Cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma of the uterus with intravascular growth: report of two cases

We present two cases of cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma of the uterus with intravascular involvement, which occurred in women aged 73 and 48 years. Grossly and microscopically, both neoplasms had an extrauterine cotyledonoid part and intrauterine dissecting fascicles of disorganized, swirled neoplastic smooth muscle with hydropic degeneration and foci of an intravascular growth (the latter was identified histologically). To our knowledge, the intravascular component of such a neoplasm is a very rare feature that has previously been described only in three cases in the literature.     

Natural killer cell precursors in the CD44neg/dim T-cell receptor population of mouse bone marrow

Natural killer (NK) cells develop from the nonadherent cell component of NK long-term bone marrow (BM) cultures (NK-LTBMC). Because these nonadherent cells are depleted of mature NK cells and T cells, but appear to enriched for NK precursors, they were used as a starting population to begin to define the NK precursors that function in NK- LTBMC. As the stromal cell component of NK-LTBMC has been shown to support interleukin (IL)-2-induced, CD44 dependent, NK cell development from nonadherent NK precursors, NK-LTBMC stroma was used in a limiting dilution assay (LDA) to quantitate the precursors. NK-LTBMC in 96-well plates were irradiated (20 Gy) to kill hematopoietic cells (including the NK precursors), seeded with limiting dilutions of the cells to be quantitated, cultured with 500 U/mL IL-2 for 13 days and assayed for development of NK activity by adding 51Cr-labeled YAC-1 cells to the wells and evaluating the release of 51Cr after 4 hours. Flow cytometric analysis, sorting, and quantitation of the nonadherent cell component of NK-LTBMC showed that NK precursors were concentrated in the CD44neg/dim subset that comprised 10% of the "lymphoid" gated cells. When the CD44neg/dim subset was sorted from BM of mice treated with 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) day before (-1FUBM), there were about 30% T cells, but no NK-1.1+ cells. When the T cells were removed by sorting and the CD44neg/dim, alphabeta, gammadelta T-cell receptorneg (TCR-) subpopulation was seeded onto irradiated stroma with IL-2, they proliferated, developed NK activity, became NK-1.1+ and CD44bright and remained alphabeta, gammadelta TCR-. The frequency of NK precursors in this population as estimated from the LDA was about 1/500.     

A PIL for every ill? Patient information leaflets (PILs): a review of past, present and future use

This article reviews the usefulness and importance of written information, specifically leaflets, being given to patients. Evidence suggesting how both patient and doctor may benefit from the giving of written information is reviewed. Identification of good practice relating to the content and readability of leaflets is discussed. An argument is put forward that the giving of written information is an under-utilized resource in contributing to improving patient outcomes but that this may be changing with the increasing use of patient leaflet databases. The advantages and disadvantages of computer- generated patient leaflets are discussed and desirable further areas of research on computer-generated leaflets are proposed.      

Morphofunctional transformations in the thymus and lymph nodes after irradiation with a helium-neon laser

Morphological transformations occurring in the thymus and lymph nodes are studied in Wistar rats after irradiation of the thymus projection area and transcutaneous irradiation of peripheral blood with a low-energy helium-neon laser during a 7-day period. Irradiation of the thymus projection area stimulates lymphopoiesis in T-dependent zones of lymph nodes, while irradiation of peripheral blood increases lymph flow through lymph node parenchyma and activates B-dependent zones. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 123, No. 5, pp. 588–590, May, 1997     

Implementation of a membrane gas-exchange technique based on perfluorodecalin

Conclusions 1. Injection of perfluorodecalin dispersed with oxygen into a gas-containing compartment of porous membrane (e.g., made of teflon) oxygenators modifies the membrane oxygenators, allowing practical application of liquid blood oxygenators safeguarded against penetration of gas-carrying liquid into blood.2. Application of liquid oxygenators ensure minimum traumatization and effective extrapulmonary oxygenation of blood under artificial circulation. Therefore, clinical application of the proposed gas-exchange membrane technique is rather topical and promising.S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, St. Petersburg. Translated from Meditsinskaya Tekhnika, No. 1, pp. 39–40, January–February, 1993.