Inhibition of systemic TNF-alpha cytotoxicity in cancer patients by D-peptidoglycan.

The current study was designed to investigate direct inhibitory effects of N-acetyl-glucosaminyl-muramyldipeptide (GMDP) over the cytotoxic nature of TNF-alpha. A lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay of the inhibition of TNF-alpha cytotoxicity was done in vitro on the following cell lines: A549 (human lung carcinoma cells), A431 (human breast cancer cells) and L929 (mouse breast cancer cells). In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, cancer patients with an elevated activity of all five LDH isoensymes were randomized to receive either a GMDP solution or a placebo; 63 patients were evaluated every third day for the mean daily number of episodes of nausea or vomiting, changes in clinical status, cell blood count and blood chemistry. A 95% inhibition of LDH release was noticed on A549 cells. Other cell lines were less sensitive to GMDP, with an observed 72% dose-dependent reduction in LDH activity. In vivo, LDH activity was decreased by 41% (+/-4%) (mean+/-SD) in all 21 subjects who were given 0.5-1.0 mg of GMDP daily. A lowering of LDH activity by 73.4% (+/-4%) was observed in 23 patients who received GMDP at a dosage of 1.5mg/kg daily. Correspondingly, a 10% (+/-2%) increase in LDH activity was noticed in 19 patients who were given a placebo (P < 0.01). During the follow-up period, the overall clinical condition of all patients treated with GMDP was improved. No side effects were observed. In nine patients who experienced nausea from tumor toxicity before treatment, the symptom subsided. In parallel, an extremely beneficial effect on lipids metabolism was noticed in all patients with elevated cholesterol and trigliceride levels. A dietary supplementation of GMDP has been shown to reduce systemic TNF-alpha cytotoxicity during tumor shock.

[Protective effect of antioxidants in methemoglobinemia caused by sodium nitrite in experimental studies]. / Zashchitnoe deistvie antioksidantov pri metgemoglobinemii, vyzvannoi nitritom natriia v éksperimente.

Sodium nitrite induced poisoning resulted into oxidation-reduction disorders with concomitant changes in the ratio of the oxidated and reduced forms towards accumulation of the oxidated equivalents. Antioxidants unithiol, tocopherol acetate, ascorbic acid, methylene blue, violuric acid influenced the oxidation-reduction balance in different ways. The protective action of violuric acid was comparable with that of methylene blue and exceeded the unithiol protective properties. Violuric acid, as compared with unithiol, ascorbic acid and tocopherol, was more effective in decreasing methemoglobin and nitrates contents in blood in methemoglobinemia cases. The violuric acid and methylene blue protective mechanisms are in all probability influenced by the antioxidant properties of these substances and their reductase activity.

[Diagnosis of tumors of the bladder and rectum by the method of high-resolution transvaginal echography]. / Diagnostika opukholei mochevogo puzyria i priamoi kishki metodom transvaginal'noi ékhografii vysokogo razresheniia.

Analysis of the results of high resolution transvaginal US-tomography in 32 women with malignant bladder and rectal tumors made it possible to assess the potentialities of this new method for the diagnosis of a degree of local spreading of these tumors. As compared to transabdominal echography UST proved to be more informative in tumors of the cervix, basis and anterior wall of the bladder and in calcifications on the tumor surface which were detected in 3 patients. Transvaginal US-tomography with a contrast study of the rectal walls provided good diagnostic information on a degree of local spreading of malignant rectal tumors. The transvaginal approach showed its advantages in noticeable tumor stenosis of the rectum. Tumor assessment in 3 women with stenosis was made possible owing to this method.

[Transrectal and transvaginal echography in cancer of the rectum]. / Transrektal'naia i transvaginal'naia ékhografiia pri rake priamoi kishki.

To assess the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in rectal carcinoma, the procedure was performed in 48 such cases. Stage was reliably established in the majority (95.8%) of patients. False--negative conclusion on the muscular layer integrity was made in one case and inflammatory infiltrate was misdiagnosed as cancer in another. Pararectal lymph nodes were visualized in 62% of patients whereas regional ones--in 5 (10.4%); their metastatic origin was confirmed with fine--needle aspiration biopsy and lymphography. Ultrasonic scintigraphy identified nodular lesions in the liver parenchyma in 10 cases; the malignant nature of those foci was verified in 90% by histo- and cytologic examination of samples obtained by fine--needle aspiration biopsy.

[Transrectal and transvaginal ultrasonic diagnosis of rectal cancer]. / Transrektale und transvaginale Ultraschalldiagnostik des Rektumkarzinoms.

In 48 patients with rectal carcinoma diagnostic means for ultrasound investigation USU were tested. The high quality of transrectal and transvaginal ultrasound scanning (US) facilitated a detailed evaluation. The stage of the malign tumor was correctly evaluated in 95.8% of the cases. In one case a false negative evaluation of the function of the muscular layer was given and in another inflammatory infiltration was seen as a tumour. Changes of the pararectal lymph nodes were found in 62% of the patients, of the regional lymph nodes in 5 patients (10.3%). Their metastatic status was proven with fine needle puncture aspiration biopsy (FNPAB) under sonographic and lymphographic control. In 10 patients with US-scanning the found focuses in the liver parenchyma. In 90% of the cases by aspiration biopsy the malignity was cytologically and histologically proven.

Transvaginal longitudinal ultrasonography in diagnosis of carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

In order to determine the staging of urinary bladder tumors accurately, it is very important to choose a suitable method of treatment and to reach the correct prognosis. In 1974, Watanabe and Holm performed the first transurethral and transrectal ultrasonography. They obtained sonograms of the involved bladder wall by radial scanning using a rotation transducer. The only weak point of this method is the difficulty of staging tumors in the apex, the neck, and the fundus of the bladder by transverse scanning. In 1982, Sekine et al repeated the results of testing a new transrectal transducer for electronic linear scanning in a urologic clinic. However, to our knowledge, no description of the transvaginal technique for routine vesical ultrasonography has appeared in the English-written literature. The purpose of this study is to visualize bladder tumors by longitudinal transvaginal scanning and to evaluate the new method for the staging of urinary bladder tumors.

[Transvaginal longitudinal ultrasonic study in the diagnosis of bladder cancer]. / Transvaginal'noe prodol'noe ul'trazvukovoe issledovanie v diagnostike raka mochevogo puzyria.

Eight patients with urinary bladder neoplasms, aged 41-66, were examined. Transvaginal longitudinal ultrasonotomography proved effective in diagnosing urinary bladder tumors of any localization and images highly informative.

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of human lymph nodes.

MR-imaging of surgically excised enlarged and non-enlarged human lymph nodes was studied in patients with and without malignant metastatic lymphadenopathy. NMR tomograms were performed at frequency of 200 MHz using the CPMG sequence. Space resolution was up to 0.1 mm. "In vitro" NMR-tomograms of both non-enlarged and enlarged lymph nodes disclosed tiny foci of metastatic deposits. It is proposed that use of T2 differences for localization of a pathologic focus is an effective mode of visualization during NMR tomography at high frequency.

[Ultrasonic scanning in determining the local spread of bladder cancer]. / Ul'trazvukovoe skanirovanie v opredelenii mestnogo rasprostraneniia raka mochevogo puzyria.

The results of ultrasound investigation were analysed in 48 patients with urinary bladder cancer. Potentialities of longitudinal intracavitary echography in the determination of the local dissemination of malignant urinary bladder tumors were studied. This method proved to be most informative for tumors sited in the cervix, basis and anterior wall of the bladder whereas transabdominal echography provided reliable diagnostic information for tumors of the lateral and posterior walls. In choosing methods for the determination of the local dissemination of urinary bladder cancer preference should be given to combined echography in view of its high accuracy, noninvasive and safe nature.

[NMR tomography of excised human lymph nodes]. / IaMR-tomografiia udalennykh limfaticheskikh uzlov cheloveka.

The paper is concerned with the potentialities of the NMR-tomography technique (1H) for metastructure studying of the biopsied human lymph nodes both uninvolved and affected by tumor. Tomography was performed at 200 MHz using the Bruker CXP-200t mini-tomograph. Spin-echoes sequence and projection-reconstruction technique was employed. Spatial resolution was about 0.1 mm. Images of the uninvolved lymph nodes permitted one to detect the structure of the lymph nodes. NMR-imaging of unenlarged lymph nodes enabled one to localize the region of initial metastases. The reconstruction of various groups of spin-echo signals permitted a more precise detection of the regions differed in their spin-spin magnetic relaxation times T2 of protons in 1 mm slice. It may be assumed that the distinction in T2-relaxation rates of the normal and abnormal tissues displays an effective means to detect a pathological region using high-field tomography.