Sorafenib has substantial clinical activity as third- or fourth-line treatment of imatinib- and sunitinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Because sorafenib targets both angiogenesis-related kinases (VEGFR) and the pathogenetic kinases found in GIST (KIT or PDGFRA), the molecular basis for sorafenib efficacy in this setting remains unknown. We sought to determine the spectrum o...

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by cutaneous neurofibromas infiltrated with large numbers of mast cells, melanocyte hyperplasia, and a predisposition to develop malignant neoplasms. NF1 encodes a GTPase activating protein (GAP) for Ras. Consistent with Knudson's "two hit" model of tumor suppressor genes, leukemias and malignant solid tumors i...

The rapid ID32A kit (bioMérieux Vitek, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.) was evaluated for its ability to identify Peptostreptococcus species compared with conventional biochemical tests and gas-liquid chromatography (Virginia Polytechnic Institute), the current "gold standard" method. A total of 5 Peptostreptococcus American Type Culture Collection strains and 95 clinical isolates comprising Peptostreptoc...

PURPOSE To determine the contribution of conjunctival mast cells to the allergen-specific inflammatory responses in eyes with allergic conjunctivitis and to test the hypothesis that mast cells act as mediators of the early phase response. METHODS The participation of mast cells in allergen-induced inflammatory cell recruitment was studied in an experimental murine model of allergic conjunctiv...

The iodine content of iodized salt is routinely assessed in the laboratory by the standard 'iodometric titration' method(l). Recently, a simpler method has been developed which is popularly known as the 'spot test for iodine estimation'. In these test, estimation of iodine content in salt is done with the help of a kit. The most commonly used kit provided by the Government of India for 'on the ...

Measurement of serum triiodothyronine concentration is generally regarded as a valuable tool in the diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction. This importance has provided the impetus for the significant improvement in assay methodology that has occurred in the last two decades. The advent of monospecific antiserum and the discovery of blocking agents to the T3 binding serum proteins has enabled the dev...