[Studies of the relevance of the tumor marker neopterin for therapeutic decisions and follow-up of breast cancer]. / Untersuchungen zur Relevanz des Tumormarkers Neopterin für die Therapieentscheidung und Verlaufskontrolle bei Mammakarzinom.

The value of serum neopterin as tumour marker was verified on 104 breast cancer patients. Based on the results, neopterin cannot be recommended either for deciding treatment after primary therapy or for monitoring of breast cancer.

[Changes in the diagnosis and therapy of extrauterine pregnancy with special emphasis on ultrasound. Study at the Gynecologic Clinic of the Düsseldorf University, 1962-1983]. / Wandel von Diagnostik und Therapie der Extrauteringravidität mit besonderer Bewertung des Ultraschalls. Untersuchung der UFK Düsseldorf der Jahre 1962-1983.

The diagnosis and therapy of ectopic pregnancy underwent a change with the introduction of ultrasound and the sensitive beta-hCG test. The modified management of ectopic pregnancy at the Department of Gynaecology of the University of Düsseldorf was analysed by examining the case history of 938 patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy from 1962-1983. The diagnosis ectopic pregnancy was confirmed for 348 patients (37%), whereas it was excluded in 590 cases (63%). The Pregnosticon test and the Gonavislide test yielded positive results in only little more than half of the cases with ectopic pregnancy. The Neo-Pregnosticon test was positive for 13 out of 15 patients. There was no ectopic pregnancy with a negative beta-hCG test (n = 31). Out of 261 patients examined by ultrasound, an ectopic pregnancy was proved directly four times. Sonographic pointers to an ectopic pregnancy were found with equal frequency in patients with confirmed ectopic pregnancy and in patients with excluded ectopic pregnancy (79%). In 17% of the patients with confirmed ectopic pregnancy this could not be detected by ultrasound. Out of 92 patients who had an ultrasound examination and a beta-hCG test, an intrauterine pregnancy could be excluded in spite of a positive pregnancy test in 94% of the ectopic pregnancies (n = 31) and in 31% of the cases with excluded ectopic pregnancy (n = 61). The incidence rate of ruptured tubule pregnancy was 44% before the introduction of ultrasound in 1973; it dropped subsequently to 37%. Since the introduction of the beta-hCG test in 1981 the incidence dropped further to 21%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[The problem of preoperative radiotherapy of renal adenocarcinomas from the viewpoint of tumor biology]. / Zum Problem der präoperativen Stahlentherapie renaler Adenokarzinome aus tumorbiologischer Sicht.

Tumour biological examinations were carried out on 26 patients with pulmonary metastases of renal adenocarcinomas; growth functions were used to calculate the point in time at which metastases began to grow, in relation to the time of operation. The aim was to derive information on the indications for pre-operative radiation therapy. In 3 patients out of 26 (11.5%) there is an indication for pre-operative irradiation. For comparative clinical tests on the value of pre-operative irradiation a minimum of 871 patients are needed in each group for comparison to evaluate the 3-year survival rate and 489 patients to evaluate the 5-year survival rate in order to be certain of the positive effect of pre-operative irradiation with 1% statistical probability. Our examinations are to be considered as a model.

Molecular structure of glycerolipids in rats fed partially hydrogenated triacylglycerols.

The positional distribution of acyl moieties was studied in two major classes of glycerolipids, i.e. triacylglycerols and diacylglycerophosphocholines, of liver, heart and serum of rats that were fed either an unhydrogenated soybean oil (control group) or a partially hydrogenated soybean oil (experimental group) containing 12.3% trans-octadecenoic acids. In both groups, most of the fatty acids from dietary triacylglycerols were found to be utilized for the synthesis of tissue triacylglycerols accoring to their dietary availability. Irrespective of the dietary fat, the saturated fatty acids were preferentially esterified at positions 1 and 3 and the unsaturated fatty acids at position 2 of tissue triacylglycerols. In the experimental group, however, very little of the dietary trans-octadecenoic acids was incorporated into either positions 1 or 3 or position 2 of tissue triacylglycerols. In diacylglycerophosphocholines of both groups, the dietary as well as endogenous palmitic and stearic acids were esterified predominantaly at position 1, whereas dietary linoleic acid and the polyunsaturated fatty acids derived therefrom were esterified almost exclusively at position 2. Relatively large proportions of trans-octadecenoic acids were selectively esterified at position 1 of diacylglycerophosphocholines of the experimental group. Reported specificities of enzymes that are involved in the biosynthesis of glycerolipids from sn-glycero-3-phosphate satisfactorily account for the positional distribution of acyl moieties.

Tissue-specific incorporation of positional isomers of dietary cis- and trans-octadecenoic acids in the rat.

The total lipids of liver, heart, blood serum, adipose tissue, testes and adrenals of rats fed a partially hydrogenated fat were found to contain each of the dietary delta 5- to delta 15- cis- and delta 3- to delta 16- trans-octadecenoic acids. The pattern of incorporation of individual isomeric octadecenoic acids was found to be specific for the different tissues. trans-Isomers were preferentially incorporated into liver and heart, whereas cis-isomers were enriched in the testes. The composition of positional isomers of both cis- and trans-octadecenoic acids in adipose tissue, testes and adrenals was similar to that of the dietary lipids, whereas the corresponding compositions in liver, heart and serum were distinctly different. Thus, within the series of cis-octadecenoic acids, less oleic acid (delta 9-isomer) and correspondingly higher proportions of vaccenic acid (delta 11-isomer) were found in liver and heart than in the dietary lipids. Within the series of trans-octadecenoic acids, the isomers ranging from delta 12 to delta 16, especially the delta 14-isomer, were preferentially incorporated into liver, heart and serum, whereas the delta 10- and delta 11-isomers, were distinctly excluded from these tissues.