Defective development of the thymus and immunological abnormalities in the neurological mouse mutation "staggerer"

The autosomal recessive mouse mutation "staggerer" (sg/sg), located on chromosome 9, has been recognized as a neurological mutant because of movement abnormalities and defective cerebellar development. We show here that the sg/sg mutation not only affects the development of the cerebellum, but also causes developmental and regulatory changes of the immune system: We observed, on gross inspection, a marked delay in the development of sg/sg thymus, generally enlarged lymph nodes, and undersized spleens. When immunized with SRBC, the sg/sg mouse generated, in normal proportions, helper T-cells in vivo and antibody-forming B-cells in vitro; however, a delay in terminating the response and a deficiency in generating suppressor cells was noted. This suggests the existence of a defect in regulatory feedback mechanisms. The marked delay in the growth of the thymus gland was associated with the prolonged existence of cell-surface carbohydrate patterns characteristic of immature thymocytes. The prolonged expression of embryonal cell-surface phenotypes was observed on the surface of cerebellum and thymus (and, to some extent, spleen) but not in cells from other organs.     

Aneurysm of the abdominal aorta ruptured to the retroperitoneal space and inferior vena cava. Case report.

Case of sixty-six year old male with abdominal aortic aneurysm rupturing into the retroperitoneal space and inferior vena cava is presented because of its rarity. Patient was operated upon with initial success but died probably due to pulmonary embolism with thrombus originating from the inferior vena cava narrowed at surgery.     

Use of focus groups in evaluating nutrition education materials

Focus groups were used to study public reaction to the nutrition education material, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, US Department of Agriculture bulletin HG232. Respondents were asked to comment specifically on the content and format of bulletin HG232 and to compare it with several other commonly used nutrition education print materials. The focus group discussions were recorded on videotape and the information was analyzed by two independent reviews of the tapes. The focus groups produced good information on perceived usability of a variety of nutrition education print materials and made specific suggestions for improving HG232. Although there are limitations to using focus groups as a data collection technique (data are not quantitative, making data analysis difficult; responses are influenced by group dynamics; and some suggestions made by the group are not appropriate), the richness and innovativeness of the data collected make focus groups a worthwhile evaluation method for nutritionists.     

THE USE OF BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES TO SHOW THAT TWO SIGNALS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE INDUCTION OF ANTIBODY SYNTHESIS

Evidence is presented that antigen-sensitive cells require two signals for induction. Normally these two signals are delivered to the cell via the recognition of two determinants on the immunogen: the first the receptor on the antigen-sensitive cell, and the second by the cooperating cell system. The special experimental situation described here depends upon the observation that bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) render immunogenic a variety of haptens. When monovalent haptens (TNP-amino acids) are added to spleen cultures, specific antihapten responses are induced in the presence of LPS. After analyzing competing interpretations of this phenomenon, we propose that the antigenic signal is delivered as the consequence of a conformational change in the receptor upon interacting with antigen, and the second signal is delivered directly via the interaction of LPS with the membrane on the antigen-sensitive cell receiving the antigenic signal, or indirectly via the interaction of LPS with the cooperating cell population. These data imply LPS is not itself a mitogen, but merely completes an inductive stimulus to B cells. The experimental results from these and other studies indicate how these two signals may participate in inductive, suppressive, and paralytic stimuli to antigen-sensitive cells.     

Cure of early-stage Hodgkin's disease with subtotal nodal irradiation

Ninety-four consecutive patients with Stage I or II Hodgkin's disease who presented supradiaphragmatically were treated with radiation therapy alone at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology from January 1978 through December 1986. Fifty-two patients (55%) were staged pathologically, and 42 (45%) were staged clinically. The latter included lymphangiography and/or abdominal computed tomographic scan. Most patients with B symptoms and/or bulky disease were excluded from this series. Seventy-four patients were treated with subtotal nodal irradiation (mantle and periaortic fields). The spleen was treated if the patient had not undergone splenectomy. Twenty patients received mantle irradiation only. No patient received total nodal irradiation. All patients had an initial complete response. With a minimum follow-up of 7 months (median, 7.7 years; seven patients died before 3 years of follow-up, but all other patients had at least 3 years of follow-up), 81 patients (86%) remained disease-free. Six of 52 (12%) of the pathologically staged group had a relapse, as did seven of 42 (17%) of the clinically staged group (P = 0.68). Eight of 57 Stage I patients versus five of 37 Stage II patients had a relapse (P greater than 0.99). Analysis of disease-free survival by age, histologic findings, sex, and sites of involvement did not predict relapse. The pelvis was the most common site of failure (nine patients, 10%). However, only three patients (3%) failed in the pelvis alone. These results indicate that patients who, after adequate clinical staging with selective use of staging laparotomy, are found to have Stage I and II Hodgkin's disease may be treated with subtotal nodal irradiation with a high rate of cure.