Biphasic synovial sarcomas arising in the pleural cavity. A clinicopathologic study of five cases

Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase I (EGI) was used as a reporter enzyme for screening mutagenized yeast strains for increased ability to produce protein. Sixteen haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, transformed with a yeast multicopy vector pALK222, containing the EGI cDNA under the ADH1 promoter, produced EGI activity of 10(-5)-10(-4) g/l. On the average 93% of the total activity was secreted into the culture medium. Two strains with opposite mating types were mutagenized, and several mutants were isolated possessing up to 45-fold higher EGI activity. The best mutants were remutagenized and a second-generation mutant, strain 2804, with an additional twofold increase in EGI activity was selected. The mutant strain 2804 grew more slowly and reached a lower final cell density than the parental strain. In the selective minimal medium, the 2804 strain produced 40 mg/l immunoreactive EGI protein, but only 2% was active enzyme. In the rich medium the secreted EGI enzyme stayed active, but without selection pressure the EGI production ceased after 2 days of cultivation, when the strain 2804 had produced 10 mg/l of EGI. A sevenfold difference was found between the parental and the 2804 strain in their total EGI production relative to cell density. The difference in favour of the mutant strain was also detected on the mRNA level. The 2804 mutant was found to be more active than the parental strain also in the production of T. reesei cellulases, cellobiohydrolase I, and cellobiohydrolase II.     

The effect of acute, unilateral transverse venous sinus occlusion on intracranial pressure in normal dogs

Lateral rostrotentorial and caudal suboccipital approaches to the brain were performed on six beagles. Intracranial pressure (ICP) was measured as the two craniectomies were connected by removing the bone of the nuchal crest and occluding the transverse venous sinus. Intracranial pressure remained constant after acute occlusion of the sinus with bone wax and there was no gross evidence of brain edema. All six dogs survived the surgery and five dogs survived for a minimum of 3 months. One dog died acutely during the postoperative period. The exact cause of the cerebellar hemorrhage and infarction found at necropsy in the latter dog was not evident. Anemia occurred in three of the six dogs as a result of intraoperative hemorrhage. All dogs surviving the perioperative period had mild, transient hypermetria and conscious proprioceptive deficits, but were neurologically normal 72 hours after surgery. Results of this study indicate that acute, unilateral transverse sinus occlusion is possible without an increase in ICP. The ability to do this allows access to the rostral aspect of the ipsilateral cerebellum and brain stem.     

A metallographic study of extruded reinforced composites based on iron and copper

Microprobe analysis has been applied to the boundary layers between fibers and matrix to examine the phase composition in relation to mode of extrusion for composite materials based on iron and copper as reinforced with molybdenum and steel fibers. The width of the interaction zone varies from 2 to 4 µm. The phases correspond to the phase diagrams for these systems. Fractography indicates the failure mechanism for reinforced composites under conditions of stress and strain. At the points of application of shock loads, there is planar transverse fracture in the fibers by the cleavage mechanism. The peripheral layers are subject to viscous failure in the fibers with the formation of necks. Extrusion produces plastic strain uniform throughout the fiber length, and there are no breaks in the fibers, which provides conditions for complete realization of the strength of the reinforcing phase.     

Monoclonal antibody F89/160.1.5 defines a conserved epitope on the ruminant prion protein

The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are a heterogeneous group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders occurring in humans, mink, cats, and ruminant herbivores. The occurrence of novel transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in cattle in the United Kingdom and Europe and in mule deer and elk in parts of the United States has emphasized the need for reliable diagnostic tests with standardized reagents. Postmortem diagnosis is performed by histologic examination of brain sections from affected animals. The histopathological criteria for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies include gliosis, astrocytosis, neuronal degeneration, and spongiform change. These lesions vary in intensity and anatomic location depending on the host species and genetics, stage of disease, and infectious agent source. Diagnosis by histopathology alone may be ambiguous in hosts with early cases of disease and impossible if the tissue is autolyzed. Deposition of the prion protein (an abnormal isoform of a native cellular sialoglycoprotein) in the central nervous system is a reliable marker for infection, and immunohistochemical detection of this marker is a useful adjunct to histopathology. In the present paper we describe monoclonal antibody (MAb) F89/160.1.5, which reacts with prion protein in tissues from sheep, cattle, mule deer, and elk with naturally occurring transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. This MAb recognizes a conserved epitope on the prion protein in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections after hydrated autoclaving. MAb F89/160.1.5 will be useful in diagnostic and pathogenesis studies of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in these ruminant species.     

Quantification of iliac artery stenoses: a methodological comparative study between intravascular ultrasound, arteriography and duplex scanning

Two morphological methods for quantifying the degree of stenoses in the iliac arteries, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and arteriography, were compared with duplex scanning, a method of evaluating the haemodynamic importance of the stenosis. A total of 38 patients, 20 women and 18 men, median age 66 y, admitted for either PTA (n=18) or femoro-femoral crossover bypass surgery (n=20), were examined by IVUS, single plane arteriography and duplex scanning. The predictive value, sensitivity, specificity and kappa value of IVUS were higher than the corresponding values for arteriography. Logistic regression analysis found that IVUS had a predictive value (p=0.0003) for diagnosing significant stenosis as defined by duplex scanning, but arteriography did not (p=0.1). However, this difference in usefulness as predictors did not reach significance. The agreement between arteriography and IVUS was relatively good. The conclusion is that IVUS seems to be superior to single-plane arteriography in predicting hemodynamically significant stenoses as defined by duplex scanning.     

Epitope mapping of anti-troponin I monoclonal antibodies

Two groups of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were generated by immunization of mice by isolated cTnI (group I, 16 MAbs) or by the whole troponin complex (group II, 15 MAbs). Two sets of overlapping decapeptides covering the complete sequence of cTnI were prepared and used for epitope mapping by SPOT technique. Majority of MAbs (28 out of 31) interacts with synthetic peptides thus indicating that they recognize liner epitopes. MAbs raised against isolated cTnI preferentially recognize epitopes located at the N- or C-terminal ends of cTnI. Nine out of fifteen MAbs raised against whole troponin complex interact with epitopes located in the N-terminal part of cTnI. Generation of MAbs recognizing both isolated cTnI and cTnI inside of troponin complex and mapping their epitopes provides reliable detection of TnI in serum of patients with acute myocardial infarction.     

Poverty and impairment in activities of living among elderly Hispanics

This study employed data from a prior national survey of elderly Hispanics to examine the relationship between poverty and functionally impaired status, i.e., impairment in activities of daily living (IADL). The sample for this study consists of 1,685 Hispanics age 65 and older, representing four ethnic groups: Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and other Hispanics. Ethnic comparisons based on personal characteristics, poverty status and IADL found there were differences among the groups analyzed in terms of marital status, language, religion, age, education, poverty, and IADL. Logistic regression findings revealed that elderly Hispanics who were married, bilingual, and had higher educational achievement were more likely to live above the poverty level than were their counterparts. Findings from an ordinary least squares regression analysis revealed that poor elderly Hispanics had more IADL problems; that men had more IADL problems than women; that IADL problems tended to increase with age; that more educated people had fewer IADL problems; that Cubans had fewer IADL problems than other Hispanics; and that Puerto Ricans had more IADL problems than all other Hispanics. Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

Serial measurement of Epstein-Barr viral load in peripheral blood in pediatric liver transplant recipients during treatment for posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease

BACKGROUND: The aim of this follow-up study was to assess whether there has been any increase in the percentage of patients offered attempted curative surgery for pancreatic carcinoma and whether the overall survival rate has improved, during the time period 1977-1991. METHODS: Details of new cases of pancreatic carcinoma arising in the population of Malm? during the study period were retrieved from the Local Tumour Register in Lund, Sweden. In all, 740 patients were found; 575 of these were diagnosed before death. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate overall survival rates, and Cox regression analysis was used to assess survival in relation to year of diagnosis after adjustment for sex, age at diagnosis and stage of disease. RESULTS: Cytological or histopathological evidence of the disease was given in 95 per cent of cases. The overall 5-year survival rate was 0.5 per cent (three of 575). Curative surgery was attempted in 24 patients (4.2 per cent); the proportion undergoing curative surgery increased in the last part of the study. Two of the 24 patients in this group survived for 5 years. CONCLUSION: The prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma remains dismal. Attempted curative surgery still is the only hope for cure, but the group of patients that can be offered this possibility is very limited. In this study, an increase was found in the proportion of patients who were offered attempted curative surgery, but there was no statistically significant increase in the 5-year survival rate following surgery.     

The late results of the combined therapy of patients in 2nd-stage lymphogranulomatosis

AIM: To define the scope of combined therapy according to prognostic factors in patients with Hodgkin's disease state II. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 98 patients with favorable and unfavorable Hodgkin's disease (HD) prognosis according to EORTC criteria (41 and 57 of group 1 and 2, respectively) entered the study. Unfavorable factors were: mixed HD variant and lymphoid depletion, ESR above 50 mm/h in stage A and 30 mm/h in stage B, involvement of more than 3 groups of lymph nodes, age over 40. Patients of group 1 received CVPP program: 2 courses before and after radiation of the primary disease zones in the total dose 40 Gy. Therapy of group 2 patients consisted of 3 CVPP courses before and 3 courses after irradiation of all the lymphatic collectors above the diaphragm in the total dose 35 Gy or radiation according to the extended program. Efficacy of therapy was assessed by EORTC criteria. The survival curves were calculated by Caplan and Meyer methods. RESULTS: In groups 1 and 2 a complete a complete remission was achieved in 98 and 93%, 6-year survival was 100 and 91%, recurrence-free survival--94 and 87%, respectively. Survival free of the treatment failure reached in group 1--88%, in group 2--81%. CONCLUSION: Reduced treatment in HD stage II in favourable prognosis did not worsen the results of treatment.