Schistosomiasis and sarcoma of the urinary bladder

A young male patient with schistosomiasis and sarcoma of the urinary bladder is presented. Total cystectomy followed by radiotherapy was performed. The gross appearance, microscopic findings of the tumor and an outline of the disease are discussed.     

A new regimen of amsacrine with high-dose cytarabine is safe and effective therapy for acute leukemia

Amsacrine and high-dose cytarabine (HiDAc), when administered as single agents, are effective treatment of acute leukemia. When used in combination, a high remission rate is also possible. We treated 47 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and blastic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with a combination of amsacrine and HiDAc. The patients received amsacrine 200 mg/m2 daily for three days and, concurrently, HiDAc 3 g/m2 over three hours once daily for five days. Of 20 evaluable patients with AML in relapse, there were 12 remissions; of seven additional patients with primary refractory AML, there were two remissions, and of 12 patients with ALL in relapse, there were eight remissions. The three patients with blastic phase CML and the three patients with biphenotypic leukemia did not respond. Nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, hepatic dysfunction, and diarrhea were common, but cutaneous, conjunctival, and significant cerebellar and cerebral side effects were absent. We conclude that this regimen is highly effective therapy for AML and ALL and is also safe, eliminating the major toxicities encountered with HiDAc.     

Hepatic nuclear and cytoplasmic effects following intermittent feeding of rats with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

The effects on rats of intermittent feeding with the peroxisome proliferator and hepatocarcinogen di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) have been examined. Male Wistar rats were fed for alternate 7-day periods diets containing 20,000 ppm DEHP or the control diet. The rats were examined 3 days after the start or recommencement of administration of the DEHP-containing diet or after 7 days on the control diet. After the commencement or recommencement of feeding with DEHP the expected increases in liver weight and in the number of peroxisomes were found. The increase in liver: body-weight ratio in response to administration of DEHP-containing diets was greater in rats that had been previously exposed to the compound, but re-administration of DEHP had a less marked effect on the increase in peroxisome number. Morphometric analysis showed that administration of DEHP-containing diets resulted in an increase in cell number in the liver and that a fall in the cell number occurred after the rats had been returned to the control diet for 7 days. Analysis of nuclear size gave results consistent with an increase in tetraploid hepatocytes after treatment with DEHP which was reversed when the rats were returned to control diet.