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NATURE OF NUCLEAR PROJECTIONS IN ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE BREAST
599 presence of polysaccharide antigen in the serum of patients with group-C meningococcal infections was a very poor prognostic sign.5 We have likewise found that patients with group-A meningococcal meningitis who have antigen in the serum have a high incidence of complications, especially allergic vasculitis and arthritis.l Similarly, the prognosis of patients with pneumococcal pneumonia who have a high concentration of circulating antigen is worse than that of patients without antigenaemia.4,G We have also found that the rate of disappearance of antigen from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with pyogenic meningitis is a valuable guide to the progress of treatment. Microbial-antigen detection has so far been used as a diagnostic technique in only a limited number of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. This approach to the diagnosis of acute infections could perhaps be applied more widely. B. M. GREENWOOD P. TUGWELL H. C. WHITTLE.
Department of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, Nigeria.
STORAGE AND TRANSPORT OF SERUM FOR PROLACTIN RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
SIR,-The stability of serum-prolactin under different conditions of storage has not been documented. With increasing use of supraregional hormone-assay services the question of transport of samples arises and clearly the simplest way is to send the serum just as it is by ordinary post. To do this, however, one would need to know the TABLE I-SERUM-PROLACTIN LEVELS (jjLg. per litre) AFTER FOUR STORAGE AT -20°C, 4°C, ROOM, AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES
WEEKS’
second experiment the serum was initially stored at -20 °C, but aliquots were exposed to room and outside temperatures for ten, seven, and three days before a prolactin assay. The results are shown in tablesI and II. Prolactin was
assayed by double-antibody radioimmunoassay, using antiserum 65/5, kindly supplied by Prof. H. Friesen. Human prolactin for labelling was supplied by the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. There is undoubtedly a fall in serum-prolactin levels with prolonged storage at 4°C, room, and outside temperatures but the prolactin levels in normal subjects were still within the limits of assay sensitivity even after prolonged storage at temperatures other than -20°C. With short term (up to seven days) storage at room and outside temperatures there is no significant change, and ordinary postage is probably adequate. Endocrine Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 OHS.
S. NADER.
DIAGNOSIS OF INSULINOMAS BY SUPPRESSION TESTS
SIR,-The interesting article by Dr Turner and Mr (July 27, p. 188) has a great deal of clinical relevance diagnosis of fasting hypoglycaemia. However, the availability of an alternative marker of (3-cell secretion,
Harris in the
C-peptide immunoreactivity, will no doubt permit similar suppression studies to be performed without the need for the use of fish insulin, which is not readily available. The production of hypoglycxmia by regular insulin can now be followed by measurements of C-peptide immunoreactivity to ascertain whether (3-cell suppression occurs to the produced low blood-sugar levels. Studies such as those described by Dr Turner and Mr Harris are now under way and have been reported in abstract form at the American Diabetes Association meetings in Atlanta, Georgia, by Dr David Horowitz and his associates. 3411 North 5th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, U.S.A.
TABLE II-SERUM-PROLACTIN LEVELS (g. per litre) AFTER STORAGE FOR TEN, SEVEN, AND THREE DAYS AT -20oC, ROOM, AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES
R.T. *
=
room
temperature.
O.T. =
outside temperature.
Unsatisfactory duplicates.
stability of the hormone at room and outside temperatures for varying periods of time. The stability of prolactin under such circumstances was looked at in two series of experiments. In one experiment room
after 5. 6.
NATURE OF NUCLEAR PROJECTIONS IN ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE BREAST SIR,-We were interested in the report by Professor Hsu and his colleagues (Aug. 17, p. 413) of nuclear projections associated with a long abnormal chromosome, and in fact we described this phenomenon in a carcinoma of the ovary in 1964.1 We have repeatedly observed nuclear projections in suitable preparations from malignant tumours of the ovary, breast, cervix uteri, gastrointestinal tract, bladder, &c., where there is a large marker chromosome whose long arm is at least as long as the whole of the no. 1 chromosomes. Protruding chromosome arms may be readily seen in metaphases, anaphases, and telophases in histological sections of these tumours2; the interphase nuclear projections are clearly seen only in preparations in which the cells are well-flattened, as in those made for chromosome studies and, less consistently, in smears for
diagnostic cytology. 3.4 We estimate that about 10-20% of malignant tumours have at least one long abnormal chromosome capable of producing nuclear projections in interphase and protruding arms in mitosis. Department of Cancer Research, Mount Vernon
serum was
stored
at
temperature, and outside temperature immediately and assayed four weeks later. In the
Edwards, E. A. J. Immun. 1971, 106, 314. Coonrod, J. D., Rytel, M. W. J. Lab. clin. Med. 1973, 81, 778..
Hospital,
Northwood,
-20 °C, 4°C,
separation
MARSHALL B. BLOCK.
Middlesex HA6 2RN. 1. 2. 3. 4.
N. B. ATKIN M. C. BAKER.
Atkin, N. B., Baker, M. C. Acta cytol. 1964, 8, 431. Brandão, H. J. S., Atkin, N. B. Br. J. Cancer, 1968, 22, 184. Uyeda, C. K., Davis, H. J., Jones, H. W. Jr. Acta cytol. 1966, 10, 331. Atkin, N. B. ibid. 1969, 13, 569.
Department of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, Nigeria.
STORAGE AND TRANSPORT OF SERUM FOR PROLACTIN RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
SIR,-The stability of serum-prolactin under different conditions of storage has not been documented. With increasing use of supraregional hormone-assay services the question of transport of samples arises and clearly the simplest way is to send the serum just as it is by ordinary post. To do this, however, one would need to know the TABLE I-SERUM-PROLACTIN LEVELS (jjLg. per litre) AFTER FOUR STORAGE AT -20°C, 4°C, ROOM, AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES
WEEKS’
second experiment the serum was initially stored at -20 °C, but aliquots were exposed to room and outside temperatures for ten, seven, and three days before a prolactin assay. The results are shown in tablesI and II. Prolactin was
assayed by double-antibody radioimmunoassay, using antiserum 65/5, kindly supplied by Prof. H. Friesen. Human prolactin for labelling was supplied by the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. There is undoubtedly a fall in serum-prolactin levels with prolonged storage at 4°C, room, and outside temperatures but the prolactin levels in normal subjects were still within the limits of assay sensitivity even after prolonged storage at temperatures other than -20°C. With short term (up to seven days) storage at room and outside temperatures there is no significant change, and ordinary postage is probably adequate. Endocrine Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 OHS.
S. NADER.
DIAGNOSIS OF INSULINOMAS BY SUPPRESSION TESTS
SIR,-The interesting article by Dr Turner and Mr (July 27, p. 188) has a great deal of clinical relevance diagnosis of fasting hypoglycaemia. However, the availability of an alternative marker of (3-cell secretion,
Harris in the
C-peptide immunoreactivity, will no doubt permit similar suppression studies to be performed without the need for the use of fish insulin, which is not readily available. The production of hypoglycxmia by regular insulin can now be followed by measurements of C-peptide immunoreactivity to ascertain whether (3-cell suppression occurs to the produced low blood-sugar levels. Studies such as those described by Dr Turner and Mr Harris are now under way and have been reported in abstract form at the American Diabetes Association meetings in Atlanta, Georgia, by Dr David Horowitz and his associates. 3411 North 5th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, U.S.A.
TABLE II-SERUM-PROLACTIN LEVELS (g. per litre) AFTER STORAGE FOR TEN, SEVEN, AND THREE DAYS AT -20oC, ROOM, AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES
R.T. *
=
room
temperature.
O.T. =
outside temperature.
Unsatisfactory duplicates.
stability of the hormone at room and outside temperatures for varying periods of time. The stability of prolactin under such circumstances was looked at in two series of experiments. In one experiment room
after 5. 6.
NATURE OF NUCLEAR PROJECTIONS IN ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE BREAST SIR,-We were interested in the report by Professor Hsu and his colleagues (Aug. 17, p. 413) of nuclear projections associated with a long abnormal chromosome, and in fact we described this phenomenon in a carcinoma of the ovary in 1964.1 We have repeatedly observed nuclear projections in suitable preparations from malignant tumours of the ovary, breast, cervix uteri, gastrointestinal tract, bladder, &c., where there is a large marker chromosome whose long arm is at least as long as the whole of the no. 1 chromosomes. Protruding chromosome arms may be readily seen in metaphases, anaphases, and telophases in histological sections of these tumours2; the interphase nuclear projections are clearly seen only in preparations in which the cells are well-flattened, as in those made for chromosome studies and, less consistently, in smears for
diagnostic cytology. 3.4 We estimate that about 10-20% of malignant tumours have at least one long abnormal chromosome capable of producing nuclear projections in interphase and protruding arms in mitosis. Department of Cancer Research, Mount Vernon
serum was
stored
at
temperature, and outside temperature immediately and assayed four weeks later. In the
Edwards, E. A. J. Immun. 1971, 106, 314. Coonrod, J. D., Rytel, M. W. J. Lab. clin. Med. 1973, 81, 778..
Hospital,
Northwood,
-20 °C, 4°C,
separation
MARSHALL B. BLOCK.
Middlesex HA6 2RN. 1. 2. 3. 4.
N. B. ATKIN M. C. BAKER.
Atkin, N. B., Baker, M. C. Acta cytol. 1964, 8, 431. Brandão, H. J. S., Atkin, N. B. Br. J. Cancer, 1968, 22, 184. Uyeda, C. K., Davis, H. J., Jones, H. W. Jr. Acta cytol. 1966, 10, 331. Atkin, N. B. ibid. 1969, 13, 569.