Pharmaceutical industry-sponsored meetings: good value or just a free meal?

Although the role of the pharmaceutical industry in continuing medical education (CME) has been debated for many years, industry CME funding continues to increase. Because of concern about the educational quality of industry CME, the Hunter Postgraduate Medical Institute (HPMI), an independent Newcastle and Hunter Valley CME provider, evaluated the use and quality of industry CME as reported by rural and urban general practitioners, physicians and psychiatrists. Furthermore, clinicians were asked if they supported increased industry-funded independent CME.

Augmentation of lymphocyte responses by monoclonal antibodies to the gangliosides GD3 and GD2: the role of protein kinase C, cyclic nucleotides, and intracellular calcium.

Previous studies have shown that MAb's against the gangliosides GD3 and GD2 may augment T cell responses to a variety of stimuli. We present evidence that antiganglioside MAb's, like PHA, increase intracellular cGMP and protein kinase C yet have no effect on intracellular Ca2+. Stimulation of T cells with MAb's to GD3 was associated with increased cGMP levels, particularly in the CD8+ T cell subset which showed the highest degree of potentiation by the MAb's.