Estimating the efficacy of screening by auditing smear histories of women with and without cervical cancer. The National Co-ordinating Network for Cervical Screening Working Group.

The screening histories of all 348 women with invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in 1992 in 24 self-selected district health authorities and health boards in England, Wales and Scotland were compared with those of 677 age- and residency-matched controls. The controls were randomly selected from the family health services authority (FHSA) register. Screening histories, comprising the dates and results of all smears taken before the date of diagnosis of the patient''s cancer, were determined from the FHSA computer and laboratory records. We estimate that the number of cases of cervical cancer in participating districts in 1992 would have been 57% (95% confidence interval 28-86%) greater if there had been no previous screening. In women under the age of 70 it would have been approximately 75% (31-115%) greater. Extrapolation of the results from this pilot suggests that screening prevented between 1100 and 3900 cases of invasive cervical cancer in the UK in 1992. Women with stage 1B cancer or worse were more likely to have no record of previous screening than controls: 47% of these women under the age of 70 had been adequately screened according to current (5 yearly screening) guidelines, compared with 75% of matched controls. Thirteen per cent of all patients under age 70 had screening histories indicative of inadequate follow-up of smears requiring colposcopy. The proportion of microinvasive cases with screening predating diagnosis was similar to the proportion of controls. There was a strong correlation between stage and age: 56% of cancers in women under 35 were microinvasive compared with just 9% in women 65 years or over. The ''relative protection'' following a negative smear was greatest in the first 12 months and fell off towards the end of the fifth year. These data suggest that full adherence to current guidelines could perhaps have prevented another 1250 cases, but additional steps would have been required to prevent some of the 2300 remaining cases in women under the age of 70.     

Identification of Plasmid Containing Bacteria in an Activated Sludge Reactor

Samples taken from an activated sludge reactor used for the biodegradation of metal cutting fluids were studied for the presence of plasmid-containing bacteria. Twenty different bacterial isolates contained one or more plasmids. After numerous transfers of the isolates through LB broth, 55% of the plasmids were spontaneously lost as evidenced by agarose gel electrophoresis. Eighty percent of the isolates were resistant to one or more antibiotics, 65% resistant to two or more antibiotics, 40% resistant to three or more, 20% resistant to four or more and 5% resistant to five antibiotics. The isolates were also tested for their sensitivity to several common metals. This study has demonstrated that activated sludge is a natural reservoir for plasmid-containing bacteria involved in biodegradation of wastes.     

Biological characteristics of newly diagnosed poor prognosis acute myelogenous leukemia

A pilot study was conducted of the biological characteristics of the leukemia cells of newly diagnosed patients with poor prognosis acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). This study included measurements of the pretherapy proliferative rate of the leukemia cells in vivo, assessment of differentiation in vivo during remission induction therapy, and the level of expression of the fms, myc, and IL1β genes in pretherapy leukemia cells. Short cell cycle times were characteristic of the best prognostic category and were associated with a rapid reduction in marrow leukemia cells in cytosine arabinoside (araC)-sensitive patients. Expression of c-fms was associated with rapid reduction in marrow leukemia cells during araC therapy and with a successful treatment outcome. Expression of the IL1β gene was associated with short remissions. These studies suggest that when compared to newly diagnosed standard prognosis AML, the leukemia of poor prognosis patients is more likely to exhibit long cell cycle times, low levels of fms expression, and is less likely to be associated with myeloid differentiation during remission induction therapy. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Safety and efficacy of combined upper blepharoplasties and open Coronal Browlift: A consecutive series of 600 patients

Surgical rejuvenation of the upper face involves the correction of excess and lax forehead, eyelid, and periorbital skin. Improving the appearance by correcting the effects of aging involves a combination of blepharoplasty and open coronal foreheadplasty. Many surgeons and several reports question the safety of both procedures being performed concomitantly. The difficulty arises in precisely balancing the skin excision from the frontal forehead and upper eyelid areas. Over-resection of skin may result in incomplete closure of the eyelid and dry-eye syndrome, while an inadequate resection may produce a poor aesthetic result. There is no large series that documents the safety and effectiveness of these two procedures being performed concomitantly. Furthermore, with the recent and rapid development of complex multiplanar endoscopic facial rejuvenation techniques, the basic open forehead-plasty has become increasingly overlooked as a legitimate, efficacious technique for rejuvenation of the upper face. The technique utilized in this series is presented in detail. The consistently excellent results obtained satisfy the aesthetic goals of patients as well as the goals of surgeons, and suggest a renewed interest in the technique based upon its simplicity and easily reproducible results.