blocking antibodies are valuable tools for inhibiting the specific receptor- ligand interactions. the interaction of co-stimulatory molecules on the antigen presenting cells with their ligands on t cells is an essential step for t cell activation. in the present study, the effect of blocking antibody against cd40 on its t cell stimulatory potential is investigated. the dcs (dendritic cells) wer...

The aim of this randomized study was to compare the efficacy of induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (IC+CCRT) versus induction chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (IC+RT) for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. From August 2002 to April 2005, 408 patients were randomly divided into two groups: an IC+CCRT group and an IC+RT group. Patients in both grou...

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the value of immunocytochemical staining of Ki67 antigen expression in blast cells of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and to evaluate its correlation with treatment failure. The material included bone marrow specimens obtained during induction treatment from 46 children treated for AML between 1998-2003. Immunocytochemical staining for Ki67 wa...

AIMS AND BACKGROUND In late 2001 at our institution, we started offering induction radiochemotherapy as a treatment option for superior sulcus tumors. Our aim was to evaluate treatment choices and outcome in this patient group treated over the past 7 years at our institution. METHODS The records of 34 patients were retrospectively reviewed and 33 were assessable for the analysis. RESULTS Tw...

Wear of end ring is to date an unreported and uninvestigated failure that very frequently takes place in deep-well submersible motor pumps. This article first analyses the particularities these induction motors, especially their unusual rotor manufacturing process. Failure mechanism related end-ring wear described, showing several examples damaged rotors a repair shop. Then, difficulties its di...

The present study evaluated the effects of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction on the changes in renal outer medullary nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite levels during 45-min renal ischemia and 30-min reperfusion in anesthetized rats. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), outer medullary blood flow (OMBF), HO and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoform expression, and renal low-molecular-weight thiols (...

Mutations in the NPHS2 gene, encoding podocin, cause hereditary nephrotic syndrome. The most common podocin mutation, R138Q, is associated with early disease onset and rapid progression to end-stage renal disease. Knock-in mice carrying a R140Q mutation, the mouse analogue of human R138Q, show developmental arrest of podocytes and lethal renal failure at neonatal age. Here we created a conditio...

We describe our experience of a 71-year-old patient with severe renal failure, who exhibited an unusually prolonged rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade (>4 h) and apparent recurarisation, following emergency rapid sequence induction (RSI). At the end of operation, 45 min post induction, train-of-four (TOF) testing had been 4/4 prior to wake up. No respiratory effort was seen 150 min posti...

Patients with unresectable parathyroid carcinoma develop severe hypercalcemia, bone fractures and renal failure, and become unresponsive to conventional treatments. It has been shown that successful induction of anti-parathyroid hormone (PTH) antibodies, using PTH peptide fragments for immunisation, normalized serum levels of calcium as well as improved clinical symptoms. Here, we report our ex...

Mechanical parts such as gears and bearings used in mechanical equipment have a finite lifetime because of corrosion and wear. If the parts are in abnormal operation and is not detected, it may cause catastrophic component failure during operation. One effective approach to detect signs of potential failure of the mechanical equipment is to examine the debris particles in its lubricating oil. T...