Characterization and screening for mutations of the growth arrest-specific 11 (GAS11) and C16orf3 genes at 16q24.3 in breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Both fibroblast-mediated cytokine gene therapy and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) have proven to be efficient protocols for the recovery of bone marrow depression. In this report, the effects of fibroblast-mediated interleukin (IL)-6 gene therapy, in combination with BMT, on the recovery of irradiation-induced bone marrow depression were investigated. METHODS: NIH3T3 fibroblast cells engineered to secrete IL-6 (NIH3T3-IL-6) or NIH3T3 cells transduced with the neomycin gene (NIH3T3-Neo), in combination with 10(7), 10(6), or 10(5) syngeneic bone marrow cells, were implanted into irradiated mice. RESULTS: The platelets and white blood cells in the peripheral blood of the irradiated mice increased greatly 12 days after implantation of NIH3T3-IL-6 cells and BMT, the white blood cell counts were restored to a normal level 32 days after the combined therapy, and the platelet number was obviously higher than that in mice implanted with NIH3T3-Neo and BMT. Twenty and 25 days after the combined therapy, the mice showed accelerated recovery of colony-forming unit (CFU)-granulocyte/macrophages and CFU-megakaryocytes when compared with the mice implanted with NIH3T3-Neo cells and BMT. Ten days after lethal irradiation with gamma rays, the spleens formed more CFU-spleen in mice implanted with NIH3T3-IL-6 cells and BMT than in mice injected with phosphate-buffered saline or NIH3T3-Neo cells. Combined therapy with NIH3T3-IL-6 cell implantation and BMT delayed the survival period of the hematopoietic-depressed mice significantly when compared with therapy with NIH3T3-Neo cell implantation and BMT. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrated that the combined therapy of fibroblast-mediated IL-6 gene therapy and BMT could significantly promote the recovery of irradiation-induced hematopoietic depression.     

Apparatus for measuring physical adsorption on intact supported porous membranes

We present a non-destructive, reusable apparatus with which to measure physical adsorption isotherms of intact porous membranes. We developed a two-piece sample container to make reliable sorption measurements of porous membranes, the properties of which may differ from those of powders due to crystal intergrowth. This novel system employs a resealable container that can be immersed in a cryogenic bath, into which tubular, planar, or other porous membranes and films may be placed. Detailed sorption isotherms, including high-resolution adsorption in the low pressure (micropore-filling) region, are shown for MFI-type zeolite membranes grown on two types and configurations of α-alumina support.     

Review of Self-Relations in the Psychotherapy Process.

Reviews the book, Self-Relations in the Psychotherapy Process by J. Christopher Muran (see record 2000-16556-000). The self is alive and well and living in psychology, at least if the contributors to J. Christopher Muran's stimulating volume, Self-Relations in the Psychotherapy Process, are to be taken seriously. The self is a central construct in psychoanalytic, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral theories, but nowadays even some radical behaviorists find the self to be an important concept. Thus, the present is a propitious time for a book that presents the major theoretical approaches to the self in psychotherapy and, fortunately for us, Muran, by gathering the views of leading psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, and radical behavioral thinkers, has assembled a volume of almost uniformly high quality. Inspired by postmodernism, especially by the growing popularity of dialogic and perspectival epistemologies, Muran has a constructed this book as a set of six dialogues among contributors of varying theoretical persuasions, and although I doubt that dialogic and perspectival epistemologies are necessarily postmodern, I nevertheless find that this volume's dialogic structure makes for interesting reading and adds to its intellectual contributions. Because Muran's contention, with which I agree, is that the self is not an isolated entity but rather part of a relational matrix, it is perhaps necessary for this book to be structured dialogically. Whether postmodern or not, this book is an important one, one that conveys a great deal about what it means to be human as we enter the 21st century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formation and properties of metallic organotin films

Semiconductive and conductive films of metallic appearance are formed by glow discharge of appropriate organometallic compounds. Tetramethyltin is used as a starting compound for the film-forming experiments. The resulting films contain carbon, tin and hydrogen with a carbon-to-tin atomic ratio of 2.5 or less. These films are semiconductors with conductivities between 2 × 10^-1 and $\text{1 × 10}{}^{-2}\text{Ω}{}^{-1}\text{cm}{}^{-1}$. Transmission electron microscopy shows the films to be amorphous. Films of a certain composition are transformed to β-Sn on exposure to an electron beam. Thermal treatment increases the conductivity gradually to values of about $\text{1 × 10}{}^2\text{Ω}{}^{-1}\text{cm}{}^{-1}$.     

Stress management and coping research in the health care setting: An overview and methodological commentary.

I argue that stress management and coping studies in the health care setting have not been sufficiently theoretically grounded. In particular, in formulating and evaluating intervention strategies, researchers have not adequately taken into account the nature of the stressor under study in terms of the degree to which it poses emotion-focused versus problem-focused coping demands for the individual. This theme is explored in examination of research in five essential areas: (a) effectiveness of problem- versus emotion-focused coping strategies, (b) effectiveness of interventions, (c) the role of individual difference variables, (d) timing of interventions, and (e) evaluation of treatment impact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)