Speed of processing in normal aging: effects of speech rate, linguistic structure, and processing time.

Young and elderly adults heard three types of speech materials varying in both length and degree of semantic and syntactic constraints. Time compression was used to vary speech rates systematically to test a speed of processing hypothesis as one explanation of performance deficits associated with normal aging. In addition to segment length effects, the elderly participants showed significantly steeper rates of performance decline with increasing speech rate, with slope constants dependent on the structural constraints of the speech materials.

Adenosine deaminase and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in human lymphomas: an aid to the diagnosis and subclassification of lymphoblastic lymphomas.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) activities were determined on 97 biopsy specimens obtained from patients with non-neoplastic diseases (12 cases), Hodgkin (30 cases), and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (55 cases). Thirty additional cases were tested only for TdT. TdT was positive in 10 out of 13 lymphoblastic lymphomas (LL) examined and negative in all the other specimens, including the ten cases of the immunoblastic type.

Plasma cyclic nucleotide levels in patients with homozygous beta-thalassaemia.

To investigate the possibility that a proliferative non-neoplastic process influences extracellular cyclic nucleotide concentrations, we measured plasma cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP levels in 38 patients with homozygous beta-thalassaemia. This group consisted of 20 patients with thalassaemia major transfused regularly (mean pre transfusion Hb levels, 11 g/dl), and 18 patients with thalassaemia intermedia who did not require regular blood transfusion (mean Hb levels, 8.7 g/dl).

Angiosarcomas arising in edematous extremities: immunostaining for factor VIII-related antigen and ultrastructural features.

Immunostaining for Factor VIII-related antigen was seen in deparaffinized sections from 19 of 20 postmastectomy angiosarcomas and from four of four sarcomas that arose in chronically edematous tissue unrelated to breast carcinoma. Staining was also seen in sections from two malignant hemangioendotheliomas, four capillary hemangiomas, and one granulation tissue specimen. Sections from two lymphangiomas were immunonegative for Factor VIII-related antigen in the endothelium of lymphatic channels, whereas staining was observed in the surrounding normal blood vessels.

Plasma cyclic nucleotide levels in monitoring acute leukemia patients.

To verify the clinical usefulness of plasma cyclic nucleotide determination as a tumor marker, levels were measured in 52 normal subjects and in 106 acute leukemia patients. In untreated patients plasma cyclic GMP (cGMP) levels were markedly elevated, whereas cyclic AMP levels did not significantly differ from those of normal subjects. Plasma cGMP levels normalized in all patients who attained complete remission and remained in the normal range during all the remission period.

Plasma and urine cyclic nucleotide levels in patients with neoplastic diseases.

Plasma and/or urine cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) levels were measured in 67 normal subjects, 55 patients with nonneoplastic diseases, and 324 patients with ten different types of cancer. There were no significant differences in plasma and urine cyclic nucleotide levels between normal subjects and patients with non-neoplastic diseases. In untreated cancer patients, plasma and urine cAMP levels were similar to those of normal subjects, whereas plasma and urine cGMP levels were markedly higher.

Multienzymatic analyses of human malignant lymphomas. Correlation of enzymatic data with pathologic and ultrastructural findings in Burkitt's and lymphoblastic lymphomas.

Enzyme activity measurements are of great relevance to the classification and biochemical characterization of the various types of leukemias, but they have been much less studied in solid lymphoid tumors. The authors report investigations in human lymphomas. The levels of the following enzymes were determined: terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase alpha (DP alpha), adenosine deaminase (ADA), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), thymidine and uridine kinases (TK and UK, respectively), and thymidine phosphorylase (ThPh).

Prosodic features and the intelligibility of accelerated speech: syntactic versus periodic segmentation.

An experiment is reported in which subjects heard paragraph-length samples of time-compressed speech which were interrupted for intermediate reports either on a simple periodic basis or at points corresponding to sentence and major clause boundaries. The passages were spoken in a normal prosodic pattern, in list intonation, or were electronically processed to produce otherwise normal speech specifically deprived of pitch variation. Decrease in intelligibility scores with increasing speech rate was accompanied by a significant effect of place of interruption for report and of the prosodic pattern in which the passages were heard.

Ultrastructural similarities and differences of synovial sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, and clear cell sarcoma of the tendons and aponeuroses.

The ultrastructural features of synovial sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, and clear cell sarcoma of the tendons and aponeuroses were compared to identify differential markers and similarities. A continuous spectrum of modulation of morphologic features of synovial and epithelioid sarcomas was observed. Biphasic synovial sarcoma with pseudoglandular and stromal components represents one extreme of this spectrum.

Pulmonary carcinoid with glandular features. Report of two cases with positive fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology.

A detailed description is given of two challenging cases of pulmonary carcinoid with glandular features that were diagnosed cytologically on fine needle aspiration biopsy material. The histologic type in the first case was identified on the aspirated material obtained from the tumor at the time of its radiologic discovery; for the second case, after a prior diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, the correct diagnosis was made upon review of the material; the diagnosis was warranted by the indolent clinical course. The cytologic diagnoses were unequivocally confirmed by the histology of the surgical specimen in the first case and by an ultrastructural investigation of the second.

Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy of intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor of the lung.

We report on an intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor (IVBAT) detected in the lungs of a 45-year-old female. The results of the immunohistochemical and ultrastructural investigations stress the already suggested endothelial origin of the tumor. The clinical and histopathologic differential diagnoses between IVBAT and other rare tumors of the lung are discussed.

The influence of in vivo pretreatment of cyclophosphamide on phagocytic activity of mouse macrophages in vitro.

The action of cyclophosphamide on phagocytosis by macrophages from mouse peritoneal exudate cultured in vitro was studied. The mice were pretreated with cyclophosphamide administered for seven days. The experiments were carried out in the presence of serum (with or without complement) from untreated animals or without serum.

Plasma and urine cyclic nucleotide levels in patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

Plasma levels and 24-h urinary excretion of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP were measured in 18 patients with hyperthyroidism, 7 patients with hypothyroidism and 25 normal subjects. Mean plasma and urinary levels of both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP were significantly positive correlations between the serum thyroid hormone levels and plasma and urinary cyclic nucleotide concentrations were also found, suggesting that the elevated extracellular cyclic nucleotide levels in hyperthyroidism are probably a consequence of increased secretion of thyroid hormones. In the hypothyroid patients the extracellular cyclic nucleotide concentrations did not differ significantly from those of the normal subjects.

Plasma and urine cyclic nucleotide levels in patients with acute and chronic leukemia.

Plasma and urine levels of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) were measured in 35 normal subjects, in 24 patients with nonneoplastic diseases (iron deficiency anemia, peptic ulcer, and cholelithiasis), and in 50 leukemic patients. The leukemic group included patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myelogenous leukemia. All patients were recently diagnosed and untreated, except for 5 patients with blastic transformation of chronic myelogenous leukemia who had been previously treated.

Effect of granulocytic chalone on the growth rate of continuous cell lines propagated in vitro: a new assay system.

The progress of research on granulocytic chalone has been hampered by a lack of reliable assay systems. This paper reports the use of continuous cell lines growing in liquid suspension culture as a new method for assessing the effect of granulocytic chalone on cell proliferation. Partially purified granulocytic chalone (PPGC) was added to cultures of a rat myeloid cell line (W25), a human myeloid cell line (HL60), a human B lymphocytic cell line (8392), and a human T lymphocytic cell line (8402).

Growth pattern of the human promyelocytic leukaemia cell line HL60.

In order to characterize the growth pattern of the human promyelocytic leukaemia cell line HL60, its kinetic parameters were studied. The doubling time was calculated from serial cell counts, the duration of the various cell cycle phases from the analysis of the labelled mitoses curve, and quiescent population from continuous labelling experiments. Proliferation in culture was exponential up to a saturation density of about 3.

Neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) carcinoma of the skin.

Merkel cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 10 patients (eight females and two males) with a mean age of 66 years and a range of 44-84. The most common sites of the primary tumor were the skin of the limbs, girdles, and head. Sixty percent of the cases had recurrences and 50% regional nodal metastases that appeared within 1 year.

Energy deposition by proton beams of up to 31 MeV in microscopic volumes.

The frequency distributions of energy deposition in microscopic volumes for proton beams of various energies and energy spreads were determined by means of a "rossi type" proportional counter. Tissue equivalent spherical volumes of 0.6, 0.

Patterns of cyclic nucleotides in normal and leukaemic human leucocytes.

Because recent observations indicate that metabolism of cyclic nucleotides may be altered in neoplastic cells, the intracellular levels of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) were measured in mononuclear leukaemic and normal human leucocytes. The activities of adenylate cyclase, guanylate cyclase and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases were also determined. Under basal conditions, cAMP levels were always higher in the normal leucocytes, whilst cGMP levels were of the same order of magnitude in both normal and leukaemic cells, causing the cAMP/cGMP ratios to be significantly lower in leukaemic leucocytes.

Multinucleate cells and micronucleus formation in cultured human cells exposed to 12 MeV protons and gamma-rays.

Cultured human cells of the EUE line were exposed to different doses of 12 MeV protons, plated and allowed to grow for 8 days; colonies were then scored for the presences of multinucleate cells and micronuclei. The frequency of both effects is an increasing function of the dose; the evaluated exponents of the dose-response equation (e = bDn) are n = 1.0 %/- 0.