Effect of membrane protectors on the diastolic function of the heart in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Apexcardiography was employed to make a noninvasive assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in 80 patients with extensive myocardial infarction. In half the patients, there were impairments in cardiac diastole as manifested by its altered phase structure and some changed parameters indirectly indicating a rise in left ventricular end diastolic pressure and a fall in myocardial relation rates and diastolic compliance. Prior 10-day administration of tocopherol and nicotinamide to 45 patients caused a decrease in the severity of diastolic abnormalities in those in whom the latter had been abnormal. The use of membrane protectors resulted in lower incidence of complications and improved outcome of the disease.     

125iodine reimplantation for locally progressive prostatic carcinoma

We treated 13 patients with a second 125iodine implant for local recurrence of prostatic carcinoma. All patients had biopsy proved palpable recurrence without evidence of distant metastases. Full doses of irradiation were used (median matched peripheral dose 170 Gy.). Six patients had complete regression of palpable recurrence, 2 had partial regression, 2 had no apparent response and 3 were unevaluable for local response. Actuarial freedom from local disease progression at 5 years was 51%. Despite a relatively high rate of local disease control the actuarial rate of distant metastases reached 100% at 6 years after reimplantation. There were 2 severe rectal complications and 4 instances of mild to moderate urinary incontinence among the 13 patients. Local regression of recurrent prostatic carcinoma may be achieved with 125iodine reimplantation but most patients still had distant metastases.     

Is cranial radiation necessary for CNS prophylaxis in pediatric NHL?

The records of 95 consecutive children less than or equal to 21 years of age with previously untreated diffuse histology NHL registered in our protocols from 1978 to 1983 were reviewed. Seventy-nine patients were considered eligible for analysis. The histologic subtypes represented included lymphoblastic (LB) 37%; histiocytic (DHL) 29%; undifferentiated (DU) 19%; poorly differentiated (DPDL) 9%; and unclassified (UNHL) 6%. Distribution of the patients according to stage showed Stage I, 0%; Stage II, 11%; Stage III, 53%; Stage IV, 36%. Four different Memorial Hospital protocols for systemic chemotherapy were used (LSA2L2 73%; L10 9%; L17 10%; L17M 8%); however, the IT (intrathecal) chemotherapy was uniform (Methotrexate: 6.0-6.25 mg/M2 per treatment course) and was included in the induction, consolidation, and maintenance phases of all treatment protocols. Cranial radiation was included in the induction, consolidation, and maintenance phases of all treatment protocols. Cranial radiation was not included in the CNS prophylaxis program. The overall median time of follow-up was 43 months. The overall CNS relapse rate was 6.3%, however, the incidence of CNS lymphoma presenting as the first isolated site of relapse in patients in otherwise complete remission (minimum follow-up of 19 months with 97% of patients off treatment) was only 1/58 (1.7%). Our data suggests that IT chemotherapy when given in combination with modern aggressive systemic combination chemotherapy, and without cranial radiation appears to be a highly effective modality for CNS prophylaxis regardless of stage, histology, or bone marrow or mediastinal involvement. Therefore, with the commonly used aggressive combination chemotherapy for the management of all stage diffuse pediatric NHL, and the known increased risk of leukoencephalopathy with combination of cranial radiation and intensive systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy, we believe that cranial radiation may not be indicated for CNS prophylaxis in pediatric NHL.     

Microleakage of Class 2 glass-ionomer-silver restorations in primary molars.

The aims of this study were to assess microleakage at the cervical margins of class 2 "sandwich" restorations placed with two glass-ionomer-silver cements in primary molars, to compare the quality of the occlusal margins of these restorations to those prepared with Miracle Mix and Ketac Silver, and to assess by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the marginal micromorphology of those restorations. Fifty-two class 2 restorations were prepared in extracted primary molars and were restored as follows: 1) Ketac Silver + Estilux Posterior (sandwich), 2) Miracle Mix + Estilux Posterior (sandwich), 3) Ketac Silver only, and 4) Miracle Mix only. No or minimal leakage was evident in most of the occlusal margins, whereas severe leakage was observed in almost 70% of the cervical margins of the Ketac Silver groups. Scanning electron microscopy evaluation demonstrated good adaptation at the buccal and lingual margins of all the restorations. Sixty-seven percent of the Miracle Mix restorations had no defects at the cervical margins, as opposed to only 17% of those with Ketac Silver.     

The instability of membrane markers expressed by human monocytes and macrophages in culture

Surface markers were tested on freshly isolated human monocytes and following their in vitro maturation to macrophages. The markers tested were HLA-DR antigens, receptors for the Fc of IgG and complement as well as membrane markers defined by monoclonal antibodies. The results revealed a dynamic expression of some of the markers on monocytes which was influenced by several variables. The expression of the markers was modulated by the presence of different sera, by treatment with lymphokines and interferon and following the in vitro maturation of monocytes to macrophages. The most unstable marker was found to be the HLA-DR, which was modulated by all these variables. The 63D3 was affected by different sera and culture supernatant, as well as following the maturation of monocytes to macrophages, but not by lymphokines and interferon. One of the markers, the Mac 120, was found to be relatively stable and did not change significantly following the maturation of monocytes to macrophages. The Fc and complement receptors were also stable in their expression under these conditions, but were probably partially blocked in the presence of human serum. These results indicated that at least some of the heterogeneity related to the monocyte population was probably not due to the occurrence of stable subsets of cells, but rather to reversible changes in marker expression.     

Increased production of tumor necrosis factor during endotoxin shock in mice presensitized with serum of mice with tumors or with tumor cell factors

Laboratory of Cellular Immunopathology and Biotechnology, Research Institute of Human Morphology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR N. K. Permyakov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 112, No. 7, pp. 78–80, July, 1991.     

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma presenting as a soft-tissue mass of the extremity

An 87-year-old man was found to have a lymphoma in the deep soft tissue of the right shoulder with concomitant central nervous system involvement. There was no evidence of cutaneous, peripheral lymph node, mediastinal, abdominal, or bone marrow involvement. Light microscopic, ultrastructural, and immunohistochemical evaluation characterized the neoplasm as a peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Lymphomas presenting in soft tissue are rare, and the few well-documented cases in the literature are of B-cell origin. We report a T-cell lymphoma presenting in the soft tissue of the extremity, and delineate its clinicopathologic features.