Reduced lung lesions in pigs challenged 25 weeks after the administration of a single dose of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccine at approximately 1 week of age.

Two independent studies assessed the duration of immunity of an inactivated adjuvanted Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccine against mycoplasmal pneumonia in seronegative (study A, n=52) and seropositive (study B, n=52) pigs. The pigs were allocated randomly to treatment and were then injected with a single dose of either the vaccine or a placebo at approximately 1 week of age. Twenty-five weeks after treatment administration, the pigs were challenged with a virulent strain (LI 36, Strain 232) of M. hyopneumoniae and the extent of lung lesions consistent with mycoplasmal pneumonia was assessed 4 weeks later. In study A, the geometric mean lung lesion score (expressed as least squares mean percentages of lung lesions) was significantly (P=0.0001) lower in vaccinated (0.3%, n=20) than in control pigs (5.9%, n=24) seronegative to M. hyopneumoniae at enrolment; similarly, in study B, the extent of lung lesions was significantly reduced (P=0.0385) in seropositive vaccinated pigs (2.0%, n=22) compared to controls (4.5%, n=26). At the end of the investigation period, 4 weeks after challenge, mean antibody sample-to-positive (S/P) ratios were significantly higher both in seronegative (P=0.0012) and seropositive (P=0.0001) vaccinated pigs (mean values=0.77 and 0.81, respectively) than in controls (mean values=0.51 and 0.38, respectively).

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in Dupuytren's disease.

The aim of this paper was to examine participation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) signal pathway in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's disease. The study showed changes in the ratio of membrane EGF-R to its intracellular level during the different clinical stages of Dupuytren's contracture progression. Our observations of a high ratio of surface to intracellular EGF-R in the palmar aponeurosis of patients with second degree of Dupuytren's disease (Iselin's classification), which was significantly higher than this ratio in control palmar fascia (P=0.022), would suggest that EGF-R has a role in the involutional phase of the disease.

Clusters of ionisation in nanometre targets for propane-experiments with a Jet Counter.

Further evidence on the reliability of the device called the Jet Counter (JC) for studying the formation of ionisation clusters at the nanometre level are presented. The new experimental data on the distributions of ionisation cluster size originating from a 2-10 nm size target in propane irradiated by 3.8 MeV alpha particles are described. The JC consists of a pulse-operated valve that injects an expanding jet of propane into an interaction chamber, where a sensitive volume in the form of a cylinder is created. The sensitive volume was irradiated by 3.8 MeV alpha particles. The resulting distribution of ion clusters, ranging from 2 to 10 nm in unit density gas, has been measured. A method of determining the efficiency of registration of single propane ions using an ion detector is described. A method of deconvolution of the measured to true cluster size distributions is also given. Finally, the measured cluster size distributions are compared with modelled distributions based on Monte Carlo calculations. The results for propane together with previous ones for nitrogen indicate the JC to be an efficient tool for the investigation of radiation quality at the nanometre level.

Ionisation clusters at DNA level: experimental modelling.

The importance of initial clustered damage to DNA is a hypothesis, which has to be approached also from physical modelling of the initial products of single charged particle interaction with DNA. A new tool for such studies, presented here, is based on modelling of the ionisation patterns resulting from a single charged particle crossing a nitrogen cavity of nanometre size. The nanometre size sites equivalent in unit density to DNA and nucleosome, have been modelled in a device, called a Jet Counter, consisting of a pulse operated valve which injects nitrogen in the form of an expansion jet into an interaction chamber. The distributions of the number of ions in a cluster created by a single alpha particle of 4.6 MeV along 0.15 nm to 13 nm size in nitrogen have been measured. A new descriptor of radiation action at DNA level is proposed.

Compliance with practice guidelines for node-negative breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Practice guidelines for cancer management have been in use in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, since the mid 1970s. To evaluate practice guideline compliance, treatment received was compared with treatment recommended in a population-based cohort of women with breast cancer. METHODS: All incident cases (n = 939) of invasive, pathologically node-negative breast cancer diagnosed in 1991 were identified from the BC Cancer Registry. Treatment details were abstracted from cancer clinic records for cases referred to the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) (n = 661) and original source documents for nonreferred cases. Management decisions were considered compliant if the patient received the recommended treatment or was entered onto a randomized trial of the modality being assessed. RESULTS: Overall compliance with adjuvant therapy guidelines was 97% for radiotherapy, 96% for chemotherapy, and 89% for tamoxifen. An oncology specialist was consulted by 94% of patients with an indication for adjuvant treatment and by 58% of those without an indication (odds ratio [OR] = 10.7; 95% confidence interval, 7.0 to 16.4). Compliance with a guideline to deliver radiotherapy was 95%; with chemotherapy, 77%; and with tamoxifen, 68%. Compliance with a guideline that stated no adjuvant treatment was indicated was 99% for radiotherapy, 98% for chemotherapy, and 92% for tamoxifen. Noncompliance among patients with an indication for treatment was related to nonreferral to an oncology specialist and less complete implementation of guideline changes in the community as compared with cancer center practices. CONCLUSION: Compliance was high, but scheduled updating and more effective community implementation could further improve consistency of care.

Variations in breast conservation surgery for women with axillary lymph node negative breast cancer in British Columbia.

A population-based study was conducted including all women diagnosed in British Columbia in 1991 with invasive node negative breast cancer (n = 942) in order to identify factors associated with variation in use of breast conserving surgery (BCS) and to determine if provincial practice guidelines were followed. Patient, disease, treatment and physician-specific information was abstracted from medical records and original source documents. 413 (44%) patients received BCS (51% and 23% in surgical candidates and non-candidates, respectively). Significant independent factors associated with BCS included patients' age, residence, family income, tumour size, tumour location, and extent of ductal carcinoma in-situ. Age and income had a significant interaction with stronger income effects in older women. A strong surgeon effect was observed which was not explained by measured surgeon attributes. Expansion of radiation treatment facilities may help address access issues. Further examination of the patient-physician relationship and of ways to assist patients in decision making is needed.

Research note: effect of tetracycline hydrochloride and oxytetracycline hydrochloride given via drinking water on early mortality of broiler chicks from twenty-eight-week-old dams.

The effect of tetracycline HCl and oxytetracycline HCl on early mortality in straight-run Peterson x Hubbard cross broiler chicks from 28-wk-old dams was studied. Treatments consisted of a sham-treated control, and groups treated with a tetracycline either HCl (25 mg/454 g of BW per day) or an oxytetracycline HCl (14.6 mg/454 g of BW per day). Each group was treated via the drinking water for the first 5 days after hatching. There were 24 replications per treatment with 54 chicks each. Birds were maintained at a density of 622.5 cm2 per chick. Chicks treated with tetracycline HCl and oxytetracycline HCl had significantly (P less than .05) improved livability when compared with the sham-treated controls both at 2 and 6 wk of age (1.00 and .83 versus 1.79 at 2 wk, and 2.79 and 3.29 versus 4.29% mortality at 6 wk, respectively). No significant differences in mortality were observed between tetracycline HCl-treated chicks and oxytetracycline HCl-treated chicks. At the end of the 6-wk trial, no differences between treatments were seen in the productive performance of the broilers. The observed differences in livability at 6 wk of age could increase the number of saleable broilers by 10 to 15 thousand per million chicks placed.

Cervical carcinoma antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and nonspecific cross-reacting antigen (NCA) in appraisal of uterine cervix smears.

The distribution of cervical carcinoma antigens (AgCaCx), CEA, and NCA in different pathologic states of the uterine cervix was studied in cytologic smears by an immunofluorescence method (IF) using specific immune sera against perchloric acid (PCA) extract of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, anti-CEA, and anti-NCA. After excluding cross-reactivity with CEA and NCA, the presence of AgCaCx was demonstrated in the majority of cervical carcinomas, severe dysplasias, and only in one-fourth of squamous metaplasias, especially when accompanied by mild or moderate dysplasias. The intensity and percentage of IF-positive cells varied from case to case. The preparations of uterine cervix without pathologic changes usually were negative. Similar results were obtained with anti-CEA serum. NCA was present in the majority of smears independent of histologic diagnosis. The most intense fluorescence was observed in upper layers of the epithelium. NCA could be a differentiation antigen of stratified squamous cell epithelium.

Tumor-associated antigens in female genital tract cancers.

The immunologic reactivity of glycoprotein antigens extractable from individual, histologically different ovarian and uterine cancers was studied taking into account their relationship with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), nonspecific cross-reacting antigen (NCA), alpha-feto-protein (AFP), and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin. All studies were performed using specific immune sera against perchloric acid (PCA) extracts of ovarian mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (anti-PCA-CaOm) and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (anti-PCA-CaCx), and antisera against the reference antigens mentioned above. A considerable antigenic heterogeneity and the existence of several immunologically related antigenic systems were found: 1) CEA-like antigens; 2) NCA-type antigens; 3) an antigen different from CEA and NCA present in ovarian mucinous adenocarcinomas and often cross-reacting, but not identical with respective antigens of uterine body and cervical carcinomas; 4) an antigen reacting with anti-alpha-1-anti-chymotrypsin serum; and 5) an antigen reacting with anti-AFP serum.

Tumor and serum CEA content in gynecologic neoplasms.

The relationship of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels to tumor tissue CEA content, and tumor weight in patients with different genital tract neoplasms was studied. Two-step extraction of tumor tissues was performed using perchloric acid and 3 M KCl. Sera and tissue extracts were assayed for CEA content by double-antibody radioimmunoassay. No clear correlation was found between serum CEA and tumor CEA contents, tumor weight, and histological structure. Our results showed, however, that high CEA concentrations in tumor tissue (10 micrograms/g or higher) were accompanied by elevated values in plasma.

Carcinoembryonic antigen in gynecologic cancers. Immunohistochemical localization and serum levels.

The presence of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-dependent fluorescence was observed in almost 89% of female genital tract cancers irrespective of their histologic type. Anti-CEA serum was free of antibody to normal cross-reacting antigen. The high percentage of positive fluorescence tests did not correlate with the preoperative serum CEA levels. Double immunodiffusion tests showed different content of CEA and normal cross-reacting antigen in individual specimens of genital tract cancers.