Changes in Cell Characteristics Due to Culture Conditions in Cell Lines From Human Small Cell Lung Cancer

Eight cultured cell lines were established from human smallcell lung cancers. Every cell line showed the morphologicaland biochemical characteristics of small cell cancer. Changesin cell characteristics were observed in many of these celllines when culture conditions were changed: "oat cell type"changed to "intermediate cell type" and vice versa when serum-freemedium was changed to serum-supplemented medium; a deficiencyof vitamin A in the medium caused a change to squamous cellsand vice versa; and a tumor promoter (teleocidin B) enhancedthe adherence of these cells to the surface of plastic culturedishes. These findings provide evidence that many small celllung cancer cell lines can change their morphology with changesin the environment of the cells.     

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in association with granular lymphocyte proliferative disorders in early childhood: characteristic bone marrow morphology

Five paediatric cases of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) which showed proliferation of granular atypical lymphocytoid cells in bone marrow are reported. All cases were girls aged 8 months to 4 years who had marked hepatosplenomegaly. Marker analysis on peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed an increase in the CD3⁺HLADR⁺ subset in three cases and the CD³⁻CD56⁺ subset in one case. An Epstein-Barr virus genome was detected in three cases, and monoclonality was confirmed in two cases. A characteristic morphology of large granular lymphocytes (LGL) was identified, with elongated bizarre features that resembled horsetail-, tadpole-, cucumber- or shooting star-type configurations on the bone marrow smear. Serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interferon-gamma were elevated in all cases. All five cases required multi-agent chemotherapy which resulted in two complete remissions, two partial remissions and one no response. Refinement of treatment is required for these paediatric GLPD cases which probably comprise a specific high-risk subgroup among secondary HLH patients which had previously escaped notice.     

连续执行课题条件下阅读障碍儿童事件相关电位特性

目的探讨阅读障碍儿童（RD）在连续执行课题条件下（CPT）事件相关电位（ERP）特点和可能关联的神经学基础。方法采用ERP技术结合语义、方向及音调辨别等CPT条件,对16名RD男童及对照的正常男童进行测试,并就其准确率、反应时、误反应率、振幅和潜伏期等指标进行了比较分析。结果在3种辨别课题中,RD儿童和对照组儿童的音调辨别准确率、反应时、非视-高频刺激误反应率分别为（65.4±15.9）％和（78.5±12.6）％、（557.0±97.8）ms和（493.0±47.8）ms、（1.1±0.7）％和（0.6±0.3）％;而且方向和音调的ERP的P300振幅降低,分别为（20.8±7.3）μV和（27.7±8.3）μV、（9.1±4.3）μV和（14.6±8.3）μV;潜伏期延迟,音调潜伏期、语义认知处理性负相电位差别负波(Nd)潜伏期、音调Nd潜伏期分别为（571±78）ms和（512±62）ms、（398±76）ms和（342±67）ms、（373±56）ms和（327±53）ms。结论RD儿童选择注意存在缺陷,提示与其额叶-基低神经节环路功能障碍相关。ERP附加CPT条件比单一靶标刺激更能反映RD儿童的认知特征。     

A Case of Small Cell Lung Cancer Successfully Treated with VM26

A 79-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for a close examinationof an abnormal shadow on a routine chest roentgenogram. A largetumorous shadow in the right S¹ segment, and hilar and mediastinalnode swelling were observed. Transbronchial biopsy revealedthat the histologic type of the tumor was oat cell carcinoma.The clinical stage was considered to be limited disease. Becauseof his age, 79 years, he was treated with VM26 as a single agent.VM26 was administered by intravenous drip infusion of 60 mg/m²daily for five consecutive days every three to four weeks. Afterthe third course of treatment with VM26, he achieved partialresponse, and then radiation therapy to the primary site andthe hilar and mediastinal nodes was given at a total dose of6,000 rad. There have been few phase II studies of VM26 in patientswith small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Further phase II studiesshould be conducted for confirmation of the reproducibilityof the phase II study of VM26 in SCLC, and the efficacy of combinationchemotherapy including VM26 against SCLC should also be tested.     

Genotypic subtyping of hepatitis C virus

Four subtypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV), Pt(I), K1(II), K2a(III) and K2b(IV), have been suggested based on the nucleotide sequences of the non-structural (NS) 5 region. A fifth subtype from Japanese patients, Tr(V), which shows a less than 68% homology in nucleotide sequence when compared with other subtypes has been identified. A one-step method which enables a quick determination of subtype using polymerase chain reaction with a mixed primer set deduced from the sequence of each subtype has been developed. Using this technique, the subtypes of 418 out of 478 Japanese patients (87.4%) were determined. The incidence of each subtype in Japan was as follows: K1(II), 307 (73.4%); K2a(III), 74 (17.7%); K2b(IV), 28 (6.7%); and Tr(V), 3 (0.7%). This one-step subtyping technique should be useful for studying the epidemiology or biology of the HCV.     

儿童学习障碍及其相关问题

日本白百合大学发育儿科研究所前所长森永良子教授在日本长期从事认知障碍儿童神经心理及其治疗教育方面的研究工作。2005年11月中旬,森永良子教授应中山大学公共卫生学院静进教授邀请,到广州做了有关儿童发育行为学方面的学术报告。期间,静进教授与她就儿童学习障碍及其相关问题进行了交谈,涉及内容比较丰富且浅显易懂。经森永良子教授同意,由静进教授将谈话内容进行整理后在本刊发表,以飨感兴趣的读者们一阅。     

A Clinico-Pathological Study of Surgical Treatment for Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Thirty-seven patients with histologically confirmed small cellcarcinoma (SCLC), who underwent surgical resection at the NationalCancer Center Hospital between 1963 and 1983, were reviewed.They were divided into two groups, 25 patients who were operatedon between 1963 to 1979 and 12 who were operated on between1980 and 1983. When these two groups were compared, a significantdifference in 5-year survival was found (8% vs 50%). An accumulationof various factors including adjuvant chemotherapy was consideredto contribute to the improvement in survival. After carefullyanalyzing these factors, we have come to the conclusion thatadjuvant chemotherapy was the most important factor among them.An additional six patients with SCLC, who were operated on in1984 and 1985, were also studied. They were either those whowere given an adequate dose of combination chemotherapy beforesurgical resection or those whose local carcinoma which recurredafter complete response was achieved by chemotherapy and/orchest radiation was surgically removed. In two cases, a tumor-likemass which was clearly visible on X-ray film- and in the surgeon'shand at the time of thoracotomy revealed a histo pathological"cure." In another two cases, tissue diagnosis of SCLC whichwas obtained without thoracotomy before chemotherapy and/orradiation was started was reported as NSCLC after the resectedspecimen was histo-pathologically examined. In both of them,the cancer tissue was made up of NSCLC of small cell type. Adiscrepancy between clinical TNM after treatment and pathologicalTNM was noted in two cases. Microinvasion and micrometastases,which were the reasons for the discrepancy, are considered tobe a core of eventual recur rence following induction of completeresponse.