Studies of the influence of alloying elements on the growth of ferrite from austenite under decarburization conditions: Fe-C-Nl alloys

We have evaluated controlled decarburization as a method for probing the effect of alloying elements on ferrite growth from austenite. The technique permits the exploration of longer-time ferrite layer growth; it minimizes the effects of interface structure on ferrite growth; and it permits the isolation of the effects of temperature and alloying element concentration on ferrite/austenite interface motion. The study of the decarburization of initially homogeneous Fe-C-Ni alloys was complemented by experiments using specimens with a controlled nickel concentration gradient. Although the decarburization method yields consistent results at longer times, it is found to be less appropriate for the study of initial ferrite growth. Nucleation in the gas/solid interface region, coupled with uncertainties about the precise time of decarburization, leads to large relative errors at the earliest times. For these reasons, the method is considered a valuable complement to studies based on precipitation boundary conditions. This article is based on a presentation given in the symposium “The Effects of Alloying Elements on the Gamma to Alpha Transformation in Steels,” October 6, 2002, at the TMS Fall Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, under the auspices of the McMaster Centre for Steel Research and the TMS-ASM Phase Transformations Committee.     

Simplified method for the measurement of segmental colonic transit time

Segmental colonic transit has been measured in 101 patients. Two MBq of 111Indium absorbed on resin pellets and encapsulated in an enteric coated capsule was given at 7 00 am. Hourly images during the first day, and three images during each subsequent day were acquired for up to three days. Using all scan and patient data the scans were categorised in one of the five patterns of colonic transit: normal, rapid, right delay, left delay, or generalised delay. The geometric centres and per cent activity at each time point was compared between the five groups of colonic transit patients to find the best time for imaging and so to distinguish the five groups. During the first day, early images did not help in diagnosis of patterns of transit, however, in the later images (six hours onwards after the ingestion of the activity) the rapid transit groups could be identified. Images at 27 and 51 hours were both required to distinguish all five groups of patients from each other. Only in the 'normal' transit patients was there some excretion of the activity during the course of the second day, otherwise there was no difference in the images taken in the course of a day (second or third day). A simplified protocol requires a minimum of three images to distinguish all five patterns of colonic transit. The activity should be ingested in the morning (7 00 am) and the first image taken at the end of the working day (8-10 hours after ingestion), the second image on the morning of the second day, and the third image during the course of the third day. This simple protocol would provide all the clinically relevant information necessary for correct classification of the colonic transit.     

Postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin appears to improve locoregional control of advanced, resectable head and neck cancers: RTOG 88-24

PURPOSE: Despite aggressive surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, only 30% of patients who have advanced, potentially resectable carcinomas of the head and neck survive for 5 years. In the hope of improving this situation we studied the effect of postoperative radiotherapy delivered concurrently with cisplatin. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients who had Stage IV tumors and/or involved surgical margins received 60 Gy in 30 fractions over 6 weeks plus 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin on radiotherapy days 1, 23 and 43. Fifty-two patients participated in this trial and 51 were evaluated. Forty-three (84%) patients had pathologic T3 or T4 disease, 43 (84%) had Stage IV disease, and 27 (53%) had histologically involved surgical margins. RESULTS: Severe and life-threatening toxicities occurred in 20% and 12% of patients, respectively; the most common drug-related toxicities were leukopenia, anemia, nausea, and vomiting. Seventeen patients (43%) remain alive with no evidence of disease. Four patients (8%) died with no evidence of neoplastic disease, and one patient has died of a second independent malignancy. By actuarial analysis at 3 years, 48% of patients are alive, 81% have locoregional control of disease, and 57% are free of distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Based on comparison with similar patients treated in a prior Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/Intergroup trial (RTOG), we conclude that postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin may improve locoregional control rates and should be prospectively tested.     

Effect of exercise and dietary restraint on energy intake of reduced-obese women

Self-selected food intake of 15 reduced-obese women living in a metabolic ward was studied for 14 consecutive days to determine the effect of exercise and other metabolic and behavioral variables on energy intake. A choice of prepared food items were offered at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a variety of additional food items were available continuously 24 h/day. Subjects performed either moderate intensity aerobic exercise (A-EX) (n = 8) expending 354 +/- 76 kcal/session or low intensity resistance weight training (R-EX)(n =7) expending 96 +/- kcal/session, 5 days/week. Mean energy intakes (kcal/day, +/- SEM) of the exercise groups were similar: 1867 +/- 275 for A-EX, 1889 +/- 294 for R-EX. Mean energy intakes of individuals ranged from 49 to 157% of the predetermined level required for weight maintenance. Resting metabolic rate per kg 0.75 and the Eating Inventory hunger score contributed significantly to the between subject variance in energy intake, whereas exercise energy expenditure did not. Regardless of exercise, eight women consistently restricted their energy intake (undereaters), and seven other consumed excess energy (overeaters). Overeaters were distinguished by higher Eating Inventory disinhibition (P = 0.023) and hunger (p = 0.004) scores. The overeaters' diet had a higher fat content 34 +/- 1% (p = 0.007). Also, overeaters took a larger percentage of their daily energy, than that of undereaters, 27 +/- 1 energy intake in the evening, 13 +/- 2%, compared to undereaters, 7 +/- 1% (p = 0.005). We conclude that the Eating Inventory is useful for identifying reduced-obese women at risk of overeating, and these individuals may benefit from dietary counseling aimed at reducing fat intake and evening snacking.     

Laparoscopic distal resection of the pancreas with the preservation of the spleen

Management of the pancreatic diseases is still a challenge to the laparoscopic technique. Some experience has been gained in the laparoscopic exploration of the pancreas and staging in cancer. Anatomically the accessibility of the distal pancreas provides the laparoscopic approach technically feasible. Patient and method: A case of insuloma in the tail of the pancreas is presented, where distal pancreatic resection was performed laparoscopically with the preservation of the spleen. In a 55 years old female patient with typical clinical symptoms of hyperinsulinism CT identified a 3 cm large solid tumor in the tail of the pancreas. Complete mobilization of the distal pancreas was enhanced by the use of an ultrasonic dissector (UltraCision). The pancreas is detached from the splenic hilum after dividing the spleen vessels. The pancreas is transected proximally by laparoscopic linear stapler. Preservation of the short gastric vessels provides the necessary blood supply of the spleen following division of the splenic artery and vein. Thus removal of the spleen is not a necessary step in this procedure. The operation was carried out within 4.5 hours. Postoperative course was uneventful, the patient left the hospital on the 5th postoperative day. Advantages of the procedure were the earlier mobilization and shorter recovery time, less postoperative pain. The procedure can be safely performed with a good experience in both pancreatic and laparoscopic surgery.     

Incorporating social support into a community-wide smoking-cessation contest

Exposure to foreign particles sometimes causes inflammatory reactions through production of cytokines and chemoattractants by phagocytic cells. In this study, we focused on macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) to evaluate its pathophysiological role in the phagocytic process. Immunohistochemical analysis of human pseudosynovial tissues retrieved at revision of total hip arthroplasty showed that infiltrating mononuclear and multinuclear cells were positively stained by both an anti-CD68 antibody and anti-human MIF antibody. For in vitro study, MIF was released from murine macrophage-like cells (RAW 264.7) in response to phagocytosis of fluorescent-latex beads in a particle dose-dependent manner. Northern blot analysis showed marked elevation of the MIF mRNA level in the phagocytic macrophage-like cells. Moreover, pretreatment of RAW 264.7 cells with rat recombinant MIF increased the extent of phagocytosis by 1.6-fold compared with the control. Taken together, these results suggest that MIF plays an important role by activating macrophages in autocrine and paracrine fashion to phagocytose foreign particles.     

Innervation of VIP-immunoreactive neurons by the ventroposteromedial thalamic nucleus in the barrel cortex of the rat

We investigated the synaptic terminals of fibers originating in the ventroposteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPM) and projecting to the main input layers (IV/III) of the rat posteromedial barrel subfield. It was our aim to determine whether or not the subpopulation of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-immunoreactive neurons in these layers are directly innervated by the sensory thalamus. Anterograde tracing with Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) and immunohistochemistry for VIP were combined for correlated light and electron microscopic examination. Columns of cortical tissue were well defined by barrel-like patches of PHA-L-labeled fibers and boutons in layers IV and III. Within these columns VIP-immunoreactive perikarya were located mainly in supragranular layers. Marked perikarya were also seen in infragranular layers, but their immunoreactivity was often weaker. Granular layer IV, which is the main terminal field for thalamic fibers, contained fewer VIP neurons than supragranular layers. In the light microscope, however, PHA-L-labeled fibers appeared to contact the somata or proximal dendrites of 60-86% of the layer IV VIP neurons . By contrast, only 18-35% of the VIP neurons in the supragranular layers, which receive a moderately dense projection from the VPM, appeared to be contacted. PHA-L-labeled boutons were seen close to 13-25% of infragranular VIP-positive cells. Electron microscopy showed that thalamic fibers formed at most four asymmetric synapses on a single layer IV, VIP-positive neuron. Although the proportion of VIP-positive neurons with labeled synapses was lower in supragranular layers, most of them shared multiple asymmetric synapses with labeled thalamic fibers. Up to six labeled synapses were seen on individual VIP neurons in layer III. We conclude that subpopulations of VIP-immunoreactive neurons, located in layers IV, III, and II are directly innervated by the VPM. These neurons may be involved in the initial stages of cortical processing of sensory information from the large, mystacial vibrissae. Since VIP is known to be colocalized with the inhibitory transmitter GABA, it is likely that VIP neurons participate in the shaping of the receptive fields in the barrel cortex.     

Hereditary spherocytosis: diagnostic and anaemia-associated aberrations of ghost proteins

Various disorders of the red cell skeleton and membrane have been described in hereditary spherocytosis. To elucidate which aberrations could be used for identification of HS patients in a Danish population, we examined ghosts from 17 HS patients and 20 normals by use of SDS-gel scanning, native spectrin extraction, and limited tryptic digestion. Compared to normals, HS patients had significantly lowered alpha-spectrin (p < 0.004), protein 4.2 (p < 0.025), and actin (p < 0.05), and significantly increased anion-transporter (p < 3 x 10(-6)) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PD, p < 0.04). Sixteen out of 17 HS patients could be identified by aberrations of the anion-transporter or protein 4.2 outside a 95% confidence interval for normals. Extraction of native spectrin and limited tryptic digest showed no difference between normals and HS patients. RBC separated into young and old fractions were used to examine the occurrence of protein aberrations associated with RBC age. Young RBC contained more G3PD (35%) and less protein 4.1 (6.5%) and actin (8.7%) than old. In male HS patients an increased G3PD content showed a linear correlation (p < 0.001) with a low concentration of blood haemoglobin. We conclude that aberrations of G3PD, and possibly protein 4.1, and actin, are associated with anaemia in HS. Increased anion-transporter or lowered protein 4.2 may be useful for diagnosis of HS, and were inherited in five out of six families where two generations were available.     

Pleiotrophin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation in NIH 3T3 and NB41A3 cells

Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a heparin-binding cytokine that functions as a neurite outgrowth promoting and mitogenic activity in vitro. PTN is highly conserved and its gene is widely expressed in mammalian tissues during development, suggesting important roles of PTN in vivo. However, the mechanisms by which PTN mediates its functional activities are unknown. We now report that an approximately 200 kDa (p200) protein is phosphorylated (pp200) in PTN stimulated NIH 3T3 and NB41A3 cells five minutes after stimulation with PTN. Phosphorylation is maximum at 15 minutes and is PTN concentration dependent. pp200 is recognized by antiphosphotyrosine antibodies and contains both phosphotyrosine and phosphoserine by phosphoamino acid analysis. The results suggest that PTN functions in part through activation of protein kinase(s) in NIH 3T3 and NB41A3 cells.