A Pilot Feasibility Study of a Rare Skin Tumor Database

BACKGROUND: In the United States melanoma is the only individually reported skin cancer. There are no large state or national registries for nonmelanoma skin cancer. Nevertheless, rare, that is, nonmelanoma, nonepithelial, tumors can also be locally aggressive and metastasize. OBJECTIVES: This study's purpose was to demonstrate that Mohs surgeons can share data to create a rare skin tumor database. This database may serve as a model for a nationwide database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the surgery logs of five Mohs surgery practices in the Houston, Texas, area for rare-nonmelanoma, nonepithelial-skin cancers. A total of 42,279 biopsy-proven cancers of the skin treated with Mohs micrographic surgery were reviewed. Tumor data including type, prevalence, year of treatment, and the treating Mohs surgeon(s) were compiled and analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-three types of rare tumors were identified. A total of 317 rare tumors were treated. No practice saw more than 28 rare tumor types. Atypical fibroxanthoma was the rare tumor most often treated. CONCLUSIONS: Colleagues can cooperate to create a database of rare tumors removed by Mohs micrographic surgery. A range of tumors greater than that seen in any single practice is now available for study. This should provide the impetus for a nationwide rare skin tumor database.     

Auditory and visual semantic priming using different stimulus onset asynchronies: An event-related brain potential study

Semantic priming effects (behavioral and electrophysiological) were compared in the visual and auditory modalities across three stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs; 0, 200, and 800 ms). When both prime and target were presented in the visual modality (the prime just to the left of a fixation point and the target to the right) there were N400 priming effects present across the three SOAs. However, the N400 in the 0-ms SOA condition extended longer in time (800 vs. 500 ms) than in the other SOAs. When both the prime and target were presented in the auditory modality (the prime to the right ear and the target to the left), the largest priming effects were found for the 800-ms SOA. Moreover, there was a relatively early priming effect present in the 0- and 800-ms SOA conditions but not in the 200-ms condition. The results are discussed in terms of modality differences in the time course of word comprehension processes.     

The Effects of Perfluorodecanoic Acid on Hepatic Stearoyl-Coenzyme A 1 Desaturase and Mixed Function Oxidase Activities in Rats

The Effects of Perfluorodecanoic Acid on Hepatic Stearoyl-CoenzymeA Desaturase and Mixed Function Oxidase Activities in Rats.VANRAFELGHAM, M. J., AND ANDERSON, M. E. (1988). Fundam. Appl.Toxicol. 11, 503-510. Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) causes adioxin-lilce toxic syndrome and alters the hepatic oleate/stearateratio in rats. The acute toxic effects of a single ip dose (50mg/kg) of PFDA on hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase and mixedfunction oxidases were studied in male Fischer-344 rats, 14days after dosing. PFDA causes a marked decrease in food intakein rats, resulting in severe body weight loss with delayed lethality(2-3 weeks after dosing). To distinguish the effects of hypophagiafrom those caused by PFDA, pair-fed control rats were used inaddition to ad libitum-fed controls. Stearoyl-CoA desaturaseactivity, responsible for the conversion of stearoyl-CoA tooleoyl-CoA, was absent in both PFDA dosed rats and their pair-fedcontrols at Day 14. Electron transfer through the desaturasesystem was significantly reduced in PFDA-treated rats only,and in these rats there was a significant reduction in microsomalcytochrome an important component of this electron transfersystem. Pentobarbital sleeping times were significantly prolongedin both the PFDA-dosed and pairfed rats, as compared with thead libitumfed controls. This effect was more pronounced in PFDA-dosedrats. Waking plasma pentobarbital concentration was similarin all treatment groups. Hepatic microsomal cytochrome PASOcontent was unaffected. Aminopyrine N-de-methylase activitywas greatly reduced in PFDA-dosed rats. Although pairfed controlsalso had reduced demethylase activity, it was not as pronouncedas in PFDA-dosed rats, and was probably due to the fasted conditionof these animals. Although the mechanism of action of PFDA isnot known, it is possible that PFDA affects microsomal enzymesby altering the structure and/or function of the membranes inwhich they are located, through effects on lipid metabolism.