Oligoclonal protein bands and Ig isotype switching in multiple myeloma treated with high-dose therapy and hematopoietic cell transplantation

Multiple myeloma (MM) is usually characterized by production of a single serum monoclonal protein of constant isotype and light-chain restriction. Multiple Ig isotypes and isotype switches, which are rare in untreated patients, are reported to be more common in patients undergoing myeloablative therapy. These additional protein bands, detected by immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE), could be due to altered paraprotein production by the malignant plasma cell clone or oligoclonal Ig production during recovery of B-cell function after myeloablative therapy. We analyzed abnormal protein bands (APB), distinct from the presenting paraprotein, in 550 patients receiving high-dose therapy with autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation at a single institution. Fifty-five patients (10%) had APB, 48 had oligoclonal bands (OB), and 23 had an apparent isotype switch (IS) on IFE (16 had both OB and IS). Morphologic and flow cytometric examination of bone marrow in 17 patients with IS showed no evidence of a clonal plasma cell isotype switch. Patients with APB had significantly higher complete response to therapy (67% v 37%, P = .001). To assess the independent prognostic relevance of APB, a multivariate analysis was performed among 471 patients surviving at least 12 months from first transplant (all patients developing APB had done so by 12 months from first transplant). APB (in 50 patients) was a favorable feature for both event-free (rank 3, P = .004) and overall survival (rank 3, P = .0005). We propose that OB and IS are likely to be due to recovery of Ig production rather than alterations in the biology of the malignant plasma cell clone.     

Islet amyloid polypeptide in patients with pancreatic cancer and diabetes

Population-based psychiatric admission rates vary across geographic areas, but reasons for this variation are unknown. Insofar as Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) provide outpatient services that may deter the need for hospitalization, the presence and structural characteristics of CMHCs may have an impact on a population's psychiatric admission rates. This study uses small area analysis to examine how general hospital psychiatric admission rates are associated with CMHC characteristics. Based on a survey of all CMHCs in Iowa and corresponding small area variation data, it was found that population admission rates were higher in areas closer to the CMHC and lower in outlying catchment areas, adjusting for age, sex, and urban/rural differences in populations. There was little evidence that differences in staffing and service variables influenced admission rates, although greater CMHC staff coverage by social workers and psychiatric residents was associated with lower admission rates. The results suggest that CMHCs do not lower an area's hospitalization rate, and in fact, the presence of CMHCs may promote a "supplier-induced demand" phenomenon of higher admissions.     

Unsupervided pattern recognition for the classification of EMG signals

The shapes and firing rates of motor unit action potentials (MUAP's) in an electromyographic (EMG) signal provide an important source of information for the diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders. In order to extract this information from EMG signals recorded at low to moderate force levels, it is required: i) to identify the MUAP's composing the EMG signal, ii) to classify MUAP's with similar shape, and iii) to decompose the superimposed MUAP waveforms into their constituent MUAP's. For the classification of MUAP's two different pattern recognition techniques are presented: i) an artificial neural network (ANN) technique based on unsupervised learning, using a modified version of the self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) algorithm and learning vector quantization (LVQ) and ii) a statistical pattern recognition technique based on the Euclidean distance. A total of 1213 MUAP's obtained from 12 normal subjects, 13 subjects suffering from myopathy, and 15 subjects suffering from motor neuron disease were analyzed. The success rate for the ANN technique was 97.6% and for the statistical technique 95.3%. For the decomposition of the superimposed waveforms, a technique using crosscorrelation for MUAP's alignment, and a combination of Euclidean distance and area measures in order to classify the decomposed waveforms is presented. The success rate for the decomposition procedure was 90%.     

Estimates of technically available woody biomass feedstock from natural forests and willow biomass crops for two locations in New York State

A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to estimate the technically available woody biomass from forests and willow biomass crops within a 40 km radius of Syracuse and Tupper Lake, NY. Land cover and land use data were used to identify the available land base and restrictions were applied for slope, parcel size and designated wetlands. Approximately 222,984 oven-dry tonnes (odt) of forest biomass are technically available annually around Syracuse, from 165,848 hectares (ha) of timberland. There are 67,880 ha of agricultural land technically available for growing willow biomass crops, which could produce 38,181 odt yr^?1 if 5% of this land was used and yields were 11.25 odt ha^?1 yr^?1. There are approximately 215,300 odt of forest biomass technically available annually around Tupper Lake from 211,500 ha of timberland. There are 781 ha of technically available agricultural land in this area so willow biomass production would be minimal. While these two areas have different land cover and land use characteristics, both have the potential to produce significant amounts of woody biomass.     

The HMG-CoA Reductase Gene and Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) is an enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis. To investigate the contribution of the HMGCR gene to lipids and lipoprotein subfractions in different ethnicities, we performed an association study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). In total, 2,444 MESA subjects [597 African-Americans (AA), 627 Chinese-Americans (CHA), 612 European-Americans (EA), and 608 Hispanic-Americans (HA)] without statin use were included. Participants had measurements of blood pressure, anthropometry, and fasting blood samples. Subjects were genotyped for 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). After excluding SNPs with minor allele frequency <5%, a single block was constructed. The most frequent haplotype was H1 (41–56%) in all ethnic groups except AA (H2a, 44.9%). Lower triglyceride level was associated with the H2a haplotype in AA and H2 in HA. In HA, H4 carriers had higher levels of triglyceride and small low-density lipoprotein (s-LDL), and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), while carriers with H7 or H8 had associations with these traits in the opposite direction. No significant association was discovered in both CHA and EA. The total variation for triglyceride that could be explained by H2 alone was 2.6% in HA and 1.4% in AA. In conclusion, HMGCR gene variation is associated with multiple lipid/lipoprotein traits, especially with triglyceride, s-LDL, and HDL-c. The impact of the genetic variance is modest and differs greatly among ethnicities.     

Intravascular lymphomatosis: a case presenting with encephalomyelitis and reactive haemophagocytic syndrome diagnosed by renal biopsy

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of characteristics associated with unprotected heterosexual intercourse in HIV infected adults in an urban area. DESIGN: Retrospective comparison of sexual risk transmission behaviour between HIV infected men and women from a drug treatment site and between women from the drug site and HIV infected women from an urban medical centre. METHODS: HIV infected women and men were asked questions on sexual behaviour for a 1 year period before enrollment. The outcome variable was heterosexual risk behaviour (HRB) defined as having vaginal sex at least once in the previous year and not always using condoms. RESULTS: 73% of the drug clinic females, 72% of the drug clinic males, and 42% of the medical centre female engaged in HRB. Using logistic regression analysis, women and men in drug treatment engaged in similar rates of HRB; however, women in drug treatment were four times (95% CI = 2.0-8.3) more likely to engage in HRB risk behaviour than women from the medical centre. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that a surprisingly large portion of HIV infected patients under treatment engaged in HRB, especially former drug users. Without specifically targeted interventions, the heterosexual spread of HIV in urban areas will continue to be a serious problem.     

A recombinant adenovirus that directs secretion of biologically active kappa-bungarotoxin from mammalian cells

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a method that could be used to estimate how damaging sodium ethoxide is to different antigens with respect to immunolabeling when epoxy sections are deplasticized. If we obtain weak labeling for an antigen on deplasticized epoxy sections, this might be caused by the damaging effect of the ethoxide solution. It is therefore interesting to develop a method to check if this really is the reason. Fibrin clots and tissues of human kidney and thyroid were embedded in LR White resin. Some thin sections from these specimen blocks were exposed to sodium ethoxide in the same way as epoxy sections are when being deplasticized. Other sections from the same blocks were not exposed to sodium ethoxide. Both categories of sections were immunogold-labeled with anti-fibrinogen, anti-thyroglobulin, anti-IgA, anti-IgG, or anti-IgM. The intensity of immunolabeling of sections treated with ethoxide was compared with the immunolabeling of corresponding sections that were not treated with ethoxide. No significant differences were found in immunolabeling for fibrinogen, IgA, IgG, and IgM. For thyroglobulin, the intensity was approximately 30% less in tissues that were exposed to sodium ethoxide. The practical significance of this method is that we easily can examine the degree to which a given antigen is affected by sodium ethoxide, which is the agent used for deplasticizing epoxy sections.     

Fast cytochrome bo from Escherichia coli binds two molecules of nitric oxide at CuB

The reaction of nitric oxide (NO) with fast cytochrome bo from Escherichia coli has been studied by electronic absorption, MCD, and EPR spectroscopy. Titration of the enzyme with NO showed the formation of two distinct species, consistent with NO binding stoichiometries of 1:1 and 2:1 with observed dissociation constants at pH 7.5 of approximately 2.3 x 10(-)6 and 3.3 x 10(-)5 M. Monitoring the titration by EPR spectroscopy revealed that the broad EPR signals at g approximately 7.3, 3.7, and 2.8 due to magnetic interaction between high-spin heme o (S = 5/2) and CuBII (S = 1/2) are lost. A high-spin heme o signal at g = 6.0 appears as the 1:1 complex is formed but is lost again on formation of the 2:1 complex, which is EPR silent. The absorption spectrum shows that heme o remains in the high-spin FeIII state throughout the titration. These results are consistent with the binding of up to two NO molecules at CuBII. This has been confirmed by studies with the Cl- adduct of fast cytochrome bo. MCD evidence shows that heme o remains ligated by histidine and water. Addition of excess NO to the Cl- adduct leads to the appearance of a high-spin FeIII heme EPR signal. Hence chloride ion binds to CuB, blocking the binding of a second NO molecule. These results suggest a mechanism for the reduction of NO to nitrous oxide by cytochrome bo and cytochrome c oxidase in which the binding of two cis NO molecules at CuB permits the formation of an N-N bond and the abstraction of oxygen by the heme group.     

厌氧胶：可靠且节约成本紧固件的锁紧和密封

当机械设备发生故障时，厌氧螺纹锁固剂便可发挥作用。正如赛车的特滑层有助于确保车辆在赛道的抓地力，螺纹锁固剂有助于保证紧固件螺纹的夹持力。根据厌氧技术，这些金属胶粘剂可以实现机械辅助措施无法实现的功能：它们可完全填满连接螺纹之间的微小间隙。使用螺纹锁固剂固定的螺栓可以提供比机械装置更好的夹紧力。专用螺母或垫圈的价格是液体螺纹锁固剂的5倍以上。采用液体螺纹锁固剂可降低库存成本。在选择螺纹锁固复合物时，有一些关键因素需要考虑：抗剪强度、固化速度、间隙填充能力和工作环境。