[Breast cancer surgery: use of mammaplasty. Results. Series of 298 cases]. / Résultats carcinologiques et esthétiques du traitement du cancer du sein par plastie mammaire. 298 cas.

Breast cancer surgery has long consisted in the sole use of mastectomy. Then, it was proved that, in terms of global survival, conservative treatments associated with radiotherapies could give the same results. But breast deformations due to classic conservative treatments led some authors to use plastic surgery procedures: breast plastic surgery. Some breast plastic surgery procedures are well-known, others have been adapted to breast cancer treatment and more particularly in case of tumor of superior and internal quadrants. After the retrospective analysis of a series of 298 cases from the Institute Curie, the aim of this survey is to find whether there is a difference between: breast plastic surgery and usual treatments like mastectomy and classic conservative treatments. For most cases, the tumors were invasive ductal carcinoma and T2N0M0 carcinoma. This survey showed, among these cases, 94.56% of global survival, 86.81% of survival without metastasis and a five-year 93.47% without local recurrence, which is comparable to the results for mastectomies and classic conservative treatments. In selected cases, the use of mammaplasty could be interesting for breast cancer surgery treatment.

[Excision skin margin and recurrence rate of skin cancer: a prospective study of 844 cases]. / Marges d'exérèse chirurgicale et taux de récidive des carcinomes cutanés: etude prospective de 844 cas.

OBJECTIVES: In order to evaluate recurrence rates after a mean follow-up period of five years, the aim of this unicentric prospective study was to collect data of the surgical procedure concerning both skin basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). PATIENTS AND METHOD: Eight hundred and fourty-four patients were included and data were retrospectively analyzed. During the surgical procedure, the peripheral clinical clearance margin was, respectively, 4mm for the skin basal cell carcinomas, 8 mm for the sclerodermiform type and 10mm for the squamous cell carcinomas. RESULTS: Basal cell carcinomas (BCC) were represented in 80% and the most frequent locations were the nasal area (30%). On average, the BCC measured 13.2mm. The peripheral histological clearance margin average was 4.1mm. The rate of recurrence was 3.8% after follow-up at an average of 36 months. Squamous cell carcinomas were represented in 20% cases and their locations were mainly located on the lips, the cheeks, the genital region and the extremities. On average, the SCC measured 22.45 mm. The peripheral histological clearance margin average was 10.26 mm. The rate of recurrence was 5% after follow-up at an average of 33 months. CONCLUSION: In our study, the rate of recurrence was less than 5% after follow-up of five years. To avoid repetitive operations and the risk of recurrence in anatomically sensitive areas, these tumors should be treated with standard wide margins chosen between 4 and 10 mm, function of the histological type.

Memory retraining with adult male alcoholics.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of group memory retraining in adult male alcoholics. Subjects were 29 residents of a Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center. Fourteen of the men volunteered to be in a memory retraining group and 15 to be in a control group, and all had memory functioning assessed during a pretest and again during a posttest eight weeks later. Memory retraining occurred in groups of three to six men who met one hour per week for eight weeks. Only one test improved significantly with memory retraining. Despite that fact, subjects appreciated the retraining and were more confident of their ability to learn and remember. Since alcoholics have many subjective complaints about memory dysfunction and previous research has demonstrated memory impairment, both a standardized clinically useful memory test battery and effective memory retraining techniques are needed.

Characterization of the binding and internalization of tetanus toxin in a neuroblastoma hybrid cell line.

Tetanus toxin is known to bind neuronal tissue selectively. To study the interactions of this potent neurotoxin in an intact cell system, the binding of 125I-tetanus toxin was characterized in a neuroblastoma retina hybrid cell line, N18-RE-105. The binding of 125I-tetanus toxin to membranes prepared from N18-RE-105 cells showed many similarities to the interactions of 125I-toxin with rat synaptic membranes. The binding was decreased with increasing temperature, ionic strength, and pH. 125I-Toxin bound to membranes with high affinity: KD = 0.62 +/- 0.05 nM; Bmax = 196 +/- 45 pmol/mg protein. Quantitative thin-layer chromatography and acid-degradation analysis revealed that N18-RE-105 cells contained polysialogangliosides GD1a and GT1b in high concentrations. An assay was developed to quantitate surface-bound and internalized 125I-tetanus toxin by exploiting the observation that surface-bound 125I-toxin is susceptible to pronase digestion. When cells were incubated with 125I-tetanus toxin at 0 degree C, all of the bound 125I-toxin could be degraded with pronase. In contrast, when the incubations were performed at 37 degrees C, within 10 min about 50% of the total cell-associated 125I-toxin was pronase-resistant. Temperature pulse experiments demonstrated that 125I-tetanus toxin that was bound to cells at 0 degree C rapidly disappeared from the surface when the cells were warmed to 37 degrees C, as revealed by the appearance of pronase-resistant radioactivity. This internalization was sensitive to metabolic inhibitors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of naphthalene on color changes of the sand fiddler crab, Uca pugilator.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene, inhibited the melanin dispersion, which normally occurs in the fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, during the dark phase of its circadian rhythm of color change. Naphthalene produced this inhibition no matter whether the melanin was fully aggregated or more or less dispersed at the time of initial exposure. Inhibition of the circadian melanin dispersion does not appear to be due to a direct action of naphthalene on the melanophores. This inhibition was concentration-dependent with acute daily exposure. Naphthalene does not, however, inhibit melanin dispersion in response to a black background, indicating thereby that naphthalene-exposed crabs continue to synthesize melanin-dispersing hormone and norepinephrine.

A mechanism of action for the inhibition of black pigment dispersion in the fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, by naphthalene.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene, inhibits the circadian dispersion of epidermal black pigment in the fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, by inhibiting the release of black pigment dispersing hormone. Naphthalene caused no permanent neural damage in Uca pugilator. Naphthalene did not cause a chemically-induced phase shift in the circadian rhythm of black pigment dispersion but reduced the daytime peak of that dispersion. Black pigment concentration, which occurs at night, was not affected by exposure to naphthalene. Black pigment dispersing hormone in naphthalene-exposed crabs can be released by an injection of norepinephrine. Given the points above, and previously published data, it is concluded that naphthalene inhibits circadian black pigment dispersion in Uca pugilator by inhibiting the release of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine.