Assessment of Confirmed Clinical Hypersensitivity to Rituximab in Patients Affected with B-Cell Neoplasia.

Rituximab hypersensitivity reactions are rare but are one of the main causes of rituximab elimination from antilymphoma immunochemotherapy treatments. While the clinical picture may be indistinguishable from other infusion-related reactions, hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) do not disappear and instead become more intense with subsequent administrations. .

Is prophylactic gastrectomy indicated for healthy carriers of CDH1 gene mutations associated with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer?

Introduction: hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) is a recently reported hereditary cancer syndrome. Patients with suspected HDGC must be under surveillance via endoscopy and multiple biopsies. As an alternative, some studies suggest prophylactic gastrectomy (PG) for disease carriers.

Age-related changes in posture control are differentially affected by postural and cognitive task complexity.

The simple postural task of quiet standing, which requires minimal attentional resources, is generally paired with cognitive activity. Competition for attentional resources is a consequence of simultaneously performing balance tasks and cognitive tasks, and impairment of attentional resource allocation with aging leads to increased risks of fall. We investigated age-related changes in posture control during dual task performance, using a paradigm that crossed a static (quiet standing) and a dynamic (keeping balance on a translational force plate) postural task and cognitive tasks of low demand (mental arithmetic) and high demand (spatial memory).

Supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid in the last trimester of pregnancy: maternal-fetal biochemical findings.

The nutritional significance of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPS) during the perinatal period is becoming increasingly important. There are currently very few studies on dietary intervention during gestation. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation during pregnancy on levels in both the newborn and the mother.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency during dietary treatment of very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. Rescue with soybean oil.

Nutritional management of very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency is based on the avoidance of fasting and substitution of medium-chain triglycerides for long- and very long-chain triglycerides. We report two cases of this disease, which developed omega-6 essential fatty acid deficiency after three and five months from the beginning of nutritional therapy (SHS product: Monogen). This alteration could be especially dangerous in these patients owing to their possible susceptibility to the development of pigmentary retinopathy.

Ab Initio MRCI Calculation and Modeling of the A1Pi Potential Energy Curve of CO.

We report a MRCI study of the A1Pi potential energy curve of CO. The calculated ab initio energies are analytically modeled using the EHFACE2 and RKHS methods. A barrier of approximately 730 cm-1 is predicted at an internuclear distance of approximately 4.

A comparative study by a single chromatographic procedure of glycolytic regulatory kinase isozymes in rat erythroid cells as a function of differentiation-maturation process.

The isozymes of three glycolytic regulatory kinases: hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase are fractionated by a single ion exchange chromatographic procedure on DEAE-cellulose. Enriched-erythroblast bone marrow cells showed two heterogeneous peaks, each consisting of two overlapping peaks: one major and one minor peak, but only two isozymes were observed in reticulocytes and erythrocytes. Phosphofructokinase showed multiple isozymic forms in the three cell populations, but while in erythroblasts the main one eluted in the last fractions, in reticulocytes and erythrocytes it eluted in the early fractions.

Evaluation of five immunoassays for the determination of digoxin in serum.

Five immunoassays for the determination of digoxin have been evaluated (Digoxin II, Abbott; Cedia Digoxin XL, Microgenics; Coat-a-Count Digoxin, Diagnostic Procedure Corporation, DPC; "On-line" Digoxin, Roche Diagnostic Systems; EMIT 2000 Digoxin, Syva). Four of them required no sample pre-treatment. The methods included a radioimmunoassay, fluoroimmunoassay, two enzyme-immunoassays and a turbidimetric immunoassay: the last three mentioned were adapted to the Cobas Mira Plus.

Surface properties of crosslinked erythrocytes as studied by counter-current distribution in aqueous polymer two-phase systems.

The bifunctional imidoester dimethyl suberimidate hydrochloride can stabilize rat red blood cells (RBCs) by membrane protein crosslinking, and in that way they can be used as carrier systems for exogenous substances. Counter-current distribution fractionation in charge-sensitive dextran-polyethyleneglycol two-phase systems has been used to detect slight changes in surface charge in stabilized cells. A decrease in the surface charge of crosslinked RBCs and an apparent masking of the age-related cell surface properties have been found to result from the protein crosslinking.

Biochemical characterization of human erythrocytes fractionated by counter-current distribution in aqueous polymer two-phase systems.

The fractionation of normal human erythrocytes by counter-current distribution (CCD) in charge-sensitive dextran-polyethylene glycol two-phase systems was confirmed and extended to red blood cells from heterozygous beta-thalassaemic patients. The differences between the distribution profiles of normal (homogeneous) and abnormal (heterogeneous) red blood cells reflect their different surface-charge properties. As suggested by the decline of membrane sialic acid released after neuraminidase treatment and the specific activities of two age-dependent enzymes (membrane acetylcholinesterase and intracellular pyruvate kinase) in the distribution profiles (from the left- to the right-hand side fractions), the fractionation seems to be according to red blood cell age.

Changes in glycolytic enzyme activities in aging erythrocytes fractionated by counter-current distribution in aqueous polymer two-phase systems.

Human and rat erythrocytes were fractionated by counter-current distribution in charge-sensitive dextran/poly(ethylene glycol) two-phase systems. The specific activities of the key glycolytic enzymes (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase) declined along the distribution profiles, although the relative positions of the activity profiles were reversed in the two species. These enzymes maintained their normal response to specific regulatory effectors in all cell fractions.

Fractionation in two-phase systems of red cells during rat development: changes in pyruvate kinase and bisphosphoglycerate mutase activities in relation to red cell switching.

An inverse relationship between 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate levels and the ratio calculated from pyruvate kinase and bisphosphoglycerate mutase activities has been observed in red populations of rats during animal development. Counter-current distribution in aqueous two-phase systems of these cells populations shows a displacement of distribution profiles towards the high-numbered cavities of the rotor as animal ages. Heterogeneity of cells after distribution is only observed during the switching process from fetal to adult red cells taking place along the postnatal stage of development.