The Determination of Nuclear Level Densities from Experimental Information -

A novel Information Theory based method for determining the density of states from prior information is presented. The energy dependence of the density of states is determined from the observed number of states per energy interval and model calculations suggest that the method is sufficiently reliable to calculate the thermal properties of nuclei over a reasonable temperature range.Comment: 7 pages + 6 eps figures, REVTEX 3.

Functional Analysis of the TAN-1 Gene, a Human Homolog of Drosophila Notch

The TAN-1 gene was originally discovered at the breakpoint of a recurrent (7;9)(q34;q34.3) chromosomal translocation found in a subset of human T-lymphoblastic leukemias (Reynolds et al. 1987; Smith et al. 1988; Ellisen et al. 1991). This translocation joins roughly the 3′ half of TAN-1 head-to-head with the 3′ portion of the β T-cell-receptor gene (TCRB) beginning at the 5′ boundary of one or the other J segment. Intact TAN-1 is normally transcribed into an 8.2-kb transcript that is present in many tissues, most abundantly in developing thymus and spleen (Ellisen et al. 1991). This tissue distribution and the apparent involvement of an altered version of the gene in T-cell cancers have suggested that TAN-1 normally has some special function in lymphocytes or their precursors

Modelling radiation-induced cell cycle delays

Ionizing radiation is known to delay the cell cycle progression. In particular after particle exposure significant delays have been observed and it has been shown that the extent of delay affects the expression of damage such as chromosome aberrations. Thus, to predict how cells respond to ionizing radiation and to derive reliable estimates of radiation risks, information about radiation-induced cell cycle perturbations is required. In the present study we describe and apply a method for retrieval of information about the time-course of all cell cycle phases from experimental data on the mitotic index only. We study the progression of mammalian cells through the cell cycle after exposure. The analysis reveals a prolonged block of damaged cells in the G2 phase. Furthermore, by performing an error analysis on simulated data valuable information for the design of experimental studies has been obtained. The analysis showed that the number of cells analyzed in an experimental sample should be at least 100 to obtain a relative error less than 20%.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Radiation and Environmental Biophysic

Relationship between 18F-FDG Uptake in the Oral Cavity, Recent Dental Treatments, and Oral Inflammation or Infection: A Retrospective Study of Patients with Suspected Endocarditis

[18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) has proven to be a useful diagnostic tool in patients with suspected infective endocarditis (IE), but is conflicting in relation to dental procedures. Questions: Is there a correlation between [18F]FDG PET/CT findings, recent dental treatment, and an affected oral cavity? (2) Is there a correlation between infective endocarditis (IE), oral health status, and (extra)cardiac findings on [18F]FDG PET/CT? Methods: This retrospective study included 52 patients. All [18F]FDG PET/CT scans were examined visually by pattern recognition using a three-point scale and semi-quantified within the volume of interest (VOI) using SUVmax. Results: 19 patients were diagnosed with IE (group 1), 14 with possible IE (group 2), and 19 without IE based on the modified Duke criteria (group 3). No correlation was found between visual PET and SUVmax and sites of oral inflammation and infection. The visual PET scores and SUVmax were not significantly different between all groups. A significant difference in the SUVmax of the valve between all groups was observed. Conclusions: This study suggests that no correlation exists between the PET findings in the oral cavity and dental treatments or inflammation/infection. No correlation between IE, actual oral health status, and extra-cardiac findings was demonstrated. Additional research is needed to conclude whether [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging is a reliable diagnostic modality for oral inflammation and infection sites