Contact plate thermography: a new technique for diagnosis of breast masses.

Ninety-four consecutive patients who underwent breast biopsy were prospectively evaluated with contact plate thermography. Final diagnosis based on surgically excised tissue was used as the standard of comparison. There were 77 benign lesions and 17 malignant lesions in the study group. A diagnosis of cancer was made by contact plate thermography in 11 of the 17 patients with malignant neoplasms, with six false-negative diagnoses. Among the 77 histologically benign lesions, contact plate thermography made the correct diagnosis in 66 cases, with 11 false-positive results. Considering all 94 patients, contact plate thermography was accurate in 81.9%, with 6.4% false-negative and 11.7% false-positive diagnoses. These data compared favorably with other diagnostic data used in this study, namely physical examination and mammography. Contact plate thermography is a quick, inexpensive, and harmless diagnostic procedure. Further evaluation of it is indicated, including its possible inclusion in breast cancer screening programs.

Cholecystectomy with and without surgical drainage.

Thirty-seven patients who met specific criteria had cholecystectomy without drainage, and thirty-seven matched control patients had cholecystectomy with drainage. This study suggests that surgical drainage after every uncomplicated cholecystectomy is unnecessary and may be unwise. Such drainage may result in an increased incidence of postoperative morbidity and prolonged hospital stay.

Dietary protein intake influences the antihypertensive potency of methyldopa in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

When spontaneously hypertensive rats consumed a single meal before receiving methyldopa (MD), the increase in brain MD levels and the blood pressure reduction varied inversely with the meal's protein content. MD injection elicited a greater reduction in blood pressure (and a larger rise in brain MD) in spontaneously hypertensive rats consuming a protein-free meal than in fasting animals; it induced a smaller fall in blood pressure (and a smaller increase in brain MD) in spontaneously hypertensive rats ingesting a protein-containing meal than in fasting animals. This effect may depend on the large neutral amino acids contained in protein. Ingestion of a food identical in amino acid content to 18% casein, but containing an amino acid mixture instead of protein, also blunted the MD-induced fall in blood pressure. However, consumption of a similar diet, lacking the large neutral amino acids (but not other amino acids), elicited an MD-induced blood pressure reduction similar to that caused by ingesting a protein-free diet. The combined effects of meal consumption and MD injection on brain MD and blood pressure correlated significantly with the serum ration of MD to the sum of the natural large neutral amino acids and not with serum MD alone. Similar effects were also noted with chronic dietary and MD treatments. Thus, dietary protein content can influence significantly the potency of a clinically important amino acid drug that acts within the brain.

Aspiration cytology is superior to Tru-Cut needle biopsy in establishing the diagnosis of clinically suspicious breast masses.

Eighty-one consecutive patients with breast masses clinically suspicious for malignancy were evaluated prospectively. There were 31 benign lesions and 50 malignancies. Clinical diagnosis was correct in 85% (2.5% false negative, 12.5% false positive). Mammography was diagnostic in 52.8% (31.5% false negative, 15.7% false positive). Needle biopsy was accurate in 78.9% (21.1% false negative, 0% false positive). Aspiration cytology was diagnostic in 96.2% (3.8% false negative, 0% false positive). Statistical comparison of all four tests revealed that aspiration cytology was slightly more accurate than physical examination for all lesions (p = 0.07), but significantly more accurate for benign lesions (p = 0.005). Overall, aspiration cytology was significantly more accurate than mammography (p = 0.000001) and needle biopsy (p = 0.008). Only one minor complication, a superficial infection, occurred with aspiration cytology and needle biopsy. Thin-needle aspiration cytology is a benign procedure that appears to be superior to physical examination, mammography, and needle biopsy in establishing the diagnosis of clinically suspicious breast masses.