ALBERT

Description: T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is an aggressive lymphoproliferative disorder with postthymic T cell phenotype and prolymphocytic morphology. In the majority of patients, the leukemic process progresses rapidly and patients die shortly after diagnosis (median survival of 7 months). Bortezomib, the first proteasome inhibitor to be approved for use in haematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma, is beginning to be utilized as an effective anti-neoplastic agent in other hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic neoplastic disorders. We report here the in vitro apoptotic effects of bortezomib on leukemic cells isolated from three T-PLL patients. Interestingly, one of the patient’s leukemia developed in the setting of immunosupression due to transplant therapy (post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder). Flow cytometric analysis of leukemic cells of the three patients showed CD8, double CD4+CD8+ and double CD4−CD8− immunophenotypic features. All cases showed monoclonal band pattern by T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement as analyzed by the PCR amplification of the TCR gamma heavy chain gene. Freshly isolated leukemic cells with the CD8 phenotype T-PLL analyzed for apoptosis after ficoll hypaque separation and cultured in the presence of various concentration of Bortezomib (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 uM) for dose curve analysis. Apoptosis of the leukemic cells was determined by Annexin-V and 7-AAD staining and flow cytometric analysis after incubation at 24 and 72 hours, respectively. Samples treated for 72 hours showed higher rate of apoptosis compared to 24 hours: 10 uM (62% increase above the base line of control cells), 1 uM (58%), 0.1 uM (55%), 0.01 uM (40%) and 0.001 uM (0%) concentrations while samples treated for 24 hours with 10 uM showed (42% increase above the base line of control cells) and 1 uM (33% increase above the base line). Light microscopic analysis of leukemic cells treated with Bortezomib confirmed that the majority of cells undergo apoptosis with Bortezomib treatment as it revealed nuclear fragmentation and apoptotic bodies. Leukemic cells recovered from cryopreservation from the second and third T-PLL patient samples analyzed also showed significant increase in early and late apoptosis at 24 hours with Bortezomib treatment (10nm). These results suggest that Bortezomib may provide an alternate therapy in the treatment of T-PLL. Future collaborative efforts investigating efficacy with Bortezomib as a single agent or in combination with other therapeutic agents will be crucial to improving survival for patients with this disease.

Description: CDC and its partners established the Health and Environment Linked for Information Exchange, Atlanta (HELIX-Atlanta) demonstration project, to develop linking and analysis methods that could be used by the National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network. Initiated in October 2003, the Metropolitan Atlanta-based collaborative conducted four projects: asthma and particulate air pollution, birth defects and ozone and particulate air pollution, childhood leukemia and traffic emissions, and children's blood lead testing and neighborhood risk factors for lead poisoning. This report provides an overview of the HELIX-Atlanta projects' goals, methods and outcomes. We discuss priority attributes and common issues and challenges and offer recommendations for implementation of the nascent national environmental public health tracking network.

Description: This paper presents a new technique to calibrate a microwave radiometer and antenna array system. This calibration technique uses a radiated noise source in addition to two calibration sources internal to the radiometer. The method accurately calibrates antenna arrays with embedded active devices (such as amplifiers) which are used extensively in active phased array antennas.

Description: The NASA Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM) is a visualization and information system that fuses multiple Earth science data sources, to enable real time decisionmaking for airborne and ground validation experiments. Developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center, RTMM is a situational awareness, decision-support system that integrates satellite imagery and orbit data, radar and other surface observations (e.g., lightning location network data), airborne navigation and instrument data sets, model output parameters, and other applicable Earth science data sets. The integration and delivery of this information is made possible using data acquisition systems, network communication links, network server resources, and visualizations through the Google Earth virtual globe application. In order to improve the usefulness and efficiency of the RTMM system, capabilities are being developed to allow the end-user to easily configure RTMM applications based on their mission-specific requirements and objectives. This second generation RTMM is being redesigned to take advantage of the Google plug-in capabilities to run multiple applications in a web browser rather than the original single application Google Earth approach. Currently RTMM employs a limited Service Oriented Architecture approach to enable discovery of mission specific resources. We are expanding the RTMM architecture such that it will more effectively utilize the Open Geospatial Consortium Sensor Web Enablement services and other new technology software tools and components. These modifications and extensions will result in a robust, versatile RTMM system that will greatly increase flexibility of the user to choose which science data sets and support applications to view and/or use. The improvements brought about by RTMM 2nd generation system will provide mission planners and airborne scientists with enhanced decision-making tools and capabilities to more efficiently plan, prepare and execute missions, as well as to playback and review past mission data. To paraphrase the old television commercial RTMM doesn t make the airborne science, it makes the airborne science easier.