Human erythrocyte pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase (P5N) was separated into two subclasses. P5N-I and P5N-II, by DEAE Bio-Gel A column chromatography. Their enzymological properties were studied using five normal subjects and five patients with different P5N deficiencies. Study of the normal subjects showed that P5N-I and P5N-II have distinctive properties, and P5N-II is similar to the 5'-nucleotidase in rat liver cytosol. The P5N-II from the five subjects with this deficiency had normal activity and other normal enzymological properties. However, the P5N-I from these patients had abnormal properties, including reduced activity. These variant enzymes had a high Michaelis constant for substrate cytidine 5'-monophosphate and were heat stable. The optimum pH was shifted towards the acidic side in two patients, towards the basic side in one, and was unchanged in the other two. These results strongly suggest that the main cause of P5N deficiency is an abnormality of P5N-I, probably arising from a structural gene mutation.

Objective The modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale is recommended for conducting assessments of dyspnea and disability and functions as an indicator of exacerbation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the mMRC scale can be used to predict hospitalization and exacerbation in Japanese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods In a previous 52-week prospective study, 123 patients with COPD were classified into five groups (grades 0 to 4) according to the mMRC scale and four groups (stages I to IV) according to the spirometric Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification. The frequency and period until the first event of hospitalization and exacerbation were compared among the groups. Results The population of patients who experienced hospitalization and exacerbation during the 52-week study period, with an mMRC scale grade of 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0 was 50.0 and 100, 55.6 and 88.9, 21.1 and 73.7, 2.6 and 48.7, and 4.0 and 22.0%, respectively. A multivariate analysis adjusted for the GOLD stage and age showed that the patients with an mMRC scale grade of ! 3 had higher frequencies of hospitalization and exacerbation than those with lower grades. Meanwhile, the patients with an mMRC scale grade of ! 2 showed a significantly earlier time until the first exacerbation, but not hospitalization, in comparison with those with grade 0. Conclusion The present results indicate that, among Japanese patients with COPD, those with an mMRC scale grade of ! 3 have a significantly poorer prognosis and that the mMRC scale can be used to predict hospitalization and exacerbation.

The MAGE gene family, encoding tumor-rejection antigens recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes, is frequently expressed in human solid cancers. However, its expression in leukemia has not been well studied. We have investigated MAGE gene expression at the mRNA level in human leukemia. The MAGE gene family was expressed in 17 of 34 (50%) examples of T cell leukemia (12/21 patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells and 5/13 cell lines), in 7 of 16 (44%) cases of B cell leukemia (1/8 and 6/8 respectively), but in none of 23 myelomonocytic leukemia cases (0/16 and 0/7), as evaluated by the primers common to the MAGE-1, -3, -4 (-4a and/or -4b), and -6 genes and the semi-quantificative reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction method. None of a panel of normal lymphoid cells expressed the MAGE gene family. As revealed by the primers specific for each of the MAGE genes, the MAGE-1, -2, -3, -4 or -6 gene was expressed in 8, 8, 6, 2, or 6 respectively out of 23 types of leukemia cell lines. Expression of the MAGE-1 protein in both the cell lines and patients' cells was confirmed by immunoblot analysis with the polyclonal antibody to recombinant MAGE-1 protein. Cellular MAGE-4 protein in the cell lines was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with the polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to recombinant MAGE-4b protein. In summary, the MAGE gene family was found to be expressed in the substantial proportion of T cell leukemias, but in no case of myelomonocytic leukemia. Antigens coded by the MAGE gene family could be important molecules for understanding specific immunity against lymphocytic leukemia.

Background/Aim: Serum tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen and cytokeratin subunit 19 fragment are generally monitored in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in the clinical practice. However, their clinical relevance in stage III NSCLC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) remains unclear. Herein, we examined the clinical relevance of tumor markers in those patients. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 62 consecutive patients with stage III NSCLC who received CCRT. We examined the associations of tumor marker levels with their prognosis. Results: There was no correlation between pretreatment tumor marker levels and prognosis. Normal tumor marker levels post-CCRT were significantly associated with favorable progression-free survival (54.8 versus 14.5 months, p=0.02) and overall survival (71.7 versus 40.4 months, p=0.06) compared with high tumor marker levels post-CCRT. Conclusion: We revealed that normal tumor markers levels post-CCRT in stage III NSCLC might be a useful surrogate marker for curing those patients. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide (1). Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80% of all lung cancer cases and approximately 30% of NSCLC patients present with stage III disease (2-3). Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard of care for these patients (4-5). Despite extensive research into 889 This article is freely accessible online.

No abstract