Aspiration cytology in the management of breast lesions

In a group of patients with breast lumps, diagnosis made by pre-operative aspiration cytology was compared with that obtained by histological section of excised specimens. Results showed that aspiration cytology correctly diagnosed 89% of malignant lesions and 92.6% of benign lesions based upon histological diagnosis. Cytological diagnosis of benign disease had a false negative rate of 6% while cytological diagnosis of malignant disease had a 2.7% false positive rate. Only 3.5% of cytologies returned an inadequate diagnosis. This study shows that aspiration cytology should be useful in allowing a better psychological preparation of patients before surgery as well as better utilization of operation theatre facilities.     

Regional anaesthesia in ambulatory surgery

Regional anaesthesia provides many advantages and can be practised safely in ambulatory surgery. It provides better postoperative pain control, avoids many complications associated with general anaesthesia and shortens recovery time. However, extra time required, associated complications and acceptance of patients are the factors of concern in practising regional anaesthesia in an ambulatory setting. This review will discuss various regional anaesthesia techniques suitable for outpatients.     

In vitro synthesis of antimycobacterial antibodies with different specificities in various tissues of leprosy patients

For the detection of the synthesis in vitro of anti-Mycobacterium leprae antibodies in various tissues of leprosy patients, biopsy specimens of skin lesions, nasal mucosa, larynx, lymph nodes, and bone marrow were cultured in a medium containing 14C-labeled lysine and isoleucine. The culture fluids were analyzed by crossed immunoelectrophoresis with intermediate gel and autoradiography. The results show that synthesis of anti-M. leprae antibodies occurs at the investigated sites of leprosy patients and that the specificities of the synthesized antibodies differ between sites in individual patients. It is conceivable that these antibodies play a role in the local defense against M. leprae.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of head and neck masses

One hundred eighty-two fine needle aspirations (FNAs) of head and neck masses performed between the years 1981 and 1987 were studied retrospectively. Seventeen FNAs were unsatisfactory. Of the remaining 165, 148 (90%) were followed up with either surgery or clinical follow-up of at least 12 months' duration. Seventy-one of these aspirates were malignant. Fifty-six cases of metastatic carcinoma and 13 cases of lymphoma were diagnosed. The positive predictive value for metastatic carcinoma and lymphoma was 100%, and the sensitivities were 92% and 100%, respectively. For benign salivary gland lesions, the positive predictive value was 94%, whereas for malignant lesions it was 100%. One case of carcinoma ex-pleomorphic adenoma was missed by FNA. No complications were associated with FNA. We conclude that FNA is a safe and accurate technique, well suited to the in-office evaluation of neck masses of differing causes.     

Activation of the Akt/GSK3beta signaling pathway mediates survival of vulnerable hippocampal neurons after transient global cerebral ischemia in rats.

Recent studies have revealed that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) pathway is involved in apoptotic cell death after experimental cerebral ischemia. The serine-threonine kinase, Akt, functions in the PI3-K pathway and prevents apoptosis by phosphorylation at Ser473 after a variety of cell death stimuli. After phosphorylation, activated Akt inactivates other apoptogenic factors, including glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK3beta), thereby inhibiting cell death. However, the role of Akt/GSK3beta signaling in the delayed death of hippocampal neurons in the CA1 subregion after transient global cerebral ischemia (tGCI) has not been clarified. Transient global cerebral ischemia for 5 mins was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion combined with hypotension. Western blot analysis showed a significant increase in phospho-Akt (Ser473) and phospho-GSK3beta (Ser9) in the hippocampal CA1 subregion after tGCI. Immunohistochemistry showed that expression of phospho-Akt (Ser473) and phospho-GSK3beta (Ser9) was markedly increased in the vulnerable CA1 subregion, but not in the ischemic-tolerant CA3 subregion. Double staining with phospho-GSK3beta (Ser9) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling showed different cellular distributions in the CA1 subregion 3 days after tGCI. Phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3beta was prevented by LY294002, a PI3-K inhibitor, which facilitated subsequent DNA fragmentation 3 days after tGCI. Moreover, transgenic rats that overexpress copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase, which is known to be neuroprotective against delayed hippocampal CA1 injury after tGCI, had enhanced and persistent phosphorylation of both Akt and GSK3beta after tGCI. These findings suggest that activation of the Akt/GSK3beta signaling pathway may mediate survival of vulnerable hippocampal CA1 neurons after tGCI.     

Multiclefted nuclei. A helpful feature for identification of intermediate trophoblastic cells in uterine curetting specimens.

Intermediate trophoblast is a distinct form of trophoblast, the presence of which in uterine curettings is considered a reliable indicator of intrauterine pregnancy even in the absence of chorionic villi. However, the appearance of intermediate trophoblastic cells have not been described in sufficiently specific terms to permit their reliable identification, and distinction from decidual cells can be difficult. We have noticed for some time that the intermediate trophoblastic cells often show multiple deep clefts in the nuclei, and the present study was performed to address the issue of whether this nuclear feature is reliable for their identification. We reviewed 242 uterine curettings of intrauterine pregnancy, documented by the presence of chorionic villi, and were able to find a distinct population of cells with large, hyperchromatic, multiclefted nuclei scattered in the decidua in 88% of the cases. In most instances, these cells produced a characteristic variegated pattern that was readily recognizable at low magnification. Positive immunostaining for cytokeratin (CAM 5.2) in these isolated cells within the decidua confirmed their trophoblastic nature. In contrast, multiclefted nuclei were absent in the 51 negative control cases, which included decidualized endocervical polyps (40 cases), uterine curettings from patients with tubal pregnancy (10 cases), and endometriosis with decidual change (one case). We conclude that intermediate trophoblastic cells can usually be reliably identified in curettings of intrauterine pregnancy by their characteristic nuclear multiclefting.     

Autologous blood transfusion for pediatric bone marrow donors.

Nine normal bone marrow donors aged 7-166 months (median 69 months) received autologous red cells which had been removed from their marrow harvest after collection. The median volume of marrow removed from the donors was 18.6 ml/kg which was equivalent to a median blood volume loss of 23.3%. Three infant donors were transfused with autologous red blood cells intraoperatively. These cells had been salvaged from the initial marrow aliquot and were transfused while bone marrow harvesting continued. No donors required homologous blood transfusion. This technique is useful for marrow donors in the pediatric age group when preharvest autologous blood collection is not feasible or available.     

Retrospective analysis of 5037 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated during 1976-1985: overall survival and patterns of failure.

This is a retrospective analysis of 5037 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx treated during the years 1976-1985. The stage distribution according to Ho's classification was 9% Stage I, 13% II, 50% III, 22% IV, and 6% Stage V. Only 4488 (89%) patients had a full course of megavoltage radiation therapy. The median equivalent dose to the nasopharyngeal region was 65 Gy and cervical region in node-positive patients 53 Gy. Seventy percent (906/1290) of the node-negative patients had no prophylactic neck irradiation. The overall actuarial 10-year survival rate was 43%, and the corresponding failure-free survival 34%. Altogether, 4157 (83%) patients achieved complete remission lasting more than 6 months, but 53% (2205/4157) of them relapsed after a median interval of 1.4 years. The 10-year actuarial local, regional, and distant failure-free rates were 61%, 64%, and 59%, respectively. Thirty-eight percent (338/891) of all patients with local recurrence achieved second local remission. The local complete remission rate with aggressive re-irradiation alone was 47% (333/706). But 37% (124/338) of the responders recurred the second time. The incidence of distant failure correlated significantly with both the N-stage and the T-stage, with the highest (57%) occurring in patients with N3 disease. The incidence of nodal relapse in node-negative patients was 11% (44/384) among those given prophylactic neck irradiation, but 40% (362/906) among those without. Therapeutic irradiation achieved a complete regional remission rate of 90% (306/339). However, despite successful salvage, these patients had a significantly higher distant failure rate than those without nodal relapse, even if they remained local-failure-free (21% vs 6%). Patients treated during 1981-1985 achieved significantly better treatment results than those treated during 1976-1980, especially in terms of the overall survival (57% vs 47% at 5-year), the overall failure-free survival (42% vs 35% at 5-year), and the local failure-free rate (70% vs 63% at 5-year). The possible contributing factors are discussed.