Cytophotometric investigations on atypical epithelial cells of the human seminal vesicle

Normal seminal vesicles were studied histologically in 80, and by Feulgen’s cytophotometric method in 10 autopsied cases (males, 44–82 years of age). In every case large, hyperchromatic nuclei were found. By cytophotometry euploid polyploid atypia was also shown in every case, which is characteristic of benign hormonal dysplasia.     

Adenocarcinoma cervicis uteri. An appraisal of treatment results for a period of 40 years

A retrospective study was done in 316 patients with primary cervical adenocarcinoma treated at the Research Institute for Clinical and Experimental Oncology in Brno over a period of 40 years (1939-1978). The treatment results were compared to those in 2571 patients with epidermoid carcinomas of the uterine cervix treated at the Institute over the same period. The 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in adenocarcinoma patients (in Stage I patients, 77.8% vs. 84.5%, and, in the whole group, 60.8% vs. 70.3%). The assessment of the treatment results of this study has clearly showed that in cervical adenocarcinomas, surgery combined with radiotherapy was much more effective than radical radiotherapy alone (77.4% vs. 64.7%). In contrast to this, in epidermoid carcinomas the treatment results were better after radical radiotherapy (86.5% vs. 81.3%). Thus, in the prognosis of cervical adenocarcinomas the mass of the tumor, the size of the uterus, as well as the grading play a role. That means that primary cervical adenocarcinomas at early stages can be successfully treated by a combination of radical surgery and radiotherapy, while radiotherapy of advanced stages of this tumor is less successful.     

Scintigraphic detection of occult hemorrhage in a patient receiving anticoagulants

The exact location of hemorrhage complicating anticoagulant therapy is sometimes difficult to establish. We present a case in which imaging with 99mTc-labeled red cells had a significant role in the diagnosis of soft-tissue bleeding in a paraplegic patient receiving long-term anticoagulation.     

Criteria for the evaluation of the biochemical composition of bile]

The authors suggest additional criteria evidencing inflammations in the gallbladder and colloid stability of the bile: bile acid absorption and cholesterol sedimentation coefficients. Derivation of these coefficients is based on biochemical examination of the bile with measurements of bile acid, cholesterol, and bilirubin concentrations in both portions. The results of examinations of 99 subjects evidence the diagnostic value and specificity of the characteristics, and availability of this method for clinical practice.     

Management of pediatric pontine gliomas

We present 36 consecutive patients with intrinsic glioma of the pons. Tumors with exophytic expansion were excluded. There were 16 females and 20 males, ranging in age from 2 to 13 years, median 6 years. The most common presenting symptoms were cranial nerve dysfunction. unsteadiness of gait, and hemiparesis. Computed tomography (CT) showed a hypodense (17/21) or isodense (4/21) expansion of the pons. Five tumors had areas of contrast enhancement. Following information about prognosis and possible types of management, parents decided for or against radiation therapy: twentyfour children underwent irradiation and 12 did not. Median survival among children receiving a full course of irradiation was 280 days, compared to 140 days in an equivalent group of non-irradiated children. Hemiparesis presenting without cranial nerve symptoms and contrast enhancement on CT scan were poor prognostic factors, whereas sex, age, and duration of symptoms at diagnosis were unrelated to prognosis.     

Extracellular serotonin levels change with behavioral state but not with pyrogen-induced hyperthermia.

Extracellular 5-HT in the anterior hypothalamus/preoptic area (AH/POA) and caudate nucleus of the freely moving cat was measured using in vivo brain microdialysis. Administration of 8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist that decreases 5-HT neuronal activity, decreased extracellular 5-HT in both brain areas. Extracellular 5-HT levels were also examined in relationship to the sleep-wake cycle, because previous data from our laboratory have indicated that behavioral state is the primary determinant of 5-HT neuronal discharge. As with 5-HT neuronal discharge, extracellular 5-HT was increased during active behavioral states and decreased during somnolent periods. These first two sets of findings confirm the ability of the microdialysis technique to measure physiological fluctuations in extracellular 5-HT levels and support the hypothesis that neuronal discharge is a major determinant of extracellular 5-HT levels. Levels of the 5-HT metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in the AH/POA were also responsive to changes in behavioral state and administration of 8-OH-DPAT, though fluctuations in extracellular 5-HIAA were less robust and temporally delayed. Finally, extracellular 5-HT and 5-HIAA were examined in the AH/POA during fever induced by systemic injection of the synthetic pyrogen muramyl dipeptide. Previous data from our laboratory have indicated that 5-HT neuronal activity is unaffected by this manipulation, though 5-HT has been implicated specifically in thermoregulation. Pyrogen-induced hypothermia produced no specific change in 5-HT efflux, because any changes noted could be accounted for by behavioral state changes. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the brain serotonergic system is closely linked to the sleep-wake-arousal cycle. However, extracellular 5-HT may be involved in thermoregulatory processes as part of a global role in modulating neuronal activity in coordination with the behavioral state of the animal.     

Dexamethasone inhibits food intake suppression induced by low doses of interleukin-1 beta administered intracerebroventricularly.

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) microinfusion of recombinant human interleukin-1 beta (rhIL-1 beta, 0.125 to 2.0 ng/rat) dose-dependently suppressed 2 h and nighttime food intake in rats. The following daytime food intake did not change or increased. ICV infusion of bovine serum albumin (BSA), or heat-treated rhIL-1 beta had no effect on food intake. Pretreatment with dexamethasone (200 micrograms/rat, intraperitoneal) blocked the food intake suppression induced by low doses of rhIL-1 beta. This ability of dexamethasone, a synthetic corticosteroid, may have potential therapeutic implications in acute and chronic pathological processes associated with increased levels of IL-1 and appetite suppression.