Ferritin-bearing lymphocytes in patients with cancer.

Ferritins, a group of isomeric proteins that have important functions in iron metabolism and storage, have been demonstrated to be carcinoembryonic antigens. It has been recently shown that a subpopulation of lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of patients with Hodgkin's disease or breast cancer bear ferritin on their surface membranes. In view of the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of ascertaining the number of ferritin-bearing lymphocytes, the authors developed a simple indirect immunofluorescent technique for identifying them and used this technique to examine the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 44 patients with carcinomas of the head and neck (26), colon (14), and lung (4).

Flow-volume curves reflect pharyngeal airway abnormalities in sleep apnea syndrome.

Twenty-nine patients with disorders of excessive somnolence were evaluated with standard nocturnal polysomnography, fiberoptic laryngoscopy, and flow-volume curves. Twenty-two had evidence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by polysomnography and most had abnormal flow-volume curves, supporting earlier observations. Three of 7 patients without obstructive sleep apnea also had abnormal curves.

Surgical treatment of sleep apnea.

Contemporary surgical techniques and the preoperative and postoperative treatment of patients with this condition were analyzed, based on surgical treatment of 51 cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and review of the relevant literature. The results indicate the permanent tracheostomy remains the established and highly successful method of treatment of carefully chosen patients with OSAS. Palatopharyngoplasty may also prove useful in treating certain select cases of OSAS, although careful analysis of a large number of successful cases followed up over an extended period of time will be needed.

Decrease of mast cells in the stroma of human cancer.

The number of mast cells in the stroma of human squamous cell cancer -- keratoblastif cum, paraepidermale and male diffusa was 2-30 times lower than in the stroma o-normal squamous epithelium or in the connective tissue distant from neoplastic epithelium. These differences are statistically highly significant. The reduction of mast cel, number apparently might be the result of exhaustion of heparin-containing granules which interfere with tumor growth.

Obstructive sleep apnea and death associated with surgical correction of velopharyngeal incompetence.

We have observed three children who developed obstructive sleep apnea immediately following construction of pharyngeal flaps designed to improve the speech of these patients with velopharyngeal incompetence. Postoperatively the patients were noted to have repeated episodes during sleep of strong respiratory efforts without airflow. Sleep apnea can be debilitating and lethal, and should be looked for following surgery of the upper airway.