78 research outputs found
Improvement of cast nephropathy with plasma exchange depends on the diagnosis and on reduction of serum free light chains
Cast nephropathy is the most common cause of renal disease in multiple myeloma, however, treatment with plasma exchange remains controversial even after 3 randomized controlled studies. We sought to determine the importance of diagnostic confirmation and goal directed therapy in the treatment of cast nephropathy in forty patients with confirmed multiple myeloma and renal failure who underwent plasma exchange. A positive renal response was defined as a decrease by half in the presenting serum creatinine and dialysis independence. No baseline differences were noted between eventual renal responders and non-responders. Three quarters of the patients with biopsy proven cast nephropathy resolved their renal disease when the free light chains present in the serum were reduced by half or more but there was no significant response when the reduction was less. The median time to a response was about 2 months. In patients without cast nephropathy, renal recovery occurred despite reductions in free light chain levels of the serum. No association was found between free light chains in the serum, urinary monoclonal proteins, overall proteinuria and cast nephropathy. We found that the relationship between renal recovery and free light chain reduction was present only in patients with biopsy proven cast nephropathy showing the importance of extracorporeal light chain removal in this disease
Recent developments in planet migration theory
Planetary migration is the process by which a forming planet undergoes a
drift of its semi-major axis caused by the tidal interaction with its parent
protoplanetary disc. One of the key quantities to assess the migration of
embedded planets is the tidal torque between the disc and planet, which has two
components: the Lindblad torque and the corotation torque. We review the latest
results on both torque components for planets on circular orbits, with a
special emphasis on the various processes that give rise to additional, large
components of the corotation torque, and those contributing to the saturation
of this torque. These additional components of the corotation torque could help
address the shortcomings that have recently been exposed by models of planet
population syntheses. We also review recent results concerning the migration of
giant planets that carve gaps in the disc (type II migration) and the migration
of sub-giant planets that open partial gaps in massive discs (type III
migration).Comment: 52 pages, 18 figures. Review article to be published in "Tidal
effects in Astronomy and Astrophysics", Lecture Notes in Physic
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Actinide analytical program for characterization of Hanford waste
The objective of this program has been to develop faster, more accurate methods for the concentration and determination of actinides at their maximum permissible concentration (MPC) levels in a controlled zone. These analyses are needed to characterize various forms of Hanford high rad waste and to support characterization of products and effluents from new waste management processes. The most acceptable methods developed for the determination of /sup 239/Pu, /sup 238/Pu, /sup 237/Np, /sup 241/Am, and /sup 243/Cm employ solvent extraction with the addition of tracer isotopes. Plutonium and neptunium are extracted from acidified waste solutions into Aliquat-336. Americium and curium are then extracted from the waste solution at the same acidity into dihexyl-N,N-diethylcarbamylmethylenephosphonate (DHDECMP). After back extraction into an aqueous matrix, these actinides are electrodeposited on steel disks for alpha energy analysis. Total uranium and total thorium are also isolated by solvent extraction and determined spectrophotometrically
Identification of gene networks modulated by activin in LĂźT2 cells using DNA microarray analysis
Activins, members of the TGFĂź family of
proteins, are widely expressed in a variety of tissues.
First identified based on their ability to regulate
biosynthesis and secretion of follicle-stimulating
hormone (FSH), activins have also been shown to
modulate development, cell growth, apoptosis, and
inflammation. Despite their many known functions, the
precise mechanisms and downstream signaling pathways
by which activins mediate their diverse effects remain
unknown. We have used a DNA microarray assay to
identify genes that are regulated by activin, alone or in
combination with gonadotropin-releasing hormone
(GnRH), another major regulator of FSH, in a murine
gonadotrope-derived cell line (LĂźT2). We used mRNA
from these cells to screen Affymetrix Mu74av2 mouse
Gene Chip oligonucleotide microarrays, representing
approximately 12,400 mouse genes. Treatment of LĂźT2
cells with activin A, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone
agonist (GnRHA) or activin A plus GnRHA resulted in
alterations in levels of gene expression that ranged in
magnitude from 15 to 67-fold. Data analysis identified
268 transcripts that were up- or down-regulated by twofold
or more. Distinct sets of genes were affected by
treatment with activin, GnRHA and activin plus
GnRHA, suggesting interactions between activin and
GnRHA. Changes in expression of seven randomly
selected representative genes identified by the
microarray technique were confirmed by real-time
quantitative PCR and semi-quantitative reverse
transcription/PCR (RT/PCR). Modulation of expression
of genes by activin suggests that activin may mediate its
effects through a variety of signaling pathways
Migration is associated with lower total, but not free testosterone levels in South Asian men
Total testosterone in young men is more closely associated than free testosterone with prostate cancer disparities
Introduction: Early adulthood has been suggested as the most relevant time to determine the influence of testosterone on prostate carcinogenesis. For a more detailed assessment of this hypothesis, the present study examined whether serum total or free testosterone in young men was more closely associated with prostate cancer disparities
PROLACTIN RESPONSE TO METOCLOPRAMIDE DOES NOT DISTINGUISH PATIENTS WITH HYPOGONADOTROPHIC HYPOGONADISM FROM DELAYED PUBERTY
Data Collection Strategies and Measurement Tools for Assessing Academic and Therapeutic Outcomes in Recovery Schools
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