Erythropoietin for mobilization of circulating progenitor cells in patients with previously treated relapsed malignancies

A trial to determine the usefulness of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) as a mobilizing cytokine for patients with previously treated relapsed malignancies was performed. An initial peripheral stem cell apheresis collection was conducted during steady-state hematopoiesis for each patient to provide baseline data. rhEpo, 200 U/kg/day, was administered subcutaneously until the last apheresis procedure was completed. Immediately after the fourth daily dose of Epo, apheresis procedures were resumed and continued beyond five collections, when necessary, to accrue a total of 6.5 x 10(8) mononuclear cells (MNCs)/kg. Eight female and four male patients (median age = 44 years) were evaluated. Five to 14 (median = 8) apheresis procedures were performed for each patient. Toxicity attributable to Epo administration was negligible. Mobilization effects, as determined by an increase in the number of colony-forming units granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) and burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-E) in the apheresis products after Epo administration, were observed in all patients. Nine patients received high-dose chemotherapy and Epo-mobilized peripheral stem cell transplantation (PSCT). Beginning the day of the transplant, GM-CSF was administered until neutrophil recovery was satisfactory. The median time to recover 0.5 x 10(9)/L granulocytes was 16 days after PSCT. Epo appears to have mobilization properties. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical usefulness of Epo as a mobilizing cytokine. The addition of Epo to other mobilizing cytokines may provide increased effectiveness without adding toxicity.     

Resection of residual retroperitoneal masses in testicular cancer: evaluation and improvement of selection criteria. The ReHiT study group. Re-analysis of histology in testicular cancer

Residual retroperitoneal masses may remain after chemotherapy for metastatic non-seminomatous testicular cancer, which harbour residual tumour or totally benign tissue (necrosis/fibrosis). These residual masses may be effectively removed by a surgical resection. We evaluated current selection criteria and tried to develop alternative criteria in a data set of 544 patients, who had retroperitoneal lymph node dissection of residual masses. Six resection policies were identified from the literature. Two alternative policies were developed with logistic regression analysis. Evaluation of the policies focused on the true-positive rate (resection in case of tumour), and the false-positive rate (resection in case of necrosis). It appeared that most current policies use the size of the residual mass (> or = 10 mm or > or = 20 mm) as the predominant selection criterion. This resulted in high true-positive rates (most > 90%), but false-positive rates between 37% and 87%. The alternative policies included five well-known predictors of necrosis in addition to residual mass size (primary tumour histology, prechemotherapy levels of the three tumour markers alphafetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and mass shrinkage during chemotherapy). This strategy resulted in improved true- and false-positive rates, even when categories of the predictors were simplified for practical application. We conclude that a simple statistical model, based on a limited number of patient characteristics, provides better guidelines for patient selection than those currently used in clinical practice.     

Gangliosides minimize motor disabilities and histopathological changes in cortical lesioned and transplanted rats

The effect of bovine brain gangliosides was studied in rats lesioned by partial suction of the right somatosensory cortex and also in rats implanted with a piece of fetal brain tissue in this area. In both experiments a group of animals received 30 mg/kg i.p. of gangliosides daily for a period of 7 days after surgery. In lesioned rats, the untreated group showed a lower maintenance on a tight rope test at 7 as well as at 14 days, as compared with a sham-operated group (p < 0.05). In transplanted rats ganglioside treatment prevented the increase of the probability of falls from a horizontal bar at days 7 and 14 post-operations and the probability of slips on a vertical bar at day 7 (p < 0.05). Rats were killed at day 15 and brain coronal sections were obtained. Nuclear area and circularity were measured in a sample of cortical and grafted cells in a computer aid-image analyzer. Ganglioside protection on the normal size and shape of the nuclei in the ipsilateral cortex in lesioned as well as in transplanted rats (p < 0.01) was found. A higher nuclear area in ganglioside than in saline treated grafts was noted. Results suggest a protective action of the gangliosides against the lesion-induced motor dysfunction and secondary cortical cell degeneration.     

Ectopic expression of Hoxa-1 in the zebrafish alters the fate of the mandibular arch neural crest and phenocopies a retinoic acid-induced phenotype

Considerable evidence has demonstrated that retinoic acid influences the formation of the primary body axis in vertebrates and that this may occur through the regulation of Hox gene expression. In this study, we show that the phenotype induced by exogenous retinoic acid in the zebrafish can also be generated by the overexpression of Hoxa-1 following injection of synthetic RNA into the fertilised egg. The isolation, sequence and expression pattern of the zebrafish Hoxa-1 gene is described. We show that exogenously applied retinoic acid causes the ectopic accumulation of Hoxa-1 message during gastrulation in the hypoblast in the head region. Overexpression of Hoxa-1 following injection of RNA causes abnormal growth of the anterior hindbrain, duplication of Mauthner neurons in rhombomere (r) 2 and fate changes of r2 mesenchymal and neurogenic neural crest. These results are discussed in terms of the role of Hoxa-1 in controlling anterior hindbrain patterning and the relationship between expression of Hoxa-1 and retinoic acid.     

Implicit and explicit memory retrieval within and across the disconnected cerebral hemispheres.

The authors report that the divided right and left cerebral hemispheres are both adept at priming, a type of implicit memory, and that subcortical routes can mediate implicit memory retrieval across the hemispheres. Two individuals with complete section of all forebrain commissures, L.B. and N.G., were given tests of recall and recognition (explicit memory) and stem-completion priming (implicit memory). The right and left hemispheres of N.G. and the left hemisphere of L.B. exhibited significant intrahemispheric priming. Interhemispheric priming was similar in extent to intrahemispheric priming. Under several intra- and interhemispheric conditions, significant implicit retrieval occurred in the face of abnormal explicit retrieval. Because all forebrain commissures had been severed in L.B. and N.G., interhemispheric priming was necessarily supported by subcortical structures. The observed dissociation between explicit and implicit memory performance indicates that the routes of interhemispheric transfer vary with type of memory retrieval. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)