Production of donor-derived cytotoxic T lymphocytes with potent anti-leukemia activity for adoptive immunotherapy in high-risk pediatric patients given haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background Aims: Somatic cell therapy based on the infusion of donor-derived cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) able to recognize patients' leukemia blasts (LB) is a promising approach to control leukemia relapse after allogeneic HSCT. The success of this approach strongly depends on the ex vivo generation of high-quality donor-derived anti-leukemia CTL in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). We previously described a procedure for generating large numbers of donor-derived anti-leukemia CTL through stimulation of CD8-enriched lymphocytes with dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with apoptotic LB in the presence of interleukin (IL)-12, IL-7 and IL-15.

Pheromone Deployment Strategies for Mating Disruption of a Vineyard Mealybug.

The mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret), is a primary vineyard pest in California and other grape-growing regions throughout the World. Mating disruption programs are commercially available to manage Pl. ficus, but widespread adoption has been limited, in part, by high costs compared with insecticide programs.

Depicting corrosion-born defects in pipelines with combined neutron/γ ray backscatter: a biomimetic approach.

The identification of corrosion, cracks and defects in pipelines used for transporting oil and gas can reduce the possibility of leaks, and consequently, it can limit the extent of an environmental disaster, public hazard and the associated financial impact of such events. Typically, corrosion in oil pipelines is measured with non-destructive ultrasonic or electromagnetic techniques, on the basis that corrosion and defects are often manifest as a change of thickness in the steel from which pipelines are made. However, such approaches are not practical for underground pipelines and their deployment can be complicated for the case of pipelines covered by insulation.

Sector-shaped fast organic liquid scintillation detectors based neutron coincidence counter.

A simulation based on the Monte Carlo method is described which has been performed using MCNPX 2.6.0, to model the geometry of a sector-shaped liquid scintillation detector in response to coincident neutron events.

Parp1 localizes within the Dnmt1 promoter and protects its unmethylated state by its enzymatic activity.

Background: Aberrant hypermethylation of CpG islands in housekeeping gene promoters and widespread genome hypomethylation are typical events occurring in cancer cells. The molecular mechanisms behind these cancer-related changes in DNA methylation patterns are not well understood. Two questions are particularly important: (i) how are CpG islands protected from methylation in normal cells, and how is this protection compromised in cancer cells, and (ii) how does the genome-wide demethylation in cancer cells occur.

ERK1/2 phosphorylation is an independent predictor of complete remission in newly diagnosed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2) is frequently found constitutively activated (p-ERK1/2) in hematopoietic diseases, suggesting a role in leukemogenesis. The aim of this study was to assess the expression and clinical role of p-ERK1/2 in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In 131 primary samples from adult de novo ALL patients enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano per le Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto (GIMEMA) Leucemia Acute Linfoide (LAL) 2000 protocol and evaluated by flow cytometry, constitutive ERK1/2 activation was found in 34.

Polypathology over time.

This case study traces the management of a woman presenting at the age of 55 with isolated systolic hypertension and records her history for 24 years--from apparent good health to death. A series of events and the patient's and the doctor's reactions to them are described.

The effect of an infusion of low molecular weight dextran on peripheral resistance in patients with arteriosclerosis.

Low molecular weight dextran is frequently given to improve the flow of blood to the periphery, but its mode of action is uncertain. We measured the effect of an infusion of 500 ml of Dextran 40 on the peripheral resistance in 12 patients undergoing reconstructive surgery for atherosclerotic occlusion of the superficial femoral artery. After the infusion, values of packed cell volume and blood viscosity indicated haemodilution.

The hydraulic impedance of the lower limb: its relevance to the success of bypass operations for occlusion of the superficial femoral artery.

Simultaneous measurements of pressure and flow waves were made in the course of 25 femoropopliteal bypass operations. From these measurements the the hydraulic impedance of the arterial system in the lower limb was calculated. The values obtained were correlated with the results of the operations.

Undetected aorto-iliac insufficiency: a reason for early failure of saphenous vein bypass grafts for obstruction of the superficial femoral artery.

A series of 29 femoropopliteal bypass operations is described. The patients were selected carefully to exclude those with clinical and aortographic evidence of aorto-iliac disease. A pulsatility index was calculated from the velocity waveforms recorded over the common femoral and popliteal arteries.