Coding region of NKX3.1, a prostate-specific homeobox gene on 8p21, is not mutated in human prostate cancers

Loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 8p21-22 is common in human prostate cancer, suggesting the presence of one or more tumor suppressor genes at this locus. A homeobox gene that is expressed specifically in adult human prostate, NKX3.1, the expression of which is regulated by androgen, maps to chromosome 8p21. Fine structure in situ mapping showed that NKX3.1 is proximal to MSR32 (macrophage scavenger receptor type II) and LPL (human lipoprotein lipase) and very close to NEFL (human neurofilament light chain) on 8p21. Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis of 48 radical prostatectomy cancer specimens and 3 metastases for the entire coding region of NKX3.1 showed no tumor-specific sequence alterations in 50 specimens and total absence of the gene in 1 specimen known to have a biallelic deletion of 8p21. NKX3.1 was found to have a polymorphism at nucleotide 154 in codon 52 that resulted in a CGC-->TGC sequence change and an Arg-->Cys amino acid alteration (R52C). This polymorphism was present in 20% of DNA samples. If NKX3.1 is a target of the 8p21 LOH, it is not via disruption of the coding region of the gene.     

Cervical esophageal web associated with a patch of heterotopic gastric mucosa

Cervical esophageal webs are a relatively common finding on esophograms. We report a web resulting from the squamocolumnar junction produced by heterotopic gastric mucosa. The clinical significance of this lesion is discussed and the importance of differentiating it from Barrett's esophagus is stressed.     

ON THE USE OF BUFFER INVENTORIES TO MINIMIZE COSTS WITH AN UNRELIABLE MACHINE

In this paper, we discuss the problem of quality control with an unreliable machine which produces defects at a rate of Λ₀, per unit when in-control and a rate of Lambda; ₁, when out-of-control (where Λ₁ Λ ₀). Every h time periods, we sample n units, count the number of defects, and (using a process based on a Shewart c-chart) test the hypothesis that the machine is in control by comparing the total number of defects to an upper control limit (UCL). More important, we introduce the concept that a buffer inventory which immediately follows the unreliable machine may reduce expected total costs. This buffer serves to delay the movement of items from the unreliable machine to the next stage of the production process. In this way, we can isolate and repair most defective items before they are embedded in a product downstream or sold to customers where repair is more costly. To search for the optimal control policy, we find bounds for n, h, and UCL; given values for these variables, we show how the optimal buffer size can be determined directly. Numerical results illustrate the magnitude of potential savings.     

Effect of beam voltage on the properties of aluminium nitride prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

The effects of nitrogen-beam voltage on the structure, stress, energy band gap and hardness of AIN thin films deposited on Si (111), Si (100) and sapphire (0001) by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) are reported. As the nitrogen-beam voltage was increased from 50 to 200 V, the stress and disorder in the AIN films increased as determined by X-ray diffraction, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The preferred orientation of the film's c-axis changed from completely normal to the film at 100 V, to a mixture of normal and in the plane of the film at 200 V. For AIN films deposited under the same conditions, the films were more highly oriented on sapphire (0001) than in Si (111). The hardness of the films increased from 18.2 to 23.7 GPa with the nitrogen-beam voltage, and possible reasons for this change in hardness are considered.     

Memory in sub-clinical obsessive-compulsive checkers

In a series of experiments we extended the research on possible memory deficits in subclinical obsessive-compulsive Ss who reported excessive checking. Using a variety of memory tests we compared 20 subclinical checkers to 20 Ss without obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. Contrary to hypothesis, checkers remembered self-generated words better than read words just as much as did normals, but they were more likely than normals to report thinking they had studied words that, in fact, had not been on the study list. Further, they more often confused whether they read or generated the words at study. Checkers did not appear to perseverate on already-recalled words on repeated free recall tests any more than did normals. However, checkers remembered fewer actions overall and more often misremembered whether they had performed, observed, or written these actions. Such memory deficits may contribute to the development of excessive checking.     

Interleukin 4, interferon-gamma, and prostaglandin E impact the osteoclastic cell-forming potential of murine bone marrow macrophages

Interleukin 4 (IL-4) is an immune cytokine that inhibits bone resorption in mice and suppresses osteoclastic cell formation in vitro through an undefined mechanism. In this report, we have established the cellular identity of the IL-4 target cell using a variety of bone marrow/stromal cell coculture methods. Initially, we found that the majority of IL-4's inhibition of osteoclastic cell formation was due to its effect on bone marrow cells, not stromal cells. Consequently, bone marrow macrophages were used as osteoclastic cell progenitors after they had been transiently exposed to IL-4 (48 h), before the addition of stromal cells, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and dexamethasone. In this circumstance, IL-4 impaired subsequent osteoclastic cell formation, suggesting that the macrophage may be potentially targeted by many factors known to influence osteoclast formation. Consequently, we discovered that interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), prostaglandin E (PGE), and cell-permeant cAMP analogs also impacted osteoclastic cell formation when used to selectively treat bone marrow macrophages. IFN gamma suppressed osteoclastic cell formation, whereas PGE and cAMP analog treatment led to the formation of significantly enlarged osteoclastic cells. Importantly, PGE antagonized the inhibitory effects of both IL-4 and IFN gamma on the osteoclastic cell-forming potential of bone marrow macrophages. Collectively, these findings establish bone marrow macrophages as osteoclastic cell precursors with the degree of their commitment to the osteoclast pathway sensitive to the effects of soluble mediators, including IL-4, IFN gamma, and PGE.