Chronic myelocytic leukemia: eosinophils involved in the malignant clone

Chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) is a clonal disorder involving neutrophil, monocyte, erythrocyte, and platelet precursors. In order to determine if the eosinophils are also involved in the leukemic clone, we purified the eosinophils from a woman heterozygous for the common electrophoretic variants of the G6PD gene. Only type B enzyme was demonstrable in the eosinophils, neutrophils, and red cells, but both A and B enzymes were found in the fibroblasts. The data provide evidence that the eosinophil is involved in the malignant clone.     

Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors after renal transplantation: a step towards reducing graft failure

Background

Prolongation of renal allograft survival a considerable challenge. The primary cause of renal graft failure is recipient death and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality. We assessed the management of hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus (DM) in a protocol-driven renal transplant clinic.

Methods

We reviewed 128 patients who received a renal allograft between 2004 and 2008 at our institution. Blood pressure (BP), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and hemoglobin AlC (HbAlC) were assessed annually for up to 5 years. Results were compared with the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guidelines which target BP at ≤ 130/80 mmHg, LDL ≤ 100 mg/dL, and HbAlC ≤ 7.5%. Use of statins and antihypertensive medications was reviewed. Chi-square and t tests were used for analysis.

Results

A history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and DM were present in 96.1%, 60.9%, and 43.8%, respectively. The percentage of patients on ≥3 antihypertensive medications, statins, and other lipid-lowering medications were 38.01%, 44.5%, and 17.2%, respectively. One-year posttransplant targets for BP, LDL, and HbAlC were achieved in 41.4%, 71.7%, and 70.5% of patients, respectively. Five-year posttransplant target BP, LDL, and HbAlC were achieved in 55%, 91.7%, and 88.9% of patients, respectively.

Conclusions

Even in a university-based clinic with protocols designed to improve compliance, treatment goals for BP, LDL, and HbAlC were not achieved in a substantial number of patients, especially in the first year posttransplantation. Better strategies are needed to meet treatment objectives and prevent untoward outcomes.     

A gradient in the duration of the G1 phase in the murine neocortical proliferative epithelium

Neuronogenesis in the neocortical pseudostratified ventricular epithelium (PVE) is initiated rostrolaterally and progresses caudo- medially as development progresses. Here we have measured the cytokinetic parameters and the fractional neuronal output parameter, Q, of laterally located early-maturing regions over the principal embryonic days (E12-E15) of neocortical neuronogenesis in the mouse. These measures are compared with ones previously made of a medial, late- maturing portion of the PVE. Laterally, as medially, the duration of the neuronogenetic interval is 6 days and comprises 11 integer cell cycles. Also, in both lateral and medial areas the length of G1 phase (TG1) increases nearly 4-fold and is the only cell cycle parameter to change. Q progresses essentially identically laterally and medially with respect to the succession of integer cell cycles. Most importantly, from E12 to E13 there is a steeply declining lateral to medial gradient in TG1. The gradient is due both to the lateral to medial graded stage of neuronogenesis and to the stepwise increase in TG1 with each integer cycle during the neuronogenetic interval. To our knowledge this gradient in TG1 of the cerebral PVE is the first cell biological gradient to be demonstrated experimentally in such an extensive proliferative epithelial sheet. We suggest that this gradient in TG1 is the cellular mechanism for positionally encoding a protomap of the neocortex within the PVE.      

神经肽DGAVP和Org2766对神经细胞内游离Ca2+的影响

运用Ca²⁺指示剂Fura-2作为细胞内钙离子的荧光探针,利用AR—CM—MIC阳离子测定系统,检测了分离的神经细胞内游离钙及其变化,并观测了DGAVP和Org2766对蛋白质合成抑制剂茴香霉素(ANI)引起细胞内钙离子浓度([Ca²⁺]_i)变化的影响。结果表明茴香霉素可使[Ca²⁺]_i显著升高,且有量效关系;DGAVP本身并不引起[Ca²⁺]_i发生显著变化,但适当剂量的DGAVP可显著对抗一定剂量范围内ANI升高[Ca²⁺]_i的作用,提示DGAVP对抗ANI的蛋白质合成抑制效应可能是通过拮抗ANI升高[Ca²⁺]_i这一途径实现的,另一神经肽Org2766则可能不是通过这一机制发生作用。从细胞内Ca²⁺的角度看,这两种肽的作用机理显然是不同的。