The grand multipara--an obstetric problem?

At the Medical Central Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Sibenik over 1970-1991 period there were 26,116 deliveries (multiple births excluded), of which 254 (0.97%) occurred in grand multiparas (five and more deliveries). The authors have found that the number of grand multiparas decreased by 38.3% (P < 0.001) over the past eleven years. Control subjects were 7920 multiparas (two to four deliveries, 20-34 years of age, from the same period). In 84.3% of the cases grand multiparas were delivered of their fifth or sixth infant, and 68.5% were > or = 35 years of age. Spontaneous abortion occurred in 16.9%, and 14.2% had no antenatal visit. EPH gestosis (8.3%), glucose intolerance (9.9%), preterm delivery (8.3%) and meconium-stained amniotic fluid (15.0%) were more common in the grand multiparas, whereas cervical cerclage (5.4%) and 7-to-12-hour duration of labour (12.8%) were more common in the control group. No significant differences were found in weight gain, prolonged pregnancy, caesarean delivery, assisted breech and vacuum extraction between two groups. There was also no difference in the incidence of neonatal morbidity and congenital abnormalities between the grand multiparas and controls. Late fetal and early neonatal deaths in the grand multiparous and control group occurred in 1.18% and 1.57, respectively, resulting in a 2.75% overall perinatal death rate for both groups (P > 0.05). No case of maternal death or uterine rupture occurred in either group. The authors conclude that pregnancy and delivery in grand multiparas are at higher risk due to poorer antenatal care and advancing maternal age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

beta-Amyloid deposits within the cerebellum of persons older than 80 years of age.

The cerebellum, frontal cortex, hippocampal and parahippocampal regions of 100 patients older than 80 years, most of whom had died of stroke, were examined. Eighteen percent were diagnosed as clinically demented. On the specimens labeled previously with Thioflavin S and Bielschowsky method, immunohistochemical studies were performed with Fab (antigen-binding fragment) of the anti beta-amyloid antibody 4G8. Positive amyloid immunoreactivity was observed in the cerebrum in 71 of 100 cases, Cerebella of 31 subjects of 71 with cerebral amyloidosis also revealed amyloid deposits. They appeared in various morphological forms, such as diffuse plaques and focal subpial deposits, as well as classical and primitive neuritic plaques. Cases with amyloid in the cerebellum alone were not observed. Beta-amyloid deposits in the cerebellum were associated with a significant number of beta-amyloid plaques in the cerebrum, which showed other Alzheimer-type pathology, also in individuals without clinical symptoms of dementia. There was no correlation either between cerebellar amyloid deposits and clinical cerebellar symptoms or between the presence of diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and neuropathological changes. A clear association of microglial cells with amyloid deposits in the cerebellum was demonstrated. In our experience, LN-1 and RCA-1 were not as suitable for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, as was anti-ferritin. Negative staining for tau-1 and positive staining for anti-ubiquitin characterized neurites within primitive and classical plaques. No neurofibrillary pathology was detected in the cytoplasm of cerebellar neurons when we used anti tau-1 labeling.     

Incidence, nature, and causes of ice hockey injuries. A three-year prospective study of a Swedish elite ice hockey team

In this prospective study, we have investigated incidence of injuries of different severity, types of injury, and mechanisms of injury during ice hockey practice and games. One Swedish elite hockey team was closely observed during three seasons (1982 to 1985). There was a total number of 95 injuries and 29 facial lacerations. The majority of injuries were minor (73%) and only 8% were classified as major. Seventy-six percent of the injuries occurred during games and 24% during practice. The incidence of injury during practice was 1.4 per 1,000 player-practice hours and 78.4 per 1,000 player-game hours. In comparison with other sports, the incidence of injury during hockey practice is very low, while that during games is high. Eighty percent of the injuries were caused by trauma and 20% by overuse. The most common types of injury were contusions, strains, and sprains. Complete tear of the medial collateral ligament of the knee was the most common severe injury. Most injuries resulted from body contact, predominantly tackling (checking), and from puck or stick contact. A reduction of the number of minor and moderate injuries should be possible by stricter enforcement of the hockey rules, especially against stick violations, and more widespread use of visors.     

Correlation of macroscopic osteoarthrotic changes and radiographic findings in the acromioclavicular joint

In a total of 108 acromioclavicular articulations from cadavers the osteoarthrotic changes were studied. The articulations were macroscopically and radiographically ranked according to their grade of osteoarthrosis. The two ranking lines were correlated statistically and showed a rank correlation of 0.741. In 38 articulations tomography was also carried out. These articulations were classified into five grades of osteoarthrosis and the macroscopic, conventional radiographic and tomographic gradings were compared. The correlation coefficient for tomography versus macroscopy was 0.714. Tomography versus standard radiography showed a correlation of 0.767 and standard radiography versus macroscopy a correlation of 0.841. The standard radiographic investigation reveals moderate and severe osteoarthrotic changes in the acromioclavicular joint but cannot depict smaller changes. Tomography does not seem to improve the specificity. There is a need for a better radiologic technique in the examination of the acromioclavicular joint. Radiography during some kind of loading might be a practical way of improving the specificity and make it possible to show early osteoarthrosis in the acromioclavicular articulation.     

Role of pulmonary diseases and physical condition in the regulation of vasoactive hormones

Lungs have many non-respiratory metabolic functions, of which some take place in the capillary endothelium, while others are in parenchymal lung tissue. We have studied the role of the lungs in the metabolism of vasoactive and some other hormones by comparing patients who have undergone lung resection to those having various obstructive or fibrotic lung diseases. We have also compared these groups with persons in good physical health. The data suggested that lung resection patients had low angiotensin II levels in plasma but the response of angiotensin II to exercise was normal. Also adrenalin concentration was low in the lung resection group while dopamine did not show any significant difference between the groups. When hormone levels were correlated to the exercise data, renin levels were especially related to physical condition. Serum post-exercise renin values were inversely related to the uneven distribution of lung perfusion, possibly thus reflecting the diminished pulmonary vascularization. A negative association was found between angiotensin II and diffusion capacity. Thus, the angiotensin II levels may preferably be controlled by the non-circulatory functions of the lungs.     

c-fms is present in primary tumours as well as in their metastases in bone marrow.

The expression of c-fms oncoprotein in different primary tumours as well as in their metastases in bone marrow, was shown. All the samples were fixed and processed by the acetone, methyl benzoate, xylene procedure (AMeX), which was suitable for studying oncoprotein expression not only in primary tumours but also in bone marrow (BM) biopsies. Among the patients suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia (AMeL), positive c-fms cells were found in 55% cases. On the contrary, patients with lymphocytic cell disorders have not had detectable c-fms oncogene product in BM biopsies.c-fms oncoprotein was also detected in some primary tumour specimens (lung carcinoma, cervical carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, breast carcinoma and melanoma) and their metastases in BM, while it was not present in normal uterine tissue. There was a positive correlation between c-fms oncoprotein expression in primary and metastatic tumours. Our results showed that c-fms product is confined, not only to some normal, but also to the variety of malignant cells of different origin.     

Nuclear morphometry and DNA flow cytometry as prognostic factors in female breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the predictive value of traditional prognostic factors, nuclear morphometry, and flow cytometric data in invasive breast cancer. DESIGN--Open study. SETTING--One university hospital in Finland. SUBJECTS--248 women with invasive breast cancer followed up for more than 11 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Univariate and multivariate analysis of factors thought to indicate prognosis. RESULTS--Diameter of the tumour, lymph node status, S phase fraction. DNA index, the age of the patient, and the SD of nuclear perimeter were significant independent predictors in the whole series in a multivariate analysis. In node negative patients the SED of the nuclear perimeter and diameter of the tumour had independent prognostic value, whereas in node positive patients diameter of the tumour and the S phase fraction were independently related to survival. CONCLUSIONS--Diameter of the tumour is an important prognostic factor in breast carcinomas. Histoquantitative methods are superior to conventional histological techniques for the prediction of outcome in women with breast cancer.