The impact of the follicular lymphoma (FL) histologic grade on outcomes after high-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is unknown. We evaluated 219 consecutive patients with grades 1-3 FL who underwent HDT and ASCT at our center. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), relapse and non-relapse mortality (NRM) was estimated for each grade after controlling for other predictive factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe retrospectively evaluated the association of the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) and other characteristics with survival following high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in 207 consecutive follicular lymphoma (FL) patients. The FLIPI was associated with OS both when evaluated as a categorical variable (0 - 1 vs. 2 vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr
October 2007
Although the intent of cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is to visualize the coronary, aortic, and cardiac structures, portions of noncardiac structures are visible on the scan. Because cardiac CT scanning is primarily obtained with a small field of view (to maximize coronary visualization with highest spatial resolution), some have argued that the scans should be secondarily reconstructed to further evaluate portions of the lung, breast, and bone. The suggested benefits of a routine radiologist overread of the extracardiac structures for incidental findings have not been scientifically validated and mostly come from anecdotal experiences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe quantum efficiency (QE) of an imaging detector can be increased by utilizing a thick, high-density detection medium to increase the number of quantum interactions. However, image quality is more accurately described by the detection quantum efficiency (DQE). If a significant fraction of the increase in the number of detected quanta from a thick, dense detector were to result in useful imaging signal, this represents a favorable case where enhanced QE leads to increased DQE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRelapsed or treatment refractory B-cell lymphomas are currently incurable with conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatments. High-dose chemoradiotherapy and stem cell transplantation can cure some patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma, but the majority of such patients die of progressive disease. We have investigated the potential utility of pretargeted radioimmunotherapy using monoclonal antibody-streptavidin, immunoconjugates, and fusion proteins in combination with N-acetylgalactosamine dendrimeric clearing agent and radiometal-labeled 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid biotin for treatment of lymphomas using mouse and primate models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To determine the prevalence of significant obstructive disease and non-diagnostic studies using coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in an outpatient environment, to establish if CTA could help avoid unnecessary diagnostic cardiac catheterizations.
Methods: We evaluated all cases consecutively performed in our outpatient CTA laboratory seen over one year with an indication that could warrant a cardiac catheterization to establish the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Excluded were patients without established indications for cardiac catheterization and those with known CAD (i.
Despite the promise of radioimmunotherapy using anti-CD20 antibodies (Ab) for the treatment of relapsed patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), most patients treated with conventional doses of (131)I-tositumomab or (90)Y-ibritumomab eventually relapse. We did comparative assessments using conventional radioimmunotherapy targeting CD20, CD22, and HLA-DR on human Ramos, Raji, and FL-18 lymphoma xenografts in athymic mice to assess the potential for improving the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy by targeting other NHL cell surface antigens. Results of biodistribution studies showed significant differences in tumor localization consistent with variable antigenic expression on the different lymphoma cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) preferentially in tumor cells. However, not all cancer cells are sensitive to TRAIL. We determined whether ligation of the retinoid receptor, RXR, would sensitize cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Assessment of right ventricular function by 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DECHO) is difficult because of its complex shape. Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DECHO) may be superior.
Methods: End-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, stroke volume, and ejection fraction obtained by 2DECHO, RT3DECHO short-axis disk summation (DS), and RT3DECHO apical rotation were compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in 71 healthy individuals.
We present a quantitative shadowgraphic method that can measure the density of a laser-generated plasma in air. Simultaneous comparison of both shadowgraphy and interferometry has been carried out, allowing the experimental evaluation of the reliability of the shadowgraphic method. Even though limited by absorption in the sample, shadowgraphy performs better in terms of sensitivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypotheses: Degree of mitral annular remodeling is directly associated with severity of chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). Mitral annular remodeling occurs in a symmetric fashion, regardless of MR severity. In addition to MR severity, MR mechanism plays a significant role in mitral annular remodeling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotolyases and cryptochromes are flavoproteins that belong to the class of blue-light photoreceptors. They usually bind two chromophores: flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), which forms the active site, and a light-harvesting pigment, which is a 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate polyglutamate (MTHF) in most cases. In Escherichia coli photolyase (EcPhr), the MTHF cofactor is present in substoichiometric amounts after purification, while in Vibrio cholerae cryptochrome-1 (VcCry1) the MTHF cofactor is bound more strongly and is present at stoichiometric levels after purification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale And Objectives: Endowed with sufficient diagnostic accuracy, electron beam computed tomography angiography (CTA) is being increasingly used to evaluate coronary arteries. However, data on direct comparisons with nuclear myocardial perfusion studies are limited. In this study, we sought to compare the accuracies of CTA and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for identifying symptomatic patients with hemodynamically significant obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) using streptavidin (SA)-conjugated antibodies (Abs), followed by clearing agent and radiolabeled biotin is a promising method that can increase the effectiveness of RIT, while decreasing the toxicities associated with directly labeled Abs. Although CD20 has been the traditional target antigen for RIT of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), studies targeting HLA DR and CD22 have yielded promising results. Targeting all 3 antigens at once may further augment the effect of PRIT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Rev Cardiovasc Ther
January 2007
Background: Early identification of an anomalous coronary anatomy is quite relevant because of the increased incidence of sudden cardiac death or related symptoms of myocardial ischemia in the patients. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is not only invasive, but expensive, and cannot always adequately provide the required information about the abnormal coronary anatomy. Cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is a robust noninvasive imaging modality that has several clinical applications and is now being used increasingly in practices across the nation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiplane angiographic imaging is a primary method for visual and quantitative assessment of the vasculature. In order to reliably reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) position, orientation, and shape of the vessel structure, a key problem is to determine the rotation matrix R and the translation vector t which relate the two coordinate systems. This so-called Imaging Geometry Determination problem is well studied in the medical imaging and computer vision communities and a number of interesting approaches have been reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCatheter Cardiovasc Interv
December 2006
Cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CTA) allows for simultaneous evaluation of the lung fields and associated structures. There is a debate as to the benefit of or need for routine overread of the lung fields for incidental findings. The possible improvement in cancer diagnosis with routine overreads is balanced against the major limitations of CT lung screening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present a study of Langmuir isotherms and 2D bulk moduli of binary lipid mixtures, where changes in monolayer collapse pressure (Pic) are followed while varying the relative amounts of the two components. For monolayers containing dipalmitoylphosphocholine (DPPC) with either hexadecanol (HD) or palmitic acid (PA), a distinctly non-monotonic change in Pic is observed with varying composition. At low mole fractions, there is a slight decrease in Pic as films get richer in DPPC, while a sharp increase to pure DPPC-like values is observed when the mole fraction exceeds approximately 0.
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