Mutational analysis of the tumor-suppressor gene wt1 - detection of a novel homozygous point mutation in sporadic unilateral wilms-tumor

The WT1 gene located on chromosome 11p13, has been identified as the first Wilms' tumor suppressor gene and has been implicated in the development of Wilms' tumor. About 10% of Wilms' tumors analyzed to date carry a mutation and only 6 different point mutations affecting the zinc finger region have been reported. We analyzed the zinc finger coding exons of 38 sporadic Wilms' tumor by SSCP and detected 2 point mutations. One homo/hemizygous mutation, already described in the literature, replaced an arginine in zinc finger II by a stop codon. The other mutation, a replacement of an arginine by a stop codon in zinc finger I, represents a novel mutation.

Sr(Ti,Fe)O3: Materials for a Temperature Independent Resistive Oxygen Sensor

The metal oxide strontium titanate is a promising material for resistive high temperature oxygen sensors (T > 1000 K), that can be applied to control combustion engines. However, a disadvantage of this and of many other metal oxides is the strong temperature dependence of conductivity. In this work, we show that the temperature dependence of Sr(Ti1-x, Fex)O3-δ can be adjusted by the iron content. For x = 0.35 the thermal activation of the conductivity is near zero for a distinct temperature and oxygen partial pressure range (T = 1000 K - 1200 K, PO2 = 10 to 105 Pa). Short response times in the range of 10 ms can be realized by using sensors in thick film technology

Direct detection of formaldehyde in air by a novel NAD+- and glutathione-independent formaldehyde dehydrogenase-based biosensor

An amperometric enzyme-based sensor-system for the direct detection of formaldehyde in air is under investigation. The biosensor is based on a native bacterial NAD(+)- and glutathione-independent formaldehyde dehydrogenase as biorecognition element. The enzyme was isolated from Hyphomicrobium zavarzinii strain ZV 580, grown on methylamine hydrochloride in a fed-batch process. The sensor depends on the enzymatic conversion of the analyte to formic acid. Released electrons are detected in an amperometric measurement at 0.2V vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode by means of a redox-mediator. To optimize the sensing device, Ca(2+) and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) were added to the buffer solution as reconstitutional substances. At this stage, the sensor shows linear response in the tested ppm-range with a sensitivity of 0.39 microA/ppm. The signal is highly reproducible with respect to sensitivity and base line signal. Reproducibility of sensitivity is more than 90% within the same bacterial batch and even when enzyme of different bacterial batches is used.

Modeling of hydrocarbon sensors based on p-type semiconducting perovskites

In the scope of the present contribution, perovskite SrTi(1-x)Fe(x)O(3-delta) was investigated as a model material for conductometric hydrocarbon sensing at intermediate temperatures between 350 and 450 degrees C. To explain the observations made during sensor optimization in a quantitative way, a novel sensor model was proposed. At the microscopic scale, the local gas concentration affects local conductivity of the gas sensitive material. In the case of n-type tin oxide sensors, this interaction is commonly attributed to a redox reaction between the reducing analyte gas and adsorbed oxygen. In contrast, a reduction process affecting the entire bulk was assumed to govern gas sensitivity of SrTi(1-x)Fe(x)O(3-delta) films. Although very few variables needed to be assumed or fitted, the present bulk-type model was found to represent well sensor functionality of p-type conducting SrTi(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-delta) films. In addition to the temperature dependence of sensor response, the hydrocarbon sensitivity, m, was predicted with good accuracy. The different sensor responses towards hydrocarbons with a different chemical reactivity and other cross-interfering species, such as NO, was explained as well as the dependence on film thickness for screen printed films.

Can encouraging substance abuse patients to participate in self-help groups reduce demand for health care? A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Twelve-step-oriented inpatient treatment programs emphasize 12-step treatment approaches and the importance of ongoing attendance at 12-step self-help groups more than do cognitive-behavioral (CB) inpatient treatment programs. This study evaluated whether this difference in therapeutic approach leads patients who are treated in 12-step programs to rely less on professionally provided services and more on self-help groups after discharge, thereby reducing long-term health care costs.

METHODS

A prospective, quasi-experimental comparison of 12-step-based (N = 5) and cognitive-behavioral (n = 5) inpatient treatment programs was conducted. These treatments were compared on the degree to which their patients participated in self-help groups, used outpatient and inpatient mental health services, and experienced positive outcomes (e.g., abstinence) in the year following discharge. Using a larger sample from an ongoing research project, 887 male substance-dependent patients from each type of treatment program were matched on pre-intake health care costs (N = 1774). At baseline and 1-year follow-up, patients' involvement in self-help groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), utilization and costs of mental health services, and clinical outcomes were assessed.

RESULTS

Compared with patients treated in CB programs, patients treated in 12-step programs had significantly greater involvement in self-help groups at follow-up. In contrast, patients treated in CB programs averaged almost twice as many outpatient continuing care visits after discharge (22.5 visits) as patients treated in 12-step treatment programs (13.1 visits), and also received significantly more days of inpatient care (17.0 days in CB versus 10.5 in 12-step), resulting in 64% higher annual costs in CB programs ($4729/patient, p < 0.001). Psychiatric and substance abuse outcomes were comparable across treatments, except that 12-step patients had higher rates of abstinence at follow-up (45.7% versus 36.2% for patients from CB programs, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Professional treatment programs that emphasize self-help approaches increase their patients' reliance on cost-free self-help groups and thereby lower subsequent health care costs. Such programs therefore represent a cost-effective approach to promoting recovery from substance abuse.

Outpatient mental health care, self-help groups, and patients' one-year treatment outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between the duration and amount of outpatient mental health care, participation in self-help groups, and patients' casemix-adjusted one-year outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 2,376 patients with substance use disorders, 35% of whom also had psychiatric disorders, were assessed at entry to treatment and at a one-year follow-up. Information about the duration and amount of outpatient mental health care was obtained from a centralized health services utilization database.

RESULTS

Patients who obtained regular outpatient mental health care over a longer interval and patients who attended more self-help group meetings had better one-year substance use and social functioning outcomes than did patients who were less involved in formal and informal care. The amount of outpatient mental health care did not independently predict one-year outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The duration of outpatient mental health care and the level of self-help involvement are independently associated with less substance use and more positive social functioning. The provision of low intensity treatment for a longer time interval may be a cost-effective way to enhance substance abuse and psychiatric patients' long-term outcomes.

Human eukaryotic initiation factor EIF2C1 gene: cDNA sequence, genomic organization, localization to chromosomal bands 1p34-p35, and expression

We report the cloning and characterization of the human eukaryotic protein translation initiation factor EIF2C1 gene. The human EIF2C1 gene consists of 19 exons and 18 introns that span a region of almost 50 kb. It is located on the short arm of chromosome 1 in the region 1p34-p35. This genomic region is frequently lost in human cancers such as Wilms tumors, neuroblastoma, and carcinomas of the breast, liver, and colon. The human EIF2C1 gene is ubiquitously expressed at low to medium levels. Differential polyadenylation and splicing result in a complex transcriptional pattern. The cDNA sequence is 7478 bp long and contains an extremely large 3' untranslated region of 4799 bp with multiple, short repeated segments composed of mono-, tri-, or quattronucleotides interspersed throughout. The human EIF2C1 gene belongs to a multigene family in human. It is highly conserved during evolution, sharing about 90% identity with rabbit eIF2C and 70% identity with plant AGO1 at the amino acid level. These facts suggest that human EIF2C1 might play an important physiological role.

CD68+ cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage in the environment of AIDS-associated and classic-sporadic Kaposi sarcoma are singly or doubly infected with human herpesviruses 7 and 6B

Earlier studies have shown that Kaposi sarcomas contain cells infected with human herpesvirus (HHV) 6B, and in current studies we report that both AIDS-associated and classic-sporadic Kaposi sarcoma contain HHV-7 genome sequences detectable by PCR. To determine the distribution of HHV-7-infected cells relative to those infected with HHV-6, sections from paraffin-embedded tissues were allowed to react with antibodies to HHV-7 virion tegument phosphoprotein pp85 and to HHV-6B protein p101. The antibodies are specific for HHV-7 and HHV-6B, respectively, and they retained reactivity for antigens contained in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples. We report that (i) HHV-7 pp85 was present in 9 of 32 AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcomas, and in 1 of 7 classical-sporadic HIV-negative Kaposi sarcomas; (ii) HHV-7 pp85 was detected primarily in cells bearing the CD68 marker characteristic of the monocyte/macrophage lineage present in or surrounding the Kaposi sarcoma lesions; and (iii) in a number of Kaposi sarcoma specimens, tumor-associated CD68+ monocytes/macrophages expressed simultaneously antigens from both HHV-7 and HHV-6B, and therefore appeared to be doubly infected with the two viruses. CD68+ monocytes/macrophages infected with HHV-7 were readily detectable in Kaposi sarcoma, but virtually absent from other normal or pathological tissues that harbor macrophages. Because all of the available data indicate that HHV-7 infects CD4+ T lymphocytes, these results suggest that the environment of the Kaposi sarcoma (i) attracts circulating peripheral lymphocytes and monocytes, triggers the replication of latent viruses, and thereby increases the local concentration of viruses, (ii) renders CD68+ monocytes/macrophages susceptible to infection with HHV-7, and (iii) the combination of both events enables double infections of cells with both HHV-6B and HHV-7.

Detection and typing of human papillomavirus in biopsy and cytological specimens by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis: a method suitable for semiautomation

Screening for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types allows the detection of women at a high risk of cervical squamous carcinomas, thereby defining a subset of patients targeted for more intensive screening and follow-up. Thirty-four cervical biopsy specimens and isolated cells from cervical smears of normal women or women diagnosed with high-grade intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) were screened for the presence of HPV by in situ hybridization (ISH) and/or by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The exact HPV type was determined using a novel restriction typing method. The detection of HPV was facilitated greatly by the use of a PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based method. HPV was detected by PCR in 32% of the biopsy specimens, whereas only 23% had a positive staining by ISH. In one case, a double infection was detected by ISH as well as by PCR. In two cases, the presence of HPV was detected by both methods but the exact type was different. Analyzing cells isolated from cervical smears by the PCR-ELISA technique or by PCR followed by agarose gel electrophoresis, HPV was detected only in patients with HGSIL and not in the control group. The PCR system is more sensitive than conventional ISH, and the PCR-ELISA system presented in this study is efficient in screening large series of cytological samples. Furthermore, this system allows exact HPV typing on the microtiter plate. These innovations may allow the application of HPV detection and typing as a routine screening method to identify patients with a high risk of developing cervical neoplasia.

Human herpesvirus type 6 and cytomegalovirus in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma: no evidence for an etiological association

Epidemiological studies indicate that acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) may be caused by an infectious, preferentially sexually transmitted agent. Herpesviruses infections are common sexually transmitted diseases in homosexual men, who are also the main risk group for developing Kaposi's sarcoma. To evaluate a possible role of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the development of AIDS-associated KS, we investigated cutaneous AIDS-associated KS in 26 AIDS patients using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to detect the presence of HHV-6 and CMV. Human herpesvirus-6 was detected in nine of 26 Kaposi's sarcoma specimens (all cases were HHV-6 subtype B) and in eight of 27 normal skin specimens from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive and HIV seronegative patients (one case was HHV-6 subtype A and seven cases were HHV-6 subtype B). In two of four patients showing HHV-6 in KS of the skin, the virus also was detected in other investigated tissues, such as heart, lung, liver, kidney, and adrenals. Cytomegalovirus was detected only in AIDS-associated KS (seven of 26 KS specimens) and not in normal skin tissues of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative patients. Cytomegalovirus was detected in other organs of those patients showing CMV in Kaposi's sarcoma. Our data indicate that the presence of HHV-6 and CMV in AIDS-associated KS most likely reflects disseminated viral infection. Human herpesvirus-6 and CMV may be cofactors but not the only causative agents for the development of AIDS-associated KS.

Detection of several types of human papilloma viruses in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma

Epidemiological studies indicate that acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) may be caused by an infectious, preferentially sexually transmitted agent. Infections with human papilloma viruses are common, sexually transmitted diseases occurring frequently in homosexual men, who are also the main risk group for developing KS. In order to evaluate the possible role of HPV in the development of KS, 24 cutaneous AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcomas were investigated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridization for the presence of human papilloma viruses (HPV). HPV DNA sequences were detected in 5 of 24 KS specimens, in 4 of 13 normal skin specimens from AIDS patients without KS and in 5 of 14 skin specimens of HIV-seronegative patients. For the first time, HPV types 6 and 33 were detected by PCR in KS. A higher proportion of HPV types 16/18 was found in AIDS-associated KS specimens, whereas HPV type 33 was seen more often in normal skin specimens of the control group. Apart from the known HPV types 16/18 described in KS, this study demonstrates also the presence of HPV 6 and 33 in this condition.

Difficulty of follow-up and outcome of alcoholism treatment

Patients who are difficult to follow up after alcoholism treatment have poorer treatment outcome than do patients who are followed up more easily.

Treatment experiences of alcoholic patients: an analysis of five residential alcoholism programs

Five different residential alcoholism programs were studied to determine the influence of patient attributes on the treatment process. The relationship between patient characteristics and treatment experiences was analyzed separately for each of the five programs. There was no systematic relationship between patient characteristics and the kind or extent of treatment patients received or length of patient stay in treatment. The authors recommend more attention be paid to the type and intensity of treatment in relation to patient characteristics and a routine evaluation of program effectiveness.

Sex and marital status in relation to the characteristics of alcoholics

Data on 392 married and unmarried men and women alcoholics suggest that certain social antecedents and drinking patterns represent genuine sex differences and are independent of marital status. However, marital status was related to severity of alcoholism, particularly with respect to personal background characteristics and to psychological functioning at the time of treatment.

Divergent Reactions to the Threat of War

While the extent of similarity between the two groups was surprising, this similarity may have been due to the particular community studied and should not obscure the real differences which were found, which apparently remained fairly stable. The two groups differed not only in their beliefs about shelters but in their attitudes toward war, United States foreign policy, the motives of the Soviet Union, political affiliation and activity, risk-taking behavior, their own descriptions of themselves and of the opposite group, and a number of general social issues. Finally, each group had misperceptions about the other, one group exaggerating, the other under-rating, the differences.