IgE levels in sera of cancer patients.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) was measured in the sera of 18 healthy adult volunteer donors, 67 adults with various types of solid neoplasms, and 17 adults with clinical allergy by means of a double-antibody radioimmunoassay. There was no siginificant difference in the geometric mean serum IgE level between all cancer subjects and the healthy control subjects except that cancer and noncancer patients who had definite clinical allergies showed an increased mean IgE level. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the mean IgE level of any of the six cancer subgroups studied when compared to the control mean. Thus, there was no evidence reflected in serum levels that IgE plays a role in the immunopathology of the cancer population tested.     

Measurement of chemiluminescence in freshly drawn human blood

Summary The aim of the present study was to investigate chemiluminescence (CL) of stimulated peripheral phagocytic cells (PC, i.e. granulocytes and monocytes) in patients with malignant disease at various stages. As a first step the zymosan-induced and luminol-amplified CL was determined in diluted whole blood samples from healthy volunteers. A characteristic daytime dependence of the CL activity was observed in six volunteers which had to be taken into account for blood sampling. The detectable CL was demonstrated to depend on the number of erythrocytes in the assay, but correction for this is not necessary for clinical investigation. The specific CL activity (activity related to 10³ PC, was significantly but identically increased both in 1) patients with acute inflammatory disease and 2) in patients with carcinoma. The total CL activity (activity/µl whole blood), however, was significantly increased in patients with acute inflammation as compared to the tumour group. This greatly reflects the leucocytosis of patients with acute inflammation. In a small number of patients with benign and malignant disease the CL of PC was measured both pre- and postoperatively. Operations in benign disease and palliative operations in malignancy did not influence the CL activity. In contrast, CL activity returned to normal after clinical cure by radical tumour resection.     

Primary chemotherapy in the treatment of children with bladder--prostate tumors in the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS-II)

Twenty-nine children (24, male; 5, female) with non-disseminated rhabdomyosarcomas of the bladder or prostate were treated (1978-1980) by a primary chemotherapy regimen consisting of vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide ("Pulse" VAC), with or without local radiotherapy. During the initial 20 wk of chemotherapy, nine children achieved a Clinical Complete Response (CCR). Three of these are without evidence of disease (NED) and have functional bladders, two following partial cystectomy. Four who achieved a CCR subsequently relapsed or remained biopsy positive, but are at present NED following radiotherapy and anterior exenteration. Two patients who achieved CCR status relapsed and have died of disease. Twelve patients had a Clinical Partial Response (CPR) in less than 20 wk and two others in less than 40 wk. Seven of these are NED with intact bladders following chemotherapy-radiotherapy; and an additional patient is NED following partial cystectomy. Four patients in the CPR group have been treated by exenteration following failure to achieve complete response, and are NED. One patient has died, and one has progressive disease. Six patients had an inadequate response to chemotherapy (NR). Anterior exenteration was carried out in three, and two of these have survived. The overall results in these 29 patients are: (A) alive and disease-free with functional bladders, 11; (B) alive and disease-free following anterior exenteration, 10; and (C) dead or death from tumor anticipated, 8. The function of retained bladders (11) has been satisfactory.     

Multicentre analysis of treatment planning information: Technical requirements,possible applications and a proposal

Digital data from 3‐D treatment planning computers is generally used for patient planning and then never considered again. However, such data contains enormous quantities of information regarding patient geometries, tissue outlining, treatment approaches and dose distributions. Were such data accessible from planning systems from multiple manufacturers, there would be substantial opportunities for undertaking quality assurance of radiotherapy clinical trials, prospective assessment of trial outcomes and basic treatment planning research and development. The technicalities of data exchange between planning systems are outlined, and previous attempts at producing systems capable of viewing and/or manipulating imaging and radiotherapy digital data reviewed. Development of a software system for enhancing the quality of Australasian clinical trials is proposed.     

Deacetylation of 4-(5-acetylamino-2-furyl)thiazole and formation of 1-(4-thiazolyl)-3-cyano-1-propanone by rat liver tissues

The reductive metabolism of the rat carcinogen 4-(5-nitro-2furyl)thiazole (NFT) to 1-4-thiazolyl)-3-cyano-1-propanone (TCP) is reported. Formation of TCP from NFT involved furan ring fission. This could have occurred through involvement of either aminofuran or N-hydroxylaminofuran as precursors. To examine if 4-(5-amino-2-furyl)thiazole is a precursor for TCP, a stable model compound, 4-(5-acetylamino-2-furyl)thiazole (AAFT), was prepared and subjected to enzymatic deacetylation, using rat liver tissue homogenates. AAFT was synthesized by catalytic hydrogenation of NFT with 5% palladium on activated carbon, followed by acetylation with acetic anhydride. AAFT, a white crystalline powder, melted at 168–170°, had an extinction coefficient of 17.9 mM^?1 cm^?1 at 293 nm in ethyl acetate, and exhibited spectroscopic and mass spectral characteristics consistent with the assigned structure. Incubation with rat liver 10,000 g supernatant preparations resulted in the biotransformation of AAFT as evidenced by a decrease in absorption at 290 nm. Incubation of ¹⁴C-labeled AAFT followed by extraction with chloroform-diethyl ether (1:1) resulted in the recovery of a major portion (56%) of the radioactivity in the organic phase when the label was at the 2-position of the thiazole ring, while the major amount (82%) of radioactivity was recovered in the aqueous phase when the 1-¹⁴C-acetyl group was labeled. The radioactivity from the aqueous phase was extractable into the organic phase following acidification to pH 1, an observation consistent with deacetylation. Furthermore, the deacetylation product exhibited a mass spectrum, and retention times in gas and high pressure liquid chromatography, similar to those of synthetic TCP. These data establish 4-(5-amino-2-furyl)thiazole, derived from AAFT by deacetylation, as a precursor for TCP.