[Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the thymus].

Sarcomatoid carcinomas are rare malignancies composed of epithelial (carcinomatous) and sarcomatous elements. High-grade carcinoma is difficult to diagnose by light optic and immunohistochemical studies. The authors give the data available in the literature on sarcomatoid carcinoma of the thymus and also describe their own observation. Its histological pattern is represented by a combination of carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements with extensive necrotic foci. Immunohistologically, the tumor cells expressed total cytokeratin (AE1/AE3), CD99, and focally epithelial membrane antigen. Some tumor cells were vimentin- and SMA-positive. Markers, such as chromogranin A, bcl-2, bcl-6, S-100 protein and myogenin, were negative.

1,2-Dimethylhydrazine carcinogenesis in CBA male mice prenatally treated with diethylstilbestrol.

CBA female mice, at the 17th day of pregnancy, received single intraperitoneal injection of diethylstilbestrol (DES) at the dose of 1 mg/kg body weight (b. w.). Their descentands at the age of 2 months started receiving subcutaneous injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) at the dose level of 8 mg(base)/kg b. w., total 15 weekly injections. Prenatal DES treatment of male mice considerably accelerated the development and increased the incidence of DMH-induced androgen-dependent renal adenomas and, notably, renal capsule angiosarcomas (RCA). In males receiving prenatal DES (without subsequent DMH-treatment), there was a statistically significant increase of renal adenomas and 9% of RCA were observed which are exceedinly rare in untreated mice. The enhancement of androgen-dependent tumourigenesis may be considered as an indication, even though indirect, of the hyperandrogenization produced in male mice by the prenatal DES treatment.

[Effect of prenatal treatment with diethylstilbestrol on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced carcinogenesis in male CBA mice]. / Vliianie prenatal'nogo vozdeistviia diétilstil'béstrola na katserogenez, indutsiruemyi 1,2-dimetilgidrazinom u myshei-samtsov linii CBA.

Female CBA mice were injected 1 mg/kg diethylstilbestrol (DES) on day 17 of gestation. Their male progeny received 15 weekly injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) starting from the age of 2 months. Prenatal treatment with DES was followed by a significant acceleration and higher frequency of DMH-induced renal adenomas and renal capsule sarcomas in males. Tumor-induction was significantly enhanced by androgen effect. This was matched by a higher frequency of induced tumors of the large bowel. The increased frequency of androgen-dependent renal malignancies, served as indirect evidence of hyperandrogenization being stimulated in CBA male mice by prenatal treatment with DES.

Estrogen modification of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine carcinogenesis in C3HA mice.

Considerable strain differences were reported in our previous studies in the induction by 1,2-dimethylhydrasine (DMH) of uterine sarcoma and hemorrhagic ovarian lesion (HOL) in mice: the incidence of the former was high and that of the latter was low in CBA mice while the reverse was observed in C3HA mice. The present study confirmed the above observation in that C3HA mice treated with DMH developed high incidence (59%) of HOL and no uterine sarcoma. Combined treatment of C3HA mice with DMH and estradiol dipropionate (EP) completely inhibited the induction of HOL and increased the incidence of uterine sarcomas from naught to 28%. EP significantly decreased (from 61 to 19%) the incidence of clitoral gland tumors and somewhat increased the frequency of liver epithelial tumors and colon tumors. It is suggested that the strain differences in the induction by DMH of uterine sarcoma and HOL may be due rather to differences in the strain hormonal status than to the differences in the susceptibility to carcinogen.

High expression of cytochrome P450 2a-5 (coumarin 7-hydroxylase) in mouse hepatomas.

A high level of Cyp2a-5 was found in spontaneous and transplanted mouse hepatomas compared with normal liver. Increased expression of Cyp2a-5 was associated with an increase in coumarin 7-hydroxylation, a marker activity of Cyp2a-5, and the corresponding mRNA, suggesting that regulation of Cyp2a-5 in hepatomas is pretranslational. In contrast, the total P450 content and arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase and amidopyrene demethylase activities decreased. Pyrazole, a strong inducer of Cyp2a-5 in normal mouse livers, also increases this isozyme in hepatomas. A parallel increase in the corresponding mRNA suggests that pyrazole, like the formation of hepatomas, affects the regulation of Cyp2a-5 pretranslationally.

[The treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis with ultrahigh doses of cyclophosphane]. / Lechenie khronicheskogo glomerulonefrita sverkhvysokimi dozami tsiklofosfana.

Pulse therapy with cyclophosphamide was administered to 44 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis of the nephrotic type with different morphological varieties. The treatment was effective in 59% of cases including 11 out of 24 patients resistant to oral treatment with immunosuppressors. The treatment results were better in patients with normal blood serum creatinine and normal arterial pressure. Remission of the nephrotic syndrome could be observed in mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis, mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis, mesangial glomerulonephritis and focal-segmentary hyalinosis. In fibroplastic nephritis, remission of the nephrotic syndrome was recorded in none of the cases. The only prognostically significant sign predicting the treatment effect was the activity index--the totality of the morphological signs reflecting nephritis activity. The sclerotic changes produced no significant effect on the treatment outcome.

[The chemotactic characteristics of the leukocytes and fibroblasts in amyloidosis]. / Osobennosti khemotaksisa leikotsitov i fibroblastov pri amiloidoze.

Altogether 44 patients with amyloidosis (7 with primary, 24 with secondary and 13 with hereditary associated with periodic disease) and different stages of renal impairment and 32 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) (14 with the latent and 18 with the nephrotic form) were examined for chemotactic properties of peripheral blood leukocytes and skin fibroblasts in Boyden's chambers. Chemotaxis of leukocytes from patients with different clinical forms of amyloidosis was found to be decreased. That decrease manifested itself even at the proteinuric stage of renal impairment. Addition of autologous serum brought about another decrease of the chemotactic response of leukocytes. There was a lowering of chemotaxis of cultivated skin fibroblasts from amyloidosis patients, which remained unchanged on repeated cell passages. Chemotactic activity of cultivated fibroblasts from CGN patients did not differ from that of healthy persons' fibroblasts and embryonal fibroblast strain. Possible causes of the alterations revealed are discussed.

[The action of cyclophosphane in different morphological variants of glomerulonephritis in mice]. / Deistvie tsiklofosfana pri razlichnykh morfologicheskikh variantakh glomerulonefrita myshei.

Heterologous serum glomerulonephritis (GN) was induced in CBA and C57BL mice. CBA mice developed diffuse proliferative GN. Glomerular changes in C57BL mice corresponded to the mesangial GN with proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells and mesangial infiltration with mononuclear phagocytes. Single administration of cyclophosphamide (CP) at the time of immunization exerted different effect on the development of the two morphological variants of GN. In CBA mice CP treatment resulted in disappearance of the immune complexes deposits with no influence on the cell reactions. In C57BL mice CP completely inhibited the development of the glomerular morphological changes. The lack of morphological similarity is most likely connected with the immunological differences in the histocompatibility complex (H-2).

On some properties of a new steroid curare-like compound pipecurium bromide.

In experiments on cats it has been shown that 2 beta, 16 beta-bis (4'-dimethyl-1'-piperazino)-3 alpha, 17 beta-diacetoxy-5 alpha-androstane dibromide (pipecurium bromide, RGH-1106, Arduan), is a non-depolarizing muscular blocker. The order of myorelaxation evoked by this agent is characteristic: first the chewing and limb muscles, then abdominal muscles and diaphragm and at the end intercostal muscles are relaxed. Pipercurium bromide has no cardiotropic, atropine-like, or ganglion-blocking activity. It fails to influence the coronary blood-supply or myocardial oxygen consumption. No acetylcholinesterase inhibiting action of the compound was seen. It does not affect the central nervous system.

[Evaluation of the pharmacological properties of a new steroid curarelike agent, RGH 1106]. / Otsenka nekotorykh farmakologicheskikh svoistv novogo steroidnogo kurarepodobnogo sredstva RGH 1106.

Tests on cats showed the compound RGH 1106 to possess an antidepolarizing mechanism of action. The sequence of myorelaxation, arising under the effect of this agent, is characterized by relaxation in the first place of the musculus masseter, muscles of limbs, then of abdominal muscles and those of the diaphragm and, finally, of the intercostal muscles. RGH 1106 doses not possess cardiotropic m-cholinolytic action, does not exert a ganglion blocking effect, nor affects the central nervous system. It neither changes the blood supply of the myocardium and the uptake of oxygen by the latter, nor inhibits the acetylcholinesterase.