Cyclin D1 overexpression in malignant lymphomas

Cyclin D1, the regulatory subunit of certain protein kinases thought to advance the G1 phase of the cell cycle, is now established as a proto-oncogene, with evidence indicating that its derangement may contribute to the uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of tumors. The chromosomal translocation t(11;14)(q13:q32), involving rearrangement of the BCL-1 locus, is closely associated with human lymphoid neoplasia affecting mantle cell lymphomas (MCL). Recently, the putative BCL-1 proto-oncogene turned out to be none other than the cyclin D1 gene. Although the observed break points in the BCL-1 locus are not tightly clustered, its rearrangement has been documented in 40-70% of cases of mantle cell lymphoma, whereas it only rarely occurs in other B cell lymphomas. Of note, all of the known break points leave the cyclin D1 coding region structurally intact and result in increased protein expression, implying that this may provide a highly sensitive and specific marker for MCL. Recent studies demonstrated that immunohistochemical detection in paraffin-embedded material, using a monoclonal antibody, is very useful for routine diagnosis. Current knowledge of cyclin D1 overexpression in malignant lymphomas, with emphasis on its clinicopathologic significance, is reviewed.     

Treatment approaches following foot and ankle injury

A complete and effective rehabilitation program begins with a thorough subjective and objective evaluation of the problem and injury presented. Biomechanical changes, whether they are anatomically induced or as a result of a form of compensation, must be identified and properly addressed. During the initial phase of rehabilitation, the issues of pain and swelling often must be resolved before full range of motion and return to normal strength can be achieved successfully during the more advanced stages. It is important to incorporate the entire lower quadrant in exercises that are designed to improve proprioception and function, using both in open and closed kinetic chain exercises. Finally, the demands to which the patient is returning to must be recognized to successfully complete the recovery phase.     

Small increase of CR1 and CR3 by C5a-receptors on polymorphonuclear leukocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus

One of the anaphylatoxins, C5a, is known to increase the expression of the complement receptors, CR1 and CR3, on PMNs which play important roles in the phagocytosis. We measured the expression of these receptors before and after the stimulation with C5a and C5a-receptors (C5aR) on PMNs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). PMNs from 16 patients and 11 normal controls were tested. All the patients with SLE were administered with prednisolone orally and were in the inactive stage. The CR1 expression in SLE was significantly weak (p < 0.01) before and after stimulation with 4.55 nM (50 micrograms/ml) of C5a. There was no significant difference of CR3 expression before stimulation. However, after the stimulation with C5a, the increase of CR3 on PMNs from SLE was significantly small (p < 0.01). C5aR on PMNs showed no difference between the two groups. However, the expression of C5aR was significantly suppressed in patients treated with a high dosage of prednisolone (> = 10 mg/day) compared to those with a low dosage of prednisolone (< 10 mg/day). There was no significant difference of CR1 and CR3 expression between these groups. It is concluded that the increase of CR1 and CR3 on PMNs by C5a in small in SLE, of which impaired increase is not due to C5aR on PMNs, and that the expression of C5aR is suppressed by prednisolone.     

Endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux in patients with myelodysplasia

PURPOSE: We assessed the usefulness of and indications for endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux in myelodysplasia patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 26 patients treated with intermittent catheterization was divided into 11 (16 ureters) with and 15 without vesicoureteral reflux. In 9 patients (13 ureters) endoscopic correction was performed with 3% atelo-collagen and without anesthesia at the outpatient clinic. In each ureter we obtained the sum of scores for 4 risk factors for upper urinary tract deterioration: bladder compliance less than 10 ml./cm. water, grade 2 to 3 bladder deformity, detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia and urethral closure pressure 50 cm. water or greater. RESULTS: No reflux was demonstrated immediately after the initial collagen injection but cystography 3 to 6 months later showed recurrent reflux in 5 ureters (38%). Repeat injection cured the reflux, with results persisting for an average of 17 months. Mean risk factor score for patients without vesicoureteral reflux was significantly lower than that for patients with reflux. In patients treated with intermittent catheterization and anticholinergic agents the mean score for ureters with an increased or unchanged reflux grade was significantly greater than for those with a decreased grade. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic treatment of reflux appears to be safe and useful in patients with myelodysplasia. The treatment is preferable in those with high risk factor scores due to the possibility of increased reflux grade in such patients.     

Experience with the antibiotic resistance analysis and DNA fingerprinting in tracking faecal pollution at two lake beaches.

Posting or closing of swimming beaches because of faecal contamination is a widespread problem reported in many locations. In a risk-based approach to this problem, the risk to swimmers' health is assessed by field monitoring of indicator bacteria and the associated risks are managed by source controls and other remedial measures. In risk assessment, great advances have been made in recent years with the introduction of microbial source tracking (MST) techniques. Two such techniques, antibiotic resistance analysis and DNA fingerprinting, were applied in a study of causes of faecal contamination at two lake beaches in Toronto, Ontario. Both methods identified bird faeces as the dominant sources of E. coli. Coping with this type of pollution presents a major environmental challenge.     

Laboratory study of air-water-coal combustion product (fly ash and FGD solid) mercury exchange

Recent laboratory research has indicated that coal fly ash derived from subbituminous and bituminous type coals is a sink for atmospheric mercury (Hg), however lignite-based ash was found to emit Hg to the air. Solids collected from systems with components that enhance Hg removal (i.e. activated carbon injection (ACI), flue gas desulfurization (FGD), and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)) may have higher Hg concentrations and therefore a higher potential for Hg release. For this study we investigated the potential for Hg release to the air and water from coal combustion products (CCPs) collected from coal-fired units with FGD equipment, SCR and SNCR equipment, and sorbent injection for Hg removal. In the laboratory study, most dry samples acted as sinks for atmospheric Hg in the dark at 25 °C. When exposed to light or increased temperature (45 °C), deposition of Hg to the fly ash substrates in most cases continued but decreased. Wet FGD samples emitted Hg. However, they became a sink for atmospheric Hg or exhibited low Hg emission rates when dried. Mercury flux in the dark at 25 °C was correlated with fly ash carbon content (LOI). Most liquid extracts derived using the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP EPA method 1312) had very low Hg concentrations (<13 ng/l).     

Face relighting using discriminative 2D spherical spaces for face recognition

As part of the face recognition task in a robust security system, we propose a novel approach for the illumination recovery of faces with cast shadows and specularities. Given a single 2D face image, we relight the face object by extracting the nine spherical harmonic bases and the face spherical illumination coefficients by using the face spherical spaces properties. First, an illumination training database is generated by computing the properties of the spherical spaces out of face albedo and normal values estimated from 2D training images. The training database is then discriminately divided into two directions in terms of the illumination quality and light direction of each image. Based on the generated multi-level illumination discriminative training space, we analyze the target face pixels and compare them with the appropriate training subspace using pre-generated tiles. When designing the framework, practical real-time processing speed and small image size were considered. In contrast to other approaches, our technique requires neither 3D face models nor restricted illumination conditions for the training process. Furthermore, the proposed approach uses one single face image to estimate the face albedo and face spherical spaces. In this work, we also provide the results of a series of experiments performed on publicly available databases to show the significant improvements in the face recognition rates.     

Electrochromic properties of alkylviologen-cyclodextrin systems

Electrochromic properties of methyl, ethyl, n-hexyl and n-heptyl viologens, and -, -, -cyclodextrin systems were studied using cyclic voltammetry and absorption spectroscopy. Colourations of red-violet ( _max = 530 or 560 nm), blue ( _max = 600nm) and light purple ( _max = 560 and 600 nm) could be obtained by changing the length of the alkyl chain of viologens or the radius of cyclodextrin. The intermolecular interaction between viologen radicals is weakened when the radicals form inclusion complexes so the blue colour inherent in the monomer of viologen radical appears. The red-violet colour is ascribed to the dimer of the reduced viologen. With the addition of -cyclodextrin, viologens were found to be included as dimer. The light purple colour is ascribed to the mixed colour of the monomer and the dimer. Furthermore, since the ratio of monomer and dimer depends upon the concentration of cyclodextrin, any colour between the red-violet of the dimer and the blue of the monomer can be obtained by adjusting the concentration of cyclodextrin. The redox reaction of an inclusion complex was found to depend upon the length of the alkyl viologen and the size of the cavity in cyclodextrin.     

Local structure and concentration in Al-Mn alloy electrodeposits

The structures of f.c.c. crystalline and amorphous phases coexisting in Al-Mn alloy electrodeposits containing 11–30 wt% were examined by using the grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) method, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (HRTEM/EDS), and the manganese K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) technique. The amorphous and f.c.c. phases were homogeneously distributed in the through-thickness direction of the electrodeposits, although the amorphous phase increased and the f.c.c. phase decreased with increasing manganese total concentration. The decrease of Mn-content in the f.c.c. crystalline phases with increasing manganese total concentration was revealed by the lattice constant measurement of the f.c.c. crystalline phase. This result was also supported by the microarea elemental analysis by HRTEM/EDS. The EXAFS result has indicated that the manganese local structures in the amorphous phases are almost identical in different manganese total concentration electrodeposits. This suggests that the Mn-content in the amorphous phases hardly changes with increasing manganese total concentration. These results have revealed that a peculiar elemental partition occurs in the amorphous and crystalline phases of Al-Mn alloy electrodeposits.     

Melt viscosity and flow birefringence of polycarbonate

Melt viscosity and flow birefringence of bisphenol A-type polycarbonate were measured and analyzed by the application of rubber-like photoelastic theory. The melt viscosity in the Newtonian flow region increased with the molecular weight to the power of 3.4. In polycarbonate, the shear stress of the Newtonian flow region was to 10⁶ dyn/cm², whereas in PMMA it was at most 3 = 10⁵ dyn/cm². The flow birefringence δn has a linear relation with shear stress S, that is δn = 5.7 × 10^?10 S. The principal polarization difference of flow unit α₁ – α₂ was 1.62 × 10^?23 cm³, which was obtained by the application of the rubber-like elastic theory. In PMMA, it was 3.9 = 10^?25 cm³; about 1/40 of that was polycarbonate. The anisotropy of polarizability of the flow unit of polycarbonate was also about 40 times larger than that of PMMA. So the anisotropy reflected the large flow birefringence of the polycarbonate.