Four regions of allelic imbalance on 17q12-qter associated with high-grade breast tumors

Rearrangements or loss of chromosome 17 are frequent events in breast tumors. Chromosome 17 contains at least four genes implicated in breast cancer (TP53, ERBB2 (Her2/neu), BRCA1, and NM23), as well as other putative tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes implicated in loss of heterozygosity or allelic imbalance studies. Allelic imbalance represents the addition or loss of genetic material in tumor samples, providing circumstantial evidence for the location of cancer related genes. We have analyzed a panel of 85 breast tumor/normal tissue pairs with 21 PCR-based short tandem repeat (STR) markers located at 17q12-qter to more precisely define regions of allelic imbalance and to determine their relation to clinical parameters. Our analysis revealed at least four common regions of allelic imbalance: proximal to BRCA1, including D17S800 (17q12); distal to NM23 around D17S787 (17q22); near the growth hormone (GH) locus, at D17S948 (17q23-24); and between markers D17S937 and D17S802 (17q25). These data also reveal that loss (or gain) of 17q genetic material correlates with poorly differentiated (grade III) tumors (P = < 0.001), high S phase fraction (P = 0.034), and positive TP53 immunohistochemical staining (P = 0.011). However steroid receptor status, ERBB2 (Her2/neu) staining, and aneuploidy do not correlate with allelic imbalance at 17q.     

Clinically unsuspected bilateral Aspergillus endophthalmitis

1. Of the hospital programs, 10 of 17 (41%) reported no funding requirement while only 5 of 33 (15%) school based programs reported no funding requirement. 2. Departmental funds were identified most often (N = 28) and ranked number one most often (N = 16) as the funding source for graduate student research. 3. The average level of research funding available for each student ranged from $100 to $3,500, with an average of $1,250. 4. One-half of the programs reported no change in their funding levels over the past five years. 5. Programs associated with dental schools reported more funding opportunities available to their students than programs associated with hospitals.     

Enhancing the impact of counterstereotypic information: Dispositional attributions for deviance.

Counterstereotypic behavior by a single out-group member often fails to change out-group stereotypes because it can be dismissed as an exception to the rule. The impact of the "exception" can be strengthened by making the exception appear to be a typical out-group member and by encouraging a dispositional attribution for the exception's counterstereotypic behavior. These hypotheses were supported in 3 experiments using both artificial and real social categories and both positive and negative stereotypes. When counterstereotypic behavior by a typical member of the out-group was attributed to a stable internal cause, it was effective in moderating out-group stereotypes. However, the same behavior had virtually no impact when it was either performed by an atypical group member or attributed to external causes or to unstable internal causes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparative study of farm nutrient budgets and nutrient flows of certified organic and non-organic farms in China,Brazil and Egypt

Increased demand for certified organic products has led to an increase in the number of certified organic farms in developing countries. Knowledge of farmer nutrient management practices on certified organic farms in developing countries is limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the adoption of certified organic agriculture on farm nutrient flows and nutrient budgets, and evaluate to which degree organic farms comply with organic principles relating to nutrient management. The study is based on five case studies of different types of certified organic farming systems in Brazil, Egypt and China. Farm nutrient flows and nutrient budgets for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium were created for each farm. Four of the five organic systems studied had nutrient surpluses on the farm budget. The surpluses were of varying magnitude. The main difference between organic and non-organic farm nutrient flows was the replacement of mineral fertilizers with organic inputs. However, the magnitude of nutrient flows were generally similar for organic and non-organic farms. Certified organic farms with positive nutrient budgets had a heavy reliance on external inputs. Continued high dependence on an external supply of nutrients, which typically originate from mineral sources, poses a significant challenge to organic farmers’ fulfilment of the principles of organic agriculture.     

The number of measurements of a surface’s topography and the expected variation in adhesion to the surface

Variations in roughness on a surface spawn variations in adhesion force between the surface and any particles that contact the surface. To fully characterize the adhesion that will be exhibited when a particle contacts any location on the surface, it is desirable to map the surface with nanoscale detail. Since it is impractical to make nanoscale roughness measurements over the entirety of a surface with a characteristic dimension on the order of centimeters, a relationship between the number of surface measurements and the likely variation in the expected adhesion force is similarly desirable. In this work, the predicted van der Waals force was used to describe the particle adhesion force. The bootstrap statistical method was employed to estimate the error associated with the predicted mean adhesion force between a smooth spherical particle and a rough surface as a function of the number of locations on the surface where the roughness was measured. Specifically, 40 atomic force microscope (AFM) topographical scans (5 × 5 μm) were taken of three different surfaces and used as model surface inputs to an existing van der Waals adhesion force simulator. The simulator described the expected adhesion force resulting from 1200 contacts between the smooth, spherical particle (10 μm diameter) and random locations on each scanned area. After analyzing the results using the bootstrap method, it was determined that the adhesion between the particle and 10–15 scanned areas (out of 40) optimizes the accuracy of the predicted adhesion with respect to the researcher’s labor.     

Experience with lymphatic mapping in breast cancer using isosulfan blue dye

Sentinel (first tumor-draining) lymph node (SLN) biopsy directed by the blue dye technique may be as accurate as complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in determining whether breast cancer has metastasized to the lymph nodes and may have fewer surgical complications because it is less invasive. Breast cancer patients scheduled for ALND between February and June 1997 who did not have prior axillary surgery, prior radiation therapy, or preoperative chemotherapy were included. Isosulfan blue dye was injected around the primary tumor or the biopsy cavity just before ALND. Operations were performed in a tertiary breast center by two breast surgeons who did not have experience with the technique before this study. The results of blue stained nodes were compared to those of the ALND. Blue-stained nodes were identified in 35 of 40 patients (88%), and the results were concordant with ALND in 33 of 35 (94%), 7 patients were concordant for positive results and 26 for negative results. We identified SLNs in patients whose cancers were either in the medial or lateral halves of the breast. Average time for SLN dissection was 19 +/- 9 minutes, and there were no complications. The diagnostic accuracy of the isosulfan blue dye technique for SLN biopsy, 94%, is high enough to warrant further research. The lack of complications and the short time needed to perform the technique are attractive features. Broader experience with the technique is required to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of this method.     

The growth of pain and the pain of growth.

Reviews the book, Textbook of pain by Patrick D. Wall and Ronald Melzack (1984). A clinical specialty has come of age when it is represented by a textbook of this stature. Wall and Melzack's 79-chapter Textbook of Pain attempts, as Noordenbos describes in his prologue, to represent the state of the art today, to be a guideline on how to tackle the subject, and finally, to prescribe how to act in a given situation. As a textbook, it also must accomplish these goals through chapters that are accessible to readers at less advanced levels or working in different disciplines. In this instance, the difficulty of the textbook creators' task is compounded by the nature of the specialty of studying and treating pain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)