Radiotherapy for melanotic freckles

Five patients who received radiotherapy (RT) for 7 melanotic freckles (MF, also known as Hutchinson's freckles, lentigo maligna) were reviewed 8 to 37 months after their treatment by RT. Local control and a favourable cosmetic result occurred in all patients. Treatment toxicity was minimal. Few reports about the use of RT for MF exist. Many other treatments including observation alone have been associated with high rates of recurrence, and in some cases conversion to invasive melanoma has occurred. RT appears to be a safe and effective treatment for this condition, providing that doses equivalent to 44 Gy in 11 fractions or more are given.     

灰黄霉素中灰黄霉酸杂质及色泽的考查

目的：本文采用薄层色谱法考查了不同厂家灰黄霉素中灰黄霉酸杂质的存在。方法；以丙酮为溶媒，精制灰黄霉素，摸索分离条件，探讨杂质限度，考查产品色泽。结果：杂质均值为０．２７６％，ＲＳＤ为０．１６８％。结论：对改进产品检验方法，提高产品质量具有一定的参考价值。     

Carboxypeptidase G2 and trimetrexate cause growth delay of human colonic cancer cells in vitro

MAWI colonic cancer cells respond to sequential treatment in vitro with carboxypeptidase G2 and trimetrexate by a delay in cell growth as measured by cell numbers, but an increase in incorporation of 75-Se-selenomethionine per cell. The cells are not methionine auxotrophs.     

Potential differences between mother and foetus at different gestational ages in the rat, rabbit and guinea-pig

1. Potential differences associated with fluid compartments of rat, rabbit and guinea-pig conceptuses have been measured. [Na(+)] and [Cl(-)] in maternal plasma and amniotic fluid from these three species were also determined.2. Transplacental potential differences of about 15 mV (foetus positive) were found in the rat, of approximately 0 mV in the rabbit, and of about 18 mV (foetus negative) in the guinea-pig.3. Amniotic fluid potential differences appeared to arise indirectly from the transplacental potential difference in the rat, from the foetal gastric mucosa in the rabbit, and possibly from the foetal gastric mucosa and indirectly from the placenta in the guinea-pig.4. The results are discussed in the context of Na(+) transfer to the foetus, and on this basis tend to question the general assumption that almost all Na(+) reaching the foetus passes across the placenta.     

Infection of Israeli culicoides with African horse sickness, blue tongue and akabane viruses

Type 9 African horse sickness virus and type 4 bluetongue virus multiplied to a high titre in an Israeli strain of Culicoides puncticollis after intrathoracic inoculation. Akabane virus persisted for at least 10 days in this midge after intrathoracic inoculation but with little evidence of virus multiplication. All 3 viruses failed to multiply in C. puncticollis after ingestion by the oral route and all were inactivated by 4 days post infection. Five other species of Israeli Culicoides supported multiplication of bluetongue virus after intrathoracic inoculation.     

Tarsal navicular stress fractures: radiographic evaluation

Tarsal navicular stress fractures are a potential source of disabling foot pain in physically active individuals. The diagnosis of tarsal navicular stress fracture requires a high index of clinical and radiographic suspicion because the fracture is only rarely evident on routine radiographs or standard tomograms. The radiographic diagnosis of a tarsal navicular stress fracture may require anatomic anteroposterior tomograms or a radionuclide bone scan with plantar views. Radiographic examinations of 23 fractures in 21 patients are evaluated.     

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase expression is restricted to fetal trophoblast giant cells during murine gestation and is maternal genome specific

Pharmacologic inhibition of indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) activity during murine pregnancy results in rejection of allogeneic fetuses by the maternal immune system. Here, we show that IDO expression is restricted to perinuclear regions of primary trophoblast giant cells (TGCs) of fetal origin at mid-gestation (E10.5). After placentation (E14), no IDO expression was detected at the maternal-fetal interface. Matings involving IDO-deficient females revealed that paternally inherited IDO alleles were inactive in primary TGCs, presumably due to paternal genome-specific gene inactivation. Allogeneic matings in which both parents were genetically IDO-deficient produced litters of normal sizes at normal rates compared to IDO-sufficient parental mice, implying that compensatory or redundant immunosuppressive mechanisms protected allogeneic fetuses during gestation in IDO-deficient mice. Consistent with this notion, treatment with IDO inhibitor did not affect allogeneic pregnancy rates when both parents were IDO-deficient, confirming that IDO was the relevant pharmacologic target of the IDO inhibitor in matings involving IDO-sufficient mice. Hence, IDO is a key immunosuppressive mechanism in normal murine pregnancies, and it is regulated entirely through maternally inherited fetal genes.