Mutations of the transcription factor PU.1 are not associated with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

The transcription factor PU.1 plays a crucial role during normal haematopoiesis in both myeloid cells and B-lymphocytes. Mice with a disruption in both alleles of the PU.1 locus were found to lack macrophages and B cells and had delayed appearance of neutrophils. In addition, critical decrease of PU.1 expression is sufficient to cause acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and lymphomas in mice. Recently, we reported that heterozygous mutations in the PU.1 gene are present in some patients with AML. Thus, we hypothesised that PU.1 mutations might also contribute to the development of acute leukaemias of the B-cell lineage. Here, we screened 62 patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) at diagnosis for genomic mutations by direct sequencing of all five exons of the PU.1 gene. We found no genomic alteration of the PU.1 gene suggesting that PU.1 mutations are not likely to be common in B-ALL.

Expected and Unexpected Consequences of the Educational Expansion in Europe and the US. Theoretical approaches and empirical findings in comparative perspective

A main mechanism behind the change in European and North American societies in the second half of the 20th century is the educational expansion, i.e. the increase in educational opportunities and the higher demand for education. Whereas other abstract social processes like modernization have been widely theorized in social science literature, the educational expansion and its consequences in particular have not been well studied. Therefore the main aim of this compilation is to deal with the question of whether the demands of the educational reforms have been fulfilled and which other consequences the educational expansion has had. This book will focus on consequences of the educational expansion for individuals and their life courses as well as for the social structure and other societal areas such as culture and politics. Aspects that will be analysed in the light of educational expansion include participation in education, educational inequalities, labour market outcomes, educational returns, and gender differences as well as crime, life expectancy, and lifestyles. Countries analysed in the book include West European countries like Germany, France, Italy and Spain, East European countries (Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic) as well as the US.

Law in a Linguistic Battlefield: The Language of the New State Versus the ‘Language of the Oppressors’ in Ukraine

Article 10 of the 1996 Ukrainian Constitution proclaims that “The state language of Ukraine shall be the Ukrainian language” but continues: “Free development, use, and protection of Russian and other languages of national minorities of Ukraine shall be guaranteed in Ukraine.” Consolidating the position of the state language was at the centre of the "Orange Revolution", but President Yanukovich, elected in February 2010, has committed himself to a defence of the Russian language, as a regional language of Ukraine, and the battle is on to replace the Law on Languages of the Ukrainian SSR of 1989, which is still in force. Ukraine has ratified the Council of Europe’s European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This article reflects on the relation between language and law, and endeavours to bring clarity to a situation which at times resembles an overheated kettle about to explode.

[The mental foramen or "the crossroads of the mandible." An anatomic and clinical observation]

This paper presents a clinical and anatomical review of the mental foramen (MF) based on recent publications (since 1990). Usually, the MF is located below the 2nd premolar or between the two premolars, but it may also be positioned below the 1st premolar or below the mesial root of the 1st molar. At the level of the MF, lingual canals may join the mandibular canal (hence the term "crossroads"). Accessory MF are frequently described in the literature with large ethnic variations in incidence. The emergence pattern of the mental canal usually has an upward and posterior direction. The presence and extent of an "anterior loop" of the mental canal may be overestimated with panoramic radiography. Limited cone-beam computed tomography currently appears to be the most precise radiographic technique for assessment of the "anterior loop". The mental nerve exiting the MF usually has three to four branches for innervation of the soft tissues of the chin, lower lip, facial gingiva and mucosa in the anterior mandible. The clinician is advised to observe a safety distance when performing incisions and osteotomies in the vicinity of the MF.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation with interstitial brachytherapy as second conservative treatment for ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence: multicentric study of the GEC-ESTRO Breast Cancer Working Group

PURPOSE To analyse the clinical outcome after salvage lumpectomy and multi-catheter brachytherapy (MCB) for ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR). MATERIAL AND METHODS Between 09/00 and 09/10, 217 patients presenting an IBTR underwent lumpectomy and MCB (low, pulsed, or high-dose rate). Survival rates without second local recurrence (2nd LR), distant metastasis (DM), and overall survival (OS) were analysed as well as late effects and cosmetic results. Univariate and multivariate analyses (MVA) based on IBTR data were performed to find prognostic factors for 2nd LR, DM, and OS. RESULTS Median follow-up after the IBTR was 3.9 years [range: 1.1-10.3]. Five and 10-year actuarial 2nd LR rates were 5.6% [range: 1.5-9.5] and 7.2% [range: 2.1-12.1], respectively. Five and 10-year actuarial DM rates were 9.6% [range: 5.7-15.2] and 19.1% [range: 7.8-28.3], respectively. Five and 10-year actuarial OS rates were 88.7% [range: 83.1-94.8] and 76.4% [range: 66.9-87.3], respectively. In MVA, histological grade was prognostic factor for 2nd LR (p=0.008) and OS (p=0.02); while tumour size was prognostic factor for DM (p=0.03). G3-4 complication rate was 11%. Excellent/good cosmetic result was achieved in 85%. CONCLUSION This study suggests that in case of IBTR, lumpectomy plus MCB is feasible and effective in preventing 2nd LR with an OS rate at least equivalent to those achieved with salvage mastectomy.

Response of the XENON100 Dark Matter Detector to Nuclear Recoils

Results from the nuclear recoil calibration of the XENON100 dark matter detector installed underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy are presented. Data from measurements with an external AmB(241)e neutron source are compared with a detailed Monte Carlo simulation which is used to extract the energy-dependent charge-yield Q(y) and relative scintillation efficiency L-eff. A very good level of absolute spectral matching is achieved in both observable signal channels-scintillation S1 and ionization S2-along with agreement in the two-dimensional particle discrimination space. The results confirm the validity of the derived signal acceptance in earlier reported dark matter searches of the XENON100 experiment.