Biocatalytic conversion of ethylene to ethylene oxide using an engineered toluene monooxygenase.

Mutants of toluene o-xylene monooxygenase are demonstrated to oxidize ethylene to ethylene oxide in vivo at yields of >99%. The best mutant increases ethylene oxidation activity by >5500-fold relative to the native enzyme. This is the first report of a recombinant enzyme capable of carrying out this industrially significant chemical conversion.

Extensive adenocarcinoma and large cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the lung treated with 5-FU, vindesine, and mitomycin (FEMi): a Southwest Oncology Group Study.

Sixty-three previously untreated patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (40 patients with adenocarcinoma and 23 with large cell undifferentiated carcinoma) were treated with combination chemotherapy consisting of 5-FU (300 mg/m2) given as an iv bolus on Days 1-4 and vindesine (3 mg/m2) and mitomycin (10 mg/m2), both given as an iv bolus on Day 1 of each treatment course (FEMi). FEMi was repeated at 3-week intervals for three treatment courses and thereafter at 6-week intervals until disease progression. Major objective responses were seen in 13 of 63 patients (21%). Minor responses were seen in an additional 12 patients (19%). The median survival for all patients was 23 weeks and for responding patients was 38 weeks. The pretreatment performance status had a significant effect on both the response rate and survival time. Patients having an initial Karnofsky performance score greater than or equal to 70% had a 54% response rate, with a median survival of 42 weeks for responding patients. FEMi was well-tolerated: 18 patients (29%) did not have any side effects and only five (8%) experienced vomiting.

Expression of silver-stained nucleolar organizing regions (Ag-NORs) in human cancer.

Five cases of ovarian adenocarcinoma, three cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma, and one case of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder have been studied for expression of silver-stained nucleolar organizing regions (Ag-NORs). The modal chromosome number of these tumors varied from 37 to 72, with a wide range of chromosome numbers (13 to 150). The modal number of Ag-NORs in this sample varied from 3 to 7. Regression analysis among and between tumors demonstrated a proportionate increase in the number of Ag-NORs with increasing number of total chromosomes and increasing number of acrocentric chromosomes (r = 0.64 and 0.75, respectively). Modal assessment of Ag-NORs in both peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and cultured tumor cells in one patient revealed identical modes in normal and malignant cells. Also, no difference in the expression of Ag-NORs was observed between tumor cells obtained at biopsy and placed for 48 h in agar culture and tumor cells established in finite monolayer culture. Our study provides further evidence for a proportionate increase in Ag-NORs with increasing numbers of acrocentric chromosomes and total chromosomes.