Serum LDH level is a prognostic factor in different malignancies as its increase reflects tumor mass and response to therapy. Serum LDH is the consequence of the disruption of the cell membrane of a large fraction of dividing malignant cells whose metabolic hallmark is anaerobic glycolysis that leads to increased LDH enzyme activity. Moreover, as we have previously shown that spontaneous LDH release from cells represents a measure of cell membrane damage, and this parameter is used for the estimation of cell destruction in cytotoxic assays, the aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of LDH activity of PBMC of patients with different solid tumors (non-Hodgkin's lymphomas--NHL, n=47; Hodgkin's disease--HD, n=45; ovarian cancer--OvCa, n=6; breast cancer--BrCa, n=34; thyroid cancer--TyCa, n=3; cancer of PVU--CaPVU, n=4 and head & neck--H&N, n=6) in all clinical stages of NHL and HD and in advanced clinical stages of disease for BrCa, OvCa, CaPVU and H&N. Spontaneous LDH release from PBMC was determined by the spectrophotometric method from supernatants of 8 x 10(6)/ml PBMC cultured for 2 h in RPMI 1640 without phenol red using and LDH substrate mixture. The total LDH activity was determined after lysis of PBMC by ultrasound. The obtained results indicate that PBMC in all the investigated malignancies, compared to control PBMC, demonstrate a significant increase (p<0.01) in spontaneous LDH release act, which correlates with advanced clinical stage in all malignancies except in Hodgkin's disease, in which the spontaneous LDH release was increased in all clinical stages. Contrary to this, the total LDH activity was not increased in PBMC in all investigated tumors. However, the "percent of spontaneous LDH release" was always increased, regardless of the total LDH activity, indicating that spontaneous LDH release is the consequence of PBMC membrane damage present in advanced stages of different solid tumors.

A surgical method of transmeatal direct myringoplasty (TDM) was performed in 30 patients. Out of those, 21 patients were previously treated for chronic otitis media, 4 patients were with dry perforations of neomembrane following myringoplasty, and 5 patients were with blasttraumatic ruptures of the eardrum. Fascia of the temporal muscle was used in the defect reconstruction. Graft healing and closure of the eardrum defect were observed in all patients 3 months after the surgery. Postoperative improvement of hearing in an interval of 15-20 dB was found in 21 patients. Milder sensorineural hearing damage was found in 1 patient, while in the others the hearing was on the preoperative level. Simplicity of the method, minimal surgical procedure and favorable postoperative results were the reason why the authors recommended TDM as the method of choice in the reconstruction of the eardrum defects caused by an inflammation or blasttraumatic damages of the eardrum.

Ed. note: TDR invited Branislav Jakovljevic, a dramaturg from the former Yugoslavia, to write this issue's Comment. In the early 199os he worked as a theatre critic for the Belgrade independent daily Borba and the independent weekly Vreme. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the daily !DOSTA!, published during the two-month-long Belgrade University student demonstrations in May/June 199gg2. Jakovljevic is a PhD candidate in Performance Studies at Tisch School of the Arts/NYU.

DiCenzo discusses some of the productions, offers an impressive reading of how the plays and the productions worked in light of McGrath’s ideas and commitments. :’s most famous production, The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black, Black Oil () is especially well discussed in terms of its structural principles and their link to the variety of dramatic forms employed (monologue, scene, sketch, song) and to their sources in panto, music hall, Scottish culture (Ceilidh) and documentary history. DiCenzo also describes the audience/company involvement in performance, and talks about the play’s reception in various parts of Scotland and in relationship to political occasions such as the Scottish National Party conference. The chapter provides the reader with a way to appreciate the interplay of the company’s productions, its audiences, its political context, and moment of production in relationship to the larger cultural context of Scotland and Britain through two decades of change. There are a few other books about alternative companies from this period: for example, Michael Coveney’s book on the Glasgow Citizens Theatre (Nick Hern Books, ), Rob Ritchie’s sourcebook on Joint Stock (Methuen, ), and Roland Reese’s Fringe First (Reese himself the Artistic Director of Foco Novo, one of the companies that rose and fell during this period; Oberon Books, ). They all make valuable contributions to documenting the history of their various subjects. But DiCenzo’s book is by far the best in terms of a sophisticated analysis and a politically interested account of a specific company of great importance.

In the period from 1990 to 1994, 52 facial nerve injuries caused by fragments firearm projectiles were managed. Their features (localization, severity and extensiveness) were correlated with 37 nerve injuries in blunt head injuries with fracture of temporal bone. In blunt head injuries, 81.1% patients were with the nerve lesion in the area of geniculate ganglion (labyrinthine and tympanic segment). Compression of nerve with bone fragments of fallopian tube was found in 56.8% cases, the cleft of neural sheath and intraneural hematoma were rarer, while the nerve tear was not found in any injured. The distal part of mastoid and beginning part of parotid nerve segment were injured in over 70% cases of gunshot injuries, and in 38.5% cases the injury was multiple. Direct suture was performed in 8 nerve injuries, neuroplasty in 6, and the other injuries were managed by skeletization of fallopian tube, nerve decompression or some other microsurgical procedure. Micro-surgery was performed 7-14 days after the injury.

INTRODUCTION Enlarged axillary lymph nodes are often found during routine examinations. They are usually circular, oval, lobular, smaller than 1 cm, with typically changed fat centers. The condition of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer is of great importance for timely diagnosis, because its metastatic spread is a primary prognostic sign of breast cancer. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore possibilities of mammographic diagnosis in detecting enlarged lymph nodes. MATERIAL AND METHODS The authors present 69 patients with enlarged axillary lymph nodes discovered by clinical examination and mammography of the axila. Of 69 patients, 47 patients had metastatic breast cancer, 21 subject had dysplasia and 1 patient had bacterial infection. Of 47 patients with breast cancer metastases, in 38 the tumour mass in breast was visible by mammography; microcalcifications had been found in 5 patients, while in 4 subjects the tumour mass was not visible either in one, or the other mamma. Biopsy was performed in all 47 patients and diagnosis was confirmed microscopically (by PH). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The appearance of enlarged lymph nodes in axilla may be a primary clinical and mammographic sign of the earliest breast cancer. The diagnosis is not the problem if lymphadenopathy, together with visible cancer, is present (Figure 1). The problem arises when enlarged lymph nodes are without visible tumour mass in the breast (Figures 2 and 3), because their enlargement can also be seen in dysplasia, inflammation (Fig. 6), lymphoma, metastases of some other tumour (rarely), systemic disease. In all presented patients with metastatic breast cancer, lymph nodes were extremely enlarged, homogeneous and separated. All of them had no hylar fatty degeneration which is a characteristic of benign enlargement of lymph nodes. But, it is impossible to make a differential diagnosis between malignant changes and benign enlargement of lymph nodes by mammography. Consequently, biopsy of all lymph nodes larger than 1 cm, being not infiltrated by fat is suggested (excluding mastitis and dermatitis), because only pathology can give answer to the cause of lymph nodes enlargement.

This study is a retrospective analysis of data on deliveries which ended up in vacuum extraction at the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Novi Sad during two periods: 1983-85, and 1993-95. The aim of this study was to analyze indications, technique and complications of deliveries which ended up in vacuum extraction. Out of the total number of deliveries-17,110 in the period 1983-85, 4.86% ended up in vacuum extraction. The perinatal morbidity was 10.82%, the perinatal mortality 15.13/1000. In the period 1993-95, there were 18,599 deliveries, whereas 2.65% ended up in vacuum extraction. The perinatal morbidity was 8.93%, while perinatal mortality 11.12/1000. The risk of morbidity occurring in surgical procedures can be decreased if prompt vacuum extraction is performed.

In order to prevent complications which occur in classical stapedoplasty, authors applied a new atraumatic procedure in 138 patients with otosclerosis. Along with preserved ossicular chain, stapedotomy was performed and a piston-wire prosthesis placed. Disarticulation of incudostapedial joint was the next part of the procedure with removal of suprastructure of the stapes. Early and late cochlear disorders were rare while the final functional effects were much better. This paper analyzes numerous advantages of this procedure with directives for promotion of our work in the future.