Description of a new human breast cancer cell line, IIB-BR-G, established from a primary undifferentiated tumor.

The establishment of a new human breast cancer cell line (IIB-BR-G) was successful after a previous growth of the cells isolated from a breast primary tumor in a female nude mouse. The IIB-BR-G cell line and the primary tumor do not express estrogen or progesterone receptors. Vimentin and keratin expression were found in the cell line and in the nude mouse tumor.

The expression of progesterone receptors coincides with an arrest of DNA synthesis in human breast cancer.

Two main models to account for the heterogeneous expression of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) in human breast cancer have been proposed: the clonal model and the stem cell model. The authors previously provided evidence supporting the stem cell model since it was found that most of the proliferating cells in ER-positive (ER+) human breast cancer lack ER and that the ER-negative (ER-) and ER+ subpopulations are interrelated. The authors have analyzed in eighteen ER+/PR+ primary breast tumors the simultaneous expression of ER or PR (by immunohistochemistry) and DNA synthesis (by autoradiography) after 30 minutes of 3H-thymidine incorporation.

[Digitalis therapy used according to the "rational" method. Techniques of application and clinical advantages (author's transl)].

Digitalis therapy in cardiac failure is used by physicians according to conventional dosages; we call this type of digitalization "empiric". With this method digitalis intoxication in hospitalized patients is likely to occur in 8 to 20% of the cases. Another method of digitalization which we call "rational" is based upon an initial dosage of 0.