Primary and secondary lymphomas of the brain: an MRI study

Three types of lymphoma of the central nervous system are known: primary non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma (NHML), secondary NHML and neurological lesions of Hodgkin's disease. NHML's are rare tumours, often associated with immunodeficiency and presenting predominantly as neuropsychological disorders. In this study 8 patients were explored by CT and MRI, with pathological confirmation. None of our patients had AIDS. The most typical neuroradiological image of this type of tumour is that of a large and intensely contrast-enhanced tumoral mass which is often multifocal and periventricular with infiltration of the subarachnoidal spaces and leptomeninges. Mass effect and perifocal oedema are less pronounced than expected with tumours of that size. NHML's may totally regress under corticosteroid therapy. This tumour of obscure aetiology must be recognized as it is now increasingly frequent.     

Marital status and cohabitation during pregnancy: relationship with social conditions, antenatal care and pregnancy outcome in France

Summary. A survey of a representative sample of 5508 births in France in 1981 permitted the study of social characteristics of pregnant women, the medical care they received during their pregnancy and their pregnancy outcome, as a function of their marital status and whether or not they lived with the father of the child. Unmarried women living with the father (n = 412) like unmarried women living alone (n = 171), were more often younger, having their first baby and had a lower educational level than did married women living with the father (n = 4590). However, among the unmarried women, those living alone were in a more unfavourable position than those living with the father; in particular, they were more often less than 20 years old, had the minimum educational level required and were unemployed. Both groups of unmarried women had a higher preterm delivery rate than did married women, even after taking other risk factors into account in a logistic regression. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for pre-term delivery among unmarried mothers living without the father was 1.9 (1.0–3.4) and that for the unmarried cohabiting with the father was 1.6 (1.0–2.4). Thus, to fully appreciate the perinatal risks and medical needs during pregnancy, both the marital and cohabitational status of the women should be considered.     

Laparoscopic hysterectomy

Summary Thirty-three patients were selected for laparoscopic hysterectomy and operated on in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine of Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital. Surgical techniques included blunt dissection with scissors and bipolar coagulation to achieve hemostasis. A case was considered successful when all the uterine vessels were treated by laparoscopy. Twenty-four cases were completed laparoscopically (72.7%). None of these patients had postoperative bleeding; 22 had an uneventful postoperative recovery. Nine procedures were converted to laparotomy (27.3%), five because of a difficult or unsatisfactory hemostasis. We conclude that in selected cases, a total hysterectomy can be performed safely by experienced laparoscopists. Further technological progress is necessary to make this procedure more acceptable. Its value as compared to the others will have to be demonstrated.     

Effects of 1-week head-down tilt bed rest on bone formation and the calcium endocrine system.

To understand the potential early responses of human bone and the calcium endocrine system to spaceflight, we studied 8 healthy men, aged 35-44 years before, during, and after bed rest in a -6 degrees head-down tilt model for microgravity. Based on a novel single-dose labeling schedule, average rates of bone formation in the iliac crest were reduced in 6, unchanged in 1, and increased in 1 following the bed rest period. The decrease was greatest for subjects whose daily walking miles were highest (r = -0.762, p less than 0.05, n = 7). Before a measurable increase in ionized serum calcium the sixth bed rest day, there was increased excretion of urinary calcium and sodium, evident the first 2 bed-rest days and parallel for the entire week (r = 0.92, p less than 0.001). Reduced excretion of phosphorus and 3', 5' cyclic adenosine monophosphate on the first and second bed rest days was followed by an increase in serum phosphorus by the sixth bed rest day. Depressed serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were manifest by the sixth and seventh bed rest days. The similarity of the response of bone and the calcium endocrine system of healthy men after only 7 days to results of longer term bed rest studies emphasizes the responsiveness of the adult human skeleton to biomechanical stimuli induced by changes in activity and/or position.     

Permeability of 13 different gloves to 13 cytotoxic agents under controlled dynamic conditions.

PURPOSE: The permeability of 13 different gloves to 13 cytotoxic agents under controlled dynamic conditions is described. METHODS: Thirteen cytotoxic agents were prepared at the highest concentrations normally encountered by pharmacy personnel. Four glove types--neoprene, natural rubber latex, nitrile, and vinyl--were exposed to the cytotoxic agents for 15, 30, and 60 minutes. Tests were conducted using the middle finger of each glove. Linearity, reproducibility, and sensitivity were evaluated for each drug tested. Assays were run using liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet light (HPLC-UV). Permeability testing was conducted using an original system designed to evaluate dynamic constraints, such as rubbing, stretching, and tension. RESULTS: Linearity by LC/MS/MS and HPLC-UV was confirmed at concentrations up to 1000 ng/mL for all drugs. Most glove materials were permeable at rates below ASTM recommendations over the one-hour testing period. Vinyl was the most permeable material. Carmustine permeated the widest variety of materials. Due to the high sensitivity of the analytic methods, all materials displayed low but significant permeability for at least one drug after one hour. Higher resistance to permeation was recorded for all neoprene, some natural rubber latex, and one nitrile glove. CONCLUSION: Neoprene, natural rubber latex, and nitrile gloves displayed the highest resistance to permeation of the 13 cytotoxic agents studied. Additional factors, such as duration of exposure, glove thickness, and drug liposolubility and molecular weight, also affected permeability.     

The erythropoietic stimulating activity of normal mouse serum: effect on erythroid precursors from different haematopoietic tissues and suggested role of accessory cells

The addition of normal mouse serum (NMS) to mouse bone marrow cell cultures was found to stimulate the growth of late erythroid precursors (CFU-E). The stimulating activity was called Erythropoietic Stimulating Cofactor (ESCF) (Blanchet et al 1984). In this article, we report that CFU-Es from foetal liver are not sensitive to serum addition, in contrast to CFU-Es from bone marrow or spleen taken from the same foetuses. When foetal liver cells were co-cultured with irradiated adult bone marrow cells, addition of NMS stimulated the foetal liver CFU-Es, suggesting that ESCF acts via some accessory cells not present (or in too low a frequency) among foetal liver cells. Moreover, NMS should be added at onset of adult bone marrow cell culture to be fully stimulatory. In addition, a very large increase (by a factor of 5 to 7) was observed for CFU-Es from spleen and bone marrow from 6- to 20-d-old newborn mice. This high sensitivity was correlated with a post-natal anaemia. We propose the existence of two different CFU-E population, one stimulated by the accessory cells, the other not, the proportion of which could be modified in response to anaemia.