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The hydrology of tropical mountain catchments plays a central role in ecological function, geochemical and biogeochemical cycles, erosion and sediment production, and water supply in globally important environments. There have been few studies quantifying the seasonal and annual water budgets in the montane tropics, particularly in cloud forests. We investigated the water balance and hydrologic regime of the Kosñipata catchment (basin area: 164.4 km2) over the period 2010–2011. The catchment spans over 2500 m in elevation in the eastern Peruvian Andes and is dominated by tropical montane cloud forest with some high-elevation puna grasslands. Catchment-wide rainfall was 3112 ± 414 mm yr−1, calculated by calibrating Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B43 rainfall with rainfall data from nine meteorological stations in the catchment. Cloud water input to streamflow was 316 ± 116 mm yr−1 (9.2% of total inputs), calculated from an isotopic mixing model using deuterium excess (Dxs) and δD of waters. Field streamflow was measured in 2010 by recording height and calibrating to discharge. River run-off was estimated to be 2796 ± 126 mm yr−1. Actual evapotranspiration (AET) was 688 ± 138 mm yr−1, determined using the Priestley and Taylor–Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) model. The overall water budget was balanced within 1.6 ± 13.7%. Relationships between monthly rainfall and river run-off follow an anticlockwise hysteresis through the year, with a persistence of high run-off after the end of the wet season. The size of the soil and shallow groundwater reservoir is most likely insufficient to explain sustained dry-season flow. Thus, the observed hysteresis in rainfall–run-off relationships is best explained by sustained groundwater flow in the dry season, which is consistent with the water isotope results that suggest persistent wet-season sources to streamflow throughout the year. These results demonstrate the importance of transient groundwater storage in stabilising the annual hydrograph in this region of the Andes.

In this study, we show that malignant plasma cells from patients with either primary (n=12) or secondary (n=15) plasma cell leukemia (PCL) do not express CD56 at all, neither in the bone marrow nor the peripheral blood in 81% of cases. On the other hand, multiple myeloma (MM) at diagnosis overexpress it in 63 of 94 (67%) cases (P=0.0001). In three secondary PCL evaluated serially, CD56 was also lacking at diagnosis showing that CD56 is not downregulated at the end stage of the disease but rather not upregulated in this subset of patients. This last concept is strengthened by the observation that 29% of MM patients lacking CD56 or weakly expressing it at diagnosis present a detectable leukemic phase vs 11% only in CD561 MM (P=0.06). Forty percent of all the CD56(-/weak) malignant plasma cell disorders present or develop a leukemic phase vs only 15% of CD56+ cases (P < 0.008). CD56(-/weak) MM subset is also associated with a significantly less aggressive osteolytic potential (P=0.012). We conclude that the lack or weak expression of CD56 is a characteristic feature of PCL but also delineates a special subset of MM at diagnosis mainly characterized by a lower osteolytic potential and a trend for malignant plasma cells to circulate in the peripheral blood more overtly.

R115777, a nonpeptidomimetic farnesyl transferase inhibitor has recently demonstrated a significant antileukemic activity in vivo in acute myeloid leukemia. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a fatal hematological malignancy characterized by an accumulation of long-lived plasma cells within the bone marrow. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of the R115777 on growth and survival of myeloma cells. We have found that R115777 induced (1) a significant and dose-dependent growth inhibition of the three myeloma cell lines tested; and (2) a significant and time-dependent apoptosis. R115777 also induced apoptosis in the bone marrow mononuclear cell population of four MM patients, being almost restricted to the malignant plasma cells. Finally, we have investigated the effect of the R115777 in the Ras/MAPK and JAK/STAT pathways which are implicated in survival and/or proliferation in MM. The phosphorylation of both STAT3 and ERK1/2 induced by IL-6 was totally blocked at 15 microM of R115777 and partially blocked when R115777 was used at 10 and 5 microM. The induction of apoptosis by R115777 in myeloma cells and its implication in the regulation of JAK/STAT signalling suggest that R115777 might be an interesting therapeutical approach in MM.

Solar irradiance and precipitation are the most likely drivers of the seasonal variation of net primary productivity (NPP) in tropical forests. Since their roles remain poorly understood, we use litter traps, dendrometer bands and census data collected from one hectare permanent plots to quantify the seasonality of above-ground NPP components and weather parameters in 13 sites distributed along a 2800-m altitudinal gradient ranging from lowland Amazonia to the high Andes. We combine canopy leaf area index and litterfall data to describe the seasonality of canopy production. We hypothesize that solar irradiance is the primary driver of canopy phenology in wetter sites, whereas precipitation drives phenology in drier systems. The seasonal rhythm of canopy NPP components is in synchrony with solar irradiance at all altitudes. Leaf litterfall peaks in the late dry season, both in lowland (averaging 0.54 ± 0.08 Mg C ha y−1, n = 5) and montane forests (averaging 0.29 ± 0.04 Mg C ha y−1, n = 8). Peaks in above-ground coarse woody NPP appears to be triggered by the onset of rainfall in seasonal lowland rain forests (averaging 0.26 ± 0.04 Mg C ha y−1, n = 5, in November), but not in montane cloud forests.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy characterized by a very slow proliferation of malignant plasma cells leading to their accumulation within the bone marrow. This suggests that resistance to apoptosis may play a critical role both in the pathogenesis and resistance to treatment of MM. Bcl-2 is a key protein for the regulation of apoptosis. However, it has been shown that this protein also regulates the state of proliferation. In the current study, we show that malignant plasma cells from both the bone marrow and peripheral blood express high levels of Bcl-2 and are slowly proliferating cells. In contrast, myeloma cells from extramedullary sites (ie pleural effusion, ascitis, mammary and gastric plasmacytoma) express Bcl-2 weakly while being highly proliferative. Normal non-dividing bone marrow plasma cells express high levels of Bcl-2 protein. In contrast, four highly proliferative reactive plasmacytosis express weak levels of Bcl-2. We conclude that there is an inverse correlation between Bcl-2 expression and the proliferation rate of both normal and malignant plasma cells. These data may be explained by the double function of Bcl-2, ie its well known function as an anti-apoptotic molecule and its intriguing function as an inhibitory molecule of cell proliferation.

This report describes the long-term outcome of a cohort of 127 de novo multiple myeloma patients treated with at least one course of high-dose therapy (HDT) in a single institution between June 1985 and December 1995, for whom the minimum follow-up duration for survivors is 6 years. The 12-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rates are 24.9% and 3.1%, respectively, and the median survival and EFS are 49 and 17 months, respectively. Only four patients are alive and disease-free 79, 90, 132 and 153 after the first HDT, respectively. Three of them received a subsequent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Three factors significantly influence OS in this series: B2M at diagnosis, age, and the completion of a second HDT. The 10-year survival is 18.9% for the group of patients with B2M level >3 mg/l at diagnosis as compared with 41% for patients with B2M < or =3, with a median survival of 31 months vs 73 (P = 0.01). The 10-year survival is 23.4% for the group of patients aged >55 years as compared with 36.5% for patients aged <55 years, with a median survival of 34.5 months vs 70.5 (P = 0.04). The 10-year survival is 20.4% for the group of patients who did not receive a second HDT as compared with 35.2% for patients who completed a second HDT, with a median survival of 29 months vs 70 (P = 0.02). In this study we show that some patients treated with HDT experience durable remission and prolonged survival. This survival is significantly influenced by age (< or =55 years), B2M at diagnosis (< or =3 mg/l) and by the completion of two cycles of HDT.

From 1991 to 1997 18 consecutive patients with well-defined mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) underwent high-dose therapy with unpurged autologous (17 patients) or allogeneic (one patient) stem cell transplantation. Tissue sections were reviewed for morphology, immunophenotype, cyclin D1 and P53 expression as well as proliferation index (PI). Median age of patients was 47 years (range 40-60). Sixteen had stage IV disease with bone marrow involvement in 12 and performance status was > or =1 in 12 patients. At the time of high-dose therapy 10 patients were in first partial response (PR), one was in second complete remission (CR), four were in second PR and three were refractory to conventional anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. The conditioning regimen consisted of TBI plus chemotherapy in 13 patients and chemotherapy only (BEAM) in five patients. No treatment-related deaths were observed. With a median follow-up of 36 months (range 13-80) after transplant, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) are estimated to be 48 and 80% at 4 years, respectively. Significantly better results are achieved for patients transplanted after a TBI containing regimen with a 4 year OS and DFS estimated at 89 and 71%, respectively compared to 60 and 0% respectively for patients who were conditioned without TBI (P = 0.07 for OS and P < 0.0001 for DFS). There is a trend towards better DFS when the transplant is performed in PR1 (4 year DFS: 80% with eight patients out of 10 in continuous CR 13 to 80 months, median 36 months after transplant) compared to more advanced stages (4 year DFS: 18% with only three patients out of eight in continuous CR 16, 17 and 58 months after transplant). Blastic histology and P53 overexpression are also associated with a trend towards a worst prognosis.

This retrospective study compares high-dose therapy (HDT) with autologous stem cell transplantation and combined-modality treatment (CT) as a first-line therapy for Hodgkin's disease (HD) for patients with both a clinical stage (CS) IV and/or a mediastinal mass > or =0.45 of the thoracic diameter (MM > or =0.45) at diagnosis, and an incomplete response after the first-line chemotherapy. Data on 42 grafted patients (GP) in Nantes Hospital, France and on 108 combined-modality treated patients (CTP) from two protocols of the GOELAMS group, France (POF 81 and H90) was analyzed. Both groups were comparable except for pulmonary disease in excess in the grafted group (P = 0.01). Among GP, 95% were in complete response at the end of first-line treatment and 77% among CTP. Median follow-up was 53 months (range, 7 to 128 months) for GP and 88 months (range, 25 to 181 months) for CTP. The 5-year freedom from progression (FFP) and event-free survival (EFS) rates were better for GP (87% vs 55% for FFP: P = 0.0004 and 81% vs 51% for EFS: P = 0.0004) whereas the overall survival (OS) rates did not differ significantly (85% for GP vs 71% for CTP: P = 0.06). Similar results were obtained for the groups with a response > or =50% after initial chemotherapy: 91% vs 65% for FFP, P = 0.01; 87% vs 61% for EFS, P = 0.02; and 92% vs 77% for OS, P = 0.2; and for the groups with a response <50%: 80% vs 22% for FFP, P = 0.0003; 72% vs 13% for EFS, P = 0.0001; and 76% vs 46% for OS, P = 0.04. This study shows a better control of the disease with HDT.

. Neutron capture yields of dysprosium isotopes ( 161 Dy, 162 Dy, 163 Dy, and 164 Dy were measured using the time-of-flight method with a 16 segment sodium iodide multiplicity detector. The measurements were made at the 25m flight station at the Gaerttner LINAC Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Resonance parameters were obtained using the multilevel R-matrix Bayesian code SAMMY. The neutron capture data for four enriched dysprosium isotopes and one natural dysprosium sample were sequentially fitted. New resonances not listed in ENDF/B-VII.1 were observed. There were 29 and 17 new resonances from 161 Dy and 163 Dy isotopes, respectively. Six resonances from 161 Dy isotope, two resonances from 163 Dy, and four resonances from 164 Dy were not observed. The capture resonance integrals of each isotope were calculated with the resulting resonance parameters and those of ENDF/B-VII.1 in the energy region from 0.5eV to 20MeV and were compared to the capture resonance integrals with the resonance parameters from ENDF/B-VII.1. A resonance integral value of the natural dysprosium calculated with present resonance parameters was 1405 ± 3 . 5 barn. The value is ∼ 0 . 3 % higher than that obtained with the ENDF/B-VII.1 parameters. The distributions of the present and ENDF/B-VII.1 neutron widths were compared to a Porter-Thomas distribution. Neutron strength functions for 161 Dy and 163 Dy were calculated with the present resonance parameters and both values were in between the values of “Atlas of Neutron Resonances” and ENDF/B-VII.1. The present radiation width distributions of 161 Dy and 163 Dy were fitted with the χ 2 distribution by varying the degrees of freedom.

CD34+ cell counts in peripheral blood (PB) and corresponding numbers of CD34+ cells and colony-forming units-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) in 299 leukapheresis products of 209 patients undergoing PB progenitor cell (PBPC) mobilization for autologous transplantation in two different centers were analyzed and compared according to diagnosis: non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL, 94 leukaphereses), multiple myeloma (MM, 75), Hodgkin's disease (HD, 37), solid tumors (35), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML, 32). Without separating disease entities, correlations between PB CD34+ cell counts and leukapheresis content of CD34+ cells (r>0.83, P<0.01) and CFU-GM (r>0.81, P<0.01) were excellent. In both centers, a PB CD34 threshold ensuring a leukapheresis yield > 10(6) CD34/kg was determined. This threshold was higher in center 1 than in center 2, and its predictive accuracy (91.4%, i.e., prediction correct 91.4% of the time) was significantly lower than in center 2 (98.4%, P=0.02). When data were analyzed by pathology, PB CD34+ cell counts and leukapheresis content of CD34+ cells and CFU-GM remained well correlated, and in both centers PB CD34 thresholds predictive of a yield > 10(6) CD34/kg per leukapheresis could be determined for each pathology. For most patients, pathology-specific PB CD34 thresholds could be obtained directly from the equation of the PB CD34/leukapheresis CD34 correlation curve; they varied depending on both pathology and center (range: 7-20 x 10(6) CD34/l). Pathology-specific thresholds predicted a leukapheresis yield > or = 10(6) CD34/kg accurately 100% of the time for MM patients in center 2 and HD and solid tumor patients of both centers, resulting in overall rates of accurate prediction of sufficient graft CD34 content of 96.6% in center 1 and 98.9% in center 2.