Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans provide poor predictive data as to subsequent pathologic tumor and node stage. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging does produce reliable prediction of clear circumferential resection margins and provides valuable information in assessing whether patients can proceed to surgery without the need for preoperative radiotherapy.

Despite most patients being treated with pre-operative radiotherapy, we have had significant success in obtaining primary healing of the perineal defect after APR.

O-acetylated and non-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins can be distinguished by the mPAS (mild periodic acid-Schiff) histochemical technique. Individual adults show one of three different patterns of staining of large intestinal mucosa: uniformly mPAS-positive, uniformly mPAS-negative, or mPAS-negative with scattered mPAS-positive crypts. To test our hypothesis that these variations are the result of a single autosomal gene (oat) polymorphism, we have studied the frequency of the three patterns of staining in a total of 435 adult colon specimens from six geographically separate populations: British, South African blacks, Icelanders, Japanese, Hong Kong Chinese, and Bahrainis. The distribution of the three types of staining fell into two groups. In Japanese and Chinese, uniformly mPAS-positive cases were much more frequent than uniformly mPAS-negative cases; this distribution differed significantly (chi 2, P < 0.001) from that in non-Sino-Japanese, where the uniformly mPAS-positive phenotype was much less frequently found than the uniformly mPAS-negative phenotype. In neither of the groups did the frequency of the three phenotypes differ significantly from that predicted for a single gene polymorphism by the Hardy-Weinberg law. The variation in staining patterns between populations is consistent with variation in frequency of a single polymorphic autosomal gene (oat) controlling O-acetylation of sialic acid, probably by an O-acetyl transferase enzyme. Loss of function mutation in the high acetylator gene (oata) in a colonic crypt stem cell in heterozygous individuals would account for the scattered discordant crypts. Gene frequencies for a variety of enzymes differ between the Sino-Japanese and non-Sino-Japanese races.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

X. 4 sion showed a large tension cyst in the right chest, displacement of the heart to the left, and anterior herniation of the mediastinum. The infant was taken to the operating " theatre and a needle was inserted into the right chest cavity with the release of some air, but little clinical improvement occurred. A thoracotomy was hurriedly performed. A large thin walled cyst in the upper lobe and two large cysts in the lower lobe of the right lung were resected. The child made an uneventful recovery and subsequently had surgery to correct X ' ',

The relationship between immunohistochemically demonstrable hepatic metallothionein (MT) and age was studied in histologically normal livers from 12 fetuses (13-28 weeks' gestation) and 19 children (birth-4 years). In addition, the relationships between copper (rubeanic acid-positive), copper-associated protein (orcein-positive), lipofuscin (periodic acid Schiff after diastase digestion and Schmorls-positive), and MT (immunostaining) were studied. The fetal livers showed periportal and patchy mid-zone copper-associated protein and lipofuscin granules, together with strong diffuse cytoplasmic and nuclear MT immunostaining. On the other hand, the livers of the children over 6 months of age showed no copper-associated protein or lipofuscin granules, and minimal or no cytoplasmic MT immunostaining (one case showed nuclear MT immunostaining). The DPAS and Schmorls-positive lipofuscin granules appeared to be identical to the orcein-positive copper-associated protein granules which were consistently negative on MT immunostaining. The demonstration of cytoplasmic granular orcein positivity or diffuse non-granular MT immunostaining in liver above the age of 6 months would appear to be of pathological significance.