Endometrioid carcinoma arising from endometriosis of the sigmoid colon during estrogenic treatment

A case of endometrioid carcinoma arising from endometriosis of the sigmoid colon is reported. The patient had been treated with unopposed continuous estrogen injection for twenty years after bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy because of severe endometriosis. The pathology, pertinent literature and implications of the present case are discussed.     

Influence of schedule and mode of administration on effectiveness of podofilox treatment of papillomas

We investigated the timing of podofilox delivery to see how it correlated with papilloma size. We looked at times ranging from once per week (morning and afternoon) to five times per week (morning and afternoon). We also looked at delivery systems that might enhance the effectiveness of the drug by increasing penetration of the overlying cutaneous horn. These included soaking prior to drug administration, the use of a grooved needle subsequent to drug administration, and the various possible combinations of these techniques. We found that the timing of treatments had relatively little effect on the size of the papillomas. For example, at the end of ten weeks, the geometric mean diameter (GMD) (mm) of the papillomas treated five times per week and induced by a 10(-1) dilution of the virus (group B) was 18. Likewise the GMD (mm) of papillomas treated once per week was 18 (group D). On the other hand, we found that soaking plus the use of a grooved needle plus podofilox resulted in the curing of all lesions induced by a 10(-2) virus dilution and of most induced by the 10(-1) dilution, whereas soak plus podofilox or podofilox alone were not as effective in curing the lesions. Podofilox plus needle approached the soak plus podofilox plus needle in effectiveness. Treatment schedule was not a critical determinant of podofilox effectiveness. Therapeutic benefits were enhanced by hydration of the overlying cutaneous horn and penetration with a grooved needle.     

Strategy and issue frames in election campaign coverage: a social cognitive account of framing effects

This study examines how news frames in campaign coverage affect individuals' interpretation of campaigns. Framing effects are conceptualized in terms of the process by which textual features in news stories set limits on knowledge use in the construction of a discourse model - a mental model constructed through the interaction between news frames and the interpreter's social knowledge. Examining message structures in campaign news stories led to identifying two major frames in campaign coverage: strategy and issue. Narrative data collected from two field experiments were analyzed. The findings suggest that both strategy-framed and issue-framed print news stories are effective in influencing campaign interpretation.     

Four-channel polarization-insensitive optically transparent wavelength converter

Multichannel wavelength converters may be important components in the cross-connects in future wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) transport networks. We demonstrate a multichannel, polarization-insensitive, optically transparent wavelength converter, based on four-wave mixing in two semiconductor optical amplifiers in a polarization-diversity arrangement. Bit-error-rate (BER) measurements with four input 2.5-Gb/s WDM channels, spaced by 2 nm, show penalties for wavelength conversion less than 2.6 dB at 10/sup -9/ BER. Changes in the state of polarization of the input signals cause the output power to change by less than 1.2 dB, and the corresponding power penalties change by less than 0.9 dB.     

Cure of malignant ascites and generation of protective immunity by monoclonal antibody-targeted activation of a glucuronide prodrug in rats

We examined the in vivo efficacy of targeting beta-glucuronidase (betaG) to activate a glucuronide prodrug (BHAMG) of p-hydroxyaniline mustard (pHAM) at hepatoma ascites in Sprague-Dawley rats. Injection i.p. of 500 microg RH1-betaG, a conjugate formed between recombinant betaG and monoclonal antibody RH1 with specificity for an antigen expressed on AS-30D rat hepatoma cells, into rats bearing AS-30D ascites resulted in the accumulation of 54 microg conjugate per 10(9) tumor cells after 2 hr. Ascites fluid and serum contained 0.53 and 0 microg/ml, respectively, RH1-betaG 2 hr after injection of the conjugate. Conjugate binding to AS-30D cells was heterogeneous and non-saturated, as determined by flow cytometry. BHAMG was less toxic than pHAM to SD rats based on measures of animal mortality, weight loss and hematological toxicity. Treatment of rats bearing established hepatoma ascites with 500 microg RH1-betaG followed 2 hr later with a single i.p. injection of 30 mg/kg BHAMG or 3 i.p. injections of 10 mg/kg BHAMG 2, 3 and 4 hr later resulted in the cure of 6/8 and 8/8 animals, respectively. Treatment with BHAMG or pHAM alone did not produce cures, whereas treatment with a control antibody-betaG conjugate and BHAMG produced significantly greater hematological toxicity compared to treatment with RH1-betaG and BHAMG. All cured rats were completely protected from rechallenge with 2 x 10(7) AS-30D cells, indicating that successful treatment of animals induced protective immunity.     

Phase behavior of ternary blends containing dimethylpolycarbonate,tetramethylpolycarbonate and poly[styrene‐co‐(methyl methacrylate)] copolymers (or polystyrene)

The miscibility and phase behavior of ternary blends containing dimethylpolycarbonate (DMPC), tetramethylpolycarbonate (TMPC) and poly[styrene‐co‐(methyl methacrylate)] copolymer (SMMA) have been explored. Ternary blends containing polystyrene (PS) instead of SMMA were also examined. Blends of DMPC with SMMA copolymers (or PS) did not form miscible blends regardless of methyl methacrylate (MMA) content in copolymers. However, DMPC blends with SMMA (or PS) blends become miscible by adding TMPC. The miscible region of ternary blends is compared with the previously determined miscibility region of binary blends having the same chemical components and compositions. The region where the ternary blends are miscible is much narrower than that of binary blends. Based on lattice fluid theory, the observed phase behavior of ternary blends was analyzed. Even though the term representing the Gibbs free energy change of mixing for certain ternary blends had a negative value, blends were immiscible. It was revealed that a negative value of the Gibbs free energy change of mixing was not a sufficient condition for miscible ternary blends because of the asymmetry in the binary interactions involved in ternary blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Bat-deafness in day-flying moths (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae, Dioptinae)

Assuming that bat-detection is the primary function of moth ears, the ears of moths that are no longer exposed to bats should be deaf to echolocation call frequencies. To test this, we compared the auditory threshold curves of 7 species of Venezuelan day-flying moths (Notodontidae: Dioptinae) to those of 12 sympatric species of nocturnal moths (Notodontidae: Dudusinae, Noctuidae and Arctiidae). Whereas 2 dioptines (Josia turgida, Zunacetha annulata) revealed normal ears, 2 (J. radians, J. gopala) had reduced hearing at bat-specific frequencies (20-80 kHz) and the remaining 3 (Thirmida discinota, Polypoetes circumfumata and Xenorma cytheris) revealed pronounced to complete levels of high-frequency deafness. Although the bat-deaf ears of dioptines could function in other purposes (e.g., social communication), the poor sensitivities of these species even at their best frequencies suggest that these moths represent a state of advanced auditory degeneration brought about by their diurnal life history. The phylogeny of the Notodontidae further suggests that this deafness is a derived (apomorphic) condition and not a retention of a primitive (pleisiomorphic), insensitive state.     

Infections in patients with cystic fibrosis following lung transplantation

BACKGROUND: There is controversy over whether colonization with drug-resistant organisms is a contraindication to lung transplantation. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of the results of lung transplantation for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) at Duke University Medical Center. RESULTS: As of May 1996, 21 patients with CF underwent bilateral lung transplantation. The first patient died within 24 h of transplantation from sepsis due to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Of the remaining 20 patients, 17 (85%) are alive and in stable condition. The three deaths were related primarily to bronchiolitis obliterans at 4 and 18 months in two patients and to cytomegalovirus pneumonitis at 5 months in the other patient. The 17 surviving patients have been followed up for a mean of 13 months (range, 0.5 to 34 months). Most of them were colonized and infected with multidrug-resistant organisms before transplantation. Following transplantation, 11 patients had complications from infections. One patient had bacteremia due to a panresistant Burkholderia cepacia and was treated successfully. Two patients had bacteremia and wound infection due to Burkholderia gladioli, previously thought to be pathogenic only in plants. Both patients were treated successfully. Of the six patients with Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from cultures before transplantation, only one had invasive disease following transplantation and responded to treatment. CONCLUSION: The organisms present before transplantation were not the primary cause of mortality in our patient population. Our findings suggest that lung transplantation should be considered in CF patients infected with multidrug-resistant organisms.