Infrequent alteration of the c-myc gene in human glial tumours associated with increased numbers of c-myc positive cells.

Twenty five human glial tumours of different grades of malignancy were examined by Southern blotting and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for alterations (rearrangements, amplification and deletions) in the c-myc gene. Number of c-myc positive cells per thousand cells were also counted in all the tumours after immunohistochemical staining for c-myc protein was done on fixed sections of the tumours. No tumours exhibited any amplification of the gene, as found by Southern blotting.

Encephalopathy in patients with extrahepatic obstruction after lienorenal shunts.

Thirty patients with portal hypertension resulting from extrahepatic portal vein obstruction were studied. Evidence of postshunt encephalopathy was sought using neurological and psychometric tests and visual evoked potentials. Eleven patients were studied before and after lienorenal shunt operations and 19 at varying intervals, from 6 to 123 (median 26) months, after the same procedure.

Cladosporiosis (cerebral phaeohyphomycosis) of brain--a case report.

A case of cerebral cladosporiosis caused by Cladosporium trichoides (bantianum) now known as Xylohypha bantiana is described and illustrated. Predisposing debilitating diseases were not detectable. The Cladosporiosis diagnosis was based on visualisation of hyphal element in direct Gram's stain, direct KOH preparate of pus from brain abscess and on repeated successful cultivation of Cladosporium trichoides from specimen and by histopathology.

Imbalances in T cell subpopulations in human gliomas.

The quantitation of cells bearing CD3, CD4, CD8, and B cell phenotypic markers, as well as an estimation of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and IgM, was carried out in a group of 39 glioma patients with different grades of malignancy. The findings were compared with those obtained from 21 normal healthy control subjects. The analysis revealed a significant decrease both in the absolute numbers and in the percentages of circulating CD3+ (p less than 0.