The novel human MOST-1 (C8orf17) gene exhibits tissue specific expression, maps to chromosome 8q24.2, and is overexpressed/amplified in high grade cancers of the breast and prostate.

Aims: To elucidate genes that participate in the process of oncogenesis, primers based on the E6 genes of genital human papillomaviruses (HPVs) were used to amplify potential expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the MOLT-4 T lymphoblastic leukaemia cell line.

Methods: Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with human papillomavirus E6 gene primers, an EST from the MOLT-4 T lymphoblastic leukaemia cell line was amplified. Via rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and cycle sequencing from MOLT-4 and fetal lung cDNA libraries, overlapping cDNAs of 2786 bp and 2054 bp of the corresponding novel human intronless gene designated MOST-1 (for MOLT-4 sequence tag-1) were characterised and assigned the symbol C8orf17 by the HUGO Nomenclature Committee.

Corneal transmissibility of diode versus argon lasers and their photothermal effects on the cornea and iris.

Purpose: Diode laser (810 nm) may possess theoretical advantages over the argon blue-green laser (488 nm) for iridotomy/iridoplasty in an eye with oedematous cornea, such as the acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG) patient, because of better diode laser tissue penetration in opaque media. We assessed the transmissibility of diode and argon lasers through corneas of varying clarity and evaluated the histopathological features of cornea and iris burns produced by these lasers.

Methods: The transmission of diode and argon lasers through human donor corneal buttons of three grades of clarity--clear, intermediate, and hazy--were compared.

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer.

We evaluated the efficacy of immune and scarification Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in the treatment of carcinoma in situ and prophylaxis against recurrence in patients with superficial transitional carcinoma of the bladder. A single-blind, randomised, comparative trial involving 43 patients with a median follow-up of 39 months was analysed. The end points were progression to muscle invasive disease or recurrence.

EEA1, an early endosome-associated protein. EEA1 is a conserved alpha-helical peripheral membrane protein flanked by cysteine "fingers" and contains a calmodulin-binding IQ motif.

Early endosomes are cellular compartments receiving endocytosed material and sorting them for vesicular transport to late endosomes and lysosomes or for recycling to the plasma membrane. We have cloned a human cDNA encoding an evolutionarily conserved 180-kDa protein on early endosomes named EEA1 (Early Endosome Antigen1). EEA1 is associated with early endosomes since it co-localizes by immunofluorescence with the transferrin receptor and with Rab5 but not with Rab7.