Isolated ovarian polyarteritis nodosa

Polyarteritis nodosa is a rare disorder and a form of systemic vasculitis. A 48 year-old female was admitted to the hospital because menorrhagia and pelvic pain in February 1993. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy resulting in a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for myoma of uterus and a right adnexal cystic mass. Histopathologic examination revealed left ovarian periarteritis nodosa. Further investigation and 9 months follow-up failed to show any systemic involvement. To our knowledge the isolated ovarian polyarteritis nodosa is the first case in the literature.     

Temporal order and functional analysis of mutations within the Fli-1 and p53 genes during the erythroleukemias induced by F-MuLV

The erythroleukemias induced by Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) result from the accumulation of a number of genetic changes, including activation of the Fli-1 proto-oncogene and inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. We have determined the temporal order of mutation of the genes involved in this multistage malignancy, by serial in vivo transplantation of F-MuLV induced primary erythroleukemias into syngenic Balb/c mice. These primary tumors are capable of growing when transplanted into syngenic mice, but die after several days of in vitro culture. From the transplanted tumors grown in syngenic mice, erythropoietin-dependent cell lines were established in culture that are clonally related to cells in the primary tumors. We show that retroviral insertional activation of the Fli-1 ets family member is the first detectable genetic event in F-MuLV induced primary erythroleukemias. Mutations in the p53 gene were observed in the Epo-dependent cell lines but not in the transplanted erythroleukemias used to establish these cell lines in culture. These data suggest that activation of Fli-1 plays an important role in the early stages of F-MuLV-induced leukemia, perhaps by altering the self-renewal probabilities of erythroid progenitor cells and that p53 mutations immortalize these cells, enabling them to grow in vitro in the presence of Epo.     

Liquid viscosities and densities of HFC-134a+glycol mixtures

Liquid viscosity and density of six binary mixtures of HFC-134a with glycols [ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol (400), and polypropylene glycol (2000)] have been measured in the temperature range from 273 to 333 K. The viscosity was measured by a rolling-ball viscometer calibrated with standard liquids of viscosities and densities (JS5, JS10, JS20, and JS50). The density was measured with a glass pycnometer. The uncertainties of the measurements were estimated to be less than 3.4 % for viscosity and 0.04 % for density, respectively. An equation is given to represent the obtained viscosity values as a function of weight fraction and temperature.     

Determining elasticity and strength characteristics of powder coating

Methods are described for forming coating specimens and testing them in pure bending. The proposed tester gives adequate accuracy in determining the elastic characteristics and strength for thin specimens (up to 0.1 mm) of brittle materials of powder-coating type.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 94–97, March, 1993.     

cGMP-stimulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase regulates the basal calcium current in human atrial myocytes

EHNA (Erythro-9-[2-hydroxy-3-nonyl]adenine) is a wellknown inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. Recently, EHNA was shown to block the activity of purified soluble cGMPstimulated phosphodiesterase (PDE2) from frog, human, and porcine heart with an apparent Ki value of approximately 1 microM and with negligible effects on Ca2+/calmodulin PDE (PDE1), cGMP-inhibited PDE (PDE3), and low Km cAMP-specific PDE (PDE4) (Méry, P.F., C. Pavoine, F. Pecker, and R. Fischmeister. 1995. Mol. Pharmacol. 48:121-130; Podzuweit, T., P. Nennstiel, and A. Muller. 1995. Cell. Signalling. 7:733- 738). To investigate the role of PDE2 in the regulation of cardiac L-type Ca2+ current (ICa), we have examined the effect of EHNA on ICa in freshly isolated human atrial myocytes. Extracellular application of 0.1-10 microM EHNA induced an increase in the amplitude of basal ICa ( approximately 80% at 1 microM) without modification of the current-voltage or inactivation curves. The maximal stimulatory effect of EHNA on ICa was comparable in amplitude with the maximal effect of isoprenaline (1 microM), and the two effects were not additive. The effect of EHNA was not a result of adenosine deaminase inhibition, since 2'-deoxycoformycin (1-30 microM), another adenosine deaminase inhibitor with no effect on PDE2, or adenosine (1-10 microM) did not increase ICa. In the absence of intracellular GTP, the substrate of guanylyl cyclase, EHNA did not increase ICa. However, under similar conditions, intracellular perfusion with 0.5 microM cGMP produced an 80% increase in ICa. As opposed to human cardiomyocytes, EHNA (1-10 microM) did not modify ICa in isolated rat ventricular and atrial myocytes. We conclude that basal ICa is controlled by PDE2 activity in human atrial myocytes. Both PDE2 and PDE3 may contribute to keep the cyclic nucleotides concentrations at minimum in the absence of adenylyl and/or guanylyl cyclase stimulation.     

Activation energy of electron-stimulated quenching of the photoluminescence of n-type porous silicon

The degradation of photoluminescence of porous silicon by kilovolt electrons and the mechanism and activation energy of this process have been investigated. Quantitative relations between the integral intensity of the photoluminescence and the irradiation dose and substrate temperature are obtained. The mechanism of the process is discussed and its activation energy is determined. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 23, 44–50 (September 26, 1997)     

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene I/D polymorphism with change in left ventricular mass in response to physical training

PURPOSE: To determine the radiologic characteristics of cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall and chronic pancreatitis underwent ultrasonography (US) (n = 10), computed tomography (CT) (n = 10), endoscopic US (n = 5), and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (n = 9). Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall was classified as either cystic or solid. The imaging findings were retrospectively analyzed and compared with findings at pancreatoduodenectomy (n = 10). RESULTS: The more frequent cystic type (n = 7) of cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall was characterized by the presence of easily recognizable cystic lesions (diameter, more than 1 cm), located within the thickened wall of the second portion of the duodenum. The solid type (n = 3) of cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall demonstrated fibrous thickening of the duodenal wall within which small cysts (diameter, less than 1 cm) were present. The intraduodenal cysts were usually elongated or bilobate with a thick wall. The thickening of the duodenal wall appeared as a solid layer between the duodenal lumen and the pancreas, hypoechoic at US, isoattenuating at unenhanced CT, and hypoattenuating in the early phase (after initiation of infusion of contrast material) and isoattenuating in the late phase (after completion of infusion) at contrast material-enhanced CT. Findings at retrospective analysis of CT and endoscopic US images were characteristic. CONCLUSION: Imaging modalities, notably CT and endoscopic US, helped establish the diagnosis of cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall.     

Dimensionless relations for zero-consumption electric arcs in a channel

Limiting dimensionless relations are presented for the cnaracteristics of an arc in a channel when the consumption of the plasma-generating gas approaches zero. An extensive comparison of calculation with experiment is carried out. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 70, No. 1, pp. 99–104, January–February, 1997.     

Aesthetic outcome of breast implant removal in 85 consecutive patients

As we began to see increasing numbers of women concerned about their gel-filled breast implants, we became aware that we could not advise them with any degree of confidence what they might expect in terms of aesthetic result after implant removal. We decided to review the records and outcomes over a 2-year period of a number of patients who underwent implant removal. Eighty-five consecutive patients were reviewed, 69 of whom had undergone cosmetic augmentation and 16 of whom had breast reconstruction with silicone gel implant(s). Thirty-nine of the 69 cosmetic augmentation patients had removal of implants alone, and 27 had removal accompanied by mastopexy. Three had reaugmentation with saline-filled implants; one had replacement with saline-filled implants. Fifteen of the 16 reconstruction patients underwent autogenous tissue transfer. Preoperative and postoperative photographs of all patients were mixed randomly and rated by two independent raters in four aesthetic categories on a five-point scoring system. Repeatability was measured several weeks later, when each rater scored randomly selected photographs from this patient pool. The patients also performed their own outcome evaluations by means of questionnaire. We discovered that cosmetic augmentation patients who undergo implant removal only often suffer adverse aesthetic results. The postremoval appearance of many cosmetic augmentation patients actually will be improved over their preoperative appearance when mastopexy is performed in conjunction with implant removal. The study demonstrated that patients with certain body types could expect a particular outcome; i.e., women with asthenic builds and older patients with lax, striated breast skin generally had unsatisfactory aesthetic outcomes with implant removal only. Patients selected for autogenous breast reconstruction had favorable results, with extended latissimus dorsi and TRAM flaps yielding equally good outcomes. The study allows us to offer patients an optimistic view of postoperative results following breast implant removal. We have begun to advise selected patients that implant removal accompanied by mastopexy provides a more pleasing aesthetic outcome than implant removal alone.     

Hemoptysis caused by pulmonary arterial aneurysm, disclosing Beh?et disease. Apropos of 2 cases]

MCF7 and ZR75-1 breast cancer cells grow as adherent monolayers in tissue culture. Treatment with the serum serine protease plasmin causes them to detach and to grow as floating multicellular spheroids. Two plasmin activators, urokinase plasminogen activator and streptokinase, induce the same growth pattern changes in the presence of plasminogen. Serum contains also plasminogen activator inhibitors. Aged serum, deficient in plasminogen activator inhibitors, converts spontaneously monolayer breast cancer cells into multicellular spheroids which readily revert to monolayer growth after addition of fresh serum. Urokinase blocks the reversion. The formation of multicellular spheroids does not affect the proliferative rate of breast tumor cells but endows tumor cells with increased resistance to the chemotherapeutic drugs, doxorubicin and paclitaxel.