Profiling of three H3F3A-mutated and denosumab-treated giant cell tumors of bone points to diverging pathways during progression and malignant transformation.

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a locally aggressive lesion of intermediate malignancy. Malignant transformation of GCTB is a rare event. In 2013, the humanized monoclonal antibody against receptor activator of nuclear factor-κb-Ligand (RANKL) denosumab was approved for treatment of advanced GCTB.

[New aspects on giant cell tumor of bone].

A giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is one of the giant cell-rich lesions of bone and has to be differentiated from non-ossifying fibroma, aneurysmatic bone cyst, chondroblastoma, "brown tumor" and osteosarcoma containing giant cells. A hallmark of GCTB is the presence of the distinct histone 3 (H3F3A) mutation G34W and its detection either by sequencing methods or using immunohistochemistry with a novel antibody against this mutational site. Worrisome is the fact that under denosumab therapy a histological change of the lesions can be seen and there are first reports of sarcomas arising after therapy.

Effects of a 2-day abstinence from smoking on dietary, cognitive, subjective, and physiologic parameters among younger and older female smokers.

In a field study, dietary intakes, subjective ratings of well-being, cognitive performance, blood pressure, and heart rate were assessed during 6 days of ad libitum smoking and 2 days without smoking by using an electronic diary. The subjects were 59 younger and older female smokers, aged 25-35 and 55-65 years, respectively. Smoking abstinence significantly lowered heart rate, blood pressure, and saliva cotinine levels, indicating a good compliance by the subjects.

Comparison of the effects of nicotine on a fixed rate and a subject-paced version of the rapid information processing task.

In a modified "subject-paced" rather than fixed rate version of a rapid information processing (RIP) task, the presentation rate of the stimuli is continuously adapted to the individual performance level. Thus, this modified task version probably assesses a continuous "speed function" rather than mere "vigilance". In order to compare the two task versions more directly, we carried out a study which assessed the effects of a regular nicotine cigarette and the nearly nicotine-free cigarette NEXT on both task versions under the same experimental conditions.

Expression of two related vacuolar H(+)-ATPase 16-kilodalton proteolipid genes is differentially regulated in a tissue-specific manner.

The 16-kD proteolipid subunit is the principal integral membrane protein of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) complex that forms the proton channel responsible for translocating protons across lipid bilayers. Two degenerate synthetic oligonucleotides, COT11 and COT12, corresponding to highly conserved transmembrane domains in all 16-kD subunits sequenced so far, were used to amplify a partial cDNA of the V-ATPase proteolipid subunit from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Switching to ultralow nicotine cigarettes: effects of different tar yields and blocking of olfactory cues.

Twelve female smokers smoked two of each of three types of cigarettes in three sessions. One cigarette was smoked with and the other one without nose blocking. Total puff volumes increased for ultralow tar/nicotine (tn) cigarettes as compared with habitual regular tar/nicotine (TN) cigarettes and regular tar/ultralow nicotine (Tn) cigarettes, as the result of an increase in the number of puffs.

Circadian and ultradian rhythms in heart rate and motor activity of smokers, abstinent smokers, and nonsmokers.

In a field study, heart rate and motor activity were assessed continuously in 12 male smokers during 2 smoking and 2 abstinence days and in 12 male nonsmokers during 4 days. A circadian analysis revealed earlier activity acrophases in smokers than nonsmokers and earlier heart rate acrophases in abstinent than smoking smokers. Furthermore, heart rate acrophases of smoking smokers significantly anticipated activity acrophases, whereas in abstinent smokers and nonsmokers the two parameters oscillated in phase.

Acute dose-effect relationships of caffeine and mental performance, EEG, cardiovascular and subjective parameters.

The present study investigated the dose-effect relationship of caffeine on mental performance using a caffeine-sensitive rapid information processing task (RIP) in a pre/post cross-over design. Twenty female nonsmoking regular coffee drinkers received 0, 1.5, 3 and 6 mg/kg caffeine in a balanced order and the measurements were extended to cardiovascular, EEG and mood parameters.

Ultralight cigarettes: activity, cardiovascular, dietary, and subjective parameters.

In a field study, 24-h heart rate, physical activity, and cigarette consumption were continuously recorded, whereas resting heart rate, blood pressure, dietary intake, and subjective parameters were assessed six times per day. Smoking habitual and ultralight cigarettes for two days each was compared in a sample of 48 smokers, consisting of 24 office and 24 nonoffice workers of both sexes. Nonoffice workers smoked more and revealed higher respiratory CO and Fagerstrom index values, whereas other group differences were unrelated to smoking or its effects.

Smoking-related subjective and physiological changes: pre- to postpuff and pre- to postcigarette.

Twenty-six female regular smokers participated in two sessions, smoking a cigarette and drinking for comparison a cup of coffee in each. Cardiovascular, electromyogram (EMG), motor activity, and electroencephalogram (EEG) parameters were assessed before and after smoking a cigarette or drinking a cup of coffee. The same variables were averaged for 5-s periods preceding, during, and following the first six puffs and sips.

Antagonistic effects of caffeine and alcohol on mental performance parameters.

Scientific experiments done so far allow no clear conclusions about the popular belief that freshly brewed coffee can offset the debilitating effects of alcoholic intoxication. This question was addressed using a computer-controlled and subject-paced rapid information processing task (RIP) which was shown earlier to be sensitive to psychoactive substances. Nine male students were tested in a Latin square design before and after the intake of 3.

Isolation and sequence of a cDNA encoding the Jerusalem artichoke cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, a major plant cytochrome P450 involved in the general phenylpropanoid pathway.

Cinnamate 4-hydroxylase [CA4H; trans-cinnamate,NADPH:oxygen oxidoreductase (4-hydroxylating), EC 1.14.13.

Nicotine or tar titration in cigarette smoking behavior?

A significant problem in assessing the relative relevance of nicotine and tar yield for compensatory smoking after switching from high to low yield cigarettes is that nicotine and tar yield are highly intercorrelated across conventional cigarettes and that the tar/nicotine ratios vary only within a modest range. A better differentiation between the impacts of nicotine and tar yield was expected by comparing in a laboratory experiment a new low nicotine/medium tar cigarette ("Next") with conventional low nicotine/low tar (ultra-light) cigarettes and with medium nicotine/medium tar cigarettes with respect to nicotine absorption and physiological effects. Twelve females, habitually smoking medium type cigarettes (> or = 0.

Psychophysiological interactions between smoking and stress coping?

Earlier studies with different types of stressors suggested that cigarette smoking might selectively dampen physiological stress reactions in passive rather than in active coping situations. This hypothesis was tested in the present study using the same task for both types of coping, but with two different instructions. Twenty-four female regular smokers were assigned either to a group requiring active coping or to a group requiring passive coping with ongoing electric shocks, and tested in two sessions where they performed a pre- and a postsmoking/non-smoking trial of the rapid information processing task (RIP).

Cigarette smoking related variation of heart rate and physical activity with ad libitum smoking under field conditions.

A recently developed device was used in a field study to continuously assess physical activity, heart rate, and cigarette lighting during 2 workdays and 2 days off in 12 female smokers and 12 female non-smokers. Heart rates did not differ between smokers and non-smokers or between workdays and days off; however, the nonsmokers showed significantly higher physical activity during the workdays. An averaging procedure used to obtain plots for smoking related changes of activity (SRA), pulse (SRP), and the pulse-activity ratio (SRpai) revealed four observations.

Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against NADPH-Cytochrome P-450 Reductases from Helianthus tuberosus.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against a plant NADPH-cytochrome P-450 (Cyt P-450) reductase from Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) tuber were prepared. These antibodies were produced by hybridoma resulting from the fusion of spleen cells from a rat immunized with a purified preparation of the reductase and mouse myeloma cells. The mAbs thus obtained were screened for their interaction with the reductases, first in western dots and then in blots, and for their ability to inhibit the NADPH-cytochrome c (Cyt c) reductase activity from Jerusalem artichoke microsomes.

Action profiles of smoking and caffeine: Stroop effect, EEG, and peripheral physiology.

Twenty female regular cigarette smokers and coffee drinkers performed a numerical Stroop task in a 2 x 2 (caffeine x smoking) prepost crossover design. In the easier of the two different versions, caffeine and smoking reduced the reaction times (RT's) when given alone, but there was no additive effect. The Stroop effect itself (difference between RT's to numbers and RT's to symbols) was reduced by the two treatments only in the more difficult version, but the combination did not differ from the placebo condition.

Twenty-four-hour monitoring of heart rate, motor activity and smoking behavior including comparisons between smokers and nonsmokers.

The present study was an attempt to monitor continuously and in parallel cigarette consumption, heart rate, and physical activity under field conditions. In a first experiment the test-retest reliability of the recording devices was evaluated with a small number of nonsmoking students on days with similar schedules. The intraday development of heart rate and activity revealed a remarkable intraindividual stability, and the test-retest reliability coefficients calculated between the totals of heart rate and activity revealed values of 0.

Smoking deprivation in "early" and "late" smokers and memory functions.

Reports on smoking and nicotine effects upon memory are contradictory: improvement, no change, and impairment have been observed. These inconsistencies may be due at least in part to different types of learning tasks and to experimental designs: in most studies, acute nicotine effects were analysed after previous smoking deprivation. This study compared learning, retention, and retrieval between nonsmoking after previous deprivation and "usual" smoking without previous deprivation.

No psychophysiological interactions between caffeine and stress?

In earlier studies, the predominantly beta-adrenergic effects of mental tasks and the alpha-adrenergic effects of caffeine on cardiovascular functions were observed to be simply additive without interaction. In the present study, annoying electrical shocks were superimposed on a mental task affording either active coping, which specifically raises beta-adrenergic activation, or passive coping, and the 40 female subjects were preselected so as to differ in subjective stress susceptibility. Caffeine as well as the type of coping and the considered personality dimension produced significant effects, but almost no interactions were obtained.

Nicotine absorption and the subjective and physiologic effects of nicotine toothpicks.

This study investigated a new tobacco-free smoking substitute intended to provide not only the nicotine but also, to some extent, the manipulative component of the smoking act. Nicotine uptake and cardiovascular and subjective effects of nicotine-containing toothpicks (4 mg) were compared with those of nicotine chewing gum (4 mg). After the two products were chewed for 5 minutes, the nicotine uptake from the toothpick was twofold that of the gum.

Multiple forms of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase in higher plants.

We report on the presence of multiple forms of NADPH-cyt P450 reductase in microsomes from higher plants. This contrasts with the animal cyt P450 monooxygenases, where the numerous cyt P450 isoforms are reduced by a single form of reductase. Three NADPH-cyt c reductases have been resolved from Jerusalem artichoke tuber microsomes by chromatography on Reactive Red Agarose and Concanavalin A-Sepharose.

Psychophysiological reactions during active and passive stress coping following smoking cessation.

This study investigated the effects of 9 days' smoking abstinence on psychophysiological stress reactions. The subjects were 40 female smokers; 20 of them intended to give up smoking in the course of the study, whereas the remaining 20 had no such intention. A first session was carried out before, a second and a third during days 3 and 9 of abstinence.

Development of central and peripheral smoking effects over time.

The present study compared for the first morning cigarettes CO and nicotine absorption as well as the effects on EEG and peripheral functions across a period of 90 min. Eighteen smokers participated in two sessions, one in which they smoked two cigarettes in succession and another in which they smoked three cigarettes at 30-min intervals. Smoking two cigarettes in succession produced a particularly wide range in nicotine absorption so that the subjects could be grouped into high (HN) and low (LN) nicotine absorbers, differing significantly in their CO and nicotine absorption.

Postlunch smoking for pleasure seeking or arousal maintenance?

Interactions between smoking and eating might be expected, since the craving to smoke increases after a meal, since smokers tend to have a lower body weight and since they have also been suggested to differ from nonsmokers with respect to metabolism. Further, both eating and smoking have been reported to affect mental performance. In the first experiment the influences of a heavy meal, a light meal and no meal on smoking behavior and subjective ratings were compared in 15 subjects.