Comparison of helium-ion radiation therapy and split-course megavoltage irradiation for unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Final report of a Northern California Oncology Group randomized prospective clinical trial

Forty-nine patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the pancreas were treated in a randomized, prospective study comparing definitive helium ion radiation therapy with conventional split-course megavoltage photon irradiation. Patients in each treatment arm underwent exploratory staging laparotomy followed by concurrent radiation therapy and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. Patients treated with photons received 6,000 cGy over a period of 10 weeks; patients treated with helium irradiation received a 6,000-7,000-cGy-equivalent dose over a period of 8-9 weeks. There was no significant difference in overall survival between patients in the two treatment arms (P = .29). Patients treated with helium ions had a slightly longer median survival (7.8 months) than the photon-treated patients (6.5 months). Local control rates were slightly higher in the helium-treated patients (10% vs 5%). Complications included one chemotherapy-related death. Four of the five helium-treated patients who survived longer than 18 months died of local failure without distant metastases. These results suggest that more aggressive local therapy could result in improved survival in helium-treated patients.     

Hepatic responses to edible gums during refeeding of starved rats

The ability of edible gums to depress total liver lipids and activities of two hepatic enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and NADP-linked malic enzyme) was examined during the refeeding of 2 d starved rats. Gums were fed as 4% of dry ingredients, occasionally with added water, in otherwise identical high glucose, nutritionally adequate diets. Feeding of xantham gum for 1 or 2 d decreased the rise in two enzyme activities and in total liver lipids, but after 4 or 7 d only total liver lipids were affected. Agar, which is insoluble at room temperature, was effective only when incorporated in the diet as a stiff gel. Guar, carrageenan, karaya and pectin reduced the change in at least one hepatic parameter, but acacia and gum ghatti, which impart little viscosity to water, were without effect. The ability of seven gums to form semisolid gels at low concentrations was measured and appeared to be associated with the variable effectiveness of those gums in influencing lipid contents and enzyme activities of the liver.     

Influence of feeding conditions on slowing of gastric emptying by edible gums

The feeding of 4% guar or xanthan gum versus 4% cellulose in a final test meal was expected to slow the gastric emptying of accompanying nutrients, and the degree of this slowing was examined in rats trained to three feeding regimens. Gastric emptying of nutrient energy was calculated from the measured disappearance of fat and of either carbohydrate or total diet residue from the stomach. In experiment 1, rats were ad libitum fed a diet containing 4% cellulose for 6 1/2 days and, after 12 to 14 hours without food, were given a test meal containing either 4% guar or 4% cellulose. In experiment 2, a growth-restricting amount of 6% and 2% guar diets was fed as a single meal on each of 7 days, and the same diets were used for the final test meals. In experiment 3, rats ate 2-hour meals containing 4% and 0% guar gum, or 4% and 0% xanthan gum, on alternate days, and again the same diets were used for the test meal. The feeding of both xanthan and guar gums in a dry form did slow gastric emptying of nutrient energy, although the feeding of 6% versus 2% guar gum was without demonstrable effect (experiment 2). The slowing effect varied with past feeding conditions, being greater in experiment 1 than in experiment 3.     

Chloroquine-induced alterations in phasic muscles: II. Sarcoplasmic reticulum

Chloroquine administration (2.5 mg/100 g for 1 to 7 days) caused swelling of specific regions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the phasic posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) muscle of the chicken. These included the portion of the sarcoplasmic reticulum adjacent to the A and I bands and the region of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (adjacent to the I band) that was acid phosphatase positive in control chicken muscles. The lateral cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum and T tubules were unaltered from controls. This swelling may be due to either chloroquine accumulation in the acid phosphatase-positive sarcoplasmic reticulum or a reduced calcium content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum resulting from an inhibition of calcium transport by chloroquine.     

Scatter variability in the WAIS-R profiles of mentally retarded adults

ABSTRACT. One hundred and sixty mentally retarded adults were administered the WAIS-R, and the scatter variability of their test profiles was examined. Compared to the WAIS data of Coolidge et al . (1986), the WAIS-R was less variable in its intratest and intertest scatter. The data support Wechsler's original statements about the characteristics of intelligence test profiles among mentally retarded adults.     

Reduced Ia-afferent-mediated Hoffman reflex in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is a late-onset inherited disease characterized by the deposition of amyloid fibrils. FAP is associated with mutations on the transthyretin (TTR) gene. A monoclonal antibody, MAb 39-44, reacting with high molecular weight aggregates of TTR but not with tetrameric TTR has recently been generated and characterized. This antibody recognizes a cryptic epitope that is expressed in isolated recombinant amyloidogenic mutants and in ex vivo amyloid. In the present work we show that this amyloid-specific antibody specifically recognizes in a direct enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) plasma TTR from carriers of various mutations associated with FAP, both in asymptomatic individuals and in patients. In contrast, it does not react with plasma TTR from healthy individuals or that from carriers of nonpathogenic mutations. Using the ELISA developed in this study we identified three different TTR mutations in Portuguese patients with neuropathy of unknown cause, later shown to have amyloid tissue deposition. This antibody recognizes conformations that express cryptic epitopes shared by amyloidogenic TTR variants associated with FAP, not present among nonpathogenic TTR molecules. This antibody will contribute to further identify and characterize intermediates of the amyloidogenic cascade. In addition, it will also be useful for screening amyloidogenic TTR mutations in patients with neuropathy of unknown cause, prior to precise molecular diagnosis using protein and/or DNA analysis.