Completeness of case ascertainment in a Scottish regional cancer registry for the year 1992

To assess completeness of case ascertainment by the Scottish Cancer Registry for the year 1992, we assembled a collection of databases containing potential registrations (excluding non-melanoma skin tumours and non-invasive neoplasms) from 14 separate sources relating to the population covered by one of the five regional registries. Apparently missed registrations were identified by linkage of these databases to cancer registration records. Their eligibility for registration was determined by reference to medical records, or when these were unavailable, by reference to the local Community Health Index (to establish residency at the time of diagnosis) in conjunction with the text of the original pathology report and/or the original death certificate. Misclassifications of site or incidence year were not regarded as missed cases.Of 517 apparently missed cancer registrations, 66 cases (3.5% of the revised total number of registrations of malignant neoplasms other than non-melanoma skin tumours for the study area in 1992) should have been registered as new independent primary malignant neoplasms, giving an overall estimate of completeness of 96.5%. The fact that so many apparently missed registrations were not eligible for registration illustrates the limitations of passive registration. Ascertainment of cases by the Scottish Cancer Registry appears to be high for most sites and compares favourably to the figures reported by registries outside Scotland.     

Angiography of liver transplantation patients

Over 45 months, 119 angiographic examinations were performed in 95 patients prior to liver transplantation, and 53 examinations in 44 patients after transplantation. Transplantation feasibility was influenced by patency of the portal vein and inferior vena cava. Selective arterial portography, wedged hepatic venography, and transhepatic portography were used to assess the portal vein if sonography or computed tomography was inconclusive. Major indications for angiography after transplantation included early liver failure, sepsis, unexplained elevation of liver enzyme levels, and delayed bile leakage, all of which may be due to hepatic artery thrombosis. Other indications included gastrointestinal tract bleeding, hemobilia, and evaluation of portal vein patency in patients with chronic rejection who were being considered for retransplantation. Normal radiographic features of hepatic artery and portal vein reconstruction are demonstrated. Complications diagnosed using results of angiography included hepatic artery or portal vein stenoses and thromboses and pancreaticoduodenal aneurysms. Intrahepatic arterial narrowing, attenuation, slow flow, and poor filling were seen in five patients with rejection.     

Studies on the inhibitory action of somatostatin in the electrically stimulated rat vas deferens.

Somatostatin (SS) inhibits in a dose-dependent manner electrically evoked contractions in the rat vas deferens. This action was not modified by yohimbine, naloxone or a mixture of antagonists containing atropine, phentolamine, methysergide, burimamide, propranolol and indomethacin, but was markedly potentiated by reducing the Ca2+ concentration of the medium from 2.5 to 1.25 mM and greatly inhibited when increasing the Ca2+ concentration of the medium from 2.5 to 5.0 mM. Clonidine (CLO), but not beta-endorphin (ENDO) was affected similarly to SS by changing the Ca2+ concentration of the medium. The contractile effect of norepinephrine in unstimulated rat vas deferens was not altered by SS. These results were taken as an indication that SS produces its inhibitory action in the rat vas deferens by interacting with specific SS and its receptors presumably located in the cell membranes of adrenergic nerve terminals. The interaction between SS and its receptors may provoke a decreased diffusion of Ca2+ ions into the nerve terminals and/or a decreased mobilisation of Ca2+ ions from intraneuronal stores thus leading to a reduction in electrically evoked release of norepinephrine.     

Partial blockade of neurotensin-induced hypotension in rats by nephrectomy captopril and saralasin. Possible mechanisms

We have assessed the influence of acute bilateral nephrectomy, of captopril and saralasin, on the hypotensive activity of neurotensin (NT) and of various hypotensive drugs in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. The results show that the hypotensive activity of NT and of compound 48/80 (C48/80), in contrast to that of histamine, of 5-hydroxytryptamine and of hexamethonium, is markedly reduced, especially for NT, in nephrectomized as compared to sham operated rats. The pretreatment of rats with captopril (10 mg kg-1, i.v.) or with saralasin (20 micrograms kg-1 min-1, i.v.) was found to inhibit significantly the hypotensive activity of NT and of C48/80. Adrenalectomy restored partially the hypotensive activity of NT in nephrectomized rats. The potent vasopressin antagonist [d(CH2)5 Tyr(Me)AVP] did not alter the refractoriness of nephrectomized rats to the hypotensive activity of NT. Neither nephrectomy nor saralasin were found to interfere with the ability of NT or of C48/80 to evoke an increase of plasma histamine level or of the hematocrit. The results were interpreted as an indication that NT produces part of its hypotensive effect in anesthetized rats by reducing the activity of the renin angiotensin system. The results also suggest that part of the refractoriness of nephrectomized rats to the hypotensive activity of NT could be due to the release of catecholamines from adrenal glands by NT. Endogenous vasopressin does not appear to contribute to the refractoriness of nephrectomized rats to the hypotensive action of NT.     

Pupillary effects of neurotensin: Structure- activity relationships

We have previously reported that intracameral (I.C.) administration of neurotensin (NT) potently induces a time- and dose-dependent miosis in rabbits. This study was designed to determine structure-function relationships for NT-induced miosis. NT and twelve different fragments and analogs of NT, and the structurally-unrelated peptides beta-endorphin (beta-end), somatostatin (SRIF) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were tested in a dose equimolar to 30 micrograms of NT for their effects on pupillary diameter (PD) in rabbits. In confirmation of previous findings, NT produced significant miosis. Followed in order of duration of effect were D-Trp11-NT, D-Tyr11-NT, the N-terminal fragment NT1-12, [Gln4] - NT and NMe-NT. The N-terminal fragment NT1-8, D-Arg8-NT, and D-Phe11-NT were weakly active. In addition, the initial N-terminal fragment NT1-6 and the C-terminal fragments NT8-13 and NT9-13 did not affect PD. D-Pro10-NT, beta-end, SRIF, and TRH were totally ineffective. The results of this investigation contribute to support a role for NT on regulation of pupillary function, and suggest that the midportion of NT appears to be critical for the expression of NT-induced miosis.