[Tyrosine-protein kinase activity in breast neoplasm. Comparison with activity obtained in benign diseases and in normal tissues]. / Actividad de tirosina-protein-quinasas en cáncer de mama. Comparación con la actividad obtenida en patologías benignas y en tejidos normales.

Tyrosine protein kinase (TPK) activity is associated to malignant cellular transformation. This work compares TPK activity in 27 surgical biopsy samples of mammary carcinoma, 10 samples of fibroadenomas, 13 samples of fibrocystic breast disease and 27 samples of normal mammary tissue. TPK activity was determined in tissue homogenates using (Val5) angiotensin II as exogenous substrate. In samples of mammary carcinoma, TPK activity was 33.86 +/- 31.98 pmol P32/mg protein/30 min. This value was significantly higher that those observed in fibrocystic disease (3.92 +/- 2.35), fibroadenomas (13.86 +/- 10.9) and normal tissue (3.56 +/- 3.02).

[Radiologic visibility of breast fibroadenomas]. / Visibilidad radiológica de los fibroadenomas mamarios.

From a clinical point of view, all mammary fibroadenomas are similar. However some of them are not visible in mammograms, phenomenon probably related to glandular density. Aiming to elucidate whether the lack of visibility is caused by the glandular density or by tumor itself, a three stage study was performed. In 201 cases the mammographic visibility of fibroadenomas was determined and correlated with patient's age, the presence of fibrocystic disease and tumor histological type; after surgical excision, 18 fibroadenomas were sliced into 5 mm thick samples and X rayed to determine their visibility; finally 2 visible and 2 non visible tumors were calcinated at 550 degrees C and their ashes subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis. Twenty two percent of fibroadenomas were not visible on mammography, this percentage was higher for intracanalicular tumors, in younger women and in the presence of fibrocystic disease. Sixteen percent of excised and sliced tumors were not visible on X rays. Also, differences were found in X-ray diffraction studies between visible and invisible tumors, probably related to NaCl and KCl tumor content.

Causes of increasing pericardial pressure in experimental cardiac tamponade induced by ventricular perforation.

It has been shown that the intravenous infusion of saline solution in a dog with stabilized cardiac tamponade produced an increase in pericardial pressure. To demonstrate that this pressure increase is the result of bleeding into the pericardial sac, an experimental study was conducted, consisting of the injection of red cells marked with 51Cr during the intravenous infusion of saline solution in dogs with and without progressive tamponade. The results showed that in the dogs without progressive tamponade, both the pericardial pressure and the red cell count in the pericardial cavity remained stable during the infusion of saline solution, whereas in dogs with progressive tamponade, the numbers of marked cells and the pericardial pressure increased significantly, following a similar pattern.

Experimental cardiac tamponade with a myocardial wound: the effect of rapid intravenous infusion of saline.

In order to demonstrate that the evolution of cardiac tamponade from a ventricular wound is different from that without myocardial wounding, the effects of a rapid infusion of saline solution on hemodynamic behavior and pericardial pressure (PP) were evaluated in dogs with cardiac tamponade caused by ventricular perforation (group C), animals without cardiac tamponade (group A), and animals with cardiac tamponade induced by infusion of saline into the pericardium (group B). We found that blood pressure (BP) increased from 107.5 +/- 15.5 mm Hg to 126 +/- 4 mm Hg in group A; increased from 64.5 +/- 17.9 mm Hg to 117.5 +/- 22.17 mm Hg in group B; and increased from 60.75 +/- 46.5 mm Hg to 76 +/- 14.4 mm Hg in group C. Central venous pressure (CVP) increased from 3.75 +/- 0.96 cm H2O to 9.5 +/- 3.3 cm H2O in group A; increased from 8 +/- 2.4 cm H2O to 16.25 +/- 3.1 cm H2O in group B; and rose from 7.75 +/- 2.6 cm H2O to 20.66 +/- 5.03 cm H2O in group C. Cardiac output (CO) increased from 3.9 +/- 1.2 L/min to 18.93 +/- 3.96 L/min in group A; increased from 1.23 +/- 0.3 L/min to 5.4 +/- 1.7 L/min in group B; and increased from 1.8 +/- 0.66 L/min to 3.53 +/- 1.31 L/min in group C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Use of thermography in the differential diagnosis of phylloides tumour.

Thermography can be used as a method of diagnosing breast masses. We report our results of its use in the differential diagnosis of fibroadenoma from phylloides tumours (n = 47 and 20 respectively). Thermographic resolution (Th) and the difference in temperature between the tumour and a similar zone in the contralateral breast (delta 2) were compared. Thermograms were class Th1 (with a similar thermal pattern in both breasts without hypervascularization or hot points) and Th2 (with hypervascularization or a hot area with a thermal difference with the same area in the opposite breast (delta 2) of less than 2 degrees C) in most (95.7 per cent) of the patients with fibroadenoma and were class Th5 (having one or more pathological sign) in 85 per cent of the patients with phylloides tumours. Patients with phylloides tumours had a mean delta 2 of 2.99 degrees C whereas most of the patients with a fibroadenoma showed no difference in temperature. Their mean delta 2 was 0.2 degrees C (P less than 0.0005). We conclude that thermography helps in differential diagnosis between a fibroadenoma and a phylloides tumour.