A. Voutilainen

Histologic classification of Hodgkin's disease

Ninety‐seven cases of Hodgkins disease with 5 to 15 year follow‐up were classified according to the recommendation of the Symposium on the Obstacles to the Control of Hodgkins Disease, presented in New York in 1965, into four histologic groups: lymphocytic predominance, nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity and lymphocytic depletion. A definite correlation was found between survival and the different groups, the first two groups having a markedly better prognosis than the last two. The nodular sclerosis type differed in many respects from the other types. In this group were more young patients and more females than in the other groups. Also, mediastinal and osseous involvement was more common. These facts argue for the assumption that the nodular sclerosis type is not merely evidence of the good reaction of the organism but that this type is a distinct form of Hodgkins Disease from the onset, a clinicopathologic entity.

EFFECTS OF WHOLE-BODY ROENTGEN IRRADIATION ON THE NEUROSECRETORY MATERIAL OF THE RAT NEUROHYPOPHYSIS

As first suggested by SCHARRER (1928), it is now generally held that the nucleus supraopticus and nucleus paraventricularis of the hypothalamus possess secretory activity. The secretion from the secretory neurones migrates along the neural tracts into the neurohypophysis; it tends to gather around the capillaries and may possibly be released into the circulation. The neurosecretory phenomena are mainly revealed by morphologic examination of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal system. BARGMANN (1949) was the first to show that the ‘secretion’ could be stained selectively by the GOMORI (1941) chrome-haematoxylin method, and that it appeared as a granular material. Certain other staining techniques, e.g. with aldehyde-fuchsin (2) and Alcian-blue (14) have proved more recently also to be selective. The physiologic significance of neurosecretion in vertebrates is less well understood. With some experimental procedures changes in the amount of secretory material have, however, been produced and the concept of the function of the secretion is based on these findings. Under conditions of chronic water deprivation, loss of the neurosecretory material from the hypophysis is produced (9) and the material returns when the animals are again given water (13). The substance is also quantitatively decreased in rats with alloxan diabetes (7). ROTHBALLER (1953) demonstrated that a painful stimulus caused loss of neurosecretory material in the hypophysis in the rat. Experimental investigations suggest that the neurosecretory material contains an antidiuretic agent or its ‘carrier’ substance. Wherever the material This investigation was aided by a grant from the State Committee for Natural Science. Submitted for publication 26 April 1960.