The bispecific antibody 500A2 x 96.5 targets T-lymphocytes activated in vivo with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) against CL62 melanoma cells in vitro.

Bispecific antibodies (BAb) direct T-lymphocytes to lyse selected tumour targets, both in vitro and in vivo. Significant tumour cell lysis with BAb requires pre-expansion of T-lymphocytes, which may be achieved in vitro by the addition of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody plus interleukin-2 (IL-2), but anti-CD3 may cause immunosuppression. We investigated an alternative agent for in vivo immunostimulation, staphyloccal enterotoxin B (SEB), which selectively activates certain T-cell subsets and may result in less immunosuppression than with anti-CD3. We activated T-lymphocytes in vivo with SEB, expanded them in vitro with IL-2, and directed them against a tumour target with the BAb 500A2 x 96.5, specific for the murine CD3 antigen and the melanoma p97 antigen expressed by the CL62 tumour. C3H mice received SEB 50 micrograms intraperitoneally (i.p.). After 18 h mice were sacrificed and splenocytes extracted and either passed over a nylon wool column to isolate T-lymphocytes, or cultured in vitro for 3 to 7 days with 100 U ml-1 of IL-2. A 4-h chromium-release assay was used to assess the ability of T-lymphocytes to lyse the tumour target CL 62 in the presence or absence of the bispecific antibody 500A2 x 96.5. The addition of BAb significantly enhanced tumour lysis by SEB activated cells after a period of in vitro culture with IL-2. In vivo SEB results in the activation of T-lymphocytes which may be directed by bispecific antibodies to increase the lysis of selected tumour targets in vitro.

Femur/stature ratio and estimates of stature in mid- and late-Pleistocene fossil hominids.

In previous limited investigations of the human femur/stature ratio we (Feldesman and Lundy: Journal of Human Evolution 17:583-596, 1988; Feldesman et al.: American Journal of Physical Anthropology 79:219-220, 1989) have shown it to be remarkably stable across ethnic and gender boundaries. In this study we evaluate the femur/stature ratio in 51 different "populations" of contemporary humans (n = 13,149) sampled from all over the world. We find that the mean ratio of femur length to stature in these populations is 26.74%, with a very restricted range of variation. When we compare mean femur/stature ratios of males and females, there are no statistically significant differences. ANOVA performed on a naive grouping of samples into "whites," "blacks," and "Asians" indicates that there are significant racial differences (P less than 0.001). When we subject these groups to Tukey's HSD procedure (a post-hoc test), we find that "blacks" are responsible for the significant ANOVA, being significantly (P less than 0.005) different from the other ethnic groups. "Whites" and "Asians" are not significantly different (P = 0.067) under the conditions of this analysis, although all these racial comparisons may be suspect given the small sample sizes. We tested the efficacy of the ratio in three situations: predicting stature of repatriated white Vietnam veterans; predicting stature in a random sample of South African blacks (of known stature), and predicting the stature of a single Akka pygmy. In the first and third cases, the femur/stature ratio does better than the traditionally recommended regression equation, while in the second case the predictions from the femur/stature ratio are less accurate than from the appropriate regression equation. These results encouraged us to apply this ratio to mid- and late-Pleistocene fossil hominids, where the choice of reference population for stature estimates continues to trouble workers. We estimated stature for a sizeable number of Homo erectus (HE), early Neanderthal (EN), Near Eastern Neanderthal (NEN), and early anatomically modern Homo sapiens (EAMHS) by using the simple relationship: stature (cm) = femur length (cm) * 100/26.74. Our results show that HE fossils are slightly taller on average than either EN or NEN samples, which do not differ significantly in stature, while EAMHS fossils are significantly taller than all three earlier groups. While these results are not surprising, our stature estimates for these fossils differ from currently published estimates based on sample-specific regression-based formulae.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Culture of human neoplastic gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells.

Due to limited growth potential of primary cultures and the absence of continuous lines of healthy enteric smooth muscle, we have studied the culture behavior of neoplastic gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells. Forty-six human enteric smooth muscle neoplasms (leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas) were studied while fresh and/or after culture in vitro and growth in vivo in athymic nude mice, with assessments made of morphology, growth characteristics, and biochemical markers of differentiation. The state of differentiation of the tumors varied, with well-differentiated tumors tending to express binding sites for the gastrointestinal hormone cholecystokinin, whereas less well-differentiated tumors did not. Poorly differentiated tumors were the easiest to establish in culture in vitro and to grow in vivo in nude mice. When the cells placed directly into culture proliferated to confluent density, they underwent morphologic differentiation from a spread, fibroblastlike shape to a slender spindle morphology, with these cells possessing fewer biosynthetic organelles and arranging themselves in characteristic "hill and valley" arrays. However, the highly differentiated characteristics of expression of desmin or cholecystokinin-binding sites were not observed in cultured cells. In contrast, cells that had been passaged in nude mice before culture displayed a proliferative phenotype and failed to undergo morphologic differentiation on reaching confluent density. Four human enteric smooth muscle cell lines (documented by chromosomal analysis) originating in stomach, jejunum, ileum, and rectum were established using this strategy.

Sacralization of a sixth lumbar vertebra and its effect upon the estimation of living stature.

Stature is estimated in a case presenting a sacralized sixth lumbar vertebra using both Fully's anatomical method and Trotter and Gleser's stature estimation formulas. In this case, where antemortem stature is known, the accuracy of the anatomical method is enhanced by including the height of the actual S1 segment in the calculation, while the accuracy of the Trotter and Gleser estimate is enhanced by adding the height of the extra vertebra to the stature estimate.

A report on the use of Fully's anatomical method to estimate stature in military skeletal remains.

The present study applies two methods of estimating living stature from long limb bones to a sample of military remains. Preliminary results comparing the the relative accuracy of the two methods are presented.

Age and ossification of the hyoid bone: forensic implications.

Hyoid bones from a medical examiner population were visually and radiographically examined to determine the presence or absence of bony fusion of the greater cornua to the central body. Fusion was found to increase in frequency with age. Hyoid bones fused more frequently in males than in females. Females showed an especially high frequency of unilateral nonfusion.

Genetic analysis of the H-2D region using a new intra-D-region recombinant mouse strain.

A rare D-region recombination event which gave rise to the B10.RQDB major histocompatibility complex haplotype has been examined to ascertain the nature of the crossover and to determine which class I genes are present in the new alignment of D-region genes. Serologic analysis have shown that the B10 . RQDB major histocompatibility complex recombinant mouse inherited the H-2Dd gene from the B10.T(6R) parental line and the H-2Db gene from the B10.A(2R) parental line, representing the first example of an intra-D-region crossover resulting from an intercross. Previous molecular genetic analyses of the d and b haplotypes revealed structural diversity in the organization of their D-region gene clusters. Hence, the D region is comprised of five class I genes in the d haplotype and only one in the b haplotype. Because allelic relationships among the various D-region genes are not defined, either a homologous or nonhomologous alignment of genes has generated the RQDB crossover. Therefore, the possibility that all three D-region antigen-presenting molecules (Dd, Ld, and Db) might be encoded by the RQDB haplotype was examined. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter and cytotoxic T lymphocyte analyses revealed no detectable levels of H-2Ld cell-surface expression, confirming earlier studies with antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and immunoprecipitation. Southern blot analysis localized the recombination point to within a 1-kb region at the centromeric end of the H-2Ld gene on the B10 . T(6R) chromosome in a region of high homology to the H-2Db gene on the B10 . A(2R) chromosome. Together, these studies define the D region of the RQDB haplotype as containing the five class I genes: Dd, D2d, D3d, D4d, and Db. In addition to providing insight into rare recombination events in the D region, the B10.RQDB mouse should be a useful tool for exploring the function of D-region genes.

Three fatalities in flash fire with variable dental charring.

The deaths of three teenagers in an automobile crash and flash fire are presented. The inability to draw valid conclusions about whether the victims were dead prior to the fire based on dental examination is discussed.

The mathematical versus anatomical methods of stature estimate from long bones.

The mathematical and anatomical methods of estimating living stature from long limb bones are discussed. In forensic cases, when one has a nearly complete skeleton, the anatomical method is preferable to the mathematical method. The anatomical method may also be used to derive stature estimation equations in samples where living statures or cadaver lengths are unavailable, such as some dissection hall and museum collections.

The mylohyoid bridge in the Khoisan of Southern Africa and its unsuitability as a mongoloid genetic marker.

The frequency of expression of the mylohyoid bridge was studied in the mandibles of 73 Khoisan. A high incidence (32.2%) of mylohyoid bridge was found, and this is compared with frequencies reported for other populations. The concept of D.R. Sawyer and co-workers that the mylohyoid bridge is a significant genetic marker for Mongoloid affinity is discussed, and shown to be invalid by the results of this study.