Biomedical subjects

J Ihalainen

Publications and source records attributed to J Ihalainen.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Ultrasonic depolymerization of aqueous polyvinyl alcohol.

Ultrasonication has proved to be a highly advantageous method for depolymerizing macromolecules because it reduces their molecular weight simply by splitting the most susceptible chemical bond without causing any changes in the chemical nature of the polymer. Most of the effects involved in controlling molecular weight can be attributed to the large shear gradients and shock waves generated around collapsing cavitation bubbles. In general, for any polymer degradation process to become acceptable to industry, it is necessary to be able to specify the sonication conditions which lead to a particular relative molar mass distribution. This necessitates the identification of the appropriate irradiation power, temperature, concentration and irradiation time. According to the results of this study the reactors constructed worked well in depolymerization and it was possible to degrade aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer with ultrasound. The most extensive degradation took place at the lowest frequency used in this study, i.e. 23 kHz, when the input power was above the cavitation threshold and at the lowest test concentration of PVA, i.e. 1% (w/w). Thus this study confirms the general assumption that the shear forces generated by the rapid motion of the solvent following cavitational collapse are responsible for the breakage of the chemical bonds within the polymer. The effect of polymer concentration can be interpreted in terms of the increase in viscosity with concentration, causing the molecules to become less mobile in solution and the velocity gradients around the collapsing bubbles to therefore become smaller.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1995

Idiopathic macrocytic anaemia in the aged: molecular and cytogenetic findings.

Macrocytosis in the elderly is often caused by abnormalities of haematological stem cell differentiation. In this study, a group of elderly patients was analysed for four molecular and cell biological parameters. The aim of the study was to screen elderly patients with idiopathic macrocytic anaemia or MDS for a set of alterations which are related to haematological dysplasia. The analyses used were: DNA-methylation at the calcitonin A gene 5'-area, NRAS point mutations at codons 12 and 13, in vitro colony formation of peripheral blood progenitor cells and cytogenetics of bone marrow cells. The results show that a significant portion of elderly patients with idiopathic macrocytosis have one or more of the abnormalities analysed. Hypermethylation of the calcitonin A gene 5'-area at the chromosome 11 band p15 is relatively common (7/15). Chromosomal aberrations (3/12) and NRAS oncogene point mutations (0/15) were rare findings. In vitro culture of erythroid progenitor cells was relatively frequently abnormal (7/15). Eight of our nine macrocytic patients who did not fulfill the FAB criteria for MDS had at least one of the alterations studied; this suggests that these patients might represent early phases of a stem cell disorder.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Diagnosis of pancreatic lesions using fine needle aspiration cytology: detection of K-ras point mutations using solid phase minisequencing.

AIMS: To improve the diagnostic value of fine needle aspiration biopsy of pancreatic lesions using a simple mutation detection method based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). METHODS: Fine needle aspirates from 21 suspected pancreatic lesions were analysed for K-ras codon 12 point mutations using solid phase minisequencing. RESULTS: A point mutation in codon 12 of the K-ras gene was detected in 14 of 17 cases of pancreatic carcinoma. No false positive results were recorded. The concordance of the result with routine cytology was 78%. All patients diagnosed as having malignant disease on cytology also had a K-ras point mutation. Additional information on the presence of malignancy was obtained using molecular genetic analysis in two cases. CONCLUSIONS: PCR based minisequencing is a promising method for the analysis of cytological material. K-ras point mutation analysis was modified to enable it to be carried out in a clinical laboratory. Advantages of the method include its simplicity and speed. Adequate sampling guidance is important but analysis can be performed even with small amounts of cellular material.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Towards automatic detection of point mutations: use of scintillating microplates in solid-phase minisequencing.

Simplification of molecular genetic techniques is one of the main features of large-scale clinical applications of mutation analysis. The solid-phase minisequencing method, which is based on single-nucleotide primer extension by a DNA polymerase on a solid support, is an easy way of detecting point mutations of previously known locations. Here the procedure was further simplified by the use of microplates made of scintillating plastics, a microplate format scintillation counter and an automatic microplate washer. DNA samples from patients with either a hereditary aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA) gene point mutation or an acquired N-ras gene mutation were analyzed by three different minisequencing detection procedures utilizing tritiated nucleotides. The new counting method with scintillating plates was compared to traditional liquid scintillation counting in scintillation vials or to another microplate format procedure, which requires addition of scintillation liquid. In all three methods, normal individuals, heterozygous carriers of the AGA mutation and homozygous patients could be unequivocally discriminated. The N-ras mutation in leukemic blasts could also be detected with high resolution. The coefficients of variation and reproducibility of the scintillating microplate method were almost identical to those of the traditional liquid scintillation assay, which was used as a reference method. The technical innovations adopted here for performing minisequencing assays reduce significantly the labor required without affecting the quality of the results.

Aspartylglucosylaminase↗

PubMed1994

Calcitonin gene methylation in chronic myeloproliferative disorders.

Alterations in DNA methylation appear to be an integral part of the malignant transformation. For example, the p15 region of chromosome 11 with multiple genes related to cell growth regulation exhibits different methylation patterns in the 5' area of the calcitonin A gene in healthy bone marrow cells, and in leukemic cell populations. In this work the methylation status of the 5' area of the calcitonin gene in myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) other than chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is studied. A total number of 37 patients with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, or myelofibrosis were studied. A control group of 18 healthy persons and patients with reactive hematologic changes was included. The DNA isolated from peripheral blood or bone marrow cells was digested with the methylation-sensitive HpaII restriction enzyme. A Southern blot was hybridized with a 1.7 kb probe specific to the 5' area of the calcitonin gene. The result was visualized autoradiographically and analyzed with a densitometer. The results have been expressed as ratios between the abnormal and normal autoradiography band intensities, referred to as the calc-value or CALC. An increase in the calc-value signifies increasing methylation. In the control group the calc-value had a mean of 0.274. The myelofibrosis patients exhibited very strong hypermethylation in the calcitonin gene 5' area, with a mean calc-value of 11.1 (median 2.6). The polycythemia vera patients showed considerable variation in their methylation status, with a mean value of 1.52. The essential thrombocythemia patients exhibited weak hypermethylation, with a mean calc-value of 0.58. A correlation between karyotypic abnormalities and hypermethylation was observed. Complicated forms of MPD exhibited higher levels of methylation than the uncomplicated disease forms.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Thoracic lesions: diagnosis by ultrasound-guided biopsy.

We reviewed the results of US-guided fine-needle biopsies of peripheral pulmonary, pleural, mediastinal and chest wall lesions in 200 patients. Sufficient material for cytological analysis was obtained in 95%, 92%, 96% and 100%, respectively. Sensitivity was 88%, 94%, 96%, 100% and specificity 89%, 100% and 100%, respectively. The ratio of false-negative results was 7%. A cutting needle biopsy was additionally performed in 24 patients. All but two of the histological samples (92%) were adequate for diagnostic purposes and a correct diagnosis was established in 86% (19/22) of these. 8 patients (4%) with pleural or pulmonary targets had minor complications (5 pneumothorax, 3 haemoptysis), which did not require treatment. Cutting needle biopsies and biopsy of mediastinal lesions proved safe. Due to the many advantages US may be considered for guidance in peripheral larger-sized pulmonary lesions, particularly those abutting the pleura, and also in pleural, thoracic wall and mediastinal masses.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Hypermethylation of the calcitonin gene in the myelodysplastic syndromes.

It is well documented that the calcitonin gene area in the short arm of chromosome 11 is hypermethylated in most acute leukemias as well as in chronic lymphatic leukemia. In contrast, the gene is normally methylated during the chronic phase of the chronic myeloid leukemia but turns hypermethylated as the disease escalates. As the methylation of the calcitonin gene correlates with the disease activity in chronic myeloid leukemia, it seemed worthwhile to study the gene methylation in other premalignant hematologic conditions with a potential to terminate in fulminant acute leukemia. We report here on the calcitonin gene methylation in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) using a methylation sensitive restriction enzyme HpaII and standard Southern blotting techniques. Bone marrow aspirates from a total of 26 MDS patients were studied. In 24 of these patients, the calcitonin gene was hypermethylated. There was no correlation between the methylation status and the morphological stage of the disease. All six patients with a blast count < 5% had a hypermethylated gene. Of the 19 patients with a blast count > 5%, 17 were hypermethylated only two having normal methylation status of the gene. It appears that the hypermethylation of the calcitonin gene area in the short arm of chromosome 11 may be an early event in the pathogenesis of the myelodysplastic syndromes. The methylation analysis may thus be of value as a diagnostic tool in MDS but an abnormal methylation pattern does not seem to have a direct relation with the degree of blast infiltration.

Acute Disease↗