Gastric erosions: radiological and endoscopic aspects

Varioliform gastric erosion is a common lesion which can be reliably diagnosed radiologically. The diagnosis was established in 27 (1.7%) of 1,600 detailed radiological examinations made in 1975. There was a good correlation with gastroscopic findings.     

Analyte and label binding assay read by flow cytometry

A new immunometric two-site sandwich assay is introduced, in which a label-scavenging binding partner is added to the sample in addition to the analyte-binding partner. The scavenger binding partner binds excess label antibody, giving a signal proportional to the amount of excess label antibody in the sample solution. A set of two calibration curves is obtained from the two binding partners simultaneously, and a combination of the two signals gives an unambiguous determination of the analyte concentration, even for high analyte concentrations where the hook effect may occur. Two-particle immunofluorometric assays developed for placental alkaline phosphatase and human chorionic gonadotropin on the basis of this principle and yielding signals measured by flow cytometry gave rapid results (2 h) and had working ranges in excess of 5 and 6 orders of magnitude for the respective analytes.     

Rasmussen's encephalitis: an autoimmune disorder?

Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare progressive pediatric epileptic syndrome. Recent evidence from experimental animals and patients with the disease suggests an important role for both humoral and cell-mediated immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of this disease. The glutamate receptor subunit GluR3 may be an important autoantigen in the disease. (This review has been modified from a review published in Current Opinion in Neurology 1996, 9:141-145.)     

Seventh International Workshop on Ataxia-Telangiectasia

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare hereditary syndrome involving cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, cancer risk, and radiosensitivity. Since the cloning of the A-T gene, ATM, in 1995, research on this pleiotropic disease and its molecular basis has expanded tremendously. ATM is a large protein kinase that appears to be one of the primary sensors of DNA strand-break damage. The vast majority of mutations in ATM result in truncation and destabilization of the protein, but certain missense and splicing errors have been shown to result in a less severe phenotype. A-T heterozygotes have been shown to have a slightly increased risk of cancer, but their increased in vitro radiosensitivity does not seem to result in any in vivo sensitivity. ATM does seem to act as a classic tumor suppressor gene in T-prolymphocytic leukemia, and LOH at the ATM locus is a common event in some tumor types, suggesting a general role for ATM in cancer. Recent work has shown the interaction of ATM with proteins involved in cell cycle control, and the direct phosphorylation of some of these interactors by ATM. ATM knockout mice have been created by several groups, and recapitulate the immunodeficiency, radiosensitivity, cancer risk, and fertility defects of A-T, although the effect on the cerebellum is slight. These diverse topics, and their integration into a global understanding of A-T, were the basis of the 7th International A-T Workshop.