All cancer staging systems seek to identify clinical and pathological features that can predict outcome or guide therapy. In particular, a non‐invasive method for the early detection of disseminating disease would be of great interest. We investigated the use of cytokeratin genes expression to detect blood metastases from colorectal tumors. Epithelial tumor cells were isolated from whole blood using the monoclonal antibody (MAb) BerEP4 and magnetic beads, and detected by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction using oligonucleotides derived from the cDNA sequences of cytokeratins 8, 19 and 20. The sensitivity of this assay was determined by spiking SW620 colon carcinoma cells in normal blood. Using cytokeratin 19 expression we were able to detect 1 epithelial tumor cell in 1 ml of whole blood. The clinical applicability of this technique was explored by evaluating patients with a colorectal carcinoma. Epithelial cells were detected in the blood of 12 out of 23 patients, 2 (20%) of 10 with Astler‐Coller stage A or B, and 10 (77%) of 13 with stage C or D cancer. In conclusion, this test is a non‐invasive, sensitive, and specific assay for detecting circulating epithelial cells in blood. It may be useful for the early diagnosis of disseminating disease, to determine whether the presence of micrometastatic cells at the time of surgery is correlated with an early relapse and for monitoring adjuvant therapeutic trials. Int. J. Cancer 74:540–544, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

No abstract

This chapter describes the use of Dynabeads for cell isolation and expansion. Dynabeads are uniform polystyrene spherical beads that have been made magnetisable and superparamagnetic, meaning they are only magnetic in a magnetic field. Due to this property, the beads can easily be resuspended when the magnetic field is removed. The invention of Dynabeads made, by Professor John Ugelstad, has revolutionized the separation of many biological materials. For example, the attachment of target-specific antibodies to the surface of the beads allows capture and isolation of intact cells directly from a complex suspension such as blood. This is all accomplished under the influence of a simple magnetic field without the need for column separation techniques or centrifugation. In general, magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies can be used either for isolation or depletion of various cell types. Positive or negative cell isolation can be performed depending on the nature of the starting sample, the cell surface markers and the downstream application in question. Positive cell isolation is the method of choice for unprocessed samples, such as whole blood, and for downstream molecular applications. Positive cell isolation can also be used for any downstream application after detachment and removal of the beads. Negative cell isolation is the method of choice when it is critical that cells of interest remain untouched, i.e., no antibodies have been bound to any cell surface markers on the cells of interest. Some cell populations can only be defined by multiple cell surface markers. Such populations of cells can be isolated by the combination of negative and positive cell isolation. By coupling Dynabeads with antibodies directed against cell surface activation molecules, the beads can be used both for isolation and expansion of the cells. Dynabeads are currently used in two major clinical applications: 1) In the Isolex 300i Magnetic Cell Selection System for CD34 Stem Cell Isolation--2) For ex vivo T cell isolation and expansion using Dynabeads ClinExVivo CD3/CD28 for clinical trials in novel adoptive immunotherapy.

Lately, current medical debate has focussed upon a new understanding of concepts such as «health» and «quality of life». Increasingly more emphasis has been put on lifestyle and cultural factors in maintaining health and quality of life. To music therapy, this way of thinking has been known since the ancient writings on music as a therapeutic factor. The author suggests that the profession of music therapy should be more concerned about health in general in society. He suggests how music may contribute to the quality of life in the following four areas: 1) Music may increase our feelings of vitality and awareness of feelings, 2) music provides opportunity for increased sense of agency, 3) music-making provides a sense of belonging and communality, and 4) experiences of music creates a sense of meaning and coherence in life.EVEN RUUD Dr. philos, Professor, Department of Music and Theatre, University of Oslo. Adjunct professor in music therapy, The State Academy of Music, Oslo. He has published several books about music therapy, music education and music and cultural studies. Addr.

The Norwegian version of the ESS had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The association of the ESS items and total score with the MSLT was only fair to moderate, in line with previous studies.

No abstract

No abstract

Resting human B cells can be activated to proliferate in the presence of both polyclonal antibodies to immunoglobulin pA heavy chains and B-cell growth factor (BCGF). This process appears to be temporally controlled in that the initial activation of the B cells and their responsiveness to BCGF'is carried out by polyclonal anti-p-chain antibodies alone. We have used this system to investigate the role of the c-myc gene in the cell cycle of normal human peripheral blood B cells. Our results show that the polyconal anti-pt-chain antibody-induced B-cell activation is accompanied by a specific induction of c-myc gene expression without promoting subsequent entry into the S phase unless BCGF is added. Monoclonal antibodies to either pu chain or the pan-B-cell antigen Bp35 also revealed a similar Go-to-G1 transition and activation of c-myc gene expression. However, unlike activation with polyclonal anti-p-chain antibodies, cells stimulated with these monoclonal antibodies do not acquire responsiveness to BCGF. The results imply that additional inducible functions must be present to potentiate the myc-specific function in order for the B cells to acquire the capacity to proliferate in response to BCGF. These findings are discussed in relation to the origin of B-cell malignancies.