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Agraïments: The study has been supported by the TRY initiative on plant traits (www.try-db.org). The TRY initiative and database is hosted, developed and maintained by J. Kattge and G. Bönisch (Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany). TRY is/has been supported by DIVERSITAS, IGBP, the Global Land Project, the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through its program QUEST (Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System), the French Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FRB), and GIS "Climat, Environnement et Société" France. We thank Daniel Laughlin, Frédérique Louault, Belinda Medlyn, Julie Messier, Juli Pausas and Ian Wright for contributing data. The authors declare no conflict of interest. 1. Competitor, stress-tolerator, ruderal (CSR) theory is a prominent plant functional strategy scheme previously applied to local floras. Globally, the wide geographic and phylogenetic coverage of available values of leaf area (LA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA) (representing, respectively, interspecific variation in plant size and conservative vs. acquisitive resource economics) promises the general application of CSR strategies across biomes, including the tropical forests hosting a large proportion of Earth's diversity. - 2. We used trait variation for 3068 tracheophytes (representing 198 families, six continents and 14 biomes) to create a globally calibrated CSR strategy calculator tool and investigate strategy-environment relationships across biomes world-wide. - 3. Due to disparity in trait availability globally, co-inertia analysis was used to check correspondence between a 'wide geographic coverage, few traits' data set and a 'restricted coverage, many traits' subset of 371 species for which 14 whole-plant, flowering, seed and leaf traits (including leaf nitrogen content) were available. CSR strategy/environment relationships within biomes were investigated using fourth-corner and RLQ analyses to determine strategy/climate specializations. - 4. Strong, significant concordance (RV = 0·597; P < 0·0001) was evident between the 14 trait multivariate space and when only LA, LDMC and SLA were used. - 5. Biomes such as tropical moist broadleaf forests exhibited strategy convergence (i.e. clustered around a CS/CSR median; C:S:R = 43:42:15%), with CS-selection associated with warm, stable situations (lesser temperature seasonality), with greater annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. Other biomes were characterized by strategy divergence: for example, deserts varied between xeromorphic perennials such as Larrea divaricata, classified as S-selected (C:S:R = 1:99:0%) and broadly R-selected annual herbs (e.g. Claytonia perfoliata; R/CR-selected; C:S:R = 21:0:79%). Strategy convergence was evident for several growth habits (e.g. trees) but not others (forbs). - 6. The CSR strategies of vascular plants can now be compared quantitatively within and between biomes at the global scale. Through known linkages between underlying leaf traits and growth rates, herbivory and decomposition rates, this method and the strategy-environment relationships it elucidates will help to predict which kinds of species may assemble in response to changes in biogeochemical cycles, climate and land use.

Primary successions along glacier forelands are perfect examples of the changing climate upon high mountain ecosystems. Peripheral mountain ranges deserve particular attention, given they are characterised by high numbers of species and endemism and are considered to be particularly susceptible to climate change. We analysed thermal regime, soil parameters and plant/arthropod primary succession along a glacier foreland located in such a context, comparing it with those previously studied in the inner Alps. The overall patterns of the investigated primary succession agree with those of the inner Alps at the same elevation, but stands out for a delayed plant and arthropod colonisation which promotes the long-lasting persistence of pioneer cold-adapted species. In light of the results obtained, and considering the glaciological features of peripheral mountain ranges (glaciers persistence at low elevation), this paper asserts the hypothesis that glacial landforms of these areas may act as warm-stage refugia for pioneer cold-adapted species.

The Dirichlet process (DP) is one of the most popular Bayesian nonparametric models. An open problem with the DP is how to choose its infinite-dimensional parameter (base measure) in case of lack of prior information. In this work we present the Imprecise DP (IDP)--a prior near-ignorance DP-based model that does not require any choice of this probability measure. It consists of a class of DPs obtained by letting the normalized base measure of the DP vary in the set of all probability measures. We discuss the tight connections of this approach with Bayesian robustness and in particular prior near-ignorance modeling via sets of probabilities. We use this model to perform a Bayesian hypothesis test on the probability . We study the theoretical properties of the IDP test (e.g., asymptotic consistency), and compare it with the frequentist Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon rank test that is commonly employed as a test on . In particular we will show that our method is more robust, in the sense that it is able to isolate instances in which the aforementioned test is virtually guessing at random.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to correlate the Ki-67 and cyclin A labelling index (LI) with clinical characteristics and risk of recurrence of craniopharyngiomas. METHODS: 47 consecutive patients were studied, 21 female and 26 male, aged 34.3 (2.8) years. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on paraffin wax embedded material using monoclonal antibodies directed against the proliferation associated nuclear antigen Ki-67 and cyclin A. RESULTS: The median Ki-67 LI was 8.6% (interquartile range, 4.4%-14.0%). Ki-67 LI was significantly higher in tumours with a heavy inflammatory reaction and diabetes insipidus at presentation, whereas other clinical and histological features were not associated with the proliferation index. There was a strong linear correlation between Ki-67 LI and cyclin A LI (r = 0.77; p

Evidence has been presented suggesting the involvement of integrins and their ligands in mammalian fertilization. In this study we asked whether the alpha 5, alpha v, beta 1 and beta 3 integrin chains, which form receptors for fibronectin and vitronectin, are present on human spermatozoa. Fresh ejaculate spermatozoa and capacitated spermatozoa, before and after a calcium ionophore (A23187)-induced acrosome reaction, were either fixed and their reaction with anti-integrin monoclonal antibodies detected by immunoperoxidase staining or studied without fixation, using cytofluorimetric scanning. Expression of specific integrin chains varied with the functional state of spermatozoa. The alpha 5 chain was not detected on fresh living spermatozoa, but was present on capacitated spermatozoa, whether fixed or living. The pattern of beta 1 expression on living spermatozoa paralleled that of alpha 5. No further increase in the expression of either alpha 5 or beta 1 was observed following an ionophore-promoted acrosome reaction. In contrast, alpha v was detected on neither fresh, living ejaculate spermatozoa, nor following capacitation (< 10% reactive). The percentage of alpha v positive cells increased substantially following ionophore exposure. Expression of beta 3 was similar to alpha v, and the percentage of cells displaying beta 3 correlated with the proportion of spermatozoa that had undergone an acrosome reaction, following ionophore exposure. These results indicate that the expression of integrins on spermatozoa is dynamic, varying with their functional state and that integrin receptors for fibronectin (alpha 5 beta 1) become apparent on the spermatozoan surface during capacitation and vitronectin (alpha v beta 3) following the acrosome reaction.

SummaryA retrospective study was conducted on 47 patients with ovarian malignancies (1986–1991). DNA content analysis, surgical stage, residual tumor and histological grade were correlated to prognosis. In our experience, 36 months survival rate shows a more favourable outcome in diploid forms 166·7%), compared with 34·5% in aneuploid ovarian cancer patients. The results of flow cytometry may be used in conjunction with other prognostic factors. such as stage, residual tumor after primary surgery, grade and histological type, to tailor treatment protocols based on risk assessment. The importance of RT after primary debulking surgery is emphasised in our study. In fact RT was the only independent prognostic factor. The magnitude of the prognostic effect of DNA ploidy is dependent on the ability of the surgeon to reach an optimal debulking surgery.

These studies were designed to evaluate the correlation between morphologic and functional changes after heterotopic auxiliary small bowel isograft with systemic venous drainage and two ostomies in 20 Lewis rats. Morphologic damage of the graft was scored by full-thickness biopsies before surgery and 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after transplant. Functional evaluation of the graft was done, at the same time points, by urinary excretion of lactulose and mannitol injected in the proximal ostomy. The intestinal permeability was also studied by injecting Escherichia coli labeled with indium-111 oxine in the proximal ostomy. Translocation of radiolabeled bacteria was quantitated in extraintestinal tissues by radionuclide counts and number of viable organisms and in vivo by scintigraphic imaging. One day after transplant, significant graft damage (score 17.2 +/- 4.2) was observed when compared with the pretransplant value (7.3 +/- 2.6). The degree of tissue injury was similar on days 3 (15.8 +/- 3.5) and 5 (16.1 +/- 3.9) after transplant and remained high on day 7 (11.8 +/- 2.8). The lactulose to mannitol ratio showed a significantly increased permeability on day 1 (17.5) versus pretransplant values (2.6), remained high on day 3 (8.6), and returned to normal values on day 5 (2.8). Translocation of bacteria to distant organs, as measured by both radionuclide counts and number of viable organisms, was strikingly enhanced on day 1 after transplantation, compared with control animals, but returned to the pretransplant value on day 3. A good qualitative and quantitative correlation was observed between radionuclide counts in the extraintestinal organs and in vivo images obtained by scintigraphic scanning. In conclusion, in this model, timing and degree of bacterial translocation do not seem to correlate well, with the exception of the acute post-transplantation phase, with morphologic and permeability changes of the graft. Evaluation of translocation by scintigraphic imaging appears a suitable approach to study in vivo the kinetics and distribution of this process.

Summary Seventy-three patients with endometrial carcinoma have been retrospectively evaluated in this paper. Stage, grade, depth of myometrial invasion, flow cytometric DNA ploidy and ERB-B2 oncogene expression by immunohistochemical method have been analyzed on paraffin embedded tissue. Results showed the existence of a significant correlation between stage and grade of neoplasia and between DNA ploidy and course of disease; it has been observed that patients with aneuploid tumor tend to have a shorter time before relapse of disease. No significant correlation between depth of my ometrial invasion and survival was found. Besides, it has been shown that tumours with ERB-B2 oncogene hyper expression seem to have a more aggressive evolution.

AIMS--To analyse the cell cycle and DNA histogram components in data from DNA static cytometry and, in particular, to investigate the influence of the length of time the slides are exposed to the light of the cytophotometer in evaluating the G0/G1 peak. METHODS--DNA static cytometry was performed on 18 Feulgen stained imprints and six histological sections taken from six breast carcinomas. The total optical density values obtained were analysed using software commercially available as Multicycle. DNA flow cytometry was performed on the same cases. RESULTS--The proportions of nuclei related to the cell cycle components from DNA static cytometric data, obtained from Feulgen stained cytological smears, were almost identical with those obtained from DNA flow cytometric data. Moreover, additional information was obtained from the DNA static cytometry frequency histogram and the proportions of nuclei below the diploid G0/G1 peak and above the G2 phase. Discrepancies between DNA static cytometry and DNA flow cytometry were seen in the large coefficients of variation of the G0/G1 peaks obtained with the former method of analysis, even though a better correspondence was found when the exposure time of the slides to the light of the cytophometer was conspicuously shortened. The information obtained from histological sections seemed to be similar to that obtained from DNA flow cytometry when a single cell population was present; a single cell population was detected in two out of the three cases in which two distinct populations had been present in DNA flow cytometry. CONCLUSIONS--The computer analysis of DNA static cytometric data obtained from Feulgen stained cytological specimens provides the type of information on the cell cycle which is usually obtainable only from DNA flow cytometry. Correspondence with the DNA data from histological sections, however, was poor.

In this paper the relevance of perspective geometry for 3D scene analysis from a single view is asserted. Analytic procedures for perspective inversion of special primitive configurations are presented. Four configurations are treated: (1) four coplanar segments; (2) three orthogonal segments; (3) a circle arc; (4) a quadric of revolution. A complete and thorough illustration of the developed methodologies is given. The importance of the selected primitives is illustrated in different application contexts. Experimental results on real images are provided for configurations (3) and (4).

To describe the advantages and limits of apoptosis detection on paraffin sections by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL).Two hundred sixty-five paraffin-embedded samples from malignant and benign human tissue were analyzed by TUNEL. Also, biparametric analysis of apoptosis and proliferation index (MIB-1), apoptosis, cytokeratin or leukocyte common antigen was performed.Our preliminary conclusions are as follows. The limits are that this labelling method might detect cells that have not shown DNA fragmentation specific for apoptosis only. The technique is extremely sensitive to the degree of proteolytic digestion. TUNEL identifies nuclei in areas of necrosis. Indeed, the staining of necrotic areas of tissue with the in situ labelling method should not cause confusion since simple morphologic examination of tissues will suffice to identify areas of necrotic cells. The advantages are that TUNEL is a method of simplifying the identification of apoptotic nuclei in routinely processed tissue sections, maintaining topography. It allows retrospective studies and biparametric analysis of cell death and proliferation on the same sample. Furthermore, with biparametric stain, it could better identify the origin (epithelial, mesenchymal, and so on) of apoptotic cells.TUNEL is a good method of detecting apoptotic nuclei in fixed, embedded tissue sections, but, because of the limits of the method, the results should be interpreted in conjunction with apoptosis assessment by routine light microscopy.

Tumors are heterogeneous in terms of morphology and susceptibility to drugs or radiation. Among primary and metastatic cells of a human renal carcinoma, a population (type II) of larger cells with prominent nucleoli, eosinophilic globules of intermediate filaments in paranuclear bundles, margination of subcellular organelles and peripheral pools of glycogen was evident. Paranuclear structures were recognized by monoclonal antibodies specific for cytokeratin 8, 18 and 19, but not by vimentin specific antibodies. We propagated a cell line in vitro (referred to as BKR cells), and observed culture in vitro, the almost complete disappearance of the type II cells. Pharmacological agents that influence cell differentiation, such as retinoic acid, rescued the expression of type II cells in vitro. Long-term treatments with insulin or alpha-interferon, but not with the epithelial growth factor (EGF), similarly differentiated BKR cells and abated their susceptibility to spontaneous and actinomycin-D induced apoptosis. These data support the contention that differentiation of tumor cells is actively maintained in vivo and further strengthen the caveat on tumor lines stabilized in vitro, that poorly represent the morphologic and antigenic heterogeneity of neoplasms in vivo.

Cell kinetic data are important indicators of the aggressiveness of tumor and treatment response. The size of a neoplasm depends on the balance between cell proliferation and death. Thus, the analysis of the kinetics of cell proliferation and death may explain differences in the rates of tumour progression.We studied apoptosis and proliferative indices in 95 cases of non-small cell lung carcinomas. The analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue, by both MIB-1 immunocytochemical detection to establish the proliferation index and the in-situ end labelling method for the apoptosis index. The two indices were related.Our results showed a high proliferative index and cell loss rate in squamous cell carcinoma, and a low proliferative index and cell loss rate in adenocarcinoma, suggesting two different growth patterns.These findings could explain the different biological behaviour and treatment response of the tumours. The tendency of a cancer cell to undergo apoptosis may be especially important for the chemotherapy of malignant tumours with a low growth rate, which are typically resistant to cytostatic agents.

Cell kinetic data are important indicators of the aggressiveness of tumor and treatment response. In this study biparametric analysis of proliferation and apoptotic index was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue from certain neoplasia.We studied 107 cases of neoplastic and non neoplastic lesions. For each case, on the same section, TUNEL reaction and immunohistochemical protein Ki67 expression analysis were performed.On 102 out of 107 cases (95.3%) we obtained valid results both about apoptotic and proliferative indices.This method could supply, at the same time, interesting information about the two possible different patterns of neoplastic growth: one related to an increase fraction of proliferating cells, the other to decrease in apoptotic cell death. Cell kinetic data may have interesting implications on therapeutic choice.

Atypically proliferating serous tumors (APST) account for 15% of all ovarian serous epithelial neoplasms. The differences between benign, borderline and malignant ovarian tumors is principally due to their cellular proliferative potential. By means of MIB1 expression we could recognize differences in proliferation among serous ovarian tumors, overcoming interobserver variability. Thirty-three patients with serous ovarian tumors, treated at S. Raffaele Hospital, University of Milan between November 1, 1992 and July 31, 1994 were used as study the population: 9 patients had serous cystoadenocarcinoma, 14 patients had APST and 10 patients had serous cystoadenoma. Pathological slides of all the cases were reviewed and immunohistochemical analysis was performed on formalin fixed, paraffin was embedded tissue. Pearson's Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were performed for statistical evaluation. The percentage of MIB1 positive neoplastic cells ranged from, 0% to 2.1% (median 0.45%; mean 0.69%) in cystoadenomas, 1.3% to 7% (median 2.9%; mean 3.98%) in APSTs and 4.7% to 20.3% (median 6.95%; mean 9.51%) in cystoadenocarcinomas (p0.0001; F = 47.7). A High percentage expression of MIB1 in a serous tumor, initially diagnosed as APST, promoted a wider sampling of the surgical specimen confirming the presence of a carcinomatous component. MIB1 index is reported as representative of cellular proliferative potential. The analysis of MIB1 index provided valuable information in addition to that gained by conventional microscopic study in all cases where diagnostic difficulties arose in assessing APST.

The use of a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies in intraoperative radioimmunodetection of colorectal tumour has been evaluated in 14 patients. Eight patients had primary and six recurrent colorectal cancer. Three different monoclonal antibodies were used included B72.3, recognizing TAG72 antigen, FO23C3 and FO23C5 directed against two epitopes of CEA. The antibodies were labeled with 125I. During surgery the radioactive emission of tumour and normal tissue was evaluated by a gamma detecting probe. Ten patients showed positive intraoperative results and in particular 6 (75%) of the 8 patients with primary tumour and 4 (67%) of the 6 patients with recurrence, with a mean tumour to normal tissue ratio of 2.2. Intraoperative radioimmunodetection was instrumental in modifying the therapeutic approach in two patients with recurrent cancer but in none of the patients with a primary presentation. Immunohistochemical analysis, to evaluate TAG72 and CEA antigen expression, was performed in 13 cases. CEA antigen was expressed in 8/13 cases and TAG72 in 5/13. Thus the sensitivity was 38.5% and 61.5% with B72.3 and anti-CEA monoclonal antibodies respectively, while in combination the sensitivity was 71.4%. The use of a cocktail of different antibodies improved the sensitivity of intraoperative radioimmunodetection of colorectal tumours, when compared with a single antibody injection. This approach might improve the clinical use of radioimmunodetection.

Evidence has been presented suggesting the involvement of integrins and their ligands in mammalian fertilization. In this study we asked whether the alpha 5, alpha v, beta 1 and beta 3 integrin chains, which form receptors for fibronectin and vitronectin, are present on human spermatozoa. Fresh ejaculate spermatozoa and capacitated spermatozoa, before and after a calcium ionophore (A23187)-induced acrosome reaction, were either fixed and their reaction with anti-integrin monoclonal antibodies detected by immunoperoxidase staining or studied without fixation, using cytofluorimetric scanning. Expression of specific integrin chains varied with the functional state of spermatozoa. The alpha 5 chain was not detected on fresh living spermatozoa, but was present on capacitated spermatozoa, whether fixed or living. The pattern of beta 1 expression on living spermatozoa paralleled that of alpha 5. No further increase in the expression of either alpha 5 or beta 1 was observed following an ionophore-promoted acrosome reaction. In contrast, alpha v was detected on neither fresh, living ejaculate spermatozoa, nor following capacitation (10% reactive). The percentage of alpha v positive cells increased substantially following ionophore exposure. Expression of beta 3 was similar to alpha v, and the percentage of cells displaying beta 3 correlated with the proportion of spermatozoa that had undergone an acrosome reaction, following ionophore exposure. These results indicate that the expression of integrins on spermatozoa is dynamic, varying with their functional state and that integrin receptors for fibronectin (alpha 5 beta 1) become apparent on the spermatozoan surface during capacitation and vitronectin (alpha v beta 3) following the acrosome reaction.

c-myc oncoprotein expression was evaluated in 36 non-small-cell lung carcinomas using immunohistochemical and flow cytometric analysis. Formalin fixed and paraffin embedded material was used. The same monoclonal antibody (mouse anti-human c-myc) was employed both for immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. For the immunohistochemical evaluation we calculated the percentage of stained cells on 200 neoplastic cells. c-myc oncoprotein was measured using flow cytometry by linking the monoclonal with a secondary FITC-conjugated antibody; for each sample 20,000 events were analysed and the percentage of cells positive for green fluorescence was calculated. DNA content was obtained by propidium iodide staining. Results showed a high correlation between immunohistochemical and cytometric data, suggesting that flow cytometry could be used as an alternative to immunohistochemistry in evaluating nuclear antigens. Moreover, using flow cytometry information on DNA content can be obtained simultaneously.

Evidence has been presented that oolemmal integrins and their ligands on spermatozoa may play a role in gamete interactions leading to fertilization. We previously demonstrated that vitronectin (Vn) could be extracted from fresh human spermatozoa and detected in Western blots, and Vn was observed on the surface of living, capacitated sperm by indirect immunofluorescence. In the present experiments, messenger RNA encoding Vn was detected in human testis poly (A+) RNA using Northern analysis, and Vn was localized within the acrosomal region of ejaculated sperm by immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence staining. During the acrosome reaction, induced in capacitated spermatozoa by lonomycin, Vn was released into the medium in a calcium-dependent manner. Vn appears to be a specific product of intratesticular spermatozoa that is secreted during the acrosome reaction. These findings suggest that Vn is positioned to play a strategic role in gamete interactions leading to fertilization.

Paragangliomas of the carotid body with an autosomal dominant genetic transmission have been described in a familial presentation in 7-10% of all the cases observed. In less than 10% malignancy is confirmed by secondary metastatic localization rather than by typical histological features of malignant diseases, such as vascular or perineural invasion, nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic activity. The purpose of the study is to present a familial group of paragangliomas of the carotid boy and a flow cytometric analysis of tumor content DNA and to discuss the prognostic value of the results. The paragangliomas of these related patients (father and daughter) are diploid, without regional lymph node or distant metastases; clinical and cytometric findings support a good prognosis even if an accurate follow up of such neuroendocrine tumors is nonetheless mandatory. Considering data in Literature, the Authors also propose a prognostic classification of paragangliomas as follows: noninvasive (capsulated, without vascular or perineural infiltration, diploid); locally invasive (histological signs such as vascular or perineural infiltration, nuclear pleomorphism, abnormal mitoses etc, diploid); potentially malignant (histological signs, non-diploid, expression of few antigens) and malignant (regional or distant metastases).

PURPOSE: Radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been reported to allow tumor intraoperative detection by means of a gamma-detecting probe. The technology is called the Radioimmunoguided Surgery (RIGS ® ) system. The main inconveniences of the method are 1) the long interval needed for clearance of unattached MAbs from the patient's body, between the injection of the MAb and surgery, and 2) the low sensitivity of current MAbs used in detecting small tumors. We describe a new method to overcome these inconveniences using biotinylated MAbs and avidin in order to obtain a rapid blood clearance of the radiolabeled MAbs both anticarcinoembryonic antigen and antitumor-associated glycoprotein-72 MAbs. METHODS: Twenty patients with primary and recurrent colorectal cancer have been enrolled in the study; 125 I-biotinylated MAbs FO23C5 (anticarcinoembryonic antigen) and B72.3 (antitumor-associated glycoprotein-72) followed by cold avidin were injected in 13 patients and 7 patients, respectively. RESULTS: A decrease of 94±3 perceNt of circulating radioactivity was Achieved in 3 to 5 days. PatientS underwent surgery approximAtely seven days after MAb injections rather than afder four weeks. Tumors were localized in 14/20 (70 pErcent) Patients (true positive), 2 (10 percent) were false Negative, and 4 (20 percent) were true negative. The overall sensitivity level in early-stage primary cancers was 37 percent when related to the presencE of disease and 75 percent when related to antigenic exprescion. The sensitivity for moRe advanced cancer and for recurRences was 10 percent. MoreOver, the in vivo tumor dargeting of biotinylated MAb was demonstrated in frozen tumor section by direct streptoavidin-peroxidasE staining. CONCLUSIONS: The avidin-biotin system may enhance applicability and effectiveness of radioimMunoguided surgery (RIGS ® ).

Correlation between human papillomavirus infection and DNA ploidy in the prognosis of uterine cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Due to the increasing frequency of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of cervical epithelium in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of different grades, methods are needed to identify progressive lesions. HPV typing as well as quantitative DNA analysis are possible tools to identify high-risk lesions. The aim of our study was to compare the results of "in situ" hybridization and of DNA content analysis with behavior of CIN I and CIN II lesions in 14 patients with HPV infection. Three of the 4 cases with regression of the cervical lesions were diploid, with HPV 16/18 detected in 2 of the 3. The 5 cases with progression were aneuploid, and 4 of them were HPV positive. In the 3 cases with no changes a near-diploid DNA content was observed. DNA analysis was not available in 2 cases. These preliminary results suggest that progressive CIN cases are aneuploid, and that DNA ploidy could be an objective prognostic marker.

The recognition and treatment of neoplastic lesions in early phases are among the most important aims of research using monoclonal antibodies (MoAb). Recent studies have demonstrated that the use of radiolabelled MoAb directed against tumor associated antigens and hand-held gamma detecting probe (GDP) could help in the recognition of primary tumors and metastases. The goal of this study was to investigate the in vivo antibody reaction as shown by histologic preparations after injection of 125I biotinylated MoAb (B72.3 or F023C5) before surgery and to compare the immunohistochemical results with those obtained with GDP in colorectal cancer. We studied 15 cases of patients with primary or recurrent colorectal cancer. The biotinylated, radiolabelled antibody administered in vivo could be seen in frozen sections with streptoavidin peroxidase complex. In 14 cases there was agreement between GDP observations and detection of the in vivo injected biotinylated MoAb with direct staining using streptoavidin peroxidase conjugate. The use of MoAbs thus provides a means of correlating the intraoperative signal with the presence of the injected antibodies on the tumor.

Cytofluorometric analysis of FCM-DNA ploidy also seems to have prognostic value in prostatic carcinoma. Determination of the DNA index preoperatively from needle biopsy samples would be advantageous since it would enable the type of intervention to be established in advance. The finding of intratumoural variability in the DNA index in different solid tumours prompted us to compare the data obtained from needle biopsy and surgical specimens of prostatic cancer. Although the results obtained confirmed the heterogeneity of DNA content in prostatic carcinoma, they nonetheless indicate that preoperative DNA analysis is useful, in particular when aneuploidy is observed, since it provides the clinician with additional information on which to base treatment decisions.

To discriminate benign from malignant parathyroid glands lesions is often difficult, because the morphologic features lack absolute diagnostic value. The differential diagnosis between chief cell hyperplasia and parathyroid adenoma is frequently based on physical features such as increased gland weight and number of enlarged glands. A carcinoma is identified by the evidence of local invasion, metastases or recurrence. Nevertheless the lesions classified as benign for lack of histologic features of aggressiveness can show nuclear atypia, increased mitotic figures and broad fibrous bands. Since DNA aneuploidy is present in a great number of human neoplasms and DNA aneuploidy has been suggest to be a marker of malignancy, flow cytometric assessment of ploidy appeared a possible method for rapid and objective distinction between benign and malignant lesions. Flow cytometric DNA content was evaluated on 113 parathyroid glands: the parathyroids were resected from 26 patients with hyperparathyroidism and from 17 patients with adenoma. The analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded specimens according to Hedley with minor modifications. Interpretable histograms were obtained for 103 parathyroids gland (mean CV = 5.3). Aneuploidy was detected in 22.5% of glands; in 12 instances of parathyroid hyperplasia the glands of the same patient showed different DNA Indexes. Cytometric results and morphological features do not correlate as far as aneuploidy and cellular atypia are involved. Although our results fail to show any correlation between morphology of parathyroid cells and DNA content, and abnormal DNA content suggests a careful follow up of these patients.

To differentiate histologically partial hydatidiform moles (PM) and complete hydatidiform moles (CM) may be difficult. Cytogenetic studies have shown that PMs often had a triploid karyotype while CMs were always diploid. We assessed the DNA content of 31 paraffin-embedded cases of trophoblastic disease with flow cytometry. Twenty-four cases were histologically diagnosed as PM, 3 cases as CM; the others as hydropic abortion (2 cases), choriocarcinoma (1 case), and persistent trophoblastic disease (1 case). Four normal term placentas were used as diploidy controls. In 9 cases the results of the cytogenetic analysis were available. All placental specimens included also maternal tissue as an internal control. Eight of the 24 histologically diagnosed PMs were triploid; there was agreement in 8 cases out of 9 (90%) between the flow cytometric analysis and the karyotypic determination of ploidy. All normal controls as well as the hydropic abortion, the CM and the persistent trophoblastic disease were diploid. Abnormal content of DNA (DI = 1.3) was observed in the choriocarcinoma. Our results show that flow cytometric analysis of DNA content is a reliable and fast method of diagnosing PM on paraffin-embedded material.

The first case ever described of symptomatic gastric polypoid metastases in a 62-year-old patient, who had undergone right hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 2 years before, is reported. The patient presented recurrences of gastrointestinal bleeding. Barium meal and endoscopy showed multiple gastric polyps extending from the cardia to the pylorus. Histological examination of biopsies of these polyps resulted consistent with metastases of HCC. A total gastrectomy was performed for palliation of symptoms. Histo-pathological examination confirmed the presence of metastatic HCC: neoplastic nests implanted in the submucosa and extending towards the mucosa. The above observation supports that the possible route of spread in our patient could be hematogenous from reversed portal blood flow. The patient died 20 months after surgery, with liver recurrence of the tumor.

In this paper a technique for 3D surface reconstruction from stereo segments by using a constrained 2D Delaunay triangulation in the image plane is described. The proposed approach provides an appropriate tessellation of stereo data, being consistent with the visibility constraints of the imaging system. It results in a scene surface representation suitable for various applications of computer vision, as 3D object recognition and obstacle detection. Results and comparisons between our approach and Delaunay tetrahedralization are illustrated on real data together with some considerations about computational complexity and running time efficiency.

Radioactive antibodies that react with tumour-associated antigens to "tag" antigen-positive tumour cell deposits were given to 20 patients with primary or recurrent colorectal cancer. The tumour associated antigen TAG 72-specific monoclonal antibody B72.3 labelled with 125-Iodine was used, and the radioactivity in the tumour was sought during operation with a hand-held gamma detecting probe. Tumour was detected by the probe in 7 of 15 patients with primary cancer, with a mean tumour: normal tissue ratio of 3.9, and in 4 of 5 patients with recurrent disease, with a mean tumour: normal tissue ratio of 2.0. Immunohistochemical analysis of surgical specimens confirmed the results of the intraoperative detection. The incidence of TAG 72-positive tumours (11/20, 55%), detected by immunohistochemistry, was lower than the 80% in the other series, possibly because of sampling errors or because the cases studied were uncomplicated with small primary tumours. Results obtained with the probe were instrumental in modifying the operation in two of the four "positive" patients with recurrences, allowing the removal of tumour masses that would otherwise have been overlooked.

The adjustments of the cardiovascular system to muscular exercise were studied in dogs running on a treadmill at different speeds and at the incline of +10%. The cardiac output, measured by the thermodilution method, increased with increasing O2 consumption, reaching 520 ml/kg min at an O2 consumption of 70 ml/kg min. At still higher metabolic levels the cardiac output remained constant and the O2 consumption increased by an increase of the arteriovenous O2 difference only, which was calculated to attain 17 vol % at the highest O2 consumption value reached in this study, 90 ml/kg min. The increase of the cardiac output was mainly due to increase of the heart rate, whereas the average maximum increment of the stroke volume was about 30% only. The mean arterial and the central venous blood pressures increased with exercise. The time course of the adjustment of the cardiac output was measured after the exercise of varied intensity had been abruptly begun or stopped. Both for start and recovery the “half reaction time” was about 20 sec; after 1 min no further measurable change of the cardiac output was detectable. cardiac output and O2 consumption at increasing metabolic levels; heart rate and stroke volume in running dogs recovery following exercise Submitted on July 15, 1963

Area, perimeter, maximum diameter and form factors of nuclei of FNABs of thyroid nodules were measured with a MOP Videoplan. 23 cases were selected from patients with a scintigraphically cold single thyroid nodule. The mean values of area, perimeter and maximum diameter were significantly different (p less than 0.001) between the adenoma and carcinoma cases; no differences were found for the form factors. Although the analyses gave significant results, a certain amount of overlap of the benign and malignant populations was present; therefore the significance of the standard deviation, assumed to be an index of variability of the nuclear area, was evaluated and this parameter was found to discriminate the two populations. The standard deviation of the nuclear area measured in 14 cases diagnosed as suspicious gave 77% accuracy in discriminating benign from malignant cases.

Contour segmentation problem is investigated in the context of an object recognition system dealing with overlapping parts. A knowledge based approach is adopted, in order to get stable results. Contours are described by curvature function. Angles are detected in a preliminary phase. Dynamic programming allows a fast approximation with straight lines and circle arcs. A simple rule based system is developed in order to choose the best approximation. Some results are discussed.

For an analysis of the energy expenditure as related to the work performance in exercising dogs, the O2 consumption and the lactic acid production were determined at rest and during running on a treadmill at varying speeds (from 4 to 16 km/hr) and inclines (from 0 to +20%). The incline being constant, the O2 consumption was found to increase linearly with the speed. Although the maximum O2 intake probably could not be reached, the highest value measured, 100 ml O2/kg min, was about twice the average maximum O2 intake value for untrained men. The lactic acid production became detectable as the metabolic rate reached about 280 cal/kg min and increased at higher metabolic levels. The contribution of the anaerobic metabolism to the increase of the total metabolic rate due to exercise attained about 5% at the highest metabolic rate that could be measured, 580 cal/kg min The energy cost of running per kilogram body weight was found to be the same as in man for running on the level, 1.0 kcal/kg min; it increased more than in man in uphill running. The efficiency of running, as for man, was found to be independent of the speed. O2 consumption during running; lactic acid production during running; pyruvic acid production during running; energy cost and mechanical efficiency Submitted on July 15, 1963