Indirect leukocyte migration inhibition in breast cancer and benign breast disease patients by mouse mammary tumor virus grown in feline kidney cells.

Indirect migration inhibition assays were performed with normal and mammary tumor-bearing C3H/HeN mice and patients with breast disease to assess cellular immunity against three different mouse mammary tumor virus (MTV) preparations grown in feline kidney cell cultures and against a mouse-derived MTV preparation. MTV obtained after passage through feline kidney cells and the mouse-derived MTV were capable of eliciting macrophage migration inhibitory factor production by mouse spleen cells obtained from normal or mammary tumor-bearing C3H/HeN mice, thus demonstrating a similar degree of antigenicity of these preparations. In experiments with human breast cancer patients' leukocytes, leukocyte inhibitory factor (LIF) was produced by 32-50% of these patients in response to the mouse-derived MTV or to three different MTV preparations obtained after passage through feline kidney cells. A significant proportion (31-54%) of benign breast disease patients also reacted with both the mouse-derived and feline-derived MTV preparations. Patients with both malignant and benign breast disease, however, had a significantly different (P less than .05) pattern of reactivity to mouse- and feline-derived MTV preparations from that observed with normal donors. Finally, some LIF activity was also observed (but not statistically significant with the use of nonparametric analysis methods) when feline leukemia virus was used as antigen with these patients. The data suggest that both breast cancer and benign breast disease patients were reactive against antigens largely specific for MTV in the feline cells and, presumably, were not reactive against feline cellular components, although the second possibility cannot be completely ruled out.

Methods for determining the frequency of sexual intercourse and activities of daily living in young women.

To determine whether the frequency of sexual intercourse and other activities of daily living could be reliably measured in a population of women with or without prior urinary tract infections, a prospective pilot, case-control study was undertaken in a family practice clinic. Intensive self-recording of daily activities for one week was consistent with data collected for five more weeks spaced one month apart. Frequency of sexual activity was significantly higher on weekends. Control and bacteriuric subjects reported episodes of sexual intercourse about twice as frequently during the week of intensive recording than during the rest of the month when recording was only once a day. Although individual variation between weeks was minimal, considerable variation was observed among subjects. Voiding patterns were similar in both groups except for significantly higher rates prior to intercourse for controls. It is estimated that a sample size of at last 67-79 pairs will be required to ascertain whether there is a significant differences in frequency of sexual intercourse between cases and controls.