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Measurements of elevation and azimuth angles, taken every six seconds by an AN/GMD-1 rawin set, are used to compute the detailed wind structure in an intense frontal zone. It is found that the vertical wind shear is discontinuous at the frontal boundaries as anticipated from the thermal wind equation.

All available meteorological rocket soundings through the summer of 1966 are harmonically analyzed to obtain the amplitude and phase of the semidiurnal variation of the meridional wind component in summer for stations located near 30° and 37°N and of the zonal wind component in summer for the stations near 30°N. The results support the earlier finding that a phase reversal occurs at a height of 45–50 km rather than at the theoretically predicted height of 25–30 km. It is suggested that the difference between observation and theory may be attributed to the neglect of the basic wind structure in the theoretical calculation.

Three phases of lichenoid reactions are defined: 1) the primary phase, 2) the established phase; and 3) the senescent phase. Lichen striatus is characterized by a primary pattern that may be apparent in the epidermis, the hair follicles, and rarely the sweat glands and ducts. Focal areas of established lichenoid reaction, that are indistinguishable from lichen planus, are common. They usually are confined to the tips of elongated rete ridges. Established lichenoid patterns are occasionally present in hair follicles and are indistinguishable from those seen in lichen planopilaris. Eccrine hidradenitis, a feature of lichen striatus, is rarely seen in lichen planus. Lichen planus may be an adaptive epidermal response to a clone of aggressive lymphocytes and, as such, may be a manifestation of auto-immunity. In lichen striatus, senescent lichenoid patterns resemble those seen in lichen nitidus.

Culture and sensitivity testing of specimens obtained by percutaneous and intraoperative needle aspiration of the epididymis have been of clinical importance in choosing proper antimicrobial therapy in selected patients with acute non-venereal epididymitis. We have found aspiration cultures to be valuable in patients 1) with indwelling urethral catheters, 2) who fail to respond to initial antimicrobial therapy, 3) who have epididymitis found on surgical exploration for torsion of the testicle and 4) with recurrent epididymitis in whomthe etiologic agent is uncertain.

The classification of human, cutaneous melanoma is complex [1] and evolving. It gives recognition to clinical and histologic variables but, for each subtype, the variables are not equally emphasized [2]. The nomenclature, which is based primarily upon clinical features, has acquired relative, histologic specificity.

Tumors containing smooth muscle are rare in the breast. A myoepithelial origin for the myoid component of such lesions was postulated in previous reports. Myoepithelial hyperplasia has long been recognized as a common component of some breast lesions, including sclerosing adenosis, papillomas, and fibroadenomas. Three breast tumors composed of variable admixtures of adipose tissue, fibrous tissue, and smooth muscle are described. The authors postulate that the myoid component of two of the three lesions may have arisen in a milieu of myoepithelial hyperplasia. The origin of the myoid component in the third case is not clearly defined.

From a histologic review of cases coded as Hodgkin’s disease and reticulum cell sarcoma, 12 cases were selected as examples of stem cell lymphoma in which the preponderant cell has characteristics of the B immunoblast. Clinically, these lesions affect the elderly (average age 57.3 years), disseminate early, and, with a few exceptions, progress rapidly to a fatal termination. Morphologically, the neoplastic stem cells, which have pyroninophilic cytoplasm, form diffuse infiltrates with an admixture of acidophilic cells. As a regional variation, the pattern in these lesions overlaps histologically with that seen in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. The overlap in patterns is presumptive evidence that the angioimmunoblastic pattern at times may be a precursory expression of the stem cell lymphoma. On the basis of morphologic features, these tumors are interpreted as a variant of B cell lymphomas.

Seventy cases of nerve-sheath myxoma, an uncommon cutaneous neoplasm, are reported. Lesions developed most frequently on the face and upper extremities, and affected women about twice as often as men. Their average size was one centimeter. Histologically, the lesions involved the reticular dermis; many extended into the superficial portions of the subcutis. They were composed of fascicles of cells with interconnected cytoplasmic processes. The neoplastic cells were associated with variable amounts of a matrix that was rich in acid mucopolysaccharides. Mitoses were common, but evidently had no prognostic significance. Only one of 70 lesions was recurrent and no metastases are known to have occurred from any. For eight cases, immunoperoxidase staining for S-100 protein was done and all were positive. One lesion showed ultrastructural features of nerve-sheath cells, specifically perineurial cells.

Summary Histological variance within premalignant melanocytic dysplasias and melanomas reflects the biological progression of neoplasia. In general, the more severe cytological atypia, the more advanced the stage of neoplasia, and the more likely true melanomatous transformation (vertical growth or level III invasion) will be present. Histological variance may be seen in disparity between the cytology of the premalignant precursor and the vertical growth component and in the expression of normally latent phenotypic options such as desmoplasia and neurotropism. The pattern of superficial spreading melanoma (severe atypism, large epithelioid cells in pagetoid growth) is universal and qualifies as the common final pathway. Breslow's criteria of measurement are useful in formulating therapy in melanomas showing the common final pathway but may not accurately relate to the biological potential of minimal deviation variants i.e. those with mild to moderate melanocytic atypia. Examples of such variants are lentigo maligna melanoma, melanomas arising in pigmented spindle cell nevus, Spitz nevus, cellular blue nevus, dermal nevus and melanomas histologically resembling halo nevus.

Thirty-eight cases of lentigo maligna and 22 cases of lentigo maligna melanoma, were reviewed in order to compare cure rates of various methods of treatment. Surgical excision resulted in the best cure rate (91%); destructive modalities were less successful (45%). All lesions treated with 5% 5-fluorouracil recurred.

The relationship of clear air turbulence to mesoscale features of the temperature, wind, and ozone concentration fields and to the Richardson number is examined for a case of widespread, persistent CAT observed by a specially instrumented aircraft of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories. The CAT occurred mainly in a sloping layer of about 2 km depth located just above the jet stream core and encompassed a thin inversion layer and a deeper near-adiabatic layer above. The Richardson number was 0.25 or less throughout most of the turbulent region, and the more intense CAT tended to be located near the upper boundary of the inversion, extending into both the inversion layer below and the near-adiabatic layer above.

Seven balloons were launched successfully from Ascension Island in January 1969. The balloons, flown at altitudes of 20 and 24 kilometers, will make possible a detailed analysis of the stratospheric circulation near the equator and will hopefully lead to an understanding of the quasi-biennial stratospheric oscillation in the tropics.

A discussion of diseases affecting the elastic tissue of the dermis is presented with emphasis on the histogenesis. The growth, structure, and antigenicity of the membrane type of elastic fibers are related to a variety of clinical syndromes. The affinity of elastic fibers for specific ions in certain disorders in which there is a local increase in ion concentration is discussed. The calcification of elastic fibers in pseudoxanthoma elasticum is related to the attraction between specific ions and elastic fibers. Histochemical evidence that the defect in pseudoxanthoma elasticum may reside primarily in the elastic fiber is briefly discussed.

The Dermojet has recently become popular as a new tool in dermatology. The injection of local anesthetic agents or of steroid preparations into the skin by pressure is a convenience for the physician and protects the patient from the psychological and physical trauma of a needle.

The clinical and histologic features of 60 congenital compound and dermalnevi were reviewed and compared to those of 60 acquired compound and dermal nevi. Clinically the two groups could be distinguished by size, most congenital nevi being larger than 1.5 cm. and most acquired nevi smaller than 1.5 cm. in diameter. In addition, congenital nevi commonly are different in coloration and surface topography from acquired nevi. Histologically the congenital nevi had three diagnostic features that separated them from acquired nevi: (1) Nevus cells were present in the lower two thirds of the reticular layer of the dermis in 59 of the 60 cases and in the subcutis as well in 35 cases. (2) Nevus cells were disposed between collagen bundles singly or in Indian files, or both, in all cases. (3) Nevus cells commonly involved appendages, nerves, and vessels in the lower two thirds of the reticular dermis or subcutis and occasionally involved more than one of these structures in the same nevus. Of the 60 compound and dermal nevi present at birth, six were garment (giant hairy) nevi, and their histologic characteristics were similar to those of the other congenital compound and dermal nevi. In light of the increased incidence of malignant melanoma in garment nevi, the distinctive nature of congenital nevi should be borne in mind in order to determine whether other congenital nevi of a smaller size may share in the propensity for malignant degeneration. Although it was not a formal part of the series of cases analyzed in this report, we have observed one case of malignant melanoma that arose in a relatively small congenital nevus.

The pigmented epidermal cyst (black keratinous cyst) is peculiar to the Negro race. Ninety-seven % of our cases occurred in Negroes. Thirty-seven % of the epidermal cysts in Negroes were heavily pigmented. A relationship between the black keratinous cyst and hemochromatosis has been proposed. A change in the degree of pigmentation is more significant than the histologic demonstration of melanin pigment.

In our discussion of diseases affecting collagenous tissue of the reticular dermis, emphasis is placed on histogenesis rather than on clinical patterns. Histogenetic pathways that are shared by apparently unrelated clinical syndromes are stressed. Reaction patterns in the dermis are compared with similar patterns in dense collagenous tissue in other sites.

Four patients with congenital ichthyosiform hyperkeratosis are presented. One patient had generalized hyperkeratotic lesions associated with bullous episodes. Two patients had systematized hyperkeratotic lesions without bullous episodes. The fourth patient had a localized hyperkeratotic lesion without bullous episodes. Biopsies from lesions on each of the four patients showed similar edematous and dyskeratotic changes in the epidermis of the type described for bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma. Because of the striking histologic similarities of lesions in these four patients, it is concluded that localized variants of bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma occur and present themselves clinically as epithelial nevi.

The mucinoses are discussed with emphasis on the basic similarity of histologic patterns in a variety of apparently unrelated clinical syndromes.

Klein et al. have demonstrated that basal cell carcinoma responds favorably to topical applications of 5-fluorouracil in an aquaphor creme base. In the present study 53 patients with advanced cutaneous basal cell and epidermoid carcinoma were treated with 5, 10, or 20 percent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in an aquaphor creme base to determine whether this mode of therapy might be superior to surgical excision or irradiation therapy. Patients included in the study fulfilled at least one of the following criteria on which the diagnosis of advanced cutaneous malignancy was made: (1) Primary epidermoid or basal cell carcinoma of the skin—(a) 2.0 cm in diameter or larger, or (b) involving deeper structures such as cartilage on the ear or bone on the top of the head, or (c) occurring in an area that would require a major surgical procedure to cure, or (d) requiring extensive irradiation therapy to cure. (2) Recurrent lesion at a site where a previous malignant lesion had been adequately treated. (3) Repeated solitary lesions occurring at different anatomic sites. (4) Multiple lesions, at least one of which was malignant, occurring simultaneously over a wide cutaneous area. The appropriate concentration of 5-FU creme was applied once daily for a minimum of 6 weeks and an average period of 9 weeks. One patient with a Marjolin's ulcer was treated in the hospital, and the remainder were treated on an outpatient basis. Pathologic diagnosis were as follows: basal cell, 35; epidermoid, 9; carcinoma in situ, 4; basal cell and epidermoid in the same patient, 3; and basosquamous, 2. In 50 patients progressive inflammation, gradual regression, disappearance, and healing were noted. Only malignant and premalignant tissue and its stroma appeared to be affected, while normal skin was affected only slightly or not at all. Healing occurred primarily with minimal or no scar formation. No local or invasive sepsis occurred. In three patients an apparently adequate inflammatory response was achieved, but the primary disease process was not eradicated; two of these patients had epidermoid carcinoma and one had basal cell carcinoma. Except for one patient who has been followed for 2 months since completing chemotherapy, the post-treatment follow-up period has ranged from 4 months to 2 years. The average follow-up period is 9 mouths. These preliminary results seem to indicate that daily topical application of an appropriate concentration of 5-fluorouracil in an aquaphor creme base for at least 6 weeks to advanced cutaneous basal cell or epiderrnoid Carcinoma is the treatment of choice when the diseaseis diffuse, there are no obvious metastases, and the procedure necessary to totally remove the involved area would be unusually mutilating.

We have discussed under four descriptive terms the cutaneous lesions characterized by a dense lymphocytic infiltration of the skin: lymphocytic infiltration about the superficial vascular plexus with epidermal involvement, dense lymphocytic infiltration about vessels and appendages of the reticular dermis, lymphocytic infiltration of the reticular dermis with collagenous mucinosis, and lymphocytic infiltration of the reticular dermis with follicle formation and eosinophilia. We have correlated these histological patterns with four reasonably distinctive clinical patterns. The histological differential diagnosis of each of the types of lymphocytic infiltration is described. It is emphasized that many of the processes discussed here produce cytologically atypical infiltrates associated with clinically benign processes. Therefore, as a general rule, the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma or leukemia should not be made on the basis of a skin biopsy alone.

The recent discovery of a large quasi-periodic oscillation of the zonal wind component in the equatorial stratosphere, with an average period close to 26 months, has aroused new interest in this area and has created a need for climatological information which recognizes the existence of both annual and longer-period variations of wind and temperature. Data (1951-1961) from selected tropical stations are used to characterize the annual and 26 month variations in the zone between 25 N. and 25 S. and in the layer between 100 mb. and 10 mb. Information is also presented on the longterm (10 year) mean zonal wind and the temperature fields and on the short-period (intramonthly) variability of the zonal and meridional wind components.

Summary Background The role of apoptosis (programmed cell death) in the development and progression of breast cancer is unknown. Recently the bcl-2 gene has been shown to block apoptosis and thus may promote tumour development. BCL-2 is localised to the luminal cells of the normal breast, which are considered to be the origin of malignant breast disease. Patients and methods Immunocytochemistry using anti bcl-2-antibody was performed on 107 breast cancer specimens belonging to node-positive patients from the Ludwig Breast Cancer Studies I-IV and the results were correlated with survival, tumour grade, S-phase, oestrogen and progesterone receptor status and c-erb B-2 expression. Western and Southern blotting together with immunofluorescence were performed on the breast cancer cell lines BT-20, BT-474, MDA-MB-361, T47-D and MCF-7. Results In the breast cancer derived cell line MCF-7 BCL-2 is expressed to a level similar to that of the B-lym-phoma cell line Karpas 231 with t(14;18)(q32.3; q21.3), but no evidence of a rearrangement or gene amplification was identified. In a study of 107 breast cancers from the International Breast Cancer Study Group Trials I-IV we have demonstrated a very significant inverse correlation of BCL-2 with c-erbB-2 expression (p = 0.002), and a positive correlation with oestrogen receptors (p = 0.001) and progesterone receptors (p − 0.05). In this study there was no correlation of expression with S-phase fraction in the tumours or with any stage in the cell cycle as assessed in MCF-7 cells. Conclusion We conclude that BCL-2 might contribute to the malignant phenotype of breast cancer by modulation of biological behaviour of cancer cells.

Ramage (1982) has presented evidence, based on extensive verification data for precipitation forecasts, that the percent of correct forecasts decreases approximately linearly with increasing precipitation frequency. However, only a limited range of precipitation frequency was examined in his study. Here the theoretical reltionship between these quantities is derived for the full range of precipitation frequency with use of a model that assumes the forecasts to be unbiased and the Heidke Skill Score to be independent of precipitation frequency. It is shown that for this simple model the relationship is quadratic, the percent correct dropping from 100% for a relative precipitation frequency of zero to a minimum value for a relative frequency of 0.5 and rising again to 100% for a relative frequency of 1.0. The data presented by Ramage appear to fit the quadratic relationship well, within the limited range shown in Fig. 4 of his article.

• Acral lentiginous melanoma represents a fourth variant of malignant melanoma in company with lentigo maligna melanoma, superficial spreading melanoma, and nodular melanoma. It is characterized by a lentiginous (radial) growth phase that evolves over months or years to a dermal (vertical) invasive stage. Clinical and pathologic features were reviewed in 35 cases of acral lentiginous melanoma of the palms and soles. This variant of melanoma probably represents the most common expression of melanoma in blacks; two thirds of the patients in our study were black. The average three-year survival rate was 11%. (Arch Dermatol116:773-776, 1980)

Periumbilical pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) with transepidermal elimination of altered elastica presented a distinctive clinical pattern in six middleaged, multiparous women. Other sites usually affected in PXE were spared. The possible genetic predisposition to PXE of these patients found its expression in the periumbilical skin, a site exposed to the trauma of multiple pregnancies. The extruded elastica had tinctorial properties that were characteristic of PXE. The clinical picture in our cases differs from classic PXE. A peculiar acquired cutaneous PXE is not excluded. ( Arch Dermatol 115:300-303, 1979)