[Additional phragmoplast corrects abnormal cytokinesis in wheat x rye hybrid pollen mother cells].

The phragmoplast dysfunction in wheat x rye hybrid F1 male meiosis has been described. The pollen mother cells (PMCs) show the phenotype where transition from central spindle fibers (forming a solid bundle) to a phragmoplast (hollow cylinder) is blocked. The blockade suppresses centrifugal movement of the phragmoplast and cell plate formation. The resulting cells occur to be binucleate. Sometimes, the two nuclei join and form one restitution nucleus. PMCs of wheat x rye F1 hybrid N D-144gp 06r. F1 (T. aestivum c. 93-60 T 9 x S. cereale c. Saratovskaya 7) showing this phenotype have an additional phragmoplast at late telophase. This happens like that in the case of immobile phragmoplast formation in meiosis in bicotyledons: the new phragmoplast arises by the aid of microtubules polymerization starting from the spindle poles. The new additional phragmoplast builds a new cell plate and accomplishes cytokinesis.

The relative roles of neurological examination, functional abilities, and computed tomography in the definition of treatment failure in patients with anaplastic gliomas.

Forty-one patients with anaplastic gliomas undergoing postoperative treatment and evaluation underwent bimonthly evaluation of the following indices of treatment failure: neurological examination; Karnofsky functional rating; and computed tomography (CT) brain scanning. Treatment failure was declared when neurological examination or Karnofsky rating showed increased impairment or when CT scan revealed an increase in tumor sizes. Most often, all three indices simultaneously indicated treatment failure. In only 6 of 41 cases the CT scan alone was the first indication of treatment failure. During the first 6 months of follow-up, tumor enlargement on CT scan as a sole index of treatment failure occurred in only 3 of 26 cases that showed evidence of treatment failure during that time. For patients with glioblastoma, about 6% of treatment failures within 6 months are predicted to be missed by Karnofsky rating plus neurological examination, whereas CT scan alone is predicted to miss about 30%. It would seem reasonable to rely on the neurological examination and Karnofsky rating for follow-up during the first 6 months after surgery, without routine serial CT scanning during that time.

Immunobiology of primary intracranial tumors. Part 7: Active immunization of patients with anaplastic human glioma cells: a pilot study.

Twenty patients with malignant gliomas were selected for active immunization within 4 weeks following surgery. Each patient had a Karnofsky Functional Rating equal to or greater than 70, a peripheral blood lymphocyte count equal to or greater than 1000 cells/cu mm, skin test responses to one or more of four recall antigens, peripheral blood T-cells equal to or greater than half that of control, and was not receiving steroid therapy at the time of entry into the study. Each patient received subcutaneous inoculations with one of two human glioma tissue culture cell lines (D-54MG or U-251MG) monthly, with 500 micrograms of bacillus Calmette-Guérin cell wall (BCG-CW) being included with the first inoculation. Each patient also received levamisole, 2.5 mg/kg 3 days per week every other week. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy with BCNU were begun after the first month of immunization. Follow-up evaluations included computerized tomography brain scans, neurological examinations, Karnofsky Functional Ratings, and studies of general immune competence. No evidence of allergic encephalomyelitis was noted clinically, nor was any gross or microscopic evidence of such pathology obtained upon autopsy of three of these patients. Serial studies of general immune competence showed no alterations from those previously described with non-immunized patients. Patients who were inoculated with the U-251MG cell line have had a longer survival time compared to those inoculated with the D-54MG cell line (p less than 0.0590) or compared to 58 historical cases of glioma patients treated with levamisole, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy alone (p less than 0.02).