Evaluation of an in situ setting injectable calcium phosphate as a new carrier material for gentamicin in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis: studies in vitro and in vivo

A study was performed to investigate the effectiveness of hydroxyapatite cement (HAC) as a new carrier system in the treatment of chronic, posttraumatic osteomyelitis. In the in vitro study, release of gentamicin from standard cylinders of HAC were measured by agar diffusion test. As a representative for mechanical properties, compression strength was measured in order to detect changes when mixing HAC with gentamicin. In the in vivo study, bone infection was induced according to the model of Norden by injection of 1 ml Na-morrhuat and 3 x 10(6)CFU Staphylococcus aureus. After 3 weeks, when chronic stage of infection was obtained, 17 animals were treated by debridement and filling the marrow either with HAC alone or HAC mixed with gentamicin (32 mg/g). Animals of the control groups were left untreated. After 6 weeks, all animals were sacrificed. Hematological, radiological, microbiological and histological examinations were carried out by covered investigation. Best evidence of the efficiency of treatment was observed in histopathological and microbiological findings. In all swabs of the control groups, taken 6 weeks following infection S. aureus were detected which were clonal to the strain used for induction of osteomyelitis. In HAC/gentamicin-treated animals, no growth was detectable after 7 days of culturing in BHI bouillon. In the HAC/gentamicin-treated group, there was no histopathological evidence of infection. In all other groups different stages of chronic osteomyelitis were found. No side effect was observed, neither locally nor systemically by HAC or gentamicin. Therefore, HAC is considered to be a very effective carrier for antibiotics in treatment of chronic, posttraumatic osteomyelitis.     

Application of capillary electrophoresis in clinical chemistry: the clinical value of urinary modified nucleosides

Urinary modified nucleosides were determined by capillary electrophoresis using a 300 mM SDS-25 mM sodium tetraborate-50 mM sodium dihydrogenphosphate buffer. The nucleosides were extracted from urine by phenylboronate affinity gel chromatography. In cancer patients the levels of the modified nucleosides are generally elevated. By an artificial neural network method breast cancer patients were differentiated from normal individuals, which indicates that the modified nucleosides could be of clinical value as tumor markers.     

Cytogenetics of breast cancer

Chromosome counts were performed on 1,100 cells from 17 malignant breast carcinomas and on 168 cells of four normal tissue samples after amethopterin treatment and G-banding. Karyotypes were established from 216 cells of 11 tumor-derived cultures and from 47 cells of four nonmalignant tissue-derived cultures. Karyotypes of cells from nonmalignant samples showed a normal diploid chromosomal constitution with no consistent loss or gain of a specific chromosome. Structural chromosomal abnormalities were not observed. Tumor-derived cultures could be distinguished from normal cultures on the basis of a significantly increased incidence of numerical changes and structural chromosomal aberrations. In nine of 11 tumor-derived cultures, numerically normal cells were shown to be pseudodiploid, with frequencies ranging to 43% (mean, 13.2%) of the diploid cells. In agreement with previous reports, cytogenetic analyses showed predominantly diploid cells. Clonal numerical changes of chromosomes 17, 18, 20, and 21 could be detected in three tumor samples. Clonal structural abnormalities could be observed in two of 11 analyzed tumours. A t(6;12)(p21;p13) and an enlarged chromosome 7 (7q+) were found in a patient with invasive ductal carcinoma. An inversion of chromosome 7 [inv(7)(q11.2q32)] was observed in one case, also diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma. The significance of these findings in relation to clinical data is discussed.     

B?rjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome: further delineation in five cases

We have studied five males with B?rjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome (BFLS) from two unrelated families. They had a characteristic facial appearance with prominent supraorbital ridges, deep-set eyes, ptosis, and large ears, as well as obesity, severe mental retardation, hypotonia, and hypogonadism. Ophthalmologic, EEG, and skeletal abnormalities were also present. The findings in several presumed or possible heterozygous women were evaluated and suggested a wide range of phenotypic effects varying between apparent normality to mild or moderately evident BFLS manifestations. The observed pattern of occurrence of the BFLS in our two families provides strong support for X-linked inheritance. In clinically normal female relatives at risk for being carriers of BFLS, we have been unsuccessful in identifying a reliable screening test. The condition in our and previously reported patients was contrasted with other malformation syndromes and our findings support the conclusion that BFLS is a distinct and clinically identifiable disorder.     

Cytogenetic analysis of a uterine lipoleiomyoma.

We cytogenetically analyzed a uterine lipoleiomyoma. A primary chromosomal abnormality, t(12;14), was found in all 62 cells studied. A secondary change involving chromosomes 1 and 5 was detected in 15 of 62 cells. These findings suggest that lipoleiomyomas share the same chromosomal abnormalities found in common leiomyomas. We speculate that the secondary chromosomal change involving chromosomal 5 may be responsible for the lipomatous change.