Background. The establishment of cell lines from thyroid carcinomas can provide an in vitro model of oncogenesis. B‐CPAP is a new cell line that has been obtained from a differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma. The data presented give a broader characterization and expression of tumoral markers of this cell line and identify the differentiated functions that are preserved. Methods. An ultrastructural study was performed to confirm the thyroid nature of the new cell line. The cellular markers (thyroglobulin, S100, neuron‐specific enolase [NSE]) and the oncogenes (mutated p53, H‐ras, c‐myc, PTC, trk) were studied by immunohistochemistry, Southern blot, or in situ hybridization. Results. The cells were of a differentiated ultrastructural thyroid type. All of the cells proved immunoreactive with antibodies specific to thyroglobulin, S100 proteins, NSE, and mutant p53 protein. Mutations of H‐ras, PTC, and trk were not observed. The c‐myc gene was not amplified. Conclusions. The cell line described in these data provides a suitable model for the study of thyroid carcinogenesis, given that the cells present thyroid characteristics, and metabolic disorders not previously found in such cell lines. In addition, the coexpression of S100 proteins and mutant p53 proteins in the cells should permit the study of the interaction between these two proteins.

Ad CFTR, a replication-deficient adenovirus expressing the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), was administered by aerosolization in a single escalating dose to three pairs (cohorts) of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Buffer only was administered to the nose and lungs 9-14 days before nasal instillation of virus followed the day after by aerosolization of Ad CFTR to the lung. Nasal doses (defined in terms of viral plaque forming units, pfu) were 10(5), 10(7), and 4 x 10(8), whereas aerosolized doses were 10(7), 10(8), 5.4 x 10(8) for each cohort, respectively. No acute toxic effects were observed in the first 4 weeks after virus treatment. Shedding of infectious Ad CFTR was never detected, whereas detection of vector DNA sequences and CFTR expression demonstrated DNA transfer to the nose and airways of patients. No significant deviations in immunological and inflammatory parameters were observed in serum and in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Importantly, for all patients, the serum anti-adenovirus antibody levels did not change significantly from baseline and no antibodies against adenovirus were found in BAL.

This work reports measurements of effective oxygen diffusion coefficient in raw cork. Kinetics of oxygen transfer through cork is studied at 298 K thanks to a homemade manometric device composed of two gas compartments separated by a cork wafer sample. The first compartment contains oxygen, whereas the second one is kept under dynamic vacuum. The pressure decrease in the first compartment is recorded as a function of time. The effective diffusion coefficient D(eff) is obtained by applying Fick's law to transient state using a numerical method based on finite differences. An analytical model derived from Fick's law applied to steady state is also proposed. Results given by these two methods are in close agreement with each other. The harmonic average of the effective diffusion coefficients obtained from the distribution of 15 cork wafers of 3 mm thickness is 1.1 × 10(-9) m(2) s(-1) with a large distribution over four decades. The statistical analysis of the Gaussian distribution obtained on a 3 mm cork wafer is extrapolated to a 48 mm cork wafer, which length corresponds to a full cork stopper. In this case, the probability density distribution gives a mean value of D(eff) equal to 1.6 × 10(-9) m(2) s(-1). This result shows that it is possible to obtain the effective diffusion coefficient of oxygen through cork from short time (few days) measurements performed on a thin cork wafer, whereas months are required to obtain the diffusion coefficient for a full cork stopper. Permeability and oxygen transfer rate are also calculated for comparison with data from other studies.