Red blood cell glutathione status in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies treated with 5-fluorouracil

As an alternative to surgical splenectomy, partial splenic embolization was performed in seven children for hypersplenism manifested by splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and erythrocyte hemolysis. Within a few days, platelet and leukocyte counts rose significantly in all patients and were maintained in six of seven patients during a follow-up period of 9 to 69 months. Spleen size and abdominal distention also decreased significantly in all children. There were no infectious complications.     

Developments in high-resolution positron emission tomography at MGH

The development of high resolution PET systems is important for the wider application of this techniques. The resolution of PET is limited by a number of physical factors such as positron range, small angle deviation, and sampling frequency. The design of the detector array and its sensitivity remain critical factors; designs incorporating analog coding have proven to be useful. PCR-I, a single plane PET system, has demonstrated the concept and has produced useful images in animal studies. PCR-II will extend the concept to a two dimensional detector array resulting in a system with high resolution and high sensitivity.     

Mechanisms of displacement discrimination with and without perceived movement.

Investigated the similarity of reference effects for different delay conditions by testing the independence of reference and delay effects in 4 experiments, using 5 young adult observers. The critical independence property was whether the spatial variables (displacement separation from the visual reference) combined independently of the temporal variable (delay). This kind of independence did not hold for displacement discrimination at delays of 50 msec and 2,000 msec. When a test for the independence property was conducted at delays of 500 msec and 4,000 msec, observers reported no perceived movement. For these longer delays, the property was satisfied. These results are discussed using the general concept of a psychophysical mechanism. Such a mechanism combines the effects of several stimulus variables into a single mediating representation. By this analysis, at least 2 mechanisms must mediate the reference effect on displacement discrimination, one for delays of 200 msec and less and another for delays of 500 msec and more. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An anti-IL-2 antibody increases serum half-life and improves anti-tumor efficacy of human recombinant interleukin-2

We examined the ability of anti-human recombinant interleukin-2 (hu rIL-2) monoclonal antibody DMS-1.10 to increase serum half-life of hu rIL-2, and the effect of this complex on inhibition of tumor progression in a B16-F10 murine melanoma model. In C57B1/6 mice, intravenous (i.v.) injection of DMS-1.10 premixed with 1 x 10(4) units (U) of hu rIL-2 at a 1:1 molar ratio extended serum half-life greater than 10-fold (222 min) when compared to the same dose of hu rIL-2 alone (20 min). In a murine tumor model, multiple intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of non-neutralizing DMS-1.10 premixed with hu rIL-2 at a 5:1 molar ratio reduced the growth rate of subcutaneous (s.c.) B16-F10 tumor in C57B1/6 mice by 64% when compared to PBS and irrelevant antibody treated controls. Although similar treatment with hu rIL-2 alone reduced tumor growth rate by 46%, it was significantly less effective than the premixed treatment. Results from a flow cytometry assay confirm B16-F10 does not have IL-2 receptors, precluding direct inhibition of tumor growth by hu rIL-2 treatments. We propose that therapeutic efficacy of hu rIL-2 is improved by prolonging the in vivo half-life with an anti-IL-2 antibody, thus augmenting hu rIL-2 bioactivity and enhancing the hosts immune response against tumor.     

Can bilharziasis be considered a health priority in western Africa, justifying control programs of large scope?

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was the evaluation of the usefulness of transesophageal atrial pacing in predicting chronic oral treatment efficacy of symptomatic reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia in infants and in avoiding the risk of very dangerous recurrences at home. METHODS: We studied 13 infants (11 males, 2 females, mean age 43 +/- 31 days) with symptomatic reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia and no structural heart disease. All patients had chronic oral therapy, using the drug effective in acute i.v. somministration. Each patient was discharged when supraventricular tachycardia was not inducible with transesophageal atrial pacing after 5 half-lives of the drug used in chronic oral treatment. All patients, every 6 months, were retested with transesophageal atrial pacing alternatively during chronic oral therapy and after complete wash out. Oral therapy was stopped in each patient when supraventricular tachycardia was not inducible after the wash out. RESULTS: The number of oral treatments tested for each patient were 2 +/- 1 (range 1-5). The number of transesophageal studies performed for each patient were 4 +/- 2 (range 3-7). No patient had symptomatic episodes of supraventricular tachycardia or needed to change therapy during the follow-up. The oral treatment was stopped after the twelfth month of life in 8 patients and after the twenty-fourth in 2 others without recurrences. CONCLUSION: Transesophageal atrial pacing seems to be useful in predicting accurately and rapidly the oral treatment efficacy of supraventricular tachycardia in infants. Our protocol seems to be effective to avoid dangerous recurrences of tachycardia and to decide when we can stop therapy without risk.