Right aortic arch detected in fetal life.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prenatal distribution, associated conditions and outcome of the different types of right aortic arch (RAA) detected in fetal life. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of all cases of RAA detected prenatally between 1998 and 2005 in two tertiary referral centers. RESULTS: In the study period 71 cases of RAA were detected; 26 (37%) had RAA with aberrant left subclavian artery, 23 (32%) had RAA with mirror-image branching, 20 (28%) had RAA of unknown type and two (3%) had double aortic arch. While 20/26 cases with RAA and aberrant left subclavian artery were isolated findings, all 23 cases with RAA and mirror-image branching were associated with cardiac defects, namely tetralogy of Fallot (43%) or pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (22%). Of the 20 cases with RAA, 19 of unknown type were associated with heterotaxy syndromes and had additional cardiac malformations and ambiguities of the situs. The two cases with DAA were isolated findings. Seven cases in our series (10%) had a microdeletion 22q11 and these were significantly associated with extracardiac malformations. The outcome in our series depended solely on the associated cardiac and extracardiac malformations, with the exception of one infant with isolated DAA, in whom a surgical correction was warranted. CONCLUSIONS: RAA detected in fetal life is associated frequently with other cardiac/non-cardiac malformations, heterotaxy syndromes and microdeletions 22q11. The associated conditions vary depending on the branching type of the brachiocephalic vessels and the presence of extracardiac malformations.     

Young adult chronic patients: visibility and style of interaction in treatment

To explore the concept of the young adult chronic patient as a distinct clinical entity, the author analyzed a sample of 134 chronic patients on six variables relating to style of interaction with service providers and on diagnostic and demographic variables. The results showed that the 105 younger chronic patients in the sample were more likely than the older patients to be male, to be referred to treatment for suicidal and homicidal gestures and ideation, to have a diagnosis of personality disorder, and to be overrepresented in the treatment population. The author believes the combination of these factors helps create disproportionately high visibility for young adult chronic patients and requires special provisions for their engagement in treatment.     

Malignant astrocytomas treated with iodine-125 labeled monoclonal antibody 425 against epidermal growth factor receptor: a phase II trial.

Twenty-five patients with primary presentation of malignant astrocytoma, astrocytoma with anaplastic foci, and glioblastoma multiforme were treated with surgical resection and definitive radiation therapy followed by intravenous or intra-arterial administration of Iodine-125 labeled monoclonal antibody-425, which binds specifically to human epidermal growth factor receptor. The patients presented with primary untreated disease, positive contrast enhanced computed tomography scans of the brain, and compatible clinical symptoms. In this Phase II clinical trial, the patients had surgical debulking or biopsy followed by definitively administered external beam radiation therapy and one or multiple doses (35 to 90 mCi per infusion) of radiolabeled antibody. The total cumulative doses ranged from 40 to 224 mCi. The administrations of the radiolabeled antibody were performed in most cases 4-6 weeks following completion of the primary surgery and radiation therapy. Ten patients had astrocytoma with anaplastic foci and 15 had glioblastoma multiforme. No significant life-threatening toxicities were observed during this trial. At 1 year 60% of the patients with astrocytoma with anaplastic foci or glioblastoma multiforme are alive. The median survival for both groups was 15.6 months.     

Mammakarzinom zwischen Krankheits- und Managementaspekten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Dissimilarities between benzodiazepine-binding sites and adenosine uptake sites in astrocytes and neurons in primary cultures

The question whether the benzodiazepine receptor site in astrocytes or in neurons might be identical to the adenosine uptake site was studied by determining pharmacological profiles, inhibition types, and the effects of benzodiazepine antagonsts in primary cultures of either astrocytes or neurons. Fourteen different benzodiazepines and five different adenosine uptake inhibitors displaced [³H] diazepam and inhibited adenosine uptake in both astrocytes and neurons. However, the rank orders (determined as IC₅₀ values) with which these two parameters were affected were profoundly different, indicating dissimilarities between these two sites. For several of the compounds a difference in inhibition type (competitive vs. noncompetitive) was observed between the benzodiazepine-binding site and the adenosine uptake site in astrocytes and/or neurons, which further corroborated the conclusion of a difference between the benzodiazepine-binding site and the adenosine uptake site. Finally, the neuronal benzodiazepine antagonists RO 15-1788 and CGS-8216 and the astrocytic benzodiazepine antagonist PK 11195, which reverse the action of benzodiazepines, were not able to reverse inhibition of adenosine uptake by diazepam but exerted an inhibitory effect of their own.     

Methodenrelevanz in der Nachsorge des Mammakarzinoms

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A novel method for synchronizing a B cell lymphoma.

Certain sub-lines of the murine B cell lymphoma BCL1 can be maintained in vitro and respond to cytokines including IL-2 and IL-5. BCL1 cells, as well as other B lymphomas, are difficult to synchronize using conventional techniques such as thymidine block or DNA synthesis inhibition. We have found that BCL1 cells maintained in Dulbecco's minimum essential medium (DMEM) with non-essential amino acids (NEAA) can be readily synchronized by culture in DMEM lacking NEAA. Within 10-18 h of medium replacement, 98% of BCL1 cells are 2 N in DNA content, suggesting that these cells are arrested in G0/G1. This population of BCL1 cells is viable and can be stimulated to enter S phase by culture in media containing NEAA; however, arrested cells did not appear to return synchronously into the cell cycle on addition of NEAA. A transient increase in levels of c-fos and c-myc mRNA was not detected after arrested BCL1 cells were stimulated to enter S phase, suggesting that arrested cells are in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, rather than G0. This technique for obtaining G1 arrested B lymphoma cells may prove useful in the analysis of molecular events that occur in B cells as a function of cell cycle position.     

Antigenic structure of bovine growth hormone: location of a growth enhancing region.

Site-directed antisera generated by peptide immunization have been used to study the antigenicity of bovine growth hormone (bGH). Prediction of sequential antigenic sites has been performed using secondary structure information derived from the 'Protean' prediction routine. The structures predicted by this programme agree closely with the corresponding structure of GH recently derived from crystallographic studies. We have previously shown that the binding of monoclonal antibodies of particular epitope specificity to human or bovine GH results in significant enhancement of hormonal activity in vivo; however, the sites recognized by these antibodies were not known. Here we identify a sequence region, corresponding to a loop structure joining helices 3 and 4, which, is associated with the growth enhancement phenomenon. Antisera raised to either of two overlapping peptides (residues 120-140 and 134-154) significantly increase the biological activity of GH in vivo. Antisera directed to other regions on the GH molecule failed to demonstrate this property. Coincidentally, the sites recognized by the growth-enhancing anti-peptide antisera overlap with the site on GH which is highly susceptible to proteolytic cleavage; such cleavage has been shown in some cases to result in hormone enhancement.