Infrared properties of chemical-vapor deposition polycrystalline diamond windows.

Low-resolution transmittance and reflectance spectra of high-quality chemical-vapor deposition (CVD) diamond windows were measured in the infrared in the 2.5-500-mum wavelength range (20-4000 cm(-1)). High-resolution measurements on a window with nearly parallel surfaces show well defined interference fringes at low frequencies.

Heterogeneous expression of tumor-associated genes in disseminated breast cancer cells.

Background: Gene expression profiles were determined to demonstrate heterogeneity of viable disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in the blood of breast cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: All patients (n = 48) suffered from metastatic disease (M1) and were treated with chemotherapy and/or Herceptin, respectively. Blood samples were analyzed by a DTC detection assay consisting of immunomagnetic tumor cell selection combined with expression profiling of the tumor-associated transcripts GA733-2, MUC-1, HER-2 and Claudin-7.

[Randomized, double-blind crossover study of bioavailability of levothyroxine].

Objective: The synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine-sodium (LT4) is still the treatment of choice to replace thyroid hormone deficiency in hypothyroidism, and for adjuvant treatment of euthyroid goiter. A change of LT4 preparations during treatment may lead to major changes of thyroid hormone levels. In this study, we compared the bioavailability of two LT4 preparations, L-Thyroxin Henning 100 and Eferox 100.

Ets1 is a common element in directing transcription of the alpha and beta genes of human protein kinase CK2.

Protein kinase CK2 is a conserved and vital Ser/Thr phosphotransferase with various links to malignant diseases, occurring as a tetramer composed of two catalytically active (CK2alpha and/or CK2alpha') and two regulatory subunits (CK2beta). There is balanced availability of CK2alpha and CK2beta transcripts in proliferating and differentiating cultured cells. Examination of the human CK2beta gene for transcriptionally active regions by systematic deletions and reporter gene assays indicates strong promoter activity at positions -42 to 14 and 12 to 72 containing transcription start sites 1 and 2 of the gene (positions +1 and 33), respectively, an upstream and a downstream enhancer activity at positions -241 to -168 and 123 to 677, respectively, and silencer activity at positions -241 to -261.

Transcription factors ets1, NF-kappa B, and Sp1 are major determinants of the promoter activity of the human protein kinase CK2alpha gene.

CK2alpha is one of two isoforms of protein kinase CK2, a highly conserved, ubiquitous, and vital phosphotransferase whose expression is kept at constant cellular levels and whose dysregulated expression has been linked to malignant diseases. The upstream sequence of the gene coding for human CK2alpha (CSNK1A1, chromosomal location 20p13) has been examined for promoter location and transcription factor interactions using reporter gene assays (luciferase; HeLa cells), site-directed mutagenesis, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, super-shifts, UV cross-linking, Western blotting, and DNA affinity chromatography. Highest promoter activity has been found in a region comprising positions -9 to 46.