Bacterial nitration of 4-chlorobiphenyl.

In the course of a study dealing with the biodegradation of 4-chlorobiphenyl by strain B-206, we noticed that the gram-negative bacterium accumulated different metabolic intermediates depending on the nitrogen source of the medium. Hence, in the presence of nitrate, strain B-206 produced four compounds which were identified as 2- and 4-hydroxy-4'-chlorobiphenyl and 2- and 4-hydroxy-mononitro-4'-chlorobiphenyl. The accumulation of these compounds in the culture medium indicated the presence of a monooxygenase in strain B-206 leading to the production of arene oxide intermediates. The possible transformation of 4-chlorobiphenyl to an arene oxide by this bacterial strain is a matter of concern because of the high reactivity of these arene oxides with biological material.

Solitary breast metastasis: first manifestation of an occult carcinoid of the ileum.

A metastasis to the breast was the first manifestation of a clinically occult ileal carcinoid in a 53 year old woman. Modified radical mastectomy was perfomed after the breast neoplasm had been interpreted clinically and pathologically as a primary carcinoma. Permanent sections demonstrated the tumor to be composed of sheets of small uniform cells subdivided into lobules by delicate vascular septa. Silver impregnation revealed the presence of argentaffin cytoplasmic granules. This feature, with the added ultrastructural findings which showed pleomorphic neurosecretory-type granules within the cytoplasm of the tumor cells strongly suggested a metastasis to the breast from a midgut carcinoid. The subsequently performed barium study of the small bowel showed an infiltrating neoplastic lesion in the terminal ileum, which after surgical excision and histologic examination proved to be two typical argentaffin carcinoids with pleomorphic cytoplasmic granules. This report thus clearly demonstrates the importance of a combined light microscopic, histochemical and ultrastructural analysis of this breast neoplasm in order to establish its metastatic origin and to separate it from a primary carcinoma or a primary carcinoid of the breast.

Surgery in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

Oculpharyngeal muscular dystrophy is an autosomal dominant inherited condition seen mainly in patients of French Canadian origin. Fifteen patients with an established diagnosis of the disease were evaluated clinically, manometrically and radiologically before and after cricopharyngeal myotomy. All patients presented with oropharyngeal dysphagia to solids and liquids, pharyngooral and pharyngonasal regurgitation, frequent aspiration at mealtime and chronic aspiration of saliva during the night. When compared with a control group, significant differences were observed in the pressure, duration and frequency of pharyngeal contraction. Cricopharyngeal myotomy did not alter pharyngeal function. At the level of the upper esophageal sphincter, resting and contraction pressure relaxation, relaxation time and coordination were examined. Relaxation time was the only significant abnormality observed between patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy and control subjects. Surgery significantly lowered the resting and contracting pressures of the sphincter. Relaxation time was brought toward normal. All patients' symptoms were significantly improved by cricopharyngeal myotomy.