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Male rats varying in age from 10 to 110 days were examined for testosterone concentration of serum and testicular tissue and 125I-HCG-binding capacity of testicular tissue. In addition, the Leydig cell number of testes was determined using two different staining methods.It could be demonstrated that specific 125I-HCG-binding capacity of rat testis increased with age up to 60 days of life. This rise was accompanied by an increase in serum and testicular testosterone concentrations and can be explained by a concomitant increase in Leydig cell number up to this age. The calculated specific 125-HCG-binding capacity per Leydig cell does not change from day 30 to 110 of life. This finding is in contrast to the 125I-HCG-binding capacity per Leydig cell at day 10 and 20, the former being 5\p=n-\6times higher than in the age groups of 30 to 110 days. The observation of high 125I-HCG-binding capacity per Leydig cell at day 10 and 20 is discussed in the light of simultaneous elevated serum and testicular testosterone concentrations.

The tumour-associated antigen was determined in the plasma of patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix by radioimmunoassay. Setting a limit of 2 ng/ml, levels were abnormal in 13.4% of healthy controls, in 14% of patients with carcinoma in situ and in 62% of patients with invasive cervical SCC. The incidence of elevated SCC antigen levels and the absolute antigen plasma concentration were dependent upon the tumour load, increasing significantly with advanced stage disease. Abnormal SCC antigen values in operable cervical cancer declined to normal within one week after radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy. In cases of radiotherapy antigen values took 4-6 weeks after the start of treatment to return to normal. The success of both treatment modalities was announced by an early rise in the SCC antigen in the initial phase of therapy, followed by normalisation. After successful primary treatment and a complete remission during further follow-up SCC antigen in plasma was only increased in 3.8% of the cases. Retrospective evaluations in ten patients with progressive disease showed the reappearance of abnormal SCC titers and further increase preceeding the clinically detectable relapse or progression, with a median interval of 8 weeks. The present study indicates that SCC antigen determination is not useful for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer, but it is a potential means for monitoring the efficacy of individual anticancer therapy of SCC of the uterine cervix and for detecting recurrent disease.

Mastodynia has previously been treated with gestagens or gestagen-based ovulation inhibitors with only marginal success. No other satisfactory therapy was available and in the search for a better treatment, the effectiveness of long term administration of the prolactin inhibitor bromocryptine (CB 154) to 15 patients was evaluated. Five of the subjects exhibited mammary secretion as well as mastodynia which, accorind to palpatorial, cytological and X-ray criteria, was not caused by intraductal pathology. After two to four weeks treatment with 5 mg CB 154 per day ten patients recovered fully, three showed some improvement and two were totally resistant to the treatment. Plasma prolactin levels during the follicular stage measured prior to treatment were in the normal range. All the patients continued to ovulate during the course of treatment despite the irrefutable fact that prolactin release from the pituitary was inhibited. Since there was a similar inhibition of prolactin secretion in the two patients who were resistant to treatment, it would seem that prolactin though probably very important, cannot be the only decisive factor in the hormonal control of mystodynia. Further observations showed that the premenstrual syndrome can also be successfully treated with CB 154. Upon withdrawal of treatment the possibility or relapse must be considered.