Relative effect of steroid hormone receptors on the prognosis of patients with operable breast cancer. A univariate and multivariate analysis of 3089 Japanese patients with breast cancer from the Study Group for the Japanese Breast Cancer Society on Hormone Receptors and Prognosis in Breast Cancer.

In a retrospective multicenter study to investigate the correlation between estrogen (ER) and/or progesterone receptors (PgR) in primary breast cancer with patient prognosis, 3118 patients with operable breast cancer (International Union Against Cancer Stages I, II, and III) were investigated from ten hospitals in Japan who underwent surgery from October 1972 to December 1982; 3089 were evaluable. The ER-positive and PgR-positive cancers were found in 56% and 34% of patients, respectively. The positivities decreased as the tumor size increased but were independent on lymph node metastasis. There were no significant differences in relapse-free survival (RFS) in relation to receptor status (median follow-up, 89 months [ER], 84 months [PgR]). However, in patients with four or more positive nodes, those with PgR-positive cancer had a longer RFS. The patients with ER-positive cancer survived significantly longer than ER-negative ones, with the greatest difference seen in those with four or more positive nodes. There was a significantly longer postrelapse survival (PRS) for patients with ER-positive cancer because of the different distribution of the major metastasis and better responses to first-line and subsequent treatments. Cox's multivariate analysis showed that overall survival but not PRS was affected by ER (and more weakly by PgR) because of the longer PRS in patients with ER-positive cancer.     

Effects of Nd:YAG laser irradiation on ventricular myocardium in dogs using an artificial sapphire tip contact laser catheter]

To apply Nd:YAG laser irradiation through a new sapphire tip contact laser method to catheter ablation in treatment of tachy-arrhythmias, effects of laser irradiation on ventricular myocardium were investigated in 10 mongrel dogs. Nd:YAG lase (1064nm) discharges were delivered to different sites on the endomyocardium at power of 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25w with duration of 3, 5, or 10 seconds (sec.) respectively in closed beating hearts. Histopathologically, the lesion irradiated was clearly demarcated from the normal myocardium by the construction band necrosis zone. The depth of injured myocardium was less than 2mm with 3 sec. irradiations, with 5 sec. from 1 mm to 4 mm in proportion to power increase, with 10 sec. from 3mm to 8 mm in proportion to the power from 5w to 15w and could not be measured in cases of more than 20w irradiations. Although with every irradiation duration, the depth of injury increased in proportion to the power increase. With the same total energy, a longer time of irradiation produced deeper injury than a shorter time. This method makes it easier to keep the laser positioned to target than bare laser, and is suitable for use in catheter ablation.     

The effects of potassium concentration in reperfusion solution upon myocardial protection]

The effects of potassium in reperfusion solution (RS) and the influence of sodium on this effect were studied. Experimental time course was as followed: 20 min working perfusion, 3 min cardioplegic infusion with St. Thomas Cardioplegic Solution followed by global ischemia for 33 or 35 min at 37.5 degrees C, 15 min early Langendorff reperfusion with several different potassium concentration modified with Krebs Henseleit Bicarbonate Buffer (KHBB) containing 145 mM and 110 mM sodium and 5 min late reperfusion with KHBB, followed by 20 min working perfusion. Potassium in RS possessed bell shaped dose response nature with optimal concentration of 10 mM in the condition of 145 mM sodium but 6 m in the condition of 110 mM in terms of percent recovery of aortic flow. Although higher potassium reperfusion produced less Creatine Kinase leakage.     

Levels of alkaline phosphatase isozymes in human seminoma tissue

The three human isozymes of alkaline phosphatases were quantitatively determined in normal testis and seminoma tissues. The highly selective assays were based on isozyme specific monoclonal antibodies. In the normal testis approximately 90% of the catalytic activity originates from the tissue unspecific alkaline phosphatase, and the remaining activity was due to trace expression of both intestinal (approximately 5%) and placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) or PLAP-like isozyme (approximately 5%). In homogenates of seminoma tissues, highly increased levels of all three isozymes were identified. Both the tissue unspecific alkaline phosphatase and PLAP-like enzymes displayed relative increases of 10- to 100-fold and intestinal alkaline phosphatase 2- to 10-fold compared with normal testis. This finding indicates that the entire genome coding for alkaline phosphatases may be activated in seminomas. The PLAP-like enzyme from seminoma cells comprises a heterogenous population of molecules demonstrating partial heat sensitivity and microheterogeneity upon starch gel electrophoresis in contrast to the pregnancy related PLAP. These findings have implications for the different PLAP assays used in the clinical monitoring of seminoma patients.