Studies of aqueous resins

Summary Polyesters were modified by introducing small amounts of sodium sulfonate groups as hydrophilic groups in their backbones. Stable aqueous dispersions of the polyesters could be obtained by using 2-butoxyethanol (BEA) as a cosolvent. To clarify the role of the cosolvent, they were separated into two layers, polymer and supernatant layers, byultracentrifugation. Cosolvent contents were found to be different in the former and latter layers; i.e., the contents of BEA in the former layer are low in the case of crystalline polyesters and high in the case of noncrystalline ones. Characteristics of the dispersions such as viscosity are strongly affected by the content of the cosolvent.     

Absence of germ-line mutations of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene in familial pituitary adenoma in contrast to MEN1 in Japanese

Germ-line mutations of the MEN1 gene were analyzed in five cases of familial and four cases of sporadic multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1), six cases in three independent pedigrees of familial pituitary adenoma without MEN-1, and three cases of familial isolated primary hyperparathyroidism (FIHP) in Japanese. Eight different types of germ-line mutations in all nine cases of MEN-1 were distributed in exons 2, 3, 7, and 10 and intron 7 of the MEN1 gene. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 11q13 was detected in all nine tumors of these cases with microsatellite analysis. No germ-line mutation of the MEN1 gene was detected in three pedigrees of familial pituitary adenoma and three cases of FIHP. LOH on 11q13 was detected in two cases in one pedigree of familial pituitary adenoma, and one of them showed a heterozygous somatic mutation of the MEN1 gene. No LOH on 11q13 was detected in three cases of FIHP. Based on these, we conclude that the loss of function of menin is etiological for familial or sporadic MEN-1, but not for FIHP or most familial pituitary adenoma without MEN-1.     

Photoexcited states in directly synthesized trans-polyacetylene films studied by photocurrent measurement

A trans-polyacetylene film was directly synthesized to reduce defects introduced during usual thermal isomerization treatment. A photocurrent excitation spectrum of this film showed very low efficiency around a reflection peak which was accompanied with phonon side bands. This strongly indicates that the lowest optically allowed state of trans-polyacetylene is a 1¹B^u exciton state like other conjugated polymers, such as polydiacetylenes. Misinterpretations of the experimental results under the SSH model, because of the use of a film of low quality, are pointed out and reinterpretations are made according to the present conclusion.     

Studies on administration of cephalothin sodium after open heart surgery (author's transl)

Critical cardiac contamination may occur during extracorporeal circulation in open heart surgery. Prophylactic administration of cephalothin sodium (CET) was studied for their safe and adequate serum concentration after open heart surgery in infants and adults. Methods of administration of CET were discussed for infants and adults.     

Evidence for (100)Si/SiO2 interfacial defecttransformation after ionizing radiation

The interface traps created by ionizing radiation or hot-electron injection in MOS capacitors fabricated on (100) Si were found to undergo significant changes with time over an extended period (several months). Immediately after radiation or hot-electron damage, an interface-trap peak above midgap appears. The peak (designated peak-1), along with its background, continuously changes with time after damage and is gradually converted to a second peak (peak-2) located below midgap. A significant amount of experimental evidence is presented that shows that this interfacial defect transformation process occurs generally in a variety of samples (e.g. dry and wet oxides, p- and n-type Si, various gate electrodes, etc.). The rate of the process is a function of the device structure, its processing parameters, the details of the radiation treatment, and the gate bias polarity and is thermally activated. When peak-2 achieves a certain magnitude, a reverse transformation process can occur, especially under a positive gate bias. It is shown that peak-2 is not generated directly by ionizing radiation; rather, the pre-existence of peak-1 above midgap is a necessary condition for its formation. It is also shown that only a portion of peak-1 contributes to the defect transformation process     

Transduction of the macrophage colony-stimulating factor gene into human multidrug resistant cancer cells: enhanced therapeutic efficacy of monoclonal anti-P-glycoprotein antibody in nude mice

To develop a therapeutic modality for overcoming multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer with anti-MDR1 antibody, we examined the effect of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) gene transfection into MDR AD10 cells on therapy of MDR cancer with anti-MDR1 antibody (MRK17) in nude mice. MDR human ovarian cancer (AD10) cells were transduced with the human M-CSF gene inserted into an expression vector to establish gene-modified cells capable of producing low (ML-AD10), intermediate (MM-AD10) nd high (MH-AD10) amounts of M-CSF. Systemic administration of MRK17 resulted in significant dose-dependent inhibition of subcutaneous growth of ML-AD10 tumors. In contrast, systemic administration of recombinant M-CSF in combination with MRK17 did not augment the therapeutic efficacy of MRK17 alone, but rather promoted the growth of the parent AD10 cells. To test the efficacy of in vivo M-CSF gene therapy combined with antibody, we mixed the parent AD10 cells with MH-AD10 cells producing a large amount of M-CSF, and inoculated the mixed cells subcutaneously. Treatment with MRK17 inhibited growth of the mixed cells more than that of the parent cells alone. Thus, combined therapy with anti-MDR1 mAb and M-CSF gene modification of MDR cancer cells may provide a new immunotherapeutic modality for overcoming MDR in humans.