ABSTRACT
One single-chain Fv antibody fragment (scFv) and a new recombinant covalently linked dimeric scFv antibody (sc(Fv)(2)) against placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) were investigated for selective tumor targeting. The biological behavior of these new antibodies was compared to that of the original native antibody, H7 MAb. The sc(Fv)(2)) antibody displayed convincing tumor localization properties with a rapid excretion pattern comparable to the scFv, but with a longer retention time in the tumor, and higher tumor-to-nontumor ratio (27:1), compared to the scFv (15:1), at 48 hours. For the sc(Fv)(2) antibody, more than 50% of the remaining activity in the mouse was present in the tumor between 24 and 48 hours after the injection. With this antibody, scintigraphic visualization of the tumor was also possible 1 week after the injection. It is concluded that this sc(Fv)(2) antibody fragment, with two binding sites, displays properties suitable for in vivo targeting of PLAP expressing tumors.
Subject(s)
Alkaline Phosphatase/immunology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Neoplasms/immunology , Placenta/immunology , Radioimmunodetection/methods , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Cell Line, Tumor , Female , Humans , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Nude , Neoplasms/pathology , Xenograft Model Antitumor AssaysABSTRACT
Activity in ventral visual cortex is a consistent neural correlate of visual consciousness. However, activity in this area seems insufficient to produce awareness without additional involvement of frontoparietal regions. To test the generality of the frontoparietal response, neural correlates of auditory awareness were investigated in a paradigm that previously has revealed frontoparietal activity during conscious visual perception. A within-experiment comparison showed that frontal regions were related to both visual and auditory awareness, whereas parietal activity was correlated with visual awareness and superior temporal activity with auditory awareness. These results indicate that frontal regions interact with specific posterior regions to produce awareness in different sensory modalities.
Subject(s)
Auditory Cortex/physiology , Auditory Perception/physiology , Awareness/physiology , Frontal Lobe/physiology , Visual Cortex/physiology , Visual Perception/physiology , Acoustic Stimulation/methods , Adult , Brain Mapping , Evoked Potentials, Auditory/physiology , Evoked Potentials, Visual/physiology , Female , Humans , Male , Photic Stimulation/methodsABSTRACT
This study reports the effect of an affect-focused intervention program, the Affect School, on stress, psychological symptoms, cognitive functioning and neural activity. Fifty employees in social service and education, with high levels of chronic stress, were randomly divided into a treatment (N=27) and control (N=23) group. Complete sets of data were available in 20 participants in the treatment group and 17 in the control group. The Perceived Stress Questionnaire assessed stress and the Symptom Check List-90 psychological symptoms before and after treatment. Episodic-memory functioning under focused and divided attention conditions was also assessed. Prior and after the Affect School, seven participants in the treatment group were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during episodic memory processing. After the Affect School there was a reduction in stress and psychological symptoms for the treatment group but not in the control group. The controls showed a reduction in episodic memory functioning whereas the performance of the treatment group remained intact. The fMRI scanning indicated a qualitative change in the neural network subserving episodic memory. These preliminary results suggest that the Affect School is effective on individuals with high stress.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/etiology , Cognition Disorders/metabolism , Employment/psychology , Frontal Lobe/metabolism , Occupational Diseases/psychology , Occupational Diseases/therapy , Psychotherapy/methods , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Stress, Psychological/therapy , Workplace/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Affect , Chronic Disease , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Memory Disorders/diagnosis , Memory Disorders/etiology , Middle Aged , Occupational Diseases/diagnosis , Recognition, Psychology , Stress, Psychological/diagnosis , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Liver transplantation is an accepted treatment of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), Portuguese type (Val30Met), and the outcome so far seems promising. Gastric retention with nausea and vomiting are common complications of the disease, and may interfere with immuno-suppression therapy and prolong recovery after liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of gastric retention in FAP patients and to evaluate the impact liver transplantation has on gastric emptying. Twenty-two patients, who had undergone liver transplantation, and had been re-examined for gastric retention after the procedure, were included in the study. Gastric emptying was recorded by scintigraphy after the ingestion of a 99m-technetium (99mTc)-labelled meal (omelette). The half-time (T50) of the emptying phase was calculated. Gastrointestinal symptoms before and after transplantation were recorded, and the majority of patients were also subjected to an upper endoscopic examination, where the presence of solid residual in the stomach was regarded as consistent with gastric retention. A high frequency of gastric retention was noted among the patients both before and after transplantation, and no significant improvement for the group was noted, even though decreased gastric emptying was noted for patients with a duration of the disease for less that 4 years. Patients who improved their nutritional status after transplantation had a faster gastric emptying than those who deteriorated. From our findings it can be concluded that gastric retention is a common complication of FAP and that gastric emptying in patients with longstanding disease (> or = 4 years) is unchanged after liver transplantation.
Subject(s)
Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial/surgery , Gastric Emptying/physiology , Liver Transplantation , Adult , Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial/genetics , Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial/physiopathology , Digestive System/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mutation , Prealbumin/genetics , Radionuclide Imaging , TechnetiumABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of MRI in the detection of bone metastases in newly diagnosed prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MRI examinations of the axial skeleton in 76 patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer were reviewed, and the relation of these findings to the serum level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) was examined. RESULTS: MRI indicated bone metastases in 26/76 patients (34%) in the entire study group, in 4/24 (17%) with serum PSA <20 ng/ml and in 22/52 (42%) with serum PSA >20 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MRI is a more sensitive indicator of suspected bone metastases than bone scintigraphy in the low range of serum PSA, but less sensitive in the high range. Further studies of MRI and bone scintigraphy in parallel in patients with serum PSA <20 ng/ml are needed to elucidate their relative value in the staging of patients with prostate cancer.
