Immunochemical Localization of Parathyroid Hormone in Cancer Tissue from Patients with Ectopic Hyperparathyroidism

Immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) in nonparathyroid malignant tumors associated with hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia in the absence of demonstrable bone metastases was determined by radioimmunoassay and immunofluorescent techniques. Six of seven tumors contained material with immunological cross-reactivity to bovine PTH by radioimmunoassay and immunofluorescence. The intensity of the immunofluorescent stain varied considerably in the different tumors. From 15 to 90% of neoplastic cells were stained specifically with fluorescein-labeled anti-PTH. In contrast, normal parathyroid glands and parathyroid adenomas showed uniform distribution of immunofluorescence in all parenchymal cells. In one malignant tumor, PTH was localized also by immunoautoradiography. In every case PTH was detected only in the cytoplasm of parenchymal cells. One patient lacked detectable PTH in his tumor, yet showed regression of the hypercalcemia to normal values after removal of large masses of neoplastic tissue and recurrence of hypercalcemia when new growth occurred. Dilutional radioimmunoassay curves of nonparathyroid malignant tumors were in most cases different from those obtained with extracts of normal parathyroid glands and parathyroid adenomas. Although both nonparathyroid neoplasmas and parathyroid extracts demonstrated immunoheterogeneity by gel filtration, greater heterogeneity was found in nonparathyroid malignant tumors. In those tumors in which immunological cross-reactivity to PTH was detected, the capability of secreting PTH may be restricted to derepressed cell clones amidst other neoplastic cells, whereas the greater heterogeneity of ectopic PTH may reflect hormone cleavage by proteolytic enzymes in the tumor that is less specific than the Pro-PTH cleaving enzyme in the parathyroids

Robust Depth Estimation for Light Field Microscopy

Light field technologies have seen a rise in recent years and microscopy is a field where such technology has had a deep impact. The possibility to provide spatial and angular information at the same time and in a single shot brings several advantages and allows for new applications. A common goal in these applications is the calculation of a depth map to reconstruct the three-dimensional geometry of the scene. Many approaches are applicable, but most of them cannot achieve high accuracy because of the nature of such images: biological samples are usually poor in features and do not exhibit sharp colors like natural scene. Due to such conditions, standard approaches result in noisy depth maps. In this work, a robust approach is proposed where accurate depth maps can be produced exploiting the information recorded in the light field, in particular, images produced with Fourier integral Microscope. The proposed approach can be divided into three main parts. Initially, it creates two cost volumes using different focal cues, namely correspondences and defocus. Secondly, it applies filtering methods that exploit multi-scale and super-pixels cost aggregation to reduce noise and enhance the accuracy. Finally, it merges the two cost volumes and extracts a depth map through multi-label optimization

Changes in bone mineral content in male athletes: Mechanisms of action and intervention effects

Objectives. - To determine changes in bone mineral content (BMC) in male athletes, to examine the mechanisms of changes, and to evaluate the effects of intervention. Design. - Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) tests were administered over a 2-year period, and calcium loss during training was determined by analysis of sweat and urine. Calcium supplementation was administered during year 2. Setting. - A midsouth university. Participants. - Eleven members of a college Division I-A basketball team. Intervention. - Based on observed calcium loss, athletes received differential levels of calcium supplementation. Intervention commenced the week prior to the fall training season and continued through postseason play. Main Outcome Measure. - Changes in BMC. Results. - Total body BMC decreased 3.8% from preseason to midseason of year 1 (mean decrease, 133.4 g, P=.02), increased nonsignificantly by 1.1% (mean increase, 35.3 g, P=.22) during the offseason, but decreased an additional 3.3% during summer months when practices resumed (mean decrease, 113.1 g, P=.01). Dermal calcium loss averaged 422 mg per training session. From preseason to late summer, there was an overall decrease of 6.1% in total BMC and a 10.5% decrease in BMC of the legs. Calcium supplementation was associated with significant increases in BMC and lean body mass. Conclusions. - Bone loss is calcium related and exercise is positively related to BMC provided that calcium intake is sufficient to offset dermal loss