Asymmetry and diversity of dermatoglyphic traits: population comparison in five endogamous groups of West Bengal, India.

Five different endogamous populations encompassing the main social ranks in the caste hierarchy of West Bengal, India were analyzed. To compare variability in populations with contrasting ethnohistorical backgrounds, analysis of variance, Scheffe's test and cluster analysis were performed, as based on dermatoglyphic variables, namely, 22 quantitative traits and 36 indices of diversity and asymmetry. The present study reveals that: 1. Overall disparities among the 5 populations are expressed only in finger ridge counts on the Ist and Vth digits and PII, in a-b ridge counts, in endings of main lines A and D, and in MLI on the palms; 2. Heterogeneity is greater in fluctuating asymmetry than in directional asymmetry; 3. There is a greater heterogeneity in the 22 quantitative traits than in the 36 indices of diversity and asymmetry, with females contributing more than the males; 4. The highest contribution to population variation is by Lodha among five populations; 5. Inter-group variations are homogeneous in most of the variables, which does not correspond with the relationships to caste hierarchy of these populations; 6. The dendrograms based on dermatoglyphic variables demonstrate that the traditional grouping of Indian populations, based on caste hierarchy, may not be a reflection of their genetic origin, in that the pattern of clustering corresponded best with the known ethnohistorical records of the studied populations; 7. Hence, dermatoglyphic affinities may prove quite useful in tracing the ethnohistorical background of populations.

MIB-1 monoclonal antibody to determine proliferative activity of Ki-67 antigen as an adjunct to the histopathologic differential diagnosis of Spitz nevi.

BACKGROUND: The histopathologic differential diagnosis of Spitz nevus (SN) from malignant melanoma (MM) may be difficult. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the staining pattern and usefulness of MIB-1 antibody, which recognizes Ki-67 antigen in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue, as an adjunct to the histopathologic differential diagnosis of SN. METHODS: Twenty-five compound SNs, 27 MMs, and 26 compound nondysplastic melanocytic nevi (MNs) were immunostained with the MIB-1 antibody. RESULTS: The mean counts of MIB-1--stained tumor cells of the epidermal and dermal components, both alone and together, were significantly lower in SNs and MNs than in MMs (P <.0001). The dermal counts showed the best discriminating power. In addition, the mean dermal/epidermal count ratios for MIB-1 in SNs and MNs (0.25 and 0.23, respectively) were significantly lower than the corresponding ratio (0.94) in MMs (P <.0001). CONCLUSION: MIB-1-stained tumor cell counts, especially of the dermal component, and dermal/epidermal MIB-1 count ratios may be helpful as an adjunct to the histopathologic differential diagnosis of SN.

[Solid and papillary pancreatic neoplasm].

Solid and papillary neoplasm of the pancreas is an interesting and rare malignant tumor. It occurs most commonly in young women. It was first described in 1959 and since then has been referred to by different names, including solid and cystic tumor, solid and cystic epithelial neoplasms, and others. Its malignant potential is low and metastasis is very rare. Treatment includes partial pancreatectomy with full resection of the tumor. The prognosis is generally very good. We present 3 women (aged 17, 19, 39) diagnosed and treated for solid and papillary neoplasm of the pancreas. The unique clinical, histological, and epidemiological characteristics of this tumor are detailed.

Sarcoma of the maxillofacial region: follow-up of 25 cases.

BACKGROUND: Maxillofacial sarcomas are rare tumors, varying according to their type, grade, site of occurrence, response to treatment and prognosis. Approximately 10% of all cases of osteosarcoma, a subtype with a particularly poor prognosis, occur in the head and neck. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the 35 years from 1963 until 1997, the 25 patients treated for sarcomas at our center were identified and evaluated according to a variety of parameters. RESULTS: Overall 2- and 5-year survival rates were 72% and 60%, respectively. Sarcomas were found most commonly in the mandible, maxilla and tongue. Survival was not significantly correlated with gender, ethnic origin or histopathological staging, but significant correlation was found between type of sarcoma and survival whilst younger patients had better survival rates. CONCLUSION: Advanced facial reconstruction methods may enable the performance of more radical ablative surgery, thereby improving survival outcome for head and neck osteosarcoma patients. Osteosarcoma appears to be as lethal in the maxillofacial region as in the extremities.

Comparison of CMV, RSV, SV40 viral and Vlambda1 cellular promoters in B and T lymphoid and non-lymphoid cell lines.

Determining the activity of viral and cellular regulatory elements in B or T lymphoid cell lines would facilitate appropriate utilization of the regulatory sequences for gene transfer- and expression-dependent applications. We have compared the activity of the CMV, RSV and SV40 viral promoter/enhancers as well as the Vlambda1 cellular promoter, in three B cell lines (REH, SMS-SB, C3P), three T cell lines (CEM, Jurkat, ST-F10), and two non-lymphoid cell lines (K-562, HeLa) using the luciferase reporter gene. In B cell lines, the activity of the CMV promoter/enhancer construct was the highest ranging from 10- to 113-fold greater than that of SV40. In contrast, in T cell lines the RSV promoter/enhancer activity was 11-65-fold higher than that of SV40. The Vlambda1 promoter activity was close to that of SV40 promoter/enhancer in most of the cell lines tested. We conclude that CMV and RSV promoter/enhancers contain stronger regulatory elements than do the SV40 and Vlambda1 for expression of genes in lymphoid cell lines.

Brenner tumor of the vagina.

Two cases of Brenner tumor of the vagina were encountered in postmenopausal asymptomatic women who presented with polypoid lesions measuring 0.5 and 1.2 cm, respectively, in the upper and mid-vagina. DNA flow cytometry in one tumor showed a diploid histogram, and Ki-67 (MIB-1) proliferation marker was very low in both tumors. To the best of our knowledge, only two vaginal Brenner tumors have been previously reported. Transition between the vaginal surface epithelium and the tumor in one of our cases may support a metaplastic mullerian origin for these tumors.

Cloning and characterization of the human recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1) and RAG2 promoter regions.

Recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1) and RAG2 are the essential and tissue-specific components of V(D)J recombination. We have characterized the genomic organization of the human RAG locus, mapped the transcriptional initiation sites, and partially sequenced and performed functional reporter assays on the 5' flanking regions of human RAG1 and RAG2. Transcription initiation sites were mapped by rapid amplification of 5' cDNA ends, primer extension, and/or RNase protection in normal thymocytes, three pre-B cell lines, and a mature B cell line. A single promoter region was used for RAG1 transcription. In contrast, transcription of RAG2 initiates at two distinct regions of the genome. The 5'-flanking region of the human RAG2 gene is TATA-less; however, there is a GATAA consensus at position -34 with respect to the major transcriptional initiation site of RAG1. Promoter regions of human RAG1 and RAG2 are active in both lymphoid and nonlymphoid cell lines, suggesting that an outside regulatory element is probably involved in the tissue-specific transcriptional regulation of the RAG genes.

Medical Complaints After a Marathon Run in Cool Weather.

In brief: Little information is available about medical complaints after marathons held in cool weather. To obtain such information medical records were maintained on every runner requesting medical attention after the Bostonfest Marathon on Oct 30, 1983. One hundred sixty-four (11.5%) of the runners finishing the race requested medical attention at the finish line. Men and women requested attention with equal frequency, but younger (20 to 30 years old) and faster (finishing in less than 3:00) runners sought medical attention more often than the older and slower runners. The complaints and symptoms of runners after the race were similar to those of runners following warm-weather races.

Differences in total mitochondrial proteins and proteins synthesized by mitochondria from rat liver and Morris hepatomas 9618A, 5123C, and 5123tc.

Mitochondria were isolated from a slow-growing (9618A) and two intermediate-to-fast-growing (5123C, 5123tc) Morris hepatomas and host livers. The mitochondrial proteins were solubilized and fractionated on sodium dodecyl sulfate:polyacrylamide slab gels. One Coomassie blue-stained band was absent or reduced in amount in all tumors relative to host livers. In addition, a major mitochondrial enzyme present in normal liver, carbamyl phosphate synthetase, was missing or greatly reduced in the slow-growing, highly differentiated hepatoma 9618A, a tumor that is considered to be similar to normal liver in many biochemical and morphological respects. Incubation of mitochondria with [35S]methionine and a suitable amino acid incorporation system resulted in labeling of specific mitochondrial proteins. Autoradiography of the slab gels disclosed four prominently labeled fractions and a number of minor fractions. Preparations from hepatoma 5123tc demonstrated two labeled bands that were absent or greatly reduced in host liver. Host liver preparations displayed a minor band that was absent or greatly reduced in hepatoma 5123C. However, no single change in labeling pattern was common to all three tumors, suggesting the absence of a causal relationship between carcinogenesis and mutations in mitochondrial DNA.

Amino acid incorporation by isolated rat liver mitochondria during liver regeneration.

Intact mitochondria, isolated from regenerating rat liver 2-3 days after partial hepatectomy, are 2.5-3 times more active in amino acid incorporation than mitochondria from control livers. Liver mitochondria from sham-operated animals showed normal amounts of incorporation. Sterile procedures insured low levels of bacterial contamination; cycloheximide was used to eliminate any contribution by contaminating microsomes. Mitochondria from control and 3-day-old regenerating livers were nearly identical in their concentration of several respiratory chain components, P/O ratios, specific O(2) consumption, and cytochrome c oxidase activities. Small differences were observed in respiratory control ratios but these were shown to be unrelated to the differences observed in amino acid incorporating ability. Differential contamination by lysosomes and differences in lysosome fragility were also shown not to be factors in the increased incorporation by regenerating liver mitochondria. Thus, mitochondria from rapidly growing and dividing mammalian tissues are more active in protein synthesis than mitochondria from tissues that grow and divide more slowly.