Reduced risk of synovial sarcoma in females: X-chromosome inactivation?

Synovial sarcoma shows a characteristic t(X;18) translocation but not the expected female predominance in incidence. We speculate that, among females, one X-chromosome is inactivated and that only the translocation to an active X-chromosome leads to development of synovial sarcoma. Population-based cancer registry data from the SEER program support this hypothesis

Specification and design for Full Energy Beam Exploitation of the Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications

The Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications (CLARA) is a 250 MeV ultrabright electron beam test facility at STFC Daresbury Laboratory. A user beam line has been designed to maximise exploitation of CLARA in a variety of fields, including novel acceleration and new modalities of radiotherapy. In this paper we present the specification and design of this beam line for Full Energy Beam Exploitation (FEBE). We outline the key elements which provide users to access ultrashort, low emittance electron bunches in two large experiment chambers. The results of start-to-end simulations are reported which verify the expected beam parameters delivered to these chambers. Key technical systems are detailed, including those which facilitate combination of electron bunches with high power laser pulses.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

Systemic mastocytosis associated with t(8;21)(q22;q22) acute myeloid leukemia

Although KIT mutations are present in 20–25% of cases of t(8;21)(q22;q22) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), concurrent development of systemic mastocytosis (SM) is exceedingly rare. We examined the clinicopathologic features of SM associated with t(8;21)(q22;q22) AML in ten patients (six from our institutions and four from published literature) with t(8;21) AML and SM. In the majority of these cases, a definitive diagnosis of SM was made after chemotherapy, when the mast cell infiltrates were prominent. Deletion 9q was an additional cytogenetic abnormality in four cases. Four of the ten patients failed to achieve remission after standard chemotherapy and seven of the ten patients have died of AML. In the two patients who achieved durable remission after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, recipient-derived neoplastic bone marrow mast cells persisted despite leukemic remission. SM associated with t(8;21) AML carries a dismal prognosis; therefore, detection of concurrent SM at diagnosis of t(8;21) AML has important prognostic implications

Epstein-Barr virus in benign lymph node biopsies from individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus is associated with concurrent or subsequent development of non-Hodgkin\u27s lymphoma

Individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased incidence of high-grade B-cell lymphoma. In many instances, these lymphomas contain Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) genomes. To investigate the role of EBV in development of HIV-related lymphoma, benign fixed lymph node biopsies from normal individuals and HIV-infected individuals with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL) were analyzed for EBV sequences by polymerase chain reaction and in situ DNA hybridization techniques. EBV DNA was not detected in any of 16 benign lymph node biopsies from normal individuals, but could be detected from 13 of 35 PGL biopsies. The EBV-infected cells were present in both follicular and interfollicular areas and in both small and large lymphoid cells. The presence of detectable amounts of EBV DNA in the 13 PGL biopsies was associated with an increased incidence of concurrent lymphoma at another site (n = 3) or development of lymphoma in time (n = 2). In contrast, only 1 of 22 individuals with EBV-negative PGL biopsies developed lymphoma in time (P \u3c .05). EBV was detected in all five lymphomas in which tissue was available for subsequent analysis, including the lymphoma that developed in the individual without EBV in his previous PGL biopsy. These findings support the hypothesis that EBV plays a role in development of some HIV-related lymphomas. Detectable EBV lymphoproliferations occur in a few PGL biopsies and are associated with a significant risk of EBV DNA-positive non-Hodgkin\u27s lymphoma