[Primary sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ureter]. / Primäres sarkomatoides Karzinom des Ureters.

INTRODUCTION: We present a case of unusually rapid tumor progression in a patient with primary sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ureter. CASE REPORT: An 82-year-old female patient underwent total nephroureterectomy for a ureteral tumor that turned out to be a primary sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ureter. After a normal postoperative course, the patient developed a metastatic symptomatic that seemed to have appeared "like an explosion" on the 33rd p. o. day. She died shortly thereafter. CONCLUSION: This is the second case of primary sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ureter published in the literature, a rare and aggressive variant of urothelial carcinoma with a highly malignant potential. As no effective adjuvant treatment has been reported as yet, we recommend mandatory radical excision of the sarcomatoid tumor and early postoperative radiation therapy to increase survival.

Stereospecific Biohydroxylations of Protected Carboxylic Acids with Cunninghamella blakesleeana.

Cunninghamella blakesleeana DSM 1906 was found to be an efficient biocatalyst for the biotransformation of cycloalkylcarboxylic acids into hydroxy and oxo derivatives. When cultivated in submerged culture, the fungus grew in pellets. In comparison with malt extract-glucose-peptone-yeast extract medium (medium E), Czapek-Dox medium was found to reduce pellet size. Cycloalkylcarboxylic acids were protected against microbial degradation by chemical transformation into 2-cycloalkyl-1,3-benzoxazoles. The transformations of protected cyclopentyl-, cyclohexyl-, cycloheptyl-, and cyclooctylcarboxylic acids by C. blakesleeana were investigated. The biotransformations were performed in medium E by using an aerated, stirred-tank bioreactor. The transformation of 2-cyclopentyl-1,3-benzoxazole yielded (1S,3S)-3-(benz-1,3-oxazol-2-yl)cyclopentan-1-ol as the main product. The main by-product was (1R)-3-(benz-1,3-oxazol-2-yl)cyclopentan-1-one, and 2-(benz-1,3-oxazol-2-yl)cyclopentan-1-ol was also obtained in small amounts. During the experiment, the enantiomeric excess of the main product increased up to 64%. 2-Cyclohexyl-1,3-benzoxazole was hydroxylated to 4-(benz-1,3-oxazol-2-yl)cyclohexan-1-ol. 2-Cycloheptyl-1,3-benzoxazole and 2-cyclooctyl-1,3-benzoxazole were transformed into several alcohols and ketones, all in low yields (2 to 19%).

Bladder neck preservation following radical prostatectomy: continence and margins.

Between December 1991 and January 1994, 134 patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy with bladder neck preservation. Forty-nine patients had a positive margin. Number and location of positive margins were analyzed. A tumor was identified at the bladder neck in 10 cases (7.5%). In all 10 patients with bladder neck involvement, a tumor was also identified at multiple other sites. These data suggest that preservation of the bladder neck during radical prostatectomy does not appear to compromise the efficacy of the procedure. Using a self-administered patient questionnaire, we evaluated the effect of bladder neck preservation upon continence in 36 patients. At the initial 3-month follow-up, 24 (67%) patients did not wear any pads. Another 7 (19%) wore pads occasionally, while 5 (14%) patients wore pads daily. To date only 1 of the 134 patients has developed an anastomotic stricture. Bladder neck preservation may aid in an earlier return of continence following radical prostatectomy and reduces anastomotic strictures. It does not appear to compromise the removal of the cancer.

[Mechanisms of bronchial self-cleaning. Surface studies on the bronchial mucosa, bronchial basement membrane and subepithelial connective tissue. A scanning electronmicroscopic study]. / Mechanismen bronchialer Selbstreinigung. Oberflächenuctersuchungen an Bronchusschleimhaut, bronchialer Basalmembran und subepithelialem Bindegewebe. Eine rasterelektronenoptische Studie.

Bronchial mucosa and bronchial basement membranes of man and of healthy slaughter animals were examined with the scanning electron microscope. The surface relief of the normal human bronchus mucosa is composed of a system of bulge-like prominences and valleys. There are parallel recesses and narrow valleys which run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bronchus. Man and pig have the same kind of surface relief in bronchus. A fundamental different type of surface area relief is exhibited by the cow and the sheep. The bronchial basement membrane is a homogeneous plate with dune-like prominences and trough-shaped depressions. Often one can see perforations of variable size. The structures of the basement membranes have a great variability and no species-specifity. There are the same types of dysplasias in the bronchus mucosa in man and in animals. The differences are based upon in the wideness of the expansion and in the grade of the dysplasias in man.