Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A Prognostic Indicator

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma constitutes a group of disorders originating from the malignant transformation of lymphocytes and involving either the lymph nodes or extranodal sites. NHL commonly presents in the sixth to seventh decade of life with a male preponderance (50–75 %). Recent studies have shown importance of serum LDH in prognosis of NHL. Authors report a case of a 63 year old male presenting with complaints of fever and backache for past 4 months. General and systemic examination revealed bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly respectively. Serum LDH level was highly elevated (3441 U/l). Excisional axillary and bone marrow biopsy were done before oncology referral. Complete workup revealed diffuse Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with bone marrow infiltration. Patient died because of acute renal failure due to NHL and DM 2 (Type 2 diabetes mellitus).     

From Imitation to Innovation:A Strategic Adjustment in China’s S&T Development

I. S&T Innovation Capacity as aStrategic Resource for SustainableDevelopment.Over the past two decades, China’s economy haswitnessed burgeoning growth at an average rate of9.4% per year, and by 2004, its per capita GDP sur-passed US$1,000, marking the beginning of the take-offstage of China’s industrialization. In line with nationalrealities, however, China cannot completely follow thetraditional route of industrialization taken by developedcountries. Instead, a brand-new road should b…     

Between politics and prevention: A re-examination of China’s schistosomiasis control campaign in the 1950s

In the 1950s, China is widely regarded as having made great achievements in the control of schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever. Despite the success, efforts to prevent the disease did not fare well during the Reform period (1978–present). Given this, several key questions need to be addressed. Was the schistosomiasis control campaign a real success in the context of political fervor? Would a schistosomiasis control policy be successful only when it returns to the Maoist medical model, as Miriam Gross argues? Did schistosomiasis return as advertised, or was it never eliminated since the 1950s? In this article, I argue that (1) schistosomiasis control is widely regarded as a great success in an ecological sense, but as far as a long-term mechanism of control is concerned, an approach that relies exclusively on strong political intervention and mass participation may not be effective; (2) schistosomiasis control should first focus on the establishment of a sustainable, long-term mechanism, rather than a temporary, assault-style approach to the problem; and (3) from the 1950s to the present, the spread of schistosomiasis does not represent its return, but, rather, the failure of control efforts to eliminate it.     

New Structures,New Strategies: CSIRO’s Changing Role in Australian Innovation

Abstract

CSIRO’s role in Australian innovation has evolved over the years in response to changes in the external environment and within Australia’s national innovation system. The process of organisational change has been characterised by a series of restructurings—in 1978, 1988, 1996 and 2001—and accompanying shifts in the organisation’s strategic directions. In this paper we look at the process of organisational change in an historical context, looking at the evolving external environment, the legislative and management background, and the shifts in the organisation’s strategic directions. The change process is interpreted from a punctuated equilibrium perspective. We propose that discontinuous, rather than continuous change, is the way that a complex and diversified organisation like CSIRO adjusts to a changing external environment and, moreover, that independent public reviews have an important role in this process. In the light of major changes in the Australian and scientific landscapes over the past two decades we suggest it is time to look again at CSIRO’s role and the sustainability of its internal management arrangements.     

Positive management in libraries: if you build it,they won’t necessarily come

Both Jim Lynch and Stuart Fitzgerald are UK representatives of the American company, Library Systems & Services. LSSI is a private management company working for local authorities wishing to outsource library services. Jim Lynch is also a consultant with Ploszajski Lynch Consulting, specialising in sport, leisure and cultural projects. Stuart Fitzgerald is a management consultant with many years’ experience in procurement and performance management in the private, public and voluntary sectors.     

The NBER Orange Book Dataset: A user’s guide

This paper introduces a newly digitized, open-access version of the Food and Drug Administration’s “Orange Book”—a linkage between approved small-molecule drugs and the patents that protect them. The Orange Book also reports any applicable regulatory exclusivity that prevents competitive entry. We summarize the Orange Book’s coverage and discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with using these data for research. Empirical validations against various administrative datasets suggest that Orange Book records are, largely, complete and accurate. We conclude with a specific use case—calculating legal exclusivity periods for drugs—to highlight the types of choices that researchers must make when using this resource.     

Oxidative stress in Parkinson’s disease

Oxidative stress contributes to the cascade, leading to dopamine cell degeneration in Parkinson’s disease. However, oxidative stress is intimately linked to other components of the degenerative process, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, nitric oxide toxicity and inflammation. It is therefore difficult to determine whether oxidative stress leads to or is a consequence of, these events. Oxidative stress was assessed by estimating lipid peroxidation product in the form of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, nitric oxide in the form of nitrite & nitrate. Enzymatic antioxidants in the form of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, ceruloplasmin and non enzymatic antioxidant vitamins e.g. vitamin E and C in either serum or plasma or erythrocyte in 40 patients of Parkinson’s disease in the age group 40–80 years. Trace elements e.g. copper, zinc and selenium were also estimated. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and nitric oxide levels were Significantly high but superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, ceruloplasmin, vitamin-E, vitamin-C, copper, zinc and selenium levels were significantly low in Parkinson’s disease when compared with control subjects. Present study showed that elevated oxidative stress may be playing a role in dopaminergic neuronal loss in substentia nigra pars compacta and involved in pathogenesis of the Parkinson’s disease.