Interphase and metaphase detection of the breakpoint of 14q32 translocations in B-cell malignancies by double-color fluorescence in situ hybridization

The breakpoint of 14q32 translocations found in B-cell malignancies was delineated specifically in both metaphase spreads and interphase nuclei by double-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using bacteriophage clones containing the human immunoglobulin gamma chain gene locus (Ig gamma) and a cosmid clone, CY24-68, containing VH segments. CY24-68 is more telomeric than Ig gamma, separated by approximately 1 megabase (Mb). FISH studies were performed on four patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), one with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), one with plasma cell leukemia (PCL), and three cell lines. In each patient with t(8;14), t(14;18), and t(3;14), the signal of Ig gamma gene was observed on der(14) and that of CY24-68 at respective partner sites of these translocations, 8q24.1, 18q21.3, and 3q27. Interphase nuclei with a signal of Ig gamma clearly separated from that of CY24-68 were more frequently encountered in all of the patients (45% to 74%) than those in normal controls (4% to 5%). Even in cases where only interphase nuclei were available for FISH studies, 14q32 translocations are detected as shown in two patients each with NHL and t(11;14)-carrying PCL. In two cell lines, HS-1 derived from ALL carrying t(8;14) and FR4 derived from a plasmacytoma carrying a complex form of t(8;14), the signal of Ig gamma was observed at the breakpoint region 8q24.1 of the der(8) in addition to the der(14), indicating that translocation event occurred within the Ig gamma locus. Intense Ig gamma signal was found at the breakpoint region on the der(14)t(11;14) in HBL-2 derived from NHL, indicating amplification of the Ig gamma gene, and presumably the resultant chimeric DNA between Ig gamma and DNA sequences at 11q13. The present approach allowed us to unequivocally detect tumor-specific breakpoints of 14q32 translocations. Furthermore, interphase FISH provides a rapid diagnostic procedure to detect 14q32 translocations in B-cell malignancies.     

Biomechanical effect and clinical application of the hip joint moment reduction brace

A new brace, the hip joint moment reduction brace, has been designed and constructed. The basic construct of the brace incorporates only the thigh, and it minimally restricts one's activities of daily living. The concept of the brace is to reduce the frontal plane moment of the applied force against which the abductor muscle must contract to balance, and this reduction of the frontal plane moment results in reduction of the abductor muscle force. The brace uses the mechanism of the ischial weightbearing and lessens the abductor moment by transmitting load from the ischium through the condyle of the femur. In gait testing, the maximum ischial load taken up by the brace was 36.9% of the ground reaction force in the late stance phase, and the integrated electromyogram of the abductor muscle was reduced by 32.6% during the whole stance phase using this brace. These findings confirmed a reduction in the frontal plane moment of the hip joint and the potential for reduction in the load on the hip joint. The hip joint moment reduction brace is recommended as effective conservative management of hip disorders, such as coxarthrosis, that are caused or worsened by biomechanical insufficiency.     

A case of chronic pancreatitis complicated by massive pericardial and right pleural effusion

A 42-year-old man was admitted complaining of dyspnea. Chest X-ray showed an increase in cardiac size, and echocardiography revealed a large volume of pericardial effusion. Pancreatic enzyme levels were elevated in both serum and pericardial effusion. Computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography demonstrated a fistula connecting a pancreatic pseudocyst with the pericardium and the right pleural cavity. Massive pericardial and right pleural effusion is an extremely rare complication of chronic pancreatitis. In this case, computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography were useful for diagnosing the fistula.     

The simulation of hydrolytic polymerization of ε-caprolactam in various reactors: A simulation model for the tubular reactor with heat exchanger and its numerical solution

A concrete simulation model which deals with the hydrolytic polymerization of ε-caprolactam (CL) in the tubular reactor (TR) with the heat exchangers (HEx's) was described, and a method for its numerical solution was presented. The numerical calculations were carried out for 13 cases, where the position and number of the HEx's in the TR were varied. The effects of the HEx on the distribution of the temperature in the TR and of the characteristic data of the polymerization (the concentration of CL and number average degree of polymerization) in the TR and at the outlet of the TR were investigated. The results suggested that the HEx positioned at the upper half of the TR and the HEx positioned at the lower half of the TR are effective to narrow the temperature distribution in the TR and to produce the polymer product with narrower molecular weight distribution, respectively.     

A quorum-based protocol for searching objects in peer-to-peer networks

Peer-to-peer (P2P) system is an overlay network of peer computers without centralized servers, and many applications have been developed for such networks such as file sharing systems. Because a set of peers dynamically changes, design and verification of efficient protocols is a challenging task. In this paper, we consider an object searching problem under a resource model such that there are some replicas in a system and the lower bound of the ratio /spl rho/=n'/n is known in advance, where n' is a lower bound of the number of peers that hold original or replica for any object type and n is the total number of peers. In addition, we consider object searching with probabilistic success, i.e., for each object search, object must be found with at least probability 0相似文献   

Three-dimensional numerical computation for magnetic convection of air inside a cylinder heated and cooled isothermally from a side wall

Three-dimensional convection of air in a vertical cylinder isothermally heated and cooled from a side wall was numerically computed both in magnetic and gravity fields. A single electric coil was placed around a cylinder to generate a magnetic field. Convection was calculated for various coil levels and magnetic strengths. The gravity field, magnetic strength and Rayleigh number are shown to have substantial effect. Convection modes and heat transfer rates are also presented.     

The effect of lubricants on deep drawability of zinc-coated steel sheets

The effect of lubricants on deep drawability was studied for two types of zinc-coated steel sheets on a high-speed deep-drawing machine. The drawability of galvannealed steel sheet, GA, at low speeds is significantly improved by friction modifiers, due to reduction in frictional forces around the die radius. In contrast to the results for GA, double layered steel, GAE, which has an Fe-rich alloy coating on the top, and is superior to GA in terms of drawability, is insensitive to changes in the additives. This is mainly because the hardness of the upper coating layer of GAE decreases frictional resistance through a decline in the boundary contact area.     

Control of head smear generation by diamond-like carbon films using an external electric field

Microsystem Technologies - The formation of head smears in heat-assisted magnetic recording is a significant problem that must be addressed to ensure the reliability of the head-disk interface. In...