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The multiprocessor NERV and its application to slit scan flow cytometry is described. Up to 320 processors and 640 MBytes of RAM may be used in one VME crate, providing a computing power of less than or equal to 1300 MIPS. The multiprocessor is controlled by a host computer that provides a friendly user interface and comfortable program development tools. All hardware and software has been tested on a prototype NERV system with 5 processors. For a real-time classification/detection of normal and aberrant chromosomes, the centromeric index or the number of centromeres are computed or specifically labeled DNA sequences are detected. The program is partitioned into 60 tasks that can be executed concurrently. A total analysis time of less than 600 microseconds including system overhead will be achieved according to timing measurements which have been done for all individual tasks.

In 60 selected patients affected by a limited stage of bronchial carcinoma according to clinical examinations, routine computed tomography and mediastinoscopy were performed to detect metastatic lymph-node involvement. Patients with histologically proven mediastinal lymph-node metastasis (stage N 2-3) subsequently were excluded from surgical therapy. As alternative diagnostic procedures four different strategies are discussed to estimate the greatest efficacy regarding costs and benefits in preoperative staging of malignant lung tumors: (1) primary thoracotomy, (2) routine mediastinoscopy, (3) thoracic CT-scanning and (4) CT-scanning combined with selective mediastinoscopy. Efficacy was then evaluated by the criteria of financial expenditure for each curative resection. As a result there are but small differences between the four diagnostic approaches and thoracic CT-scanning definitely does not reduce the overall costs of curative surgery or markedly improve the diagnostic yield. However, the combination of selected mediastinoscopy with CT-scanning at least increased comfort and safety in preoperative staging of patients without loss of sensitivity or specificity in detecting resectable tumors. This method should therefore be favoured for evaluating the resectability of bronchial carcinoma.

A 35-year-old man with refractory low grade diffuse centroblastic centrocytic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was treated accidentally with an overdose of multiple chemotherapeutic agents. He was given adriamycin 50 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 350 mg/m2 for 6 days followed by 4 days of vincristine 1 mg/m2 and bleomycin 10 mg/m2. He was transferred when he developed pancytopenia, fever, severe mucositis, ileus and peripheral neuropathy. He was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics, red cell and single donor platelet transfusions and strict parenteral nutrition. In addition, he was given a continuous infusion of 400 micrograms daily human recombinant granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (rh GM-CSF) for 17 days. Intractable severe bleeding from his oral mucositis necessitated treatment with a continuous infusion of 8-ornithine-vasopressin for 8 days. He recovered and could be discharged home after 36 days of hospitalization with normal blood counts and without severe sequelae.

A procedure was developed to provide differential fluorescent staining of metaphase chromosomes in suspension following nucleic acid hybridization. For this purpose metaphase chromosomes were isolated from a Chinese hamster X human hybrid cell line. After hybridization with biotinylated human genomic DNA, the human chromosomes were visualized by indirect immunofluorescence using antibodies against biotin and fluoresceine-isothiocyanate-(FITC)-labeled second antibodies. This resulted in green fluorescent human chromosomes. In contrast, Chinese hamster chromosomes revealed red fluorescent staining only when counterstained with propidium iodide. Notably, interspecies chromosomal rearrangements could be easily detected. After hybridization and fluorescent staining, chromosomes still showed a well-preserved morphology under the light microscope. We suggest that this procedure may have a useful application in flow cytometry and sorting.

Isolated metaphase chromosomes of several fibroblastoid cell lines (Chinese hamster, Chinese hamster x human hybrid) were subjected to free flow electrophoresis (FFE) to study their electrophoretic mobility (EM). The morphology and stability of the chromosomes were unaffected by FFE as examined by cytogenetic methods and flow cytometry. The chromosomes of the complement all showed similar EM under most of the conditions applied. At neutral pH the EM of the chromosomes had the same sign as free DNA and about 2/3 of its magnitude. The variation of EM with buffer parameters such as ionic strength, valence of counterions, buffer capacity and dielectric constant of the solvent were investigated. Thermal denaturation increased the EM of the chromosomes by 20%. Partial denaturation might offer a possibility to separate or enrich large amounts of chromosomes by FFE.

The possibility that fever may be an early manifestation of colorectal carcinoma was examined. Of 92 consecutive patients, 28 had preoperative fever. In four patients the fever was the presenting symptom of the colonic tumor, and in another six patients it preceded gastrointestinal complaints by 1 week to 4 months. Fever was thus the earliest manifestation of colorectal carcinoma in 10.8% of the patients. In 13 of the 28 patients the fever could not be explained by the intraoperative findings. We suggest that transient bacteremia may be a common but frequently overlooked manifestation of colonic cancer. Prognosis of the patient may be improved by alertness to the possibility that an episode of unexplained fever may be the first, and sometimes the only, manifestation of colorectal carcinoma.

In a survey the food and labour costs arising in connection with the preparation in feeding centers - with about a thousand dinners - of conventionally cooked soups and sauces and corresponding convenience food were determined. For soups food costs are lower for convenience food than for conventionally prepared soups. Regarding the sauces, the costs of one of the two preparation manners is not definetely more favourable than the other one. The cost scheme will shift to the disadvantage of convenience food whenever it has to be modified in default of a comparable product, as for instance in the case of béchamel-sauce and horse-radish sauce. Considering the factor time, convenience food will be unambiguously superior to conventionally cooked soups and sauces. The preparation of convenience soups takes only between one fifth and one eighth of the necessary time for the preparation of conventionally, of sauces only between one sixth and one twelfth of the required time. Soups and sauces made out of convenience food have a lower energy content than the conventionally cooked ones.