Bone Marrow Microenvironment as a Source of New Drug Targets for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease with one of the worst survival rates of all cancers. The bone marrow microenvironment is increasingly being recognised as an important mediator of AML chemoresistance and relapse, supporting leukaemia stem cell survival through interactions among stromal, haematopoietic progenitor and leukaemic cells. Traditional therapies targeting leukaemic cells have failed to improve long term survival rates, and as such, the bone marrow niche has become a promising new source of potential therapeutic targets, particularly for relapsed and refractory AML. This review briefly discusses the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in AML development and progression, and as a source of novel therapeutic targets for AML. The main focus of this review is on drugs that modulate/target this bone marrow microenvironment and have been examined in in vivo models or clinically.     

A 0.15-μm 60-GHz high-power composite channel GaInAs/InP HEMTwith low gate current

This letter presents recent improvements and experimental results provided by GaInAs/InP composite channel high electron mobility transistors (HEMT). The devices exhibit good dc and rf performance. The 0.15-μm gate length devices have saturation current density of 750 mA/mm at V_GS=+0 V. The Schottky characteristic is a typical reverse gate-to-drain breakdown voltage of -8 V. Gate current issued from impact ionization has been studied in these devices, in the first instance, versus drain extension. At 60 GHz, an output power of 385 mW/mm has been obtained in such a device with a 5.3 dB linear gain and 41% drain efficiency which constitutes the state-of-the-art. These results studied are the first reported for a composite channel Al_0.65In_0.35As/Ga_0.47In_0.53 As/InP HEMT on an InP substrate     

Extensions to the hybrid method of moments/uniform GTD formulationfor sources located close to a smooth convex surface

We present an extension to the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) for reflection from smooth curved surfaces. This approach allows the source to be much closer to the reflecting surface than the conventional uniform GTD formulation and does not require a Hertzian dipole source. In essence, the field point is mirrored in the plane tangential to the specular (reflection) point; the incident field is then calculated at the mirror point and the uniform GTD reflection coefficients are used to mirror this field to the original field point. This formulation reduces exactly to the conventional uniform GTD if the incident field is ray optical. The application to a hybrid method of moments (MoM)/GTD code is outlined and results computed using this code are presented for a dipole radiating in the vicinity of a cylinder     

The process of psychotherapy: An essential element.

Describes an essential cognitive element that determines the course of successful psychotherapy. The origin of the structure and function of this element depends on biological and social factors present during the developmental years. Its functioning in the process of psychotherapy depends on the freedom of the person seeking help to participate actively and to have some responsibility for direction. Three identifiable stages characterize its function: (1) perceptual-explorative (trial-and-error behavior), (2) provenience-causative (perceptual distortion and search for origin or cause of the problem), and (3) hypothetico-deductive (development of hypotheses leading to solution). Attention to this essential element reveals points of progress during therapy, deficits causing delays or blocks in progress, importance of cognitive ability in the process, and a base for empirical investigations of the process of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Profiles of steroid hormones in beef from steers implanted with Synovex-S (estradiol benzoate and progesterone) in comparison to control steers

 Profiles of steroid hormones (androgens, estrogens, progestogens and corticoids), their precursors and metabolites were analyzed in nine beef samples obtained from steers which had received the anabolic implant Synovex-S (200 mg progesterone plus 20 mg estradiol benzoate) and in nine samples from control steers. Analysis of phenolic steroids was performed by enzyme immunoassay after separation by HPLC. Neutral steroids were determined by GC-MS. Concentrations of the hormones progesterone and 17β-estradiol, of their precursors and metabolites (pregnenolone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, epitestosterone, α-androsterone, 17α-estradiol, and estrone) and of the corticosteroids cortisone and hydrocortisone did not differ significantly between treatments (P>0.05) but the ratio of 17β-estradiol to its metabolites and the cortisone/hydrocortisone ratio were significantly higher in beef from treated steers (P<0.01). Concentrations of testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone were below the determination limits (10 ng/kg and 20 ng/kg, respectively) in both treated and control steers.     

Compact range radar cross-section measurements using a noise radar

This paper discusses the measurement of radar cross section (RCS) with a very low-cost system that transmits band-limited random noise over the band from 1.0 to 4.0 GHz. The received signal is correlated with a delayed version of the transmitted signal. A variable delay line is used to obtain the response at various delay times. This yields the radar target impulse response as a function of delay. This can be transformed to yield both the amplitude and phase of the scattering matrix in the frequency domain     

Comparison of steroid hormone patterns in different fat tissues of Synovex-S implanted and control steers

Four different adipose tissues (kidney fat, heart fat, fat over rib, tailhead fat) of six control and seven Synovex-S (containing progesterone and 17#-estradiol benzoate)-implanted steers were investigated for their profiles of progesterone, androgens, and their precursors and metabolites. The steers were implanted with Synovex-S and slaughtered after 84 days. The tissues represent different bovine depot fats. Kidney and heart fat deposit at an earlier stage of development than the other subcutaneous fat tissues was investigated. Androgens, their precursors and progesterone were analysed by GC-MS. Estrogens could not be detected by GC-MS. Resulting hormone patterns were compared between treatments and between fat depots. The statistical Kruskal-Wallis-H-test was used for comparison. The adipose tissues showed similar hormone patterns. Only progesterone showed an increased concentration in adipose tissues of implanted steers. The steroid patterns did not show the influence of exogenous steroid administration.     

60-GHz high power performance In/sub 0.35/Al/sub 0.65/As-In/sub 0-35/Ga/sub 0.65/As metamorphic HEMTs on GaAs

We report on a double-pulse doped, double recess In/sub 0.35/Al/sub 0.65/As-In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As metamorphic high electron mobility transistor (MHEMT) on GaAs substrate. This 0.15-/spl mu/m gate MHEMT exhibits excellent de characteristics, high current density of 750 mA/mm, extrinsic transconductance of 700 mS/mm. The on and off state breakdown are respectively of 5 and 13 V and defined It gate current density of 1 mA/mm. Power measurements at 60 GHz were performed on these devices. Biased between 2 and 5 V, they demonstrated a maximum output power of 390 mW/mm at 3.1 V of drain voltage with 2.8 dB power gain and a power added efficiency (PAE) of 18%. The output power at 1 dB gain compression is still of 300 mW/mm. Moreover, the linear power gain is of 5.2 dB. This is to our knowledge the best output power density of any MHEMT reported at this frequency.