Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia with near haploidy, hyperdiploidy and Ph positive lines: a rare entity with poor prognosis.

Chromosomal ploidies provide a wealth of information with respect to the prognosis of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The prognosis is favourable in hyperdiploidy (>50 ALL), whereas pseudodiploidy and hypodiploidy have an overall poor clinical outcome. Near haploid ALL with less than 30 chromosomes in the leukemic blasts has been reported.

Chronic granulomatous disease.

A 2(1/2)-year-old child presented with multiple discrete granulomatous lesions on the face and flexural regions since the age of 2 months along with lymphadenopathy. The patient also had recurrent bouts of pyodermas and respiratory tract infections. Biopsy of the lesion showed necrosis of tissue with suppuration and histiocytes but no evidence of tuberculosis, fungal infections or atypical mycobacteria.

Antilithiatic effect of Asparagus racemosus Willd on ethylene glycol-induced lithiasis in male albino Wistar rats.

The ethanolic extract of Asparagus racemosus Willd. was evaluated for its inhibitory potential on lithiasis (stone formation), induced by oral administration of 0.75% ethylene glycolated water to adult male albino Wistar rats for 28 days.

Squamous cell carcinoma in epidermolysis bullosa.

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of inherited blistering disorders that are divided into three categories based on the plane of cleavage of the blister, mode of inheritance, and the presence or absence of scars. Squamous cell carcinoma developing in epidermolysis bullosa is rare and presents a therapeutic dilemma. The authors report a case of congenital epidermolysis bullosa with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma.

Structural modes of stabilization of permissive phosphorylation sites in protein kinases: distinct strategies in Ser/Thr and Tyr kinases.

Protein kinases phosphorylate several cellular proteins providing control mechanisms for various signalling processes. Their activity is impeded in a number of ways and restored by alteration in their structural properties leading to a catalytically active state. Most protein kinases are subjected to positive and negative regulation by phosphorylation of Ser/Thr/Tyr residues at specific sites within and outside the catalytic core.

Apoptosis in epithelial ovarian tumors.

It is now recognized that apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of tumors. This study evaluated the extent of apoptosis in different grades of ovarian tumors and correlated it with the expression of apoptosis regulatory genes, p53 and bcl-2 and with the total proliferative compartment of the tumor defined by the expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Apoptosis was evaluated by the TUNEL (Tdt-mediated dUTP biotin nick end labelling) assay.