Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes expressing IOT-10 marker. An immunohistochemical study of a series of 185 brain tumors

The presence of IOT-10-positive lymphocytes among the tumor-infiltrating-lymphocyte (TIL) population was studied in a series of 185 brain tumors. In most of the tumors, IOT-10-positive lymphocytes were identified, but generally they were scarce and masked among the tumor cells, suggesting that NK-cells exercise a poor participation in the tissular response against brain tumors. Isolated tumor cells showing IOT-10-positivity were found in low-grade astrocytomas, neurinomas and medulloblastomas. IOT-10-positivity on both tumor neuropil and tumor cells was considered a characteristic finding in oligodendrogliomas. The number of IOT-10-positive NK-cells in brain metastases and in cerebellar hemangioblastomas was comparatively greater than in other types of brain tumor. Since in brain metastases, the presence of IOT-10-positive NK-cells can be related to the tissular response to an extracerebral malignancy, their considerable presence in cerebellar hemangioblastomas is an enigmatic finding that deserves further attention.

Intensity statistics and the finesse of electromagnetic radiation in random structures

The correlation function of microwave intensity with frequency shift is measured in random mixtures of Teflon and aluminum spheres at a metallic filling fraction of 0.20. We observe the first three terms in an expansion of the correlation function in a parameter that is the ratio of the spacing to the width of modes of the random medium. The expansion also applies to optical and electron waves. The expansion parameter is equivalent to the finesse of optical resonators. The intensity distribution at all sample thicknesses is found to be a stretched exponential.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of pulmonary carcinoid tumors

Twenty-four cases coded as pulmonary carcinoid tumors initially sampled by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy were reviewed in order to determine the cytologic features most useful in making the FNA diagnosis. The diagnosis of carcinoid tumor had been confirmed in 23 cases; the remaining case, though closely resembling a carcinoid tumor on the FNA specimen, proved to be a sclerosing hemangioma of the lung. Comparison of the original and review interpretations of the FNA specimens revealed that all typical spindle cell carcinoids and all atypical carcinoids were correctly diagnosed and classified. Of the 15 typical round cell carcinoids, the original cytologic diagnosis was lymphoma in 2 cases and benign bronchial lining cells in 2 cases. Thus, it appears that diagnostic errors are most likely in "typical" carcinoids. Review of the FNA findings suggests that the frequently stripped cytoplasm (with resulting non-cohesive bare nuclei), coupled with the almost universal plexiform vascularity (seen in 21 of 23 cases), should allow an accurate cytologic diagnosis in virtually all cases.

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-Gly conversion to TRH in rat ventral prostate is inhibited by castration and aging

TRH levels in rat prostate are very high in the 2-month-old rat and decline at least 90% during the next 2 yr. This decline in prostatic TRH levels with aging may be a significant factor in benign prostatic hypertrophy in man and other animals. Because prostatic TRH correlates positively with serum testosterone and negatively with serum thyroid hormone levels, we have examined the possibility that the age-related decline in prostatic TRH is hormonally regulated. TRH and a TRH precursor peptide, TRH-Gly (pGlu-His-Pro-Gly), were measured in ventral prostates from 2-, 5-, and 18-month-old Fisher 344 male rats using a combination of HPLC and specific RIAs for TRH and TRH-Gly. Similar measurements were made in a group of 2-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats which were castrated, sham castrated, or left untreated for 3 or 7 days before death. Aging and castration resulted in a significant decrease in the absolute TRH concentration as well as the TRH/TRH-Gly ratio, but no significant change was observed in TRH-Gly levels. The serum testosterone concentration did not change with aging, but serum T4 levels fell significantly. Because testosterone levels do not change during the first 18 months of life in most rat strains, and hypothyroidism in young animals is associated with a significant increase in prostate TRH and TRH-Gly levels, we conclude that the aging-related decline in prostate TRH biosynthesis is not the result of a hypogonadal state.

Nutritional risk screening: development of a standardized protocol using dietetic technicians

The development of a standardized screening mechanism for identifying patients in compromised nutritional status is beneficial for prompt initiation of nutrition care. A pilot screening study was conducted at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital over a 3-month period to determine the prevalence of patients meeting defined nutritional risk criteria. Dietetic technicians screened each nursing unit once, in random order, until the entire hospital had been screened. Results indicated that one-third of the 225 patients screened were at nutritional risk. From those results, a standardized screening protocol and charting form were developed. The current screening procedure includes the original pilot study parameters of height, weight, albumin, diagnosis, and type of nutritional support, as well as additional parameters. Dietetic technicians also collect data on weight changes, appetite status, number of surgical procedures, and length of hospital stay. Criteria are listed under a severe risk or a moderate risk category. Patients meeting one severe or two moderate risk criteria are considered at nutritional risk. Recent data verify that more than one-third of patients screened are at nutritional risk. Through the utilization of technical support personnel, the standardized protocol has helped to identify patients who meet nutritional risk criteria.

Experimental reproduction of leprosy in seven-banded armadillos (Dasypus hybridus)

Four autochthonous seven-banded armadillos (Dasypus hybridus) from Argentina which developed disseminated leprosy are reported. The average time from inoculation to death was 14.6 months. Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were found in the skin, nerves, spleen, lymph nodes, lungs, meninges, and striated muscle. Several tests were used to prove that the AFB found in the infected animals were Mycobacterium leprae: a) failure to grow in standard culture media for mycobacteria, b) extraction of acid-fastness with the pyridine test, c) patterns of growth in the mouse foot pad, and d) histopathologic features.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in New York City. Evaluation of an active surveillance system

In January 1983, the New York City Department of Health initiated an active surveillance program for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 19 hospitals and a modified-active surveillance program in the remaining 69 hospitals. We reviewed hospital laboratory and autopsy records in 12 active surveillance hospitals and three modified-active surveillance hospitals six months later. Patients who had opportunistic diseases characteristic of AIDS diagnosed in 1982 (before active surveillance) and 1983 (after implementation of active surveillance) were matched against health department AIDS surveillance reports. For the 16 months we evaluated, 96% of patients identified with AIDS in the 12 active surveillance hospitals and 100% of those in the three modified-active surveillance hospitals had been reported to the health department. The delay between diagnosing a case and reporting it to the health department significantly decreased between 1981 and the first six months of 1983 in all hospitals. The proportion of cases reported within one month of diagnosis increased from 45% to 69% during this period. We conclude that the current surveillance program for AIDS in New York City is effective and that case reporting is sufficiently complete for accurate analysis of disease trends.

Structural study of tetragonal-ordered aggregates of phage φ29 necks

A new class of two-dimensional tetragonal aggregates of phage phi 29 necks has been studied by electron microscopy and a combination of Fourier filtering procedures and detailed rotational analysis. The results confirm the main features of the head-to-tail connecting region previously observed in hexagonal aggregates. There are several differences in the resulting pictures that can be attributed to the different way in which the aggregates are organized and stained.

Ectopic left atrial rhythm that produces QRS changes in absence of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

In an 18-year-old patient without manifest or concealed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, spontaneous and paced left atrial impulses penetrated a left-sided AV nodal input and thereafter activated the ventricles in a normal fashion exclusively through the His-Purkinje system. On the other hand, sinus and paced right atrial impulses entered a right-sided atrioventricular nodal input that was completely dissociated from the left-sided input to subsequently activate the ventricles partly through Mahaim fibers and partly through the His-Purkinje system. The Mahaim fibers, which acted as "bystanders" during episodes of atrioventricular nodal reciprocating tachycardia, seemed to have extended from a "distal," common (right-sided) intranodal pathway (or "proximal" His bundle) to the right ventricle or, although this is less likely, to the right bundle branch. More studies are necessary to determine whether the association on the surface electrocardiogram of an ectopic slow left atrial rhythm with changes in QRS morphology (but not in QRS duration) always reflects the existence of Mahaim fibers.

Cancer clusters: a myth or a method

Historically, cluster reports have been considered to be only marginally productive and generally discouraged as statistical artifacts. This report presents the results of a three year study involving in excess of 100 cancer cluster reports. The majority of these investigations represented statistical events; there were, however, some exceptions. Several of these reports were the basis for larger and more productive studies. A survey of the types of reports received, their sources and outcomes is presented. Examples of productive and nonproductive studies are highlighted to indicate decision points for selecting the most promising reports. Investigators are encouraged to consider cancer cluster reports from lay individuals as well as from more authoritative sources (i.e., tumor registries, physicians, medical-social workers). Investigators are also urged to perform actual field investigations of those reports choosing statistically promising and/or provocative circumstances for the greatest likelihood of identifying new environmental risk factors for cancer.

Pattern of melanoma incidence in Miami, Florida

Although melanoma causes only 1.4 percent of cancers nationally, it accounts for 3.6 percent of cancers in southern Flordia. The authors conducted an incidence survey to determine if the distribution of melanoma was a function of population density, an outdoors lifestyle, or the presence of an older population.