Electron beam therapy for eyelid carcinomas

Forty-six (85%) basal cell and eight (15%) squamous cell carcinomas of the eyelids were treated with electron beams between 1963 and 1983. Lesion sizes ranged from microscopic to 4 cm, with 28 lesions larger than 1 cm. Thirty-eight lesions were treated with radiotherapy after incisional biopsy, and 16 were treated after excisional biopsy (specimens showed positive margins). Doses varied from 45 to 72 Gy, with daily fractions ranging from 2.12 to 4.0 Gy. There were six disease recurrences (10.9%): three in the treatment field and three at the treatment margin. Four of six recurrences were subsequently controlled by limited surgical excision and repair with preservation of the eye, whereas the other two required enucleation. Treatment sequelae such as skin atrophy, telangiectasis, and cosmetic results were evaluated in terms of radiotherapy parameters, pretreatment surgery, and size of the lesion. In 44 patients, the overall cosmetic result was judged as good to excellent, five patients had a mild to modest degree of deformity, and five had significant deformity. Such deformity was usually associated with tumor destruction or previous surgery. No major complications were noted.     

Failure of genetically selected miniature swine to model NIDDM

Ten young adult miniature swine from a line reported to be genetically selected for glucose intolerance and eight normal controls were obtained from Colorado State University. They were consecutively exposed to 4 mo of a high-fiber, low-fat standard swine diet; 4 mo of a high-sucrose, high-fat, low-fiber diabetogenic diet; and 4 mo of excess diabetogenic diet for obesification. Results of oral glucose tolerance and intravenous insulin tolerance tests conducted at the end of each regimen were compared. Hyperglycemia was not observed in any animals after any manipulation. Insulin sensitivity was also not influenced by diet. We conclude that F7 low-K miniature swine from this colony fail to model human non-insulin-dependent diabetes.     

Nitrosation of amines by stimulated macrophages

Rats and mice treated in vivo with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesize and excrete large quantities of nitrate. Murine peritoneal macrophages, elicited in vivo with thioglycolate and stimulated in vitro with LPS and/or gamma-interferon (IFN), produce copious amounts of nitrate and nitrite. We report here experiments showing N-nitrosamine formation by macrophages immunostimulated in vitro. Macrophage cell lines J774.1, PU5-1.8, WEHI-3 and RAW 264 and freshly isolated macrophages from C3H/He mice were used. Macrophages were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (pH 7.5) supplemented with calf serum (10%). Supernatant NO2- and NO3- were measured. N-Nitrosamines were extracted with dichloromethane and the extracts analyzed by a gas chromatography--thermal energy analyzer. Cells (1.5 X 10(6)/ml) were incubated with LPS (10 micrograms/ml) and morpholine (15 mM) for 72 h at 37 degrees C. Under these conditions, all of the cell types listed above produced nitrite (40-70 microM) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR; 114-940 nM). LPS was required for both processes, and this effect was enhanced by IFN. Nitrite (150 microM) incubated with morpholine in cell-free medium did not form NMOR nor did cells plus morpholine and NO2-. The rate of NMOR formation in the J774.1 cell line was highest in the middle incubation period (24-36 h) although [NO2-] was highest in the final incubation period (48-72 h). Thus, the cells do not catalyze nitrosamine formation per se, rather the amine traps out a reactive nitrosating species prior to the formation of NO2- and NO3-. These results suggest that immunostimulated macrophages may be capable of nitrosamine formation under physiological conditions.     

Male breast carcinoma. I. A study of the total material reported to the Swedish Cancer Registry 1958-1967 with respect to clinical and histopathologic parameters

During the time period 1958-1967 190 cases of male breast cancer were reported to the Swedish Cancer Registry. The reported cases were thoroughly re-evaluated from the evidence of the clinical records and histopathologic specimens. The material contained 166 cases of histologically verified invasive breast carcinoma which were analyzed with respect to different clinical and histopathologic parameters. In contrast to the rate in females, the breast cancer incidence rate in males did not increase significantly during the period under review, and the age-specific incidence rate did not show a Clemmesen's hook but increased relatively more rapidly at high ages than for female breast carcinoma. The mean age at diagnosis was 4 to 5 years higher in male breast cancer patients than in females. Larger tumours were more frequent among older patients and there was a 5-year shift between the age-distribution curves for small (less than 2 cm) and larger (2-5 cm) tumours. A similar difference was found between pN0 and pN1 tumours. This difference might reflect the progression rate of male breast cancer. The histopathology pattern and distribution of histologic malignancy grades were similar to those in female breast carcinoma with the exception that lobular carcinoma and medullary carcinoma with lymphoid infiltration were lacking in the male material.     

Functional innervation of the striatum by ventral mesencephalic grafts in mice with inherited nigrostriatal dopamine deficiency

Weaver mutant mice are characterized by a decrease in striatal dopamine (DA), which is associated with a progressive loss of DA neurones in the substantia nigra. This mutant thus provides the opportunity to examine the functional effects of DA neurones grafted to the striatum in a genetic model of parkinsonism. Ventral mesencephalic tissue from normal foetuses was placed on the surface of the right dorsal striatum of adult weaver mutants. After grafting, animals were tested for methamphetamine-induced circling behaviour. Mutants with DA containing grafts displayed a significant circling bias toward the left, non-grafted side. Mutants without grafts did not display any rotational bias to either side. These results demonstrate that grafted DA containing neurones establish a functional innervation of the weaver striatum and suggest that grafting of neural tissue is a viable approach in restoring function in genetic degenerative disorders of the nigrostriatal system.