From chromosomal alterations to target genes for therapy: integrating cytogenetic and functional genomic views of the breast cancer genome

A vast number of recurrent chromosomal alterations have been implicated in cancer development and progression. However, most of the genes involved in recurrent chromosomal alterations in solid tumors remain unknown, despite the recent substantial progress in genomic research and availability of high-throughput technologies. For example, it is now possible to quickly identify large numbers of differentially expressed genes in cancer specimens using cDNA microarrays. Integration of this "functional genomic view" of the cancer genome with the "cytogenetic view" could lead to the identification of genes playing a critical role in cancer development and progression. In this review, we illustrate how the combination of three different microarray technologies, cDNA, CGH, and tissue microarrays, makes it possible to directly identify genes involved in chromosomal rearrangements in cell line model systems and then rapidly explore their significance as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets in human primary breast cancer progression.

Acute appendicitis in early childhood

1728 appendectomies were performed in our institution between the years 1973 and 1978, only 18 of them below the age of 5 years. Acute appendicitis in this age is characterized by a very low incidence (1%); an overwhelming male predominance (8:1), a short history, and a rapid progress of the disease. In 72% perforation of appendix and peritonitis were present at operation. The triad of fever, abdominal pains and vomiting was present in all cases. A high leucocyte count was noted in all cases except one. All patients were operated upon within 16 h of admission. No mortality, a low morbidity and a short hospital stay were recorded.

Electromagnetic field scattering by a triangular aperture

The multiple Laplace transform has been applied to analysis and computation of scattering by a double triangular aperture. Results are obtained which match far-field intensity distributions observed in experiments. Arbitrary polarization components, as well as in-phase and quadrature-phase components, may be determined, in the transform domain, as a continuous function of distance from near to far-field for any orientation, aperture, and transformable waveform. Numerical results are obtained by application of numerical multiple inversions of the fully transformed solution.