has suffered from sunlight intolerance since early infancy, with redness and pruritus of sun-exposed skin developing within minutes of sun exposure. Monochromator ultraviolet (UV) radiation and visible light testing revealed an immediate and persistent reaction to low-dose UVA at 350 nm, and an abnormal erythemal response to visible light at 400 nm.     

Seminal leucocyte subpopulations and sperm function in fertile and infertile Chinese men

The level of seminal leucocytes and the prevalence of leucocytospermia was determined in a group of fertile and infertile southern Chinese men in Hong Kong. Sixteen normal fertile semen donors and 49 men with male factor infertility were studied prospectively. None had antisperm antibodies and past or present evidence of genital tract infection. Seminal leucocytes and their subsets were analysed using monoclonal antibodies and an immunocytochemical alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase conjugate technique. Seminal leucocytes were detectable in 94% and 86% of the fertile and infertile men respectively, with the predominant subset being granulocytes. Leucocytospermia (> 1 × 10⁶ leucocytes/ml) was found in only one of the 49 (2%) infertile men without clinical evidence of genito-urinary infection. Inverse correlations were observed between (1) the percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology and the number of T-helper/inducer cells, (2) the linearity of sperm movement and the number of T-lymphocytes. In conclusion, the level of seminal leucocytes and the prevalence of leucocytospermia is low in infertile Chinese subjects. The effect of seminal leucocytes on sperm function in these subjects needs further evaluation.     

Loss of testicular volume associated with intratesticular varicocele

Intratesticular varicocele is a rare entity and its clinical significance is not well established. We report a case of left-sided intratesticular varicocele associated with a significant reduction in left testicular volume at follow up. This association has not been previously reported. Incidentally, our patient is also the youngest case reported in the literature to date.     

Down regulation of bcl-2 by p53 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lack of detection of its specific t(14;18) chromosomal translocation in fixed tissues

High levels of bcl-2 protein have been found in a wide variety of human cancers. Since p53 gene inactivation occurs in over half of human cancers, it is possible that loss of p53-mediated repression of bcl-2 gene expression accounts, at least in part, for the frequent abnormalities in bcl-2 protein production seen in tumours. By using immunohistochemical methods, we have analysed thirty-three nasopharyngeal carcinomas for p53 and bcl-2 expression. We found an inverse correlation between the expression of these two proteins ( P  < 0.001). Moreover, we utilized universal oligonucelotide primers of a region 5' to the bcl-2 MBR and at the 3' end of J_H segments to initiate a DNA polymerase chain reaction that amplified these bcl-2-J_H junctures. Of the twelve nasopharyngeal carcinomas expressing bcl-2, none showed a t(14;18) chromosome translocation. These findings may indicate potential mechanisms by which bcl-2 regulates apoptosis.