Interphase FISH for follow-up of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia treatment

BACKGROUND: Several attempts have been made to determine whether interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (I-FISH) on bone marrow or peripheral blood specimens is a good alternative to conventional cytogenetics (CC) in calculating the residual proportion of Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive cells during treatment follow-up of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients were selected for I-FISH follow-up compared to CC. All samples were also classified into 4 groups according to the percentage of residual Ph chromosome-positive metaphases analyzed in CC. I-FISH was performed using the LSI bcr/abl dual ES color probe (Vysis). RESULTS: A high correlation was observed between the frequency of Ph chromosome-positive cells, assessed by CC and I-FISH (p<0.001). A high correlation was found between CC and I-FISH for 12 patients, but not for the remaining 7. Applying the same classification for I-FISH did not show a good relationship between the two techniques (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Dual color I-FISH is a reliable method to monitor the size of the Ph chromosome-positive clone in bone marrow of treated CML patients. However, it has to be complementary to conventional cytogenetics because it cannot detect the emergence of other chromosomal abnormalities in Ph chromosome-positive or -negative cells.     

Scintigraphy with indium 111-labeled polynuclears: correlation with the extensiveness and activity of cryptogenetic enterocolitis

We have studied prospectively the usefulness of indium 111 granulocytes scanning in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Abdominal scans were performed 1 h, 3 h and 20 h after the injection of a pure autologous granulocyte preparation containing 3.7-5.5 MBq of radioindium. The extent of bowel involvement, evaluated on the 3-hour scan, was compared to the X-rays and endoscopic findings. The disease activity was assessed by the intensity of intestinal radionuclide uptake (IRU), the fecal indium 111 measurement (FIM) after a 4-day fecal collection, the decrease of the hepatic and splenic uptake (DHSU). It was compared to clinical and biological data as CDAI, sedimentation rate, albumin and alpha-2-globulin levels. Thirty-three examinations were performed in 26 patients, 16 with Crohn's disease and 10 with ulcerative colitis. The correlation of disease location between indium scan and other diagnosis procedures was good in 81 p. 100 of cases. CDAI was significantly correlated with radionuclide indexes: IRU, FIM, DHSU. FIM was not significantly different between mild and moderates diseases (respectively 1.5 +/- 1.0 p. 100 and 3.6 +/- 3.2 p. 100), but was different between moderate and moderately severe diseases (respectively 3.6 +/- 3.2 p. 100 and 23.6 +/- 16.7 p. 100, p less than 0.001). DHSU was significantly different between mild and moderate diseases (respectively 10.9 +/- 7.2 p. 100 and 22.5 +/- 10.7 p. 100, p less than 0.05) and between moderate and moderately severe diseases (respectively 22.7 +/- 10.7 and 42.4 +/- 7.3 p. 100, p less than 0.001). The radionuclide activity indexes were significantly correlated between themselves.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Behavioral and paired-pulse facilitation analyses of long-lasting depression at excitatory synapses in the medial prefrontal cortex in mice

Accumulative evidence indicates that acute (before extinction) and long-lasting (during extinction) depression can occur at excitatory synapses in mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during re-exposure to a tone (conditioned stimulus: CS), previously paired with footshock (unconditioned stimulus: US). As recently shown, the long-term depression (LTD)-like plasticity in the mPFC does not interfere with extinction of CS-evoked freezing but predicts spontaneous recovery of this fear response. Here, the objectives were to investigate: (i). whether a resistance to extinction without any prefrontal acute synaptic plasticity could produce LTD-like changes, and (ii). by the use of paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) analyses, whether pre- or post-synaptic mechanisms were involved in this LTD phenomenon. Preliminary analyses indicated that levels of acute depression did not correlate with the degree of fear acquisition (effects of number of CS-US pairings). As a consequence, mice conditioned with 2CS+ or 2CS+/2CS- (partial reinforcement of the CS known to induce resistance to extinction) exhibited CS-associated freezing without any acute synaptic depression in the mPFC. However, during further CS-alone presentations, the 2CS+/2CS- group developed LTD-like changes that accompanied their resistance to extinguish freezing to the CS. In contrast, the 2CS+ group normally extinguished their conditioned freezing with synaptic transmission remaining at baseline levels. PPF analyses revealed that facilitation was unchanged following prefrontal LTD. These data, combined with our previous findings, (i). support a critical involvement of prefrontal LTD-like changes in spontaneous recovery of fear responses, and (ii). suggest a post-synaptic site for these changes.     

Prevalence of malaria parasitemia among clients seeking treatment for fever or malaria at drug stores in rural Tanzania 2004

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of malaria parasitemia and other common illnesses among drug store clients in one rural community, with a view to the potential role of specialist drug stores in expanding coverage of effective malaria treatment to households in highly endemic areas. METHOD: Follow-back study of 2466 client visits selected from all 10 drug stores operating in the town of Ikwiriri between May 30 and August 31 2004. Of these, 521 (21.2%) were made by or on behalf of persons ill with fever or malaria. Two hundred and ninety three were eligible as residents of the surrounding nine villages and all agreed to participate in the study. Each patient was evaluated by a clinical officer and provided a blood sample for malaria on the day of the shop visit, either at the shop or at home. RESULTS: Only 50 (17.1%) visits by or on behalf of febrile patients resulted in the purchase of an antimalarial drug, while an antipyretic medication was obtained at 226 visits (77.1%). Clinicians diagnosed malaria in 63.8% of patients. Malaria parasites were identified in blood film samples from 24.2% (95% CI: 19.6, 29.5). This is double the parasite prevalence rate of 10.7% (95% CI: 8.6, 13.1) obtained from a household survey of 1004 healthy individuals selected from these villages at the same time. It is not significantly lower than the prevalence observed among 880 clients presenting with fever at health facilities in the district: 29.7% (95% CI: 23.0, 37.3). The prevalence of malaria parasitemia among children younger than 5 years whose families sought fever treatment from drug stores (42.1%; 95% CI: 31.4, 53.5) was equal to that of children presenting with fever at health facilities (42.5%; 95% CI: 25.0, 62.2). CONCLUSIONS: Currently, drug store clients do not obtain malaria-specific treatment in the majority of cases where it might be warranted. Parasitological findings indicate that drug store clients, especially children, are as likely to be infected with malaria as patients seeking care for similar illnesses at health facilities. Drug stores may be attractive partners for policy makers eager to engage the private retail sector in expanding coverage of malaria treatment.