The vasa vasorum and angioplasty

Interruption of flow in the vasa vasorum may lead to medial necrosis and aneurysm formation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether angioplasty produces significant alterations in the morphology or blood flow of the vasa vasorum of the dilated artery. The morphology of the canine vasa vasorum was studied before and after angioplasty; in a separate experiment vessel wall blood flow (VWBF) in canine carotid arteries was measured after angioplasty to determine whether physiologic regulation of the blood flow was disrupted by arterial dilation. No morphologic changes could be demonstrated in the vasa vasorum of the dilated artery; however, VWBF was increased by 1194 +/- 215% (mean +/- standard error, p less than 0.01) between 90 and 120 minutes after angioplasty. VWBF in the adjacent nondilated arterial segment was also increased (720 +/- 177% between 10-30 minutes, p less than 0.01) but returned toward normal after 60 minutes. Adenosine caused a "paradoxical" decrease in VWBF (p less than 0.05) of the dilated arterial segment while causing increased VWBF (p less than 0.05) in the thoracic aorta. Angioplasty appears to produce persistent hyperemia in the dilated arterial wall. A paradoxical response to adenosine suggests that vasa vasorum in the dilated arterial segment are maximally vasodilated. This may be due to mechanical disruption of vasomotor tone or to release of vasoactive substances.     

A changing paradigm of glioma biology

The past 30 years have witnessed a major paradigm shift in brain tumor research with the development of a wide variety of molecular     

The effects of alkyl-lysophospholipids on leukemic cell lines. I. Differential action on two human leukemic cell lines, HL60 and K562

The action of an alkyl-lysophospholipid (ALP), ET180CH3, on clonogenicity, 3H-TdR uptake, and cell numbers was tested in two human leukemic cell lines, HL60 and K562, and short-term human leukemic bone marrow cultures. ALP eliminated clonogenicity in HL60 but not in K562 cultures; 3H-TdR uptake and cell numbers were depressed at low concentrations of ET180CH3 in HL60, but not K562 cultures. The action of the lysophospholipid analog on human leukemic bone marrow short-term cultures at low concentrations was similar to its action on HL60 cultures; clonogenicity and 3H-TdR uptake were depressed, but cell numbers were not significantly affected. The demonstration of differential action of ALP on two cell lines should significantly simplify the investigation of the mechanism of the reported differential action of ET180CH3 on normal and leukemic cell membranes.     

Evolution of liver disease in morbid obesity after small-intestinal bypass and its restoration. A case report

We studied a woman who underwent a jejunoileal bypass for the treatment of morbid obesity and in whom severe jaundice and hepatic failure developed six months later; these developments prompted restoration of the normal continuity of the small bowel. Four serial wedge biopsy specimens of the liver were taken during a three-year follow-up. The first biopsy was performed before the bypass surgery, the second six months after the operation, the third three months after restoration of normal continuity of the bowel, and the fourth three years later. The biopsy specimens clearly showed the morphologic changes of the liver in obesity, the effect of small intestinal bypass and its reversal on hepatic structure, and the natural evolution of liver disease in morbid obesity.     

Depth of cervical stromal invasion as a prognostic factor after radical surgery for early stage cervical cancer

INTRODUCTION: In the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Pathologists have issued guidelines detailing how the depth of stromal invasion (DOI) in cervical cancer should be measured as a percentage of the overall cervical radius in millimeters. Several studies have found the assessment of the depth of stromal invasion by cancer of the cervix to be of prognostic value. These studies did not take into account patients whose diagnostic procedures required removal of much tumor (large loop excision of the transformation zone [LLETZ] and knife cone biopsies). Furthermore, the Royal College of Pathologists guidelines do not address this issue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over the period of 6 years, 228 women had radical hysterectomy (RH) for stage Ib/IIa cervical cancer. The percentage of the depth of stromal invasion was measured according to the Royal College of Pathologist's guidelines in the UK. Patients who had large loop excision of the transformation zone and knife cone biopsies were excluded (91 patients). RESULTS: A Cox regression analysis showed that when nodal involvement, depth of stromal invasion, endothelial lined space invasion (ELSI), and tumor type were fitted simultaneously, only nodal involvement remained as a marker of adverse outcome. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that when the DOI is measured, account should be taken of the LLETZ/knife cone biopsy size. A randomized controlled trial, which concludes that DOI is an independent prognostic factor, is needed. Until this is properly evaluated, we feel that including DOI as an essential part of the standard pathological report is not warranted.