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The non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) subset commonly referred to as large cell lymphoma (LCL) has historically been characterized by its marked cytological, immunological, and clinical heterogeneity. One potential defining feature of these lymphomas, the t(2; 5)(p23; q35), occurs in 25% to 30% of anaplastic LCLs and is also found in cases with diffuse large cell or immunoblastic morphology. We recently identified nucleophosmin (NPM ) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK ) as the genes on chromosomes 5 and 2, respectively, that are juxtaposed by this translocation. To provide a complementary approach to the use of classical cytogenetics or polymerase chain reaction-based methods for the detection of this abnormality, we have developed a two-color fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay for the t(2; 5) that may be used for the analysis of both interphase nuclei and metaphase chromosomes. Three overlapping chromosome 5 cosmid clones located immediately centromeric to the NPM gene locus and an ALK P1 clone located telomeric to the chromosome 2 breakpoint were labeled with digoxigenin or biotin, respectively, and used to visualize the derivative chromosome 5 produced by the t(2; 5), evident as juxtaposed or overlapping red and green fluorescent signals. This NPM-ALK FISH assay was initially validated by analysis of a series of cytogenetically characterized cell lines, with the presence of the der(5) chromosome showed specifically only in those lines known to contain the t(2; 5). The assay was then applied in a blinded fashion to a series of eight cytogenetically t(2; 5)-positive clinical specimens and seven known t(2; 5)-negative cases, including three NHL and four Hodgkin's disease biopsy samples. Whereas the t(2; 5)-negative cases were negative by FISH, all eight t(2; 5)-positive cases were positive. One additional case, initially thought to be positive for the translocation by cytogenetics, was proven to not be a classic t(2; 5) by interphase and metaphase FISH. These data indicate that the FISH assay described is a highly specific and rapid test that should prove to be a useful adjunct to the currently available methods for detection of the t(2; 5).

In recognition of the contribution that the clinical laboratory makes to the diagnosis and monitoring of disease, this article considers the clinical significance of some common tests performed in the haematology laboratory to investigate anaemia.

The diagnosis of diabetes is made on the evidence of raised blood glucose levels. In diabetic patients, regular monitoring of blood and urine guides decisions about treatment and helps to minimise the risk of complications. This article describes various diagnostic tests that can be used both in the laboratory and outside.

Discourse is a pervasive tool of management; one might even say that discourse is what managers do. A widespread assumption among managers is that discourse is not only a pervasive tool, but an effective one for precise communication of information, for making decisions, and for enlisting action, essentially a transmission tool. This paper maintains that the transmission view is a limited conception of language use, one which leads to a faulty conception of what managers do. It ignores the need for an ethics of communication and misjudges the creative aspects of language use. Management discourse is a far more complex and fluid phenomenon, one requiring not just effective use, but management itself. In other words consideration of the discourse of management leads us to the need for the management of discourse.

As pressure grows for stricter controls over the design and deployment of safety critical systems, the need for organisations to produce safety cases also increases. This paper describes the work of the ASAM (“A Safety Argument Manager”) project—a project which has been concerned with providing tool support for the construction, review and evolution of safety cases. First, we present our view of safety and the issues involved in designing safety-critical systems, to explain the role of the safety case. Then we describe the project’s objectives and set out the basic conceptual framework for safety cases developed by the project. After a discussion of the notation and style of argumentation that we have adopted, our prototype software tool, SAM, is described in some detail. The final section gives conclusions and directions for future work.

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) ” The artist behind a unique new sculpture in Altoona says it reflects both the city™s tight-knit nature and a defining feature of the Midwest.Construction on œWoven Lines, a sculpture by artist Aaron T. Stephan of Portland, Maine, is well underway at the site of a new roundabout at 1st Avenue North and 9th Street Northwest. It™s made from 1,500 feet of metal guardrail that swoops into a 20,000-pound knot and will serve as an anchor of Altoona™s north side. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]