Placidenes C-F, novel alpha-pyrone propionates from the Mediterranean sacoglossan Placida dendritica.

Four new alpha-pyrone-containing propionates (5-8) and an unprecedented hydroperoxide 9 have been isolated from the mantle extract of Placida dendritica, a Mediterranean sacoglossan that lives upon the green alga Bryopsis plumosa. The new metabolites co-occur with the related compounds 1-4, which have been described in previous studies of the mollusc. The presence of 9 opens intriguing perspectives on the ecological role of placidenes.

Preclinical safety profile of plasma prepared using the INTERCEPT Blood System.

Background And Objectives: The newly developed INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma uses the addition of a new psoralen, amotosalen HCl (AMOTOSALEN), followed by illumination with ultraviolet A light, to inactivate viruses, bacteria, protozoa and leucocytes that may contaminate fresh-frozen plasma (FFP). Extensive toxicology studies were performed to characterize the safety of the photochemical treatment process for its intended use with plasma.

Materials And Methods: The studies of general toxicology, safety pharmacology, phototoxicity, reproductive toxicity and venous irritation, summarized in this review, provide a comprehensive toxicology profile for photochemically treated 100% plasma.

The historiography of psychology in Italy.

The article outlines the studies conducted in Italy on the history of psychology since the 1970s, with particular attention to those elaborated in the 1990s. Reference is made to the institutions, authors, congresses, and other initiatives that in the course of 3 decades have promoted the growth of the history of psychology, and a review is presented of the principal research themes undertaken by scholars. An attempt has been made to identify the principal historiographic tendencies and to illustrate the passage from a sort of "positivistic" historiography to an orientation that could be considered multifactorial or one of complexity, attentive to both the internal and the external components of the scientific enterprise, although with a propensity for the history of ideas.

Quantitative assessment of natural toxicity in sponges: toxicity bioassay versus compound quantification.

Microtox assay was used to assess the natural toxicity of two sponges, Dysidea avara and Ircinia variabilis. The activity of crude extracts and major metabolites were compared. Methanol extract of D.

Trisomy 13 in a patient with common acute lymphoblastic leukemia: description of a case and review of the literature.

Trisomy 13 occurring as a single cytogenetic abnormality has been associated with undifferentiated or biphenotypic acute leukemias and with an adverse prognostic outcome. We describe for the first time a case of B-cell common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with trisomy 13 at diagnosis in an 18-year-old boy. The leukemic cells did not express myelocytic or T-cell associated antigens and no molecular abnormalities were detected.

Clinico-biologic features and treatment outcome of adult pro-B-ALL patients enrolled in the GIMEMA 0496 study: absence of the ALL1/AF4 and of the BCR/ABL fusion genes correlates with a significantly better clinical outcome.

To elucidate the biologic and clinical heterogeneity of adult pro-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (ie, terminal deoxynucletidyl-transferase-positive[TdT+], CD19+, CD10-, surface immunoglobulin-negative [SIg-]), we evaluated 66 patients enrolled in the Italian multicentric Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto (GIMEMA) 0496 study between October 1996 and December 1999. The ALL1/AF4 fusion transcript, originating from the t(4;11) translocation, was detected in 24 patients (36.4%), and the BCR/ABL chimeric product was found in 6 patients (9%), while the remaining 36 cases (54.

Expression profiles of acute lymphoblastic and myeloblastic leukemias with ALL-1 rearrangements.

The ALL-1 gene is directly involved in 5-10% of acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs) and acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) by fusion to other genes or through internal rearrangements. DNA microarrays were used to determine expression profiles of ALLs and AMLs with ALL-1 rearrangements. These profiles distinguish those tumors from other ALLs and AMLs.

MLL tandem duplication in two cases of acute myelocytic leukemia with unbalanced translocations: der(16)t(11;16)(q23;p13) and der(18)t(11;18)(q22;p11.2).

We describe two cases of acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), classified as M4 and M1 in the French-American-British classification, with unbalanced translocations der(16)t(11;16)(q23;p13) and der(18)t(11;18) (q22;p11.2), respectively. Molecular studies using Southern blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed an MLL rearrangement due to an internal duplication of the gene in both cases.

A multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction strategy for the diagnostic molecular screening of chimeric genes: a clinical evaluation on 170 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background And Objectives: In the last few years molecular methods have allowed the identification of leukemia-associated genetic lesions, which may represent the most accurate predictors of clinical outcome. These considerations strengthen the need for rapid identification of the abnormalities. Our aim was to demonstrate whether a modified multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) system might be successfully used to screen a large number of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Terpene biosynthesis in the nudibranch Doriopsilla areolata.

Biogenesis of the enantiomeric sesquiterpenes 1 and 5 of the marine nudibranch Doriopsilla areolata was investigated by feeding of [1-(13)C]glucose, [1,2-(13)C(2)]glucose, and [1,2-(13)C(2)]acetate. Evidence is presented that supports de novo origin of both compounds via mevalonic acid.

Production of octadienal in the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum.

[reaction: see text] Marine diatoms produce alpha,beta,gamma,delta-unsaturated aldehydes that have detrimental effects on the reproduction of their natural predators. The production of these defensive metabolites is suggested to involve enzymatic oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this paper, feeding experiments with labeled precursor provide clear evidence in support of the origin of octadienals 1 and 2 from 6,9,12-hexadecatrienoic acid (5), thus proving the involvement of novel lipoxygenase/lyase activity for the oxidation of C(16) fatty acids.

Molecular cytogenetics characterization of a novel translocation involving chromosomes 17 and 19 in a Ph+ adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

We report a case of positive Philadelphia chromosome adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with a novel unbalanced translocation t(17;19), leading to trisomy of 17q21-qter. The patient did not obtain complete haematological response and died a few months after diagnosis. The significance of the 17q21-qter trisomy, resulting from this novel translocation, and its possible role in the progression of the leukaemia is discussed.

Quality assessment of freshwater and coastal seawater in the Ionian area of N.E. Sicily, Italy.

This work was conducted to analyse pressing and competing demands of water in Northeast Sicily, Italy. In this area, looking at the Ionian Sea, freshwaters and coastal seawaters have been studied on the quality and on the transport processes of pollutants. Attention has been focused on chemical and microbial parameters proposed by European Directives for drinking freshwaters and bathing seawaters.

MDR1 protein expression is an independent predictor of complete remission in newly diagnosed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Little is known about the prognostic role of multidrug resistance (MDR) in adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In the context of the GIMEMA ALL0496 protocol, we evaluated the impact of MDR1 (protein expression and function) on the achievement of complete remission (CR) and clinical outcome. Flow cytometric analysis of MDR1 expression (D) and function (rhodamine-123 efflux) was obtained in 203 and 158 patients, respectively.

Intracardiac thrombus in a patient with autoimmune hemolytic anemia leading to a diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome.

We report a case of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) which presented with clinical and laboratory signs of an autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AHA), in the absence of manifestations typically related to APS. The diagnosis of APS was made only after the occurrence of a sudden severe heart failure due to an intraventricular thrombus requiring a surgical approach. An accurate thrombophilic screening is warranted also in patients with apparently idiopathic AHA.

Detection of BCR/ABL rearrangements in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia using a highly sensitive interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization method (D-FISH).

Introduction: One hundred-and-six adult cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia were prospectively investigated using a highly sensitive interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization assay which utilizes DNA probes that detect a double BCR/ABL fusion signal (D-FISH) in cells carrying the t(9;22) to evaluate the reliability and specificity of this method for the detection of the Ph translocation. The results were compared with those obtained in the same cases by conventional cytogenetics and by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Materials And Methods: The study was performed using DNA probes that span the common breakpoints of the t(9;22) translocation and that detect a double BCR/ABL fusion in cells carrying this karyotypic anomaly, one on the abnormal chromosome 9 and one on the Ph chromosome.

Bronchial artery embolization for the management of nonmassive hemoptysis in cystic fibrosis.

Study Objectives: Hemoptysis is a common complication in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Current approaches to patients with hemoptysis include conservative medical therapy, bronchial artery embolization (BAE), and surgery. We investigated the effectiveness of early BAE on the outcome in patients with minor bleeding.

The role of MRI in the intestinal complications in cystic fibrosis.

Fibrosing colonopathy is a complication recently detected in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), and is thought to be associated with the use of high-strength pancreatic enzymes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of magnetic resonance (MR) in detecting possible pathologic gut findings in patients with CF under pancreatic enzyme treatment. Twenty-five patients with CF and pancreatic insufficiency, all under treatment with high-dose pancreatic enzymes, were studied by MR.

Reticular theory versus neuron theory in the work of Camillo Golgi.

In 1873 Golgi invented a revolutionary method for microscopic research of the nervous system, based on a particular technique for staining nerve cells, which came to be known as "black reaction". Thanks to this method, he was able to provide a thorough and precise description of nerve cells in various regions of the cerebro-spinal axis, clearly distinguishing the axon from the dendrites. He drew up a new classification of cells on the basis of the structure of their nervous prolongation, and he criticized Gerlach's theory of the "protoplasmic network".

Novel inhibitors of mitochondrial respiratory chain: endoperoxides from the marine tunicate Stolonica socialis.

The Mediterranean tunicate Stolonica socialis contains a new class of powerful cytotoxic acetogenins, generically named stolonoxides. In this paper, which also details the isolation and chemical characterization of a minor component (3a) of the tunicate extract, we report the potent inhibitory activity (IC(50) < 1 microM) of stolonoxides (1a and 3a) on mitochondrial electron transfer. The compounds affect specifically the functionality of complex II (succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) and complex III (ubiquinol:cytochrome C oxidoreductase) in mammalian cells, thereby causing a rapid collapse of the whole energetic metabolism.