Prognosis of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy for superficial bladder cancer by immunological urinary measurements: statistically weighted syndrome analysis

PURPOSE: The goal of this research was to discover new biological indicators in urine which could be used for short-term prognosis of local Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy outcome in patients with superficial bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We measured and statistically evaluated soluble immunological molecules in urine from bladder cancer patients (n = 34) receiving BCG intravesically. Urine was collected following each of 6 weekly treatments, processed and assayed. The data base included measurements of interleukin-1 (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), soluble CD14 (sCD14), interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), GM-CSF, volume of urine and its pH. The clinical response was evaluated by urine histology and random quadrant biopsy 3 months after the start of therapy. Patients were divided into 2 groups, with good and poor therapeutic effect. The initial complete response rate was 62% (21/34). The data base was analyzed using traditional multivariate statistical methods and a pattern recognition method which deals with combinatorial-statistical analysis (statistically weighted syndromes (SWS) method) of the gradated features. The SWS method is capable of identifying robust patterns in small "fuzzy" sets with high dimensional objects and some missing values. RESULTS: Only one parameter gave significant differences at p < 0.05, GM-CSF at instillation 6. Repeated measurement analysis of variance, backward stepwise multiple logistic regression and linear discriminant analysis failed to show any significance. However, significant differences in the structure of correlation between features in the groups with and without therapeutic effect were observed and four highly informative variables (the masses of sICAM-1, TNF alpha, sCD14 and pH) relating to 5th-6th installations were selected by SWS. These features provided accurate individual prediction of therapeutic outcome for all our patients. Cross-validation analysis and computer simulation showed the statistically significant stability of the prediction. CONCLUSION: We have selected a set of urinary variables that could be considered as a perspective combination of indicators (syndromes) of outcome of pre-operation BCG therapy of patients with superficial bladder cancer. A larger patient database will provide testing and evaluation of the biological and clinical significance of selected features. The computational syndrome-disease approach should be applicable for the solution of decision-making problems for management of cancer.     

Polarized infrared and neutron scattering studies of α-Bi2O3

Studies on the lattice dynamics of -Bi₂O₃ have been performed including IR polarized reflectance spectra on single crystal, inelastic neutron scattering and specific heat measurements. Dispersion parameters and polarizations of IR-active phonons are presented and compared with neutron and specific heat data.     

The morphological mechanism of the development of myosatellitocytes from the structural elements of the muscle fiber during increased functional activity of the skeletal muscles

Under increased muscular activity in some muscular fibers disintegration areas of myofibrillar apparatus has been revealed. Migration of myonuclei into these microregions starts the mechanism of their segregation due to plasmolemma produced from the reticulum sarcoplasmaticum and triad systems surface. After plasmolemma production in "sarcocytes" intensive development and differentiation of organellae occur. As a result of differentiation "sarcocytes" transform in to myosatellitocytes of type-2 and migrate under lamina externa muscular fibers. So, a hypothesis about formation of myogenic tissue's cellular phase from the myosymplastic one has been confirmed.     

Action of levorin on glucose transport in the rat small intestine

The technique of accumulating preparation of the mucosa and "turned out sac" was used to show that levorin, a polyenic antibiotic in a concentration of 10(-6) M, lowered the transport rate and accumulation of glucose by the epithelial cells of the rat thin intestine under conditions of oxygenation. Suppression of the glucose transport in the first stages resulted in partial inhibition of the transmembrane transfer. It is suggested that levorin suppression of the glucose transport through the erythrocyte apical membrane in the thin intestine is associated with a decrease in the electrochemical gradient of Na+.     

Stability of the polyribosomes of Blakeslea trispora Thaxter during normal translation, its stimulation and inhibition

beta-Ionone is found to stimulate considerably carotinoids synthesis in Blakeslea trispora. The stabilization of carotene-synthesizing ability of B. trispora in the presence of beta-ionine under prolonged incubation time is observed. Stabilization of polyribosomes in the presence of beta-ionine is observed when studying polyribosome content in B. trispora. A hypothesis is expressed on the existence of biochemical "receptors" as a linkage between synthesized protein and destroying mRNA.     

Determination of fibrin and fibrinogen split products by their anticoagulant activity

A new diagnostic method to determine fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products is based on the fact that high-molecular fragments acting as specific inhibitors of fibrin self-assembly compose these products. Fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products are detected and determined quantitatively by prolongation of coagulation time in the test with the standard monomeric fibrin. The number of units of anticoagulating activity in the studied urine are the results of the determinations. Sensitivity of the method if necessary may be increased by adding of a certain amount of the fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products to the test that makes a favourable background for the action of the products. The method is rather sensitive, reliable and simple. It may be used in ordinary clinical laboratories. The method proved to be quite satisfactory when testing renal diseases at the clinic. It is of great significance for early detection of the transplanted kidney rejection. The new method is compared with the known immunological method which consist in determination of the inhibitory effect of the fibrinogen and fibrin splitting products on agglutination of erythrocytes of specific antibodies; the erythrocytes being subjected to "tanning" and "loading" with fibrinogen. A satisfactory correlation is found between the results of two methods.     

A method of extending the dynamic range when transferring the dimensions of the unit of electrostatic field strength

Two equivalent methods of extending the dynamic range when transferring the dimensions of the unit of electrostatic field strength are proposed and analyzed. Both methods are based on the fact that the electrostatic field strength depends on the parameters of the electrostatic field generator and the position of the point of observation. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 49–51, May, 2006.