Molecular impact of selective NFKB1 and NFKB2 signaling on DLBCL phenotype.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been categorized into two molecular subtypes that have prognostic significance, namely germinal center B-cell like (GCB) and activated B-cell like (ABC). Although ABC-DLBCL has been associated with NF-κB activation, the relationships between activation of specific NF-κB signals and DLBCL phenotype remain unclear. Application of novel gene expression classifiers identified two new DLBCL categories characterized by selective p100 (NF-κB2) and p105 (NF-κB1) signaling. Interestingly, our molecular studies showed that p105 signaling is predominantly associated with GCB subtype and histone mutations. Conversely, most tumors with p100 signaling displayed ABC phenotype and harbored ABC-associated mutations in genes such as MYD88 and PIM1. In vitro, MYD88 L265P mutation promoted p100 signaling through TAK1/IKKα and GSK3/Fbxw7a pathways, suggesting a novel role for this protein as an upstream regulator of p100. p100 signaling was engaged during activation of normal B cells, suggesting p100's role in ABC phenotype development. Additionally, silencing p100 in ABC-DLBCL cells resulted in a GCB-like phenotype, with suppression of Blimp, IRF4 and XBP1 and upregulation of BCL6, whereas introduction of p52 or p100 into GC cells resulted in differentiation toward an ABC-like phenotype. Together, these findings identify specific roles for p100 and p105 signaling in defining DLBCL molecular subtypes and posit MYD88/p100 signaling as a regulator for B-cell activation.

Eruption and function of maxillary third molars after extraction of second molars.

After extraction of maxillary second molars, will the third molars erupt into a functional position in a timely manner? To answer this question, 56 consecutively treated cases of maxillary second molar extraction were reviewed. The unerupted positions of the maxillary third molars were measured on cephalometric radiographs, ages of eruption were evaluated, positions of erupted third molars analyzed, and interproximal periodontal health of adjacent first molars compared. The results showed that, generally, the eruption of third molars was accelerated. Most of the third molars had acceptable interarch and intra-arch occlusal relationships. The interproximal periodontal health of the third molars was similar to that of adjacent first molars. Most maxillary third molars will successfully erupt into an acceptable position by the late teens.

The electrophysiological correlates of dream recall and nonrecall from stage 2 sleep.

This research examined the relationship between cortical activation, defined by electroencephalographic (EEG) measures, and the ability to recall dreams following awakenings from Stage 2 sleep. Period-analyzed EEG data from 40 subjects were examined for the preawakening, postawakening, and preawakening-to-postawakening time intervals. Recall differed from nonrecall at the postawakening and preawakening-to-postawakening periods on measures of muscle activity and time spent in the sigma (12-16 Hz) frequency band. There were no distinctions in recall ability on EEG hemispheric asymmetry measures. Generally, the findings do not support the hypothesis linking increased recall ability to increases in cortical activation prior to awakening. However, the recall groups depicted a different pattern of arousal in their transition from sleep to wakefulness.

Dream recall: imagination, illusion and tough-mindedness.

The failure of dream psychology to delineate clear, consistent and interesting correlates of dream recall presents serious difficulties for the claim that dream recall is functionally significant. The present study examined the relation of six indices of boundary functioning and four measures of life affect to the consistency and frequency of dream recall in 373 young adults. Factor analysis indicated that consistency and frequency of dream recall were unrelated to global measures of boundary functioning, stress, depression, hassles and uplifts. On the assumption that the correlates of dream recall might be specific rather than global, 34 items from our expanded boundary questionnaire having significant zero order correlations with the frequency of dream recall were factor analyzed separately for consistent and inconsistent recallers. The two factors in each analysis were quite similar. Factor one was called the Imagination, factor two, Illusion. Among consistent recallers, dream recall and a group of items called "tough mindedness" loaded on the Imagination factor. For inconsistent recallers similar variables loaded on the Illusion factor. For all subjects, dream recall and tough mindedness were linked whether associated with Imagination or Illusion. The Imagination factor is creative and linked to dream recall for consistent recallers. Their illusion factor is frightening. For inconsistent recallers, the Illusion factor is linked to dreaming and is not frightening, and their Imagination factor is not creative. The stability-instability of dream generation and recall over time apparently results in the association of the dream recall tough-mindedness group of items with either the Imagination or Illusion factors.

Variations in period-analysed EEG asymmetry in REM and NREM sleep.

Monopolar EEG was recorded from lateral frontal and parietal sites with linked ear reference during sleep in 24 adults. Electrode placement followed the 10-20 International system. EEG was quantified using digital period analyses. The absolute difference in interhemispheric EEG parameters was compared for Stage 2, REM, and a slow wave sleep measure. The absolute difference measures reflect the degree of symmetry or asymmetry, regardless of the hemisphere of origin. Theta and delta activity in slow wave sleep was more asymmetrical than in either Stage 2 or REM. REM sleep was associated with the smallest asymmetries. These results do not support a right hemisphere REM, left hemisphere NREM relationship. Rather they suggest that REM sleep is associated with relative hemispheric symmetry whereas asymmetries are most prominent in slow wave sleep. Stage 2 sleep was significantly less asymmetrical than slow wave on a number of theta and delta measures. The significant differences between slow wave and Stage 2 sleep may denote functional differences within NREM sleep stages.

Dream self-reflectiveness as a learned cognitive skill.

This research was directed toward the contradiction sustained by cognitive dream psychology, which on the one hand regards dreaming as higher symbolic activity and, on the other, sees its organizational and functional characteristics as derivative and/or inferior to those of waking consciousness. Study 1 evaluates the degree of self-reflective meta-cognition in dreams from different sleep stages. Subjects were 24 college students selected such that half were self-reported high-frequency dream recallers and half were low-frequency recallers. Both groups were composed equally of men and women. Greater self-reflectiveness (SR) was found in REM dreams as compared with those from stages 2 and 4, which did not differ. High-frequency recallers showed more dream SR than did low-frequency recallers. Study 2 assessed the extent to which self-reflective and lucid dreaming can be learned as a cognitive skill by varying levels of intention and attention paid to dreaming. After 3 weeks of home dream collection, results showed that four experimental groups had greater dream SR than did a baseline group. The most effective treatment was the mnemonic, wherein attention patterning schemas learned in waking resulted in more self-reflective and lucid dreaming than did either baseline or attention-control conditions. These results provide evidence that dreaming is not single-minded but variable along a self-reflective process continuum, and suggest functional and organizational levels that are consistent with the conception of dreaming as higher order cognitive activity.

Hematological findings among workers exposed to benzene at a coke oven by-product recovery facility.

Hematological findings on a population of 70 male workers exposed to benzene revealed no significant differences when compared statistically to a control group on the basis of estimated cumulative doses using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Dunnett's t statistic procedure. The hematological data evaluated included the following parameters: red blood cell counts, white blood cell counts, and hemoglobin levels. Cumulative benzene exposure indices for each employee were estimated utilizing available personal monitoring and general air sampling data, as well as the professional judgment of local environmental health engineers familiar with the operations. Although the accuracy of these exposure estimates is unknown, the results provide no evidence that the present OSHA standard (10 ppm) is inadequate with respect to the non-leukemogenic, hematotoxic effects of chronic benzene exposure.

Quantitative description of sleep stage electrophysiology using digital period analytic techniques.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the overlap in variance of two procedures for the quantification of sleep electrophysiology: conventional stage scoring and computer quantification of tonic activity. Data were collected on 24 nights from eight subjects and were scored according to a modified set of Rechtschaffen and Kales criteria and submitted to a period-analytic computer analysis. Following this, discriminant function analyses were performed on the data for each night to predict the visual stage scores from the computer-generated data. The results indicate a very high degree of predictive accuracy (91.05%) supporting the contention that the computer-quantified data set includes the variance normally captured by stage scoring. The implications of computer quantification of sleep electrophysiology are discussed.

Blood as a matrix for biological monitoring.

Traditionally, air sampling and analyses have been used to determine a worker's exposure to various airborne contaminants. Airborne Threshold Limit Values and permissible exposure levels have been developed for many contaminants. In certain situations, however, measurements of airborne concentrations are not always a reliable index of employee exposure. The determination of a chemical agent or its metabolite in a biological medium such as blood may provide more accurate information on exposure and the effects of exposure to hazardous substances. Perhaps the most common application for biological monitoring has been the determination of lead in blood. Analytical techniques have been developed for an additional parameter, zinc protoporphyrin, which, together with the blood-lead level, can give a more complete picture of lead absorption and metabolism. Information on blood-lead and zinc protoporphyrin monitoring as well as the relationship between the two parameters for a particular industry are discussed.

A multivariate comparison between two EEG analysis techniques: period analysis and fast Fourier transform.

The present study investigated the statistical correspondence between two frequently used methods of analysing tonic EEG activity: (1) period analysis and (2) Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs). For replication purposes, independent statistical analyses were carried out on the EEG of sleeping subjects and of awake subjects performing a cognitive task. From the results of two canonical correlations, the first two canonical variates were sufficient to account for 97% (awake group) and 99% (sleeping group) of the variance between the separate linear composites of all FFT and period analysis variables. Linear regressions of the 3 dependent measures generated by period analysis onto each respective FFT measure gave high and significant multiple correlations for all frequencies. Zero-order correlations were also gathered and discussed. It is concluded that period analytic and FFT analysed EEG share similar types of information and that period analysis can be used more often in EEG research.

Evaluation of zinc protoporphyrin in an occupational environment.

Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnP) has been identified by several investigators as the predominant fluorescent porphyrin accumulating in erythrocytes as a result of chronic lead absorption or iron deficiency anemia. This report describes an evaluation of a new portable hematofluorometer for the determination of ZnP in finer puncture or venous blood samples. Samples were obtained from a number of employees in various job categories at steel operations throughout the United States to study the utility of ZnP as a biologic monitoring method in the occupational environment. Urinary lead, urinary aminolevulinic acid and blood lead were also determined on the same employees to examine any relationships among these measurers and to estimate a biologic threshold limit value for ZnP. The results of this investigation show that there is little elevation of the ZnP level with increasing blood level until the blood lead concentration reaches the area of 50--60 micrograms/dl. A biologic threshold level of 300 micrograms/dL, which correlates with a blood level of 60 micrograms/dL, is suggested as a guideline value for identifying workers requiring further investigation.

The description of structural and temporal characteristics of tonic electrophysiological activity during sleep.

The structural and temporal characteristics of tonic variation among electrophysiological measures during sleep are examined from the point of view of sleep stage scoring procedures and the digital quantification and statistical analysis of these measures. Sleep stage scoring procedures are nominally scaled and therefore less able to index structural and temporal characteristics than are measures derived from digital methods of quantification having the properties of interval or ratio scales. These arguments are illustrated using principal components analysis to describe the structure of tonic covariation among 36 variables derived from the computer analysis of EEG, EMG, and EOG. Three components resulting from the analysis are tentatively named 'slow-fast', 'hemispheric-shift' and 'eyes-activation'. They appear across variations in experimental manipulations such as night time awakenings and also across differences in age and species. The periodic characteristics of the vectors associated with the three components are specified by means of the Fast Fourier transform in combination with digital low pass and band pass filtering. Cycles are found which are both slower and faster than the paradigmatic 90 min ultradian rhythm. These results indicate that currently available techniques of digital and statistical analysis provide new possibilities for research on the electrophysiology and psychophysiology of sleep.

Conceptual and methodological considerations towards the development of computer-controlled research on the electro-physiology of sleep.

A critical discussion of the visual scoring approach to the measurement of sleep electrophysiology details some theoretical shortcomings of that procedural model. An alternative approach employing high-speed, general purpose digital computers is then presented. It is argued that the measurement potential of computers is barely tapped by using computers to score sleep stages and the advantages of collecting data which are suitable for parametric and multivariate statistical analysis are described. Researchers are urged to include detailed reports on their procedural choices along with a discussion of the methodological implications of these procedures. Examples of computer collected data are presented along with a description of some simple data reduction strategies.

Hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry for determination of arsenic in hair.

A modified hydride generation, atomic absorption spectrophotometric (AAS) method for the analysis of total arsenic in hair has been developed to evaluate occupational exposures to arsenic. Hair samples are processed by a multi-step cleaning procedure to remove all external arsenic contamination prior to digestion in a nitric-sulfuric acid mixture. The resulting solution is diluted to volume with distilled water and subsequently analyzed by arsine generation and AAS using an argon-hydrogen entrained air flame. Recovery data indicate that the method is quantitative for the determination of arsenic with a recovery of over 90% and a detection limit of 0.02 microgram.

Absorption, distribution and excretion of terephthalic acid and dimethyl terephthalate.

Data from a radiotracer study in rabbits and rats to determine the absorption, distribution, and excretion of terephthalic acid (TA) and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) following oral, intratracheal, dermal and ocular administration indicate the following: (1) a rapid absorption and excretion of 14C-TA and 14C-DMT with no evidence of tissue accumulation in rats following single or repeated oral and intratracheal administration; (2) no evidence of skin irritation in rats after a single or repeated dermal application of 80 mg of 14C-TA or 14C-DMT and no significant skin absorption of 14C-TA; (3) recovery of approximately 11% of a single dose and 13% of five repeated cutaneous doses of 14C-DMT from the urine and feces of rats within 10 days after initial dosing; (4) no significant absorption of 14C-TA when applied to the conjunctival sac of one eye of eight rabbits; (5) excretion of approximately 33% of a single ocular dose (50 mg) of 14C-DMT in the urine and feces of rabbits within 10 days after instillation with no evidence of tissue accumulation or ocular damage. These results suggest that TA and DMT are rapidly absorbed and excreted and that no significant quantities of these compounds accumulate in the tissues following single or repeated oral, intratracheal, dermal, or ocular administration to laboratory animals.

Frequency discrimination by young infants.

The nonnutritive sucking of groups of 1-month-old infants was conjugately reinforced with either a 200-H or a 500-H pure tone. Following response acquisition and satiation, the sucking of the experimental groups was reinforced with a new pure tone (either 500 or 200 H) to a criterion of response decrement, after which sucking was reinforced with the original tone. Control groups were reinforced with a single tone (200 or 500 H) throughout the experiment. Frequency of nonnutritive sucking increased significantly in the experimental groups following a shift in frequency of the reinforcing tone but remained unchanged in the control groups, indicating discrimination between 200- and 500-H tones.