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Abstract: Background: Laparoscopic or endoscopic limited resection is intended to be an additional therapeutic option for the treatment of early gastric cancer. However, tumorbiologic markers to predict the outcome for patients after limited resections are missing. This study therefore investigated the prognostic relevance of p53 and bcl-2 immunoreactivity as well as the percentage of apoptotic tumor cells in early invasive pT1/pT2 tumors managed with standard operations for gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods: Histologic slides of 65 pT1/pT2 gastric carcinomas were investigated for bcl-2 and p53 immunoreactivity. For 35 patients, DNA fragmentation of tumor cell nuclei was determined by the terminal uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP) nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method. Follow-up evaluation of the patients was prospectively documented for 53.4 ± 4.1 months. Results: Findings showed that bcl-2 immunoreactivity was associated with tumors of the intestinal type according to Lauren´s classification (p = 0.042), and that p53 immunoreactivity was increased in more invasive tumors (pT1 vs pT2 tumors; p = 0.047). Mean survival time was significantly longer for patients with bcl-2-negative tumors (74.3 ± 6.8 months) than for patients with bcl-2-positive tumors (50.8 ± 7.6 months; p = 0.024). The percentage of apoptotic tumor cell nuclei did not have prognostic relevance in the population studied and was not associated with several histopathologic parameters or bcl-2 and p53 immunoreactivity. Subgroup analysis indicated that the survival of patients with differentiated G2 and bcl-2-negative/p53-negative tumors was significantly longer (82 ± 6 months) than the survival of patients with G2 bcl-2- and/or p53-positive tumors (41.8 ± 12.5 months; p = 0.005), with independent prognostic relevance determined by multivariate analysis (p = 0.024). Conclusion: The data reported indicate that the analysis of bcl-2 and p53 immunoreactivity seems to have prognostic implications for early invasive (pT1/pT2) gastric adenocarcinomas and may subclassify patients for minimally invasive laparoscopic or endoscopic gastric resections.

Extraction of the crude cell envelope fraction of cloacin DF13-susceptible Enterobacter cloacae strain 02 with Triton X-100 and ethylenediaminetetraacetate solubilized an outer membrane fraction which neutralized the lethal activity of cloacin DF13. A similar fraction could not be isolated from strains known to be lacking functional cloacin DF13 receptors. On this basis the isolated outer membrane fraction was assumed to contain the specific cloacin DF13 receptor. The receptor was purified to homogeneity by acetone precipitation and affinity chromatography, using cloacin DF13 as a ligand. The purified receptor was identified as a protein which consisted of a single polypeptide chain with an apparent molecular weight of 90,000 and a preponderance of acidic amino acids (pI = 5.0). The interaction of equimolar amounts of purified receptor and cloacin DF13 in vitro resulted in a complete, irreversible neutralization of the lethal activity of the bacteriocin. This interaction showed a temperature optimum at 43 degrees C but was only slightly affected by variation of the pH between 5.0 and 8.5 or by increasing the ionic strength of the incubation buffer. The receptor had no neutralizing activity towards other bacteriocins, such as colicin E1 or colicin E3.

The authors achieved excellent results using argon laser treatment of PWS in 45% of 84 patients. Punch biopsies were taken preoperatively in all patients. Their classification according to fullness of erythrocytes of the vessels was found to be of relative value in predicting the treatment result. It is thus found to be advisable to administer a test treatment of a limited area in all patients.

Summary: A sampling process for the effluent of a naphtha-cracker furnace is described. This simple process has been operating permanently in our industrial units for more than two years in a very satisfactory way. The chromatographic analysis is carried out after a pneumatic transmission of samples. The installation of this device does not require any special equipment fitted at the cracking furnace outlet. Our sampling system, allowing a better adjustment of the unit, can be fitted on any furnace. We noticed neither coke formation nor clogging of the probes. the repeatability of the operations is very satisfactory for an industrial system.

Mathematical treatment of pyrograms of complex polymers is described. Utilization of all the analytical information is achieved by the use of “Factor analysis” (or principal components analysis) coupled with classical “Multilinear regression analysis”. Peak or groups of peaks which are related to a given property (e.g.: comonomer, percent, etc., ...) can be found rapidly and completely without any “a priori” assuption. The application of this computation technic is given tacticity for flash pyrolysis of ethylene-propylene copolymers.

Across a large area of the midwestern United States Corn Belt, the western corn rootworm beetle (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) exhibits behavioral resistance to annual crop rotation. Resistant females exhibit increased locomotor activity and frequently lay eggs in soybean (Glycine max L.) fields, although they also lay eggs in fields of corn (Zea mays L.) and other locations. The goals of this study were (1) to determine whether there were any differences in ovipositional behavior and response to plant cues between individual rotation-resistant and wild-type females in the laboratory and (2) to examine the roles of, and interaction between, host volatiles, diet, and locomotor behavior as they related to oviposition. Because rootworm females lay eggs in the soil, we also examined the influence of host plant roots on behavior. In the first year of the study, rotation-resistant beetles were significantly more likely to lay eggs in the presence of soybean foliage and to feed on soybean leaf discs than wild-type females, but this difference was not observed in the second year. Oviposition by rotation-resistant females was increased in the presence of soybean roots, but soybean herbivory did not affect ovipositional choice. Conversely, ovipositional choice of wild-type females was not affected by the presence or identity of host plant roots encountered, and wild-type females consuming soybean foliage were more likely to lay eggs.