Non-invasive detection of malignancy by identification of unusual CD44 gene activity in exfoliated cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate non-invasive detection of cancer by testing for unusual CD44 gene activity in a clinical sample as an indicator of exfoliated tumour cells. DESIGN--Case-control study. SUBJECTS--44 unselected, consecutive patients with bladder cancer and 46 people with no evidence of neoplasia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Presence or absence of large CD44 gene products containing exon 6 derivatives in urine samples. RESULTS--Novel abnormalities in the pattern of expression of this gene, seen specifically in tumour tissue, led to cloning of a newly recognised coding region in it (exon 6). This was tested as a probe for detection of exfoliated malignant cells in naturally voided urine. CD44 gene products extracted from the urine and amplified with polymerase chain reaction contained predicted electrophoretic band of 735 base pairs in 40 of the 44 patients with bladder cancer (sensitivity 91%). Products from 38 of the 46 people with no evidence of neoplasia showed no such band (specificity 83%). CONCLUSIONS--Unusual activity of the CD44 locus in neoplasia and malignancy is confirmed, and techniques for the analysis of such activity can enable non-invasive investigation of patients for primary or recurrent bladder cancer or for other tumours that shed neoplastic cells into body fluids.     

Waiting times: monitoring the total postreferral wait.

OBJECTIVES--To determine whether the period spent on the true inpatient waiting list is a valid indication of the total time that patients have to wait for an operation; and to assess the feasibility of monitoring the total "postreferral waiting time" by using existing computerised information systems. SETTING--Three randomly selected Scottish hospitals. SUBJECTS--Waiting list patients admitted to hospital for operations during June to August 1993 in six major specialties, separate attention being focused on cataract operations and hip and knee replacements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--The total time that patients have to wait for an operation after the initial general practitioner referral--the postreferral waiting time--compared with that spent at the final stage of the process on the true inpatient waiting list. RESULTS--In the specialties investigated roughly half (58 days; 53%) of the average postreferral wait of 110 days was spent on the true inpatient waiting list, one third (35 days; 32%) being spent on the outpatient waiting list and one sixth (17 days; 15%) waiting between waiting lists. Only a quarter of cataract patients (73/292) were treated within three months of general practitioner referral compared with over three quarters (228/292) within three months of being placed on the inpatient waiting list. Nevertheless, within a year over 99% of patients (290) had been treated whichever date was taken as the starting point. CONCLUSIONS--Monitoring postreferral waiting times would provide a much more accurate picture for purchasers and patients of waiting times for treatment than is obtained by focusing exclusively on the true inpatient waiting list and facilitate fairer comparisons between NHS trusts in national league tables. Stringent national and local monitoring is essential to ensure (a) that future reductions in the time waiting on true inpatient waiting lists are not gained at the expense of longer periods waiting to be placed on the lists, and (b) that no increases occur in the number of patients placed instead on deferred waiting lists or exempted from the normal maximum waiting time guarantees.     

Higher professional training in general practice: provision of master's degree courses in the United Kingdom in 1993.

Review of a 1993 survey of the 29 United Kingdom departments of general practice (or equivalent) identified seven master''s degree courses available for general practitioners. Up to another 11 are planned within the next five years. Around 50 general practitioners undertake all such courses at any one time. Possible reasons for this low uptake include cost, lack of flexibility of courses, and the prospect of writing a thesis. Appropriate master''s courses are essential to the future development of general practice, and this paper postulates the characteristics of an "ideal" course.     

从水稻根部悬浮培养细胞分离原生质体及植株再生

以长香稻(Oryza sativa L．)(糯稻)的幼嫩种子根为材料,在Ms和N6培养基上诱导产生结构松软而分散的愈伤组织,经过AA液体培养基振荡悬浮培养,悬浮培养细胞经酶解后得到了活性较高的原生质体,试验结果表明这是分离原生质体较理想的材料。在附加2,4-D lmg／L(以下单位同)、KT(激动素)0．2、各氨酰胺876、天门冬酰胺266的Ms琼脂糖培养基中,诱导出了大量愈伤组织,在含KT2、NAA(α-萘乙酸)0．2、zT(玉米素)0．2、cH(水解酪蛋白)1000和4％椰子汁的N6培养基中成功地诱导出了由原生质体再生的植株。当代原生质体再生植株能正常开花、结实、产生种子;染色体数均为二倍性(2n＝24),最显著的特点是结实率低,穗粒数减步、生育期延迟。     

Familial unbalanced translocation t(8;15)(p23.3;q11) with uniparental disomy in Angelman syndrome

A 29-year-old male with Angelman syndrome and an unbalanced reciprocal translocation, 45,XY,-8,-15,+der(8),t(8;15)(p23.3;q11)pat, was evaluated with DNA studies. These showed the underlying mechanism to be paternal uniparental disomy. This is the second case reported of Angelman syndrome that has resulted from a familial unbalanced reciprocal translocation.     

T cell recognition of melanoma antigens in association with HLA-A1 on allogeneic melanoma cells

Previous studies have shown that recognition of melanoma by cytotoxic T lymphocytes may be restricted by HLA-A1, A2 and other HLA antigens. The present study examined the cytotoxic specificity and major histocompatibility complex restriction of cloned cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) isolated from a patient with the HLA phenotype A3,31 who had been immunized with a vaccine prepared from HLA-A1,3 melanoma cells. Cytotoxic assays against HLA-typed allogeneic melanoma cells indicated that cloned CTL from the patient were able to kill allogeneic melanoma cells expressing HLA-A1 but not other HLA-A1-positive cells. Studies on a representative clone indicated that proliferation and cytokine (tumour necrosis factor ) production in response to melanoma cells was also associated with HLA-A1 on melanoma cells. Response to the melanoma cells was associated with interleukin-4 (IL-4) rather than IL-2 production. The antigen recognized in the context of HLA-A1 on allogeneic melanoma cells was detected in cytotoxic assays on cells from 9 of 12 HLA-A1⁺ melanoma cell lines and did not appear to be the product of the MAGE-1 or-3 genes. These findings suggest that T cells can recognize melanoma antigens in the context of alloantigens and that allogeneic vaccines containing immunodominant alloantigens may generate CTL that are ineffective against autologous melanoma. The study does not, however, exclude the possibility that CTL with specificity to the latter may be activated by allogeneic vaccines, and further studies are needed to answer this question.     

水平回转对水稻幼苗叶细胞的影响

对在模拟微重力装置上回转１４ 天的水稻幼苗叶细胞进行了亚显微形态、电子探针和细胞酶化学研究。发现叶细胞质膜上Ｃａ２＋ －ＡＴＰ酶活性消失,膜内钙总量上升、膜外钙总量下降,细胞骨架变得疏松,细胞壁变薄并凹凸不平。叶绿体的基粒和线粒体的内嵴亦有部分变化。其变化机制,首先是细胞质膜上Ｃａ２＋ －ＡＴＰ酶活性消失,膜上钙泵停止工作,跨膜钙浓度差减小,膜内钙浓度上升,微管、微丝聚合受阻,细胞骨架疏松,分泌泡移动失去导向,从而导致细胞壁变薄等状态     

1.56 Å structure of mature truncated human fibroblast collagenase

The X-ray crystal structure of a 19 kDa active fragment of human fibroblast collagenase has been determined by the multiple isomorphous replacement method and refined at 1.56 Å resolution to an R-factor of 17.4%. The current structure includes a bound hydroxamate inhibitor, 88 waters and three metal atoms (two zincs and a calcium). The overall topology of the enzyme, comprised of a five stranded β-sheet and three α-helices, is similar to the thermolysin-like metalloproteinases. There are some important differences between the collagenase and thermolysin families of enzymes. The active site zinc ligands are all histidines (His-218, His-222, and His-228). The presence of a second zinc ion in a structural role is a unique feature of the matrix metalloproteinases. The binding properties of the active site cleft are more dependent on the main chain conformation of the enzyme (and substrate) compared with thermolysin. A mechanism of action for peptide cleavage similar to that of thermolysin is proposed for fibroblast collagenase. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.