Neonatal neurobehavioral effects of inhalation analgesia for vaginal delivery.

The authors studied the neonatal neurobehavioral effects of nitrous oxide:oxygen and enflurane:oxygen inhalation analgesia for vaginal delivery. Parturients were assigned randomly to receive no inhalation agent (Group 1, n = 21); enflurane, 0.3 to 0.

A new neurologic and adaptive capacity scoring system for evaluating obstetric medications in full-term newborns.

A variety of examinations are currently available for evaluating the neurobehavior of the newborn. These exams are often difficult and time-consuming to perform, require extensive training of the examiners, and produce results that may be difficult to interpret. The authors describe a new Neurologic and Adaptive Capacity Score (NACS) for full-term neonates and compare it with the Scanlon Early Neonatal Neurobehavioral Scale (ENNS), the most widely used test for evaluating effects of obstetric medication on the neonate.

Effects of alcohol and hyperthermia on normal and leukemic lymphocytes.

By the method of viable lymphocyte counts, ethanol was found (1) to have a cytocidal effect on normal and leukemic lymphocytes; (2) to be more toxic to leukemic than to normal lymphocytes; (3) to be synergistic with hyperthermia, and (4) to decrease the critical temperature of normal lymphocytes from 43 to 41.5 degree C.

Effects of hyperthermia on radiosensitivity of normal and leukaemic lymphocytes.

We measured the effects of X-irradiation plus incubation at elevated temperatures on peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal persons and from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Counts of viable lymphocytes were based on morphological characteristics by phase microscopy. Dose-effect curves for X-irradiation were biphasic.

An evaluation of lymphography with nodal biopsy in localized carcinoma of the prostate. URO-Oncology Research Group.

One hundred forty-nine lymphograms from patients with localized carcinomas of the prostate were interpreted by a referee radiologist without the benefit of clinical stage, grade of tumor, or the result of staging pelvic node dissection. The lymphogram was able to detect 30 of 35 (86%) positive nodal metastases and confirm 90 of 114 (79%) negative nodal biopsies. The internal iliac nodal biopsies were positive as a single finding in only 7 of 54 (13%) patients.

Evaluation of human chorionic gonadotropin-beta levels in prostatic carcinoma.

Sera of patients with prostatic malignancy were assayed for human chorionic gonadotropin-beta (HCG-beta). The levels of HCB-beta are negligible in the patients and in a control group with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Slight increases in HCG-beta found in a small percentage of patients with advanced malignancy are attributed to cross-reacting gonadotropins.

Distant metastases of carcinoma of tonsillar region: a study of 475 patients.

The records of 471 patients with carcinoma of the tonsillar region seen at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Hines, Illinois, have been reviewed to determine the incidence and location of distant metastases. All patients were male and with histologically proved diagnosis. Seventy-two patients (15%) of 471 and 33(29%) of 115 patients who underwent autopsy were found to have distant metastases.

Search for blocking factors in sera of patients with prostatic cancer.

Sera from patients with carcinoma of the prostate were screened for the presence of blocking factors by measuring the inhibition of phytohemagglutinin-induced blastogenesis of normal lymphocytes. The blastogenic index obtained in cancer sera is not significantly different from that obtained in sera of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (control group). Determination of alpha-2-globulins in the cancer sera by cellulose acetate electrophoresis revealed slightly elevated levels in patients with metastatic disease but it did not correlate with the inhibitory blocking activity of the serum.

Deae-dextran and T-cell rosette formation.

Use of DEAE-dextran (a polycation) increases and stabilizes the rosettes formed between sheep red cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Under its influence, reproducible stable rosettes are formed after one hour of incubation in an ice bath instead of the usually required 18 to 24 hours. We have shown that rosettes are specific for T-cells and not due to "co-rosetting" of nonrosette forming cells into the T-cell rosette clusters.

Cell-mediated immune competence in patients with prostatic carcinoma.

The immune competence of 65 patients with prostatic cancer was evaluated by 2 in vivo and 2 in vitro tests to study the contribution of host factors to the progress of the disease. Patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy served as controls. Our results indicate that the delayed skin hypersensitivity response to common microbial recall antigens (streptokinase/streptodornase, purified protein derivative, dermatophytin 0 and dermatophytin) is unaltered in advanced stages of malignancy.

Cytology and colchicine sensitivity of viable cells from lymph nodes with malignant lymphoma.

Viable cell suspensions were prepared from 31 nodes diagnosed non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma, and from 30 non-malignant nodes. The cells were examined and counted by phase contrast microscopy. The suspensions were characterized by the percentage of large cells and by a colchicine-sensitivity index.

Lymphocyte mediated natural cytotoxicity in neoplasia.

Peripheral blood lymphoid cells from normal donors, patients with non-malignant diseases, and patients with malignant diseases were evaluated for cytotoxicity against a cultured carcinoma cell line, using a chromium release assay. The natural spontaneous lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity was significantly higher in tumor-free groups. The observed decreased response in patients with malignancies correlated with depressed responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin stimulation.

Lymphocyte response to phytohaemagglutinin before and after radiation therapy in patients with carcinomas of the head and neck.

The ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond in vitro to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) was studied before and after radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck. Patient lymphocyte response to PHA was depressed before therapy and further declined following therapy. The pre-therapy PHA responsiveness was found to be prognostically significant in regard to patient survival.

Ultrastructural events in the cytoplasmic death of lethally-irradiated human lymphocytes.

Normal human peripheral-blood lymphocytes were irradiated with a dose of X-rays and processed for electron microscopic examination at different times after irradiation. A localized protrusion of the plasma membrane of the irradiated lymphocytes was observed in samples fixed as early as 15 min after irradiation, suggesting that the injury to the plasma membrane could have occurred during or immediately after irradiation. This was followed by fenestration of the plasma membrane, rarefaction of the cytoplasm and accumulation of cytoplasmic organelles in the centrosphere region.

T and B cells in pregnancy.

The present study reports on the relative percents and absolute numbers of peripheral blood total T, active T, and B lymphocytes in pregnant women throughout gestation. These data agree with other studies reporting normal T and B cell populations during pregnancy.

Phytohemagglutinin stimulation of lymphocytes in lung cancer patients.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from controls and patients with lung cancer treated by radiotherapy were cultured with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Patient lymphocyte response to PHA was depressed before therapy and even declined further after theapy. There was no prognostic significance associated with pre-therapy PHA responsiveness in this study.