Transitional properties of the mechanically evoked perioral reflex from infancy through adulthood

The organization of motor responses in the orbicularis oris muscle following the delivery of punctate mechanical inputs to vermilion skin of the lips was studied in a group of young infants, school-age children, and adults during periods of voluntary lip muscle activation. A specially designed multi-point array skin contactor, coupled to a position-servo controlled linear motor, was highly effective in driving the early component of the perioral reflex (R1). Overall, the evoked R1 response obtained from the infant was of variable amplitude relative to the children and adults, lacked response specificity, and occurred it a longer latency. This brainstem mediated sensorimotor action appears to take on several characteristics of the adult form by the age of 12. The emergence and maturation of mechanically evoked perioral reflexes is discussed in relation to the acquisition of motor skills, including speech and smiling.     

Marrow fibrosis associated with a Philadelphia chromosome.

Three patients had marked marrow fibrosis and an apparent Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. Hematologic, cytogenetic, and molecular studies demonstrated the heterogeneity of such cases, including the first example of clinically typical myelofibrosis (MF) associated with a bcr gene rearrangement characteristic of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).     

Cytokines and growth factors in keratinocytes and sweat glands in chronic venous leg ulcers. An immunohistochemical study

The role of growth factors and cytokines in the impaired healing of chronic leg ulcers remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in the amount and location of cytokines and growth factors may be associated with impaired healing in chronic leg ulcers. Biopsies from leg ulcers of 21 patients and from normal skin of nine healthy volunteers were examined immunohistochemically for selected growth factors and cytokines. Greater staining intensity was found in keratinocytes at the edges of ulcers compared to normal skin, or skin adjacent to the ulcers. Staining at the ulcer edge was more intense in nonhealing ulcers for only vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, whereas staining in the adjacent skin was more intense for all factors in the nonhealing phase. For all factors staining was cytoplasmic, suggesting production in these areas. This study shows up-regulation of the production of cytokines and growth factors in keratinocytes of chronic leg ulcers that is greater when the ulcers are nonhealing.     

Pudendal Thigh Fasciocutaneous Flaps for Vaginal Reconstruction in Gynecologic Oncology

The pudendal thigh is a sensate fasciocutaneous flap supplied by the posterior labial artery. We report on the results of pudendal thigh flaps used for vaginal reconstruction in eight patients at the time of pelvic exenteration (6) and radical vaginectomy (2). Patients were interviewed and results were assessed 5 to 19 months after surgery. The flaps were raised in the thigh creases just lateral to the hair bearing area of the labia majora and included skin, subcutaneous tissues, deep fascia of the thigh, and the epimysium of the adductor muscles. Flap sizes varied from 9 × 4 cm to 15 × 6 cm. Bilateral flaps were used in seven patients. The flaps were technically easy to perform. Partial (apical) flap necrosis occurred in four patients. One patient developed complete necrosis of bilateral flaps, followed by an enterovaginal fistula. One patient whose flaps did not necrose developed a rectovaginal fistula at the site of rectal reanastomosis. The functional results are disappointing. The only patient having successful vaginal intercourse had a unilateral flap reconstruction following lower vaginectomy in a nonirradiated pelvis. No patient with bilateral flaps or prior pelvic irradiation has had successful coitus. Other long-term sequelae include vulvar pain (2), chronic vaginal discharge (2), hair growth (4), and protrusion of the flaps (2). These vulvovaginal symptoms discourage patients and their partners from genital contact. Breaching the integrity of the vulva to construct a neovagina that is likely to be unsuitable for sexual intercourse may deprive women of their only potential for normal genital sexual responsiveness. Techniques of vaginoplasty require continued assessment.     

Further experience with radiation therapy and concomitant intravenous chemotherapy in advanced carcinoma of the lower female genital tract

Sixty-seven patients with advanced carcinoma of the lower female genital tract (cervix, vagina, and vulva) were treated with radiation and concomitant intravenous cisplatin and/or 5-fluorouracil. Fifty-seven patients (85%) responded completely clinically. Thirty-five (61%) complete responders recurred with a median time to recurrence of 6 months. Twenty-six of the thirty-five patients who recurred had some component of local failure. The 22 complete responders who have not recurred have been followed a median of 13 months. Acute toxicity was minimal, with only 6 patients requiring interruption of therapy. Nine (13%) patients developed severe late complications and eight required surgery. The actuarial 5-year survival is 22%. This treatment regimen is disappointing in terms of both survival and local control.     

Ph-negative T cells in a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia for twenty-eight years

The frequency of metaphases without a Philadelphia chromosome was determined in mitogen-stimulated cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and purified T lymphocytes (93% CD2-positive) from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) for 28 years. The PBMC cultures contained few Ph-negative cells (8%), but they constituted 92% of the metaphases in T cell cultures, indicating few if any Ph-positive T cells in the patient's circulation. The results demonstrate that T cells derived from the leukemic clone may fail to replace the non-neoplastic population even when CML arises in childhood and the patient survives for many years. This raises questions concerning the normal role of the bone marrow as a source of T cells after infancy, and also whether Ph-positive lymphocytes may be at a disadvantage for growth.