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During the 10 years from 1965 through 1974, 86 patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were diagnosed or referred for treatment at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center. The average age and survival in these patients is not significantly different from other published series. Only four patients had resectable tumors, and of these two survived over twelve months. Eight other patients also survived over twelve months, and no two of these had the same treatment regimens (although nine of the ten long-term survivors received some form of chemotherapy). Fourteen patients received a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. While their average survival was only two months longer than that of the entire series, three were long-term survivors. Over 75% had significant palliation; this suggests that this treatment should be considered in selected cases.

A rapid batch procedure is described for purification of T4 polynucleotide kinase (ATP:5'-dephosphopolynucleotide 5'-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.78) to near homogeneity using Blue Dextran-Sepharose chromatography. The enzyme preparation is sufficiently free of contaminating endonuclease and alkaline phosphatase activities to be suitable for radioactively labeling nucleic acids in vitro. Kinetic measurements indicate that the chromophore of Blue Dextran, Cibacron Blue F3GA, inhibits the activity of T4 polynucleotide kinase competitively with respect to single stranded DNA substrate and non-competitively with respect to the rATP substrate.

Randomly assigned streptokinase or heparin therapy was studied in 50 patients with deep vein thrombosis of less than 2 weeks' duration. Venography was performed prior to therapy, after 3 days, and after 10 days. Two radiologists who were unaware of the patient's therapy compiled a single average lytic score for each patient at each time interval. Lysis of venous thrombi was significantly greater with streptokinase than with heparin after 3 days, but not after 10 days of treatment. Lytic scores achieved with streptokinase were significantly better than those achieved with heparin therapy (P less than .01) in male patients who were symptomatic for 3 days or less. In females, regardless of the duration of symptoms, thrombolytic results obtained with streptokinase were not significantly different than results obtained with heparin.

The salvage of patients with late esophageal perforations is a formidable surgical undertaking. The basic objectives of surgical therapy should be: prompt debridement and control of sepsis by establishing an adequate, controlled route of decompression drainage, salvage of all viable and functional esophagus (except in massive disruptions with circumferential loss), adequate support of life control systems, and establishment of an appropriate alternate route for supportive alimentation. The method of treatment used in the group of patients reported here satisfies all these objectives. Our experience justifies further consideration of this technique in dealing with this catastrophic illness.

Individual rapid procedures for the enrichment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase free of endonuclease activity are described using Blue dextran-Sepharose chromatography. The blue dye of Blue dextran-Sepharose selectively binds to the deoxynucleoside triphosphate substrate site of the E. coli but not the T4 enzyme indicating that the catalytic sites of these two enzymes which catalyze the same polymerization reaction in vitro are quite distinct.