Differential transforming growth factor-beta secretion in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Tumor cells from eight freshly isolated cervical cancers (i.e., four adenocarcinomas and four squamous carcinomas) were analyzed for their production of the immune-inhibitory cytokine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in vitro. All fresh adenocarcinomas secreted significant levels of TGF-beta (mean 397, range between 207 and 782 pg/ml/10(5) cells/48 hr). In contrast, no detectable TGF-beta was present in the supernatants from the four fresh squamous carcinoma cultures (P < 0.001). These data suggest that major differences in the secretion of the immunoinhibitory cytokine TGF-beta exist between squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the uterine cervix. Furthermore, these findings suggest that at least some of the differences in the natural biologic behavior, as well as in the response to radiation treatment, between these two histologic types of cervical cancer could be related to differences in secretion of this immune-inhibitory cytokine.     

Statistical tests of the IBM PC pseudorandom number generator

The widespread use of IBM personal computers in biomedical research and medical practice is evidenced by a variety of journal articles. Many of the application programs are written in the BASIC language, they model a stochastic process, and they depend on the Microsoft random number generator. Unfortunately, the Microsoft generator has exhibited a number of flaws including, for some seeds, a lack of uniformity of generated sequences of numbers, and serial correlation within such sequences. This paper provides evidence of these problems for several seeds, and provides suggestions for acceptable seeds which ensure that the generated sequences of numbers pass two fundamental statistical tests for randomness.     

Business climate attitudes and company relocation decisions.

A total of 438 manufacturing firms reported their business relocation activity, their overall attitude toward the business climate in Michigan, and their assessment of 34 business climate dimensions. Using a lens model paradigm, we explored reasons for a lack of relation between actual relocation decisions and overall business climate attitudes. Location decisions were most highly correlated with distance and labor considerations, whereas overall business climate was most highly correlated with tax considerations, and secondarily correlated with labor problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Isoforms p69 and p100 of 2'',5''-oligoadenylate synthetase induced differentially by interferons in vivo and in vitro

There is no better place to test life-saving resuscitation interventions than in the prehospital setting. Patients rarely survive cardiac arrest if resuscitation techniques have failed before leaving the scene. Also, paramedics are usually very experienced in key initial resuscitative techniques, and they routinely operate under strict paramilitary protocol, resulting in better study compliance. In addition, the large study populations that are derived from emergency medical services (EMS) systems lead to faster study completion and statistically stronger data. Most important, by reinforcing standardized care, rigidly scrutinized trials improve patient care, regardless of the effect of the study intervention. The success of productive EMS research centers requires routine communication between hospital and EMS administrators and their medical directors, designation of mutually acceptable data collectors who guarantee confidentiality, reciprocal exchange of study data provided as educational seminars to the hospitals, commitments to support the budget requests of an EMS program and appropriate system modifications, inclusion of EMS personnel in study design from the very beginning, prospective education of the medical community and media before protocol implementation, an authoritative grassroots medical director, and a paramedic supervisor system.     

Frontiers in research on cystic fibrosis: understanding its molecular and chemical basis and relationship to the pathogenesis of the disease

In recent years a new family of transport proteins called ABC transporters has emerged. One member of this novel family, called CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), has received special attention because of its association with the disease cystic fibrosis (CF). This is an inherited disorder affecting about 1 in 2000 Caucasians by impairing epithelial ion transport, particularly that of chloride. Death may occur in severe cases because of chronic lung infections, especially by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which cause a slow decline in pulmonary function. The prospects of ameliorating the symptoms of CF and even curing the disease were greatly heightened in 1989 following the cloning of the CFTR gene and the discovery that the mutation (deltaF508), which causes most cases of CF, is localized within a putative ATP binding/ATP hydrolysis domain. The purpose of this introductory review in this minireview series is to summarize what we and others have learned during the past eight years about the structure and function of the first nucleotide binding domain (NBF1 or NBD1) of the CFTR protein and the effect thereon of disease-causing mutations. The relationship of these new findings to the pathogenesis of CF is also discussed.