Effects of precipitation conditions on the membrane morphology and permeation characteristics

[[abstract]]The permeability and permselectivity of asymmetric and particulate membranes towards glucose and proteins of various molecular sizes were studied. It was found that the skin layer of asymmetric membranes was permeable to glucose and insulin but effectively prevent the permeation of immunoglobulins. This result parallels our interest for the development of artificial pancreas. It was also found that skinless particulate membranes exhibited not only high permeation rates with respect to albumin and immunoglobulins but also good selectivity between these components. Thus, particulate membranes has the potential to be used in separating albumin from immunoglobulins for treating disorders related to immunoglobulin abnormalities.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[incitationindex]]E

Tet oncogene family member 2 gene alterations in childhood acute myeloid leukemia

Background/PurposeMutations in the tet oncogene family member 2 gene (TET2) are frequently found in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Reports of TET2 mutations in children are limited. We assessed the prevalence of TET2 mutations in Taiwanese children with AML and analyzed their prognosis.MethodsBetween 1997 and 2010, a total of 69 consecutive children with AML were enrolled at the National Taiwan University Hospital. The analysis for TET2 mutations was performed using direct sequencing. Clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) were compared between patients with and without TET2 alterations.ResultsIntronic and missense mutations were identified. No nonsense or frameshift mutations were observed. Two putative disease-causing missense mutations (S609C and A1865G) were identified in one patient. We estimated the prevalence of TET2 mutations in the current patient population to be 1.4%. The most common polymorphism was I1762V (45%), followed by V218M (12%), P29R (6%), and F868L (6%). Patients with polymorphism I1762V had an increased 10-year survival rate compared with patients without I1762V (48.4% vs. 25.7%, p = 0.049) by Chi-square test; OS was not different when examined using the Kaplan–Meier method (p = 0.104).ConclusionThe prevalence of TET2 mutations in children with AML compared with adults with AML was lower and less complex. Patient prognosis associated with TET2 mutations in children requires further investigation

FREQUENCY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PLATELET- SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WHO RECEIVED MULTIPLE PLATELET TRANSFUSIONS

Multiple platelet transfusions can induce alloimmunization. Alloimmunization involving platelet membrane antigens has been characterized by failure to achieve the expected post-transfusion platelet levels; this is a clinical status frequently referred to as refractoriness to platelet transfusion

Nuclear GRP75 Binds Retinoic Acid Receptors to Promote Neuronal Differentiation of Neuroblastoma

Retinoic acid (RA) has been approved for the differentiation therapy of neuroblastoma (NB). Previous work revealed a correlation between glucose-regulated protein 75 (GRP75) and the RA-elicited neuronal differentiation of NB cells. The present study further demonstrated that GRP75 translocates into the nucleus and physically interacts with retinoid receptors (RARα and RXRα) to augment RA-elicited neuronal differentiation. GRP75 was required for RARα/RXRα-mediated transcriptional regulation and was shown to reduce the proteasome-mediated degradation of RARα/RXRαin a RA-dependent manner. More intriguingly, the level of GRP75/RARα/RXRα tripartite complexes was tightly associated with the RA-induced suppression of tumor growth in animals and the histological grade of differentiation in human NB tumors. The formation of GRP75/RARα/RXRα complexes was intimately correlated with a normal MYCN copy number of NB tumors, possibly implicating a favorable prognosis of NB tumors. The present findings reveal a novel function of nucleus-localized GRP75 in actively promoting neuronal differentiation, delineating the mode of action for the differentiation therapy of NB by RA

Effects of Precipitation Conditions on the Membrane Morphology and Permeation Characteristics

The permeability and permselectivity of asymmetric and particulate membranes towards glucose and proteins of various molecular sizes were studied, It was found that the skin layer of asymmetric membranes was permeable to glucose and insulin but effectively prevent the permeation of immunoglobulins. This result parallels our interest for the development of artificial pancreas. It was also found that skinless particulate membranes exhibited not only high permeation rates with respect to albumin and immunoglobulins but also good selectivity between these components. Thus, particulate membranes has the potential to be used in separating albumin from immunoglobulins for treating disorders related to immunoglobulin abnormalities. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V