We describe a method for rapid radioactive labeling of PCR product. The method, employing the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I, consumes little product, requires no product purification and takes ...under 30 minutes.
Background: Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) provides glucose readings to patients with diabetes, potentially supporting self-care. Preliminary data suggests efficacy of these devices ...influencing behavior change but data are limited on the sustainability of this change following short term use.
Methods: Following completion of a 14 week intervention involving use of RT-CGM as a behavior modification tool, a 6 month follow up survey was conducted. The survey included ten questions evaluating the impact of the subject's participation in the study on their continued lifestyle and health. The final question of the survey inquired if the subject had a significant other available to answer questions regarding their awareness of the subject's participation and impact on their own lifestyle choices.
Results: Twenty-two participants with diabetes participated in the initial intervention, of which sixteen responded to the survey. In the six months since their participation, 100% of respondents reported that CGM continues to contribute to a healthier lifestyle. 75% reported that they have excluded or limited certain foods as a result of participating and participation has motivated them to increase activity level. If available, 88% reported that they would you like to wear a CGM device on a regular basis. 68.8 % reported subjective weight loss since participating in the study with 7 (63.7%) of those participants reporting a weight loss of 10lbs or greater. Of the 16 participants, 3 subjects had a significant other that lived with the subject throughout the study and was able to be contacted. Of these three, 1 reported feeling healthier and changing their food choices as a result of their partner wearing a CGM.
Conclusion: In patients with diabetes, RT-CGM creates a sustainable lifestyle impact 6 months following use and is a desired tool for self care. However, longer prospective studies need to be completed. Further evaluation of RT-CGM contribution to the “health” of the household is also needed.
Disclosure
M. W. Porter: None. L. Needleman: None. S. Ramhmdani: None. N. M. Ehrhardt: Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk, Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk.
The chromatographic mobility of atriopeptin-28 or of the prohormone is markedly altered by preincubation of the pep tides with heparin before separation on reverse-phase high performance liquid ...chromatography. Protamine prevented the heparin effect and reestablished the original migration pattern of the atrial peptides. The addition of heparin to either rat or human plasma samples did not interfere with the atriopeptin immunoreactivity. The influence of heparin on the biological activity of the atriopeptin-28 in anesthetized rats was also investigated. Infusion of heparin (30 U/min) significantly reduced the dose-dependent fall of blood pressure produced by atriopeptin-28, but did not interfere with the hypotensive effect of nitroglycerin. Similarly, infusion of heparin in volume-expanded rats markedly decreased the diuresis produced by atriopeptin-28 without altering the urine volume excreted in response to furosemide. These data suggest that the highly charged molecule heparin can modify the physical and biological properties of atriopeptins, perhaps by binding to the numerous arginine residues (i.e., 5 arginine residues in atriopeptin-28) in the atriopeptin molecules.
Oncogenes capable of transforming NIH/3T3 cells are often present in human tumors and tumor cell lines. Such oncogenes were not detected in normal fibroblast lines derived from patients with several ...clinical syndromes associated with greatly increased cancer risk. Thus, germ-line transmission of these oncogenes does not appear to be the predisposing factor responsible for these high cancer risk syndromes.
For patients who fail to achieve control of head and neck cancer with local therapy, chemotherapy offers limited benefit at present. Better understanding of the phenomena which surround tumor cell ...killing by active agents should allow for the rational design of more effective programs. For example, as tumors grow larger, many cells cease to engage in DNA synthesis and are refractory to drugs like methotrexate. In such a case, alkylating agents might be more effective. Tritiated thymidine uptake and nuclear DNA fluorescence studies can be exploited to analyze the kinetic and metabolic behavior of tumor cells, and are described. For animal models these studies have allowed the design of "kinetic" regimens of enhanced efficacy. Methotrexate, hydroxyurea, cyclophosphamide, vinblastine, and cis-platinum have appreciable antitumor activity in head and neck carcinoma. Combining active agents in a rational sequence could be facilitated by kinetic analysis of a patient's tumor, giving rise to specific regimens with more cytoreduction, less toxicity and resistance, and ultimately, better survival.
Hypoplastic acute leukemia Needleman, Samuel W.; Burns, C. Patrick; Dick, Fred R. ...
Cancer,
15 September 1981, Volume:
48, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
There have been few reports of acute leukemia presenting with a hypocellular bone marrow. All patients diagnosed as having acute leukemia were identified during a recent six‐year interval who had ...blast cells plus promyelocytes of >30% and marrow cellularity of needle biopsy ≤ 50%. Of 195 patients analyzed, 15 (7.7%) fulfilled the criteria. Ten patients were men and five women; the median age was 68 years with a range of 4–82. Seven complained of fatigue of 6–12 months duration, five were seen with occult infection, and three were asymptomatic. Hepatosplenomegaly was absent in 93% and none had lymphadenopathy. Fourteen patients were pancytopenic with median leukocyte count at presentation of 1.5 × 109/liter, hemoglobin of 9.0 g/dl, and platelet count of 55 × 109/liter. Circulating blast cells were not observed in ten patients; in the other five they were <0.7 × 109/liter. The morphology of all cases appeared myeioid and Auer rods were seen in three patients; however, in one the peroxidase was negative. Classification according to FA criteria revealed ten to be M1, three to be M2, one M4, and one L2. Median survival of the entire group was seven months. Of seven patients receiving no chemotherapy, two survived longer than 1 year (14, 24.5 months), one is alive at 7+ months, and the median survival was seven months. Eight patients with life‐threatening complications received various combination regimens including an anthracycline, cytosine arabinoside, 6‐thioguanine, vincristine, and prednisone. Five died of treatment complications; two achieved durable complete remission and are free of disease at 17 and 27 months. It can be concluded that hypoplastic acute leukemia is a distinct nosologic entity affecting primarily older patients with myeloid leukemia. Remission induction therapy in patients who are seriously ill has a low success rate, and in some patients prolonged survival is possible with supportive care alone.
Objective: To determine the adjusted effect of hospital level of care and volume on mortality of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in the state of California, where deregionalization of perinatal ...care has occurred. Research Design: Secondary data analysis of California maternal-infant hospital discharge data from 1997 to 2002 was performed. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds of mortality among VLBW infants by hospital level of neonatal intensive care and volume of VLBW deliveries, in the context of differences in antenatal and delivery factors by hospital site of delivery. Results: Both maternal and fetal antenatal risk profiles and delivery characteristics vary by hospital site of delivery. After risk adjustment, lower-level, lower-volume units were associated with a higher odds of mortality. The highest odds of mortality occurred in level-1 units with ≤10 VLBW deliveries per year (odds ratio, 1.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-1.99). In isolation, hospital volume, rather than level of care, had the greater effect. Conclusions: Although deregionalization of perinatal services may increase access to care for high-risk mothers and newborns, its impact on hospital volume may outweigh its potential benefit.
The leptin receptor (LepR) acts as a signaling nexus for the regulation of glucose uptake and obesity, among other metabolic responses. The functional role of LepR under leptin-deficient conditions ...remains unclear. This study reports that epiregulin (EREG) governed glucose uptake in vitro and in vivo in
mice by activating LepR under leptin-deficient conditions. Single and long-term treatment with EREG effectively rescued glucose intolerance in comparative insulin and EREG tolerance tests in
mice. The immunoprecipitation study revealed binding between EREG and LepR in adipose tissue of
mice. EREG/LepR regulated glucose uptake without changes in obesity in
mice via mechanisms, including ERK activation and translocation of GLUT4 to the cell surface. EREG-dependent glucose uptake was abolished in
mice which supports a key role of LepR in this process. In contrast, inhibition of the canonical epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway implicated in other EREG responses, increased glucose uptake. Our data provide a basis for understanding glycemic responses of EREG that are dependent on LepR unlike functions mediated by EGFR, including leptin secretion, thermogenesis, pain, growth, and other responses. The computational analysis identified a conserved amino acid sequence, supporting an evolutionary role of EREG as an alternative LepR ligand.
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