Vincristine is a key drug in the treatment of childhood and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and many other childhood malignancies. Despite decades of wide clinical use, no data on the correlation between vincristine pharmacokinetics and long-term clinical outcome have been published. We here report clinical data (median follow-up time 10.5 years, range 7.3-12 years) for 86 children with

Isolates of Colletotrichum, gloeosporioides associated with anthracnose disease oil coffee berries in Vietnam were characterized by morphological and molecular methods. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and microsatellite-primered PCR (MP-PCR) analyses were employed to investigate the genetic variation among 38 and 51 isolates of C. gloeosporioides, respectively. According to both methods, t

Among transcriptional regulatory proteins described, NF-kappaB seems particularly important in modulating the expression of immunoregulatory genes relevant in critical illness, inflammatory diseases, apoptosis, and cancer. In particular, NF-kappaB plays a central role in regulating the transcription of cytokines, adhesion molecules, and other mediators. The biochemical basis by which diverse stimu

The advantage of a new scheme for balanced detection has been investigated to reduce the influence of optical interference fringes when performing diode laser gas absorption spectroscopy employing lock-in amplifiers and pigtailed lasers. The influence of the fringes has been reduced by comparing the lock-in 2 f signal due to the gas sample with that of a reference beam. The frequency regions outsi

Common naturally occurring polymorphisms have been identified in the coding regions of the alpha(1A)-, alpha(2B)-, beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenoceptor (AR) genes [alpha(1A)-AR R492C, alpha(2B)-AR insertion/deletion (I/D), beta(1)-AR R389G, beta(2)-AR G16R and beta(2)-AR Q27E] and are associated with modified in vivo and in vitro functionality. We tested their possible effects on the haemodynamic res

We examined the association between fruits and vegetables and risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Dietary intake data and complete follow-up information on cancer incidence were available for 375,851 participants recruited in EPIC centers of 8 countries. During an average follow-up of 6.2 years, 306 incident cases of RCC we

During drying, timber changes its shape mainly due to shrinkage anisotropy, radial differences in longitudinal shrinkage and spiral grain. The warp, causing severe downgrading of the timber, can be reduced by restraint and appropriate climate treatments of different types. The research presented here is part of a larger project on the improvement of shape stability of Norway Spruce (Picea abies) b

The carotenoid species lutein, violaxanthin, and zeaxanthin are crucial in the xanthophyll-dependent nonphotochemical quenching occurring in photosynthetic systems of higher plants, since they are involved in dissipation of excess energy and thus protect the photosynthetic machinery from irreversible inhibition. Nonetheless, important properties of the xanthophyll cycle carotenoids, such as the en

Research on HIV vaccines, as well as studies on HIV pathogenesis in human and SIV in the macaque model, require the availability of simple and standardized assays for quantification of neutralizing antibodies to primary virus isolates. We have recently developed and standardized assays using human cell lines engineered to express CD4 and co-receptors for HIV and SIV entry. One cell line originated

Reflectance spectrophotometry from 400 to 800 nm on different cutaneous pigmented lesions, including primary and metastatic malignant melanoma, pigmented nevi, lentigo and seborrhoeic keratosis, has been performed by using an external integrating sphere coupled to a spectrophotometer. Measurements show that reflectance spectra of the different lesions manifest dissimilar patterns, particularly in

This paper gives a brief summary of computational methods in heat transfer equipment, such as CFD (computational fluid dynamics) methods for thermal problems (computational heat transfer), and turbulence modeling for single-phase applications in the design, research and development of heat exchangers. Details of the finite volume method and their extension to arbitrary geometries are presented. An

Administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) has been shown to decrease plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein B (apoB) containing lipoproteins, including lipoprotein(a), in man. However, the mechanism behind this hypolipidemic effect is unknown. This study aimed at distinguishing between the main possibilities (increased elimination or decreased production of lipoproteins) using HepG2 ce

This paper addresses the question of bankruptcy and honesty in local contexts, and especially the problem of the bankrupt small businessman in conveying ‘honesty’ to the local community. Studying bankrupt entrepreneurs, the analysis explores a tacit dialogue between the failed businessmen and the small town communities where they live and work. The bankrupts respond to their seemingly mistrustful

We have used element-specific hysteresis measurements, based on the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism technique, to investigate magnetic trilayer structures composed of Fe and Ni layers. Within a critical regime we have discovered a class of structures in which the exchange interaction, the mechanism responsible for the macroscopic magnetism, can become vanishingly small. The experimental observat

The BRCA1 gene is thought to exert its main function early in life. We, therefore, studied the effects of BRCA1 mutations on birth weight and birth length. This was carried out by comparing 33 women with and without mutations. Birth weight and length were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. BRCA1 mutations carriers had a significantly lower birth weight (P = 0.0041) compared with non-