Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A D Woster.
An immunosuppressed patient had zygomycosis and was successfully treated with amphotericin B. Infection was rapidly diagnosed by demonstration of hyphae in impression smears of lung tissue and was confirmed by subsequent culture. Rapid diagnosis and prompt therapy are believed to have contributed to the successful outcome.
Subcutaneous administration of 80 mug zinc daily to mice that had received an intraperitoneal inoculation of 1 times 10-6 sarcoma 180 cells within the preceding 2 days resulted in protection of up to 60% of the hosts. In animals in which tumors grew, daily injections of zinc did not alter the rate of tumor cell growth. We hypothesized that the metal suppressed initiation of tumor cell reproduction, possibly by stimulation of host defense cell mechanisms.