Surgery decreases number of cells secreting cytotoxic mediators and increases secretion of interleukin 10 in patients with lung cancer.

AIMS: The phenomenon of immunosuppression induced by surgery is widely described as the adverse impact of surgical interventions on leukocytes' populations and secretion of several cytokines. Best of our knowledge, we present the first report evaluating the effect of surgical treatment on the specific anti-cancer immune response against tumour antigens. METHODS: The study included 30 patients operated on for lung cancer. Specific secretion of IFN-γ, Granzyme B, perforines, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-17a was assessed by ELISPOT (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Spot Assay). RESULTS: Number of cells secreting IFN-γ, Granzyme B and perforines under the influence of autologous tumour antigens or mitogens was significantly decreased on the first day after surgery. During the postoperative recovery we observed an increase in the number of cells secreting IFN-γ, but on the 7th day it still remained lower than before the operation. On the 28th postoperative day it reached a level which was not significantly higher than before the surgery. On the 1st and 7th postoperative day we discovered a significant increase in IL-10 secretion, in response to autologous tumour antigens. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an immunosuppressive effect of surgery on the specific and nonspecific immune stimulation. This effect is particularly expressed in relation to Th1-type immunological response which is associated with direct elimination of cancer cells. Another unfavourable observation is elevated secretion of immunosuppressive IL-10 in response to cancer antigens. These phenomena are associated with shorter survival of the patients.

Morphometric characteristics of the small and large intestines of Mus musculus during postnatal development.

The objective of this study was to investigate the size of the small and large intestine in postnatal development of Mus musculus mice. The gut was obtained from 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-week-old animals. The morphometric analysis was performed at microscopic level. Measurements and calculations included dimensions of villi (height, diameter) and their number per 1 mm(2) surface area in the proximal, middle, and distal section of the small intestine, as well as the length and surface area (external and internal) of the small and large intestines. To find the allometric relationship between the size of the small and large intestines and body mass, reduced major axis regression was applied. The length and surface area of both intestinal segments gradually increased with age. The increase in the internal surface area of the small intestine was the result of lengthening of the intestine and increasing diameter of the villi in its proximal and middle sections. No increase in villus height during the studied period was detected. A marked increase in the size of the intestinal segments was observed between the 2(nd) and 4(th) weeks of life, when the length doubled and the surface area tripled in size. Allometric analysis revealed that the increase in length and internal surface area of the small and large intestines was more rapid than the body mass increase during the weaning period, while it was not different from isometry after the weaning. In conclusion, the greatest changes in the structure and size of the small and large intestines of mice occurred in the weaning period. During this period these two segments of intestine grew faster than the rest of the body and reached adult proportions.

Upper limit on the photon fraction in highest-energy cosmic rays from AGASA data.

A new method to derive an upper limit on photon primaries from small data sets of air showers is developed which accounts for shower properties varying with the primary energy and arrival direction. Applying this method to the highest-energy showers recorded by the AGASA experiment, an upper limit on the photon fraction of 51% (67%) at a confidence level of 90% (95%) for primary energies above 1.25 x 10(20) eV is set. This new limit on the photon fraction above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff energy constrains the -burst model of the origin of highest-energy cosmic rays.

scanning electron microscopy of lingual papillae in the common shrew, Sorex araneus, L.

The dorsal surface of the tongue of the adult common shrew (Sorex araneus L.) was examined by scanning electron microscopy. As in the other insectivores, three types of lingual papillae were observed: filiform, fungiform and vallate papillae. The filiform papillae represented the most numerous type of lingual papillae. The characteristic feature of the filiform papillae, covering the apex and corpus of the tongue, is the two processes tilted to the root of the tongue. The filiform papillae on the lingual apex are reduced in size and structure. Five to six fungiform papillae are placed symmetrically along the left and right border of the corpus of the tongue. Two large oval vallate papillae are located on the radix of the tongue. The posterior surface of the tongue in common shrew is covered with a smooth mucosa with the openings of the serous glands.