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Mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene is the most commonly observed genetic abnormality in human tumors and associations between p53 aberration and patient survival have been shown for several tumor types. Previous studies have found that approximately 50% of epithelial ovarian carcinomas exhibit abnormalities in the p53 gene. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the potential prognostic significance of aberrant p53 in patients with primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the anti-p53 antibodies CM1, PAb240 and PAb1801, p53 over-expression was observed in 20/39 (51%) tumors. When these results were combined with previously reported IHC and sequencing analyses, 37/61 (61%) tumors exhibited a p53 aberration. Although there was no significant difference between sequencing and IHC results, several cases gave discordant results, indicating that a combination of both methods may be required to estimate accurately the proportion of tumors with p53 aberrations. Univariate statistical analysis showed that p53 aberrations were significantly associated with tumor grade 3/4, FIGO stage III/IV, serous tumors and the presence of bulk (>2 cm) residual disease following surgery. In univariate survival analysis, tumor grade and stage, ascites and post-surgical residual tumor> 2 cm were associated with both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). p53 status, however, was not a predictor of either OS or DFS. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, only FIGO stage and post-surgical residual disease> 2 cm had an independent effect on OS and only stage was found to be an independent predictor of DFS. In conclusion, p53 mutation and overexpression does not appear to be a significant indicator of patient survival in this series of ovarian carcinomas.

To study survival in women treated for cervical carcinoma in Grampian region, to identify clinical and pathological prognostic factors, and to correlate survival with cytology history.A retrospective study of all cases of cervical carcinoma using a prospectively gathered database. Data validated by 1 in 10 randomised retrospective case note sampling.Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.Three hundred and sixty-three women resident within Grampian diagnosed as having cervical carcinoma between 1980 and 1991, with five-year survival data on the 206 diagnosed by the end of 1986.Five-year survival rates.The mean annual incidence of cervical carcinoma in our population was 11.2 per 100,000 women, with an overall five-year survival of 67% in those under 40 years of age and 60% in those aged 40 years and over. On univariate analysis, survival was significantly adversely affected by tumour stage, grade and absence of previous smears. On multivariate analysis, the effect of previous smear history was lost, but stage and grade remained strong independent risk factors for survival. There was no significant difference in five-year survival by age or tumour type.The prognosis of cervical carcinoma in Grampian region was independently affected only by stage of disease and tumour grading and cervical smear history.

A simple scheme for generating a uniform, steady-state, large-volume plasma is presented. The weakly magnetized plasma is created by direct ionization of the background gas by low-energy electrons generated from thermionic filaments. An annular arrangement of the filaments ensures a uniform plasma density in the radial direction as predicted by theory. Experiments have been performed to characterize the plasma generated in such a configuration. In order to explain the experimental observation, a bulk plasma theory based on plasma transport by means of cross-field diffusion is developed. As assumed in the theoretical model, the experimental measurements indicate a uniform plasma density along the axis. Both the theory and experiment indicate that the plasma density is a function of the square of the external magnetic field. The theory also predicts the plasma density to be proportional to the neutral density to the two-thirds power, in agreement with the experimental data. The experimental data agree well with theoretical prediction for a broad range of system parameters. >