Golgi study on brain of macular mutant mouse as a model of Menkes kinky hair disease

Summary This study was undertaken to elucidate, using the Golgi method, the neuropathological change in the brain of the macular mutant mouse, whose hemizygote (Ml/y) is considered to be a model of Menkes kinky hair disease (MKHD). The hemizygote mice gradually lost weight after 10 days of age and died with emaciation and seizure around day 15. The normal littermate (+/y) was well developed. In the cerebrum, the arborization of pyramidal neurons in the layer V of the Ml/y was the same as that in the +/y on day 10. However, development of arborization in the Ml/y was delayed in comparison with that in the +/y on days 12 and 14. Purkinje cells with several somal sprouts were observed in the cerebellum in both the Ml/y and +/y on day 7. The somal sprouts in the +/y had regressed gradually by day 12, while they were still in the anterior and middle lobes of the Ml/y on day 14. Additionally, the trunks of Ml/y stem dendrites became thicker and a cactus formation was recognized on the branching portion of the dendrites on day 14. Arborization of these abnormal Purkinje cells was distinctly poor compared with that in the +/y. These results suggest that the growth of the neurons is delayed in the Ml/y and simultaneously their cytoskeletal developments are disturbed, especially in the Purkinje cells. There is a close similarity in many respects to the neuropathological change in MKHD.     

Mortality rates in the Federal Republic of Germany following previous occupational exposure to asbestos dust

Summary In 1972, a procedure was introduced by the Industrial Injuries Insurance Institutes (Berufsgenossenschaften) of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is to be used by the special occupational health service for employees exposed to asbestos dust. Since 1 January 1972, occupational health examinations are performed when exposure to asbestos dust has been of at least 3 years' duration.On 1 January 1977, a prospective cohort study was started with employees formerly exposed to asbestos dust whilst working for companies manufacturing or using asbestos. Data on these persons are collected in the Central Register of Employees Exposed to Asbestos Dust of the Industrial Injuries Insurance Institutes. A total of 3,070 male and female employees in whom asbestos exposure terminated after 1 January 1972 formed subcohort I of the study. For comparison, 665 persons whose exposure terminated before 1 January 1972 served as subcohort II. In addition to several other inclusion criteria, each individual's permission was required before personal data could be evaluated.Of the subjects in the two subcohorts, 185 and 71, respectively, had died by 31 December 1982. Tumours were more frequently than this cause of death is expected in the general population. In addition to a high incidence of mesothelioma, the standard mortality rate was especially increased for lung cancer.The proportional mortality rates of about 40% for tumours of all sites (with about 17% lung cancer and 8% mesothelioma) especially in subcohort II, seemed to be comparable to the international figures for epidemiological mortality.Supported by the Central Office of the Industrial Injuries Insurance Institutes, Bonn, Contract no.638.31:376.3-4104.Presented as a Short Communication at the XXI International Congress on Occupational Health, Dublin, September 9–14, 1984.     

Alternaria alternata NADP-dependent mannitol dehydrogenase is an important fungal allergen.

BACKGROUND: Alternaria alternata is one of the most important allergenic fungi worldwide. Mannitol dehydrogenase (MtDH) has previously been shown to be a major allergen of Cladosporium herbarum and cross-reactivity has been demonstrated for several fungal allergens. OBJECTIVE: The present study's objective was to clone the MtDH from an A. alternata cDNA library, express and purify the recombinant non-fusion protein and test its IgE-binding properties. Methods A cDNA library prepared from A. alternata hyphae and spores was screened for mannitol dehydrogenase by DNA hybridization with the radioactively labelled C. herbarum homologue as a probe. The resulting clone was sequenced and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli as a recombinant non-fusion protein, which was purified to homogeneity and analysed for its IgE-binding capacity. RESULTS: The coding sequence of the full-length cDNA clone comprises 798 bp encoding a protein with a molecular mass of 28.6 kDa and a predicted pI of 5.88. Protein sequence analysis revealed an identity of 75% and a homology of 86% between the MtDHs of A. alternata and C. herbarum. The functional mannitol dehydrogenase was expressed in the E. coli strain BL21(DE3) transformed with the vector pMW172 and purified to homogeneity. The enzyme catalyses the NADPH-dependent conversion of d-fructose to d-mannitol. In IgE-ELISA and immunoblots, MtDH is recognized by 41% of A. alternata-allergic patients. In vivo immunoreactivity of the recombinant MtDH was verified by skin prick testing. Finally, inhibition-ELISA experiments confirmed cross-reactivity between the MtDHs of A. alternata and C. herbarum. CONCLUSION: Mannitol dehydrogenase (Alt a 8) represents an important new allergen of the ascomycete A. alternata that might be suitable for improving diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.     

The role of Self-Defined Race/Ethnicity in Population Structure Control

Population-based association studies are powerful tools for the genetic mapping of complex diseases. However, this method is sensitive to potential confounding by population structure. While statistical methods that use genetic markers to detect and control for population structure have been the focus of current literature, the utility of self-defined race/ethnicity in controlling for population structure has been controversial. In this study of 1334 individuals, who self-identified as either African American, European American or Hispanic, we demonstrated that when the true underlying genetic structure and the self-defined racial/ethnic groups were roughly in agreement with each other, the self-defined race/ethnicity information was useful in the control of population structure.     

Female alcoholics. V: The relationship between family history of alcoholism and outcome 3-10 years after treatment

In a long-term follow-up study of 44 female alcoholics, a family history of alcoholism was related to younger age of onset of problem drinking, but did not necessarily imply a poorer outcome within this highly selected group of individuals. Alcoholism in father and his family was not related to either antisocial or borderline personality disorder nor outcome. However, alcoholism in mother and her family correlated with both borderline personality disorder and a significantly poorer outcome. The findings are discussed within different frames of reference, considering genetic mechanisms, psychodynamic factors and family systems theory.     

舒经汤治疗痛经及对患者血液流变学的影响

目的探讨舒经汤治疗原发性痛经的疗效及安全性。方法将62例原发性痛经患者随机分为3组,其中治疗组21例(口服舒经汤)、中药对照组21例(口服痛经宝颗粒)、西药对照组20例(口服双氯芬酸),观察各组的临床疗效、血液流变学变化及不良反应。结果治疗组、中药对照组及西药对照组的总有效率分别为95.2%、90.5%及77.8%。治疗前治疗组的血浆粘度(1.60±0.23)mPa·s,纤维蛋白原(4.40±1.18)g/L,均值略高于健康组,其中血沉均值与健康组比有非常显著差异(P<0.01)。而治疗后血浆粘度(1.34±0.18)mPa·s,纤维蛋白原(3.32±1.27)g/L,均值与健康组比无差异,其中血沉与健康组比较无显著性差异(P>0.05)。治疗组和中药对照组均未见明显不良反应,西药对照组主要表现为消化道反应。结论舒经汤治疗原发性痛经疗效确定,且远期疗效及安全性均优于西药对照组。     

Comparison of 180° and 360° acquisition for myocardial perfusion SPECT with compensation for attenuation, detector response, and scatter: Monte Carlo and mathematical observer results

BACKGROUND: The optimal projection data acquisition strategy for myocardial perfusion (MP) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) remains controversial. METHODS: We compared MP SPECT using 180 degrees and 360 degrees projection data obtained with the same acquisition time, reconstructed either with filtered back projection (FBP) or the iterative ordered-subsets expectation maximization (OS-EM) algorithm with various combinations of attenuation, detector response, and scatter compensation using mathematical observers and a myocardial defect detection task. We used Monte Carlo-simulated projection data from a population of 3-dimensional nurbs-based cardiac-torso (NCAT) phantoms with ranges of variability in patient anatomy, organ uptake, defect location, defect size, and noise level based on clinical data. Projection data from 180 degrees and 360 degrees acquisitions were generated by assuming the same acquisition time. After iterative or FBP reconstruction, standard postprocessing methods were applied. For each acquisition and reconstruction method, we optimized the number of iterations and cut-off frequency of the Butterworth filter using the Channelized Hotelling Observer methodology. The optimum set of parameters was that which gave the maximum area under the curve. RESULTS: For both acquisition protocols, OS-EM with compensations provided better performance than FBP or OS-EM without compensation. For FBP, the optimized 180 degrees acquisition provided a statistically significant increase in AUC as compared with optimized 360 degrees acquisition. For OS-EM, the AUCs for 180 degrees were slightly larger than for 360 degrees acquisitions when comparing images reconstructed with the same compensations. However, the differences were smaller and not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: With optimized reconstruction and filtering parameters, 180 degrees acquisition provided a statistically significant improvement over 360 degrees acquisition for FBP reconstruction. However, for OS-EM the differences were small and not statistically significant.     

脑缺血后抑郁大鼠皮层及海马IP3表达及中药的干预作用

目的：从磷脂酰肌醇（PI）信号传导通路上重要调节因子IP3的角度，探讨脑缺血后抑郁模型磷脂酰肌醇（PI）信号传导通路的变化及中药颐脑解郁方的干预作用。方法：在脑缺血后抑郁模型上，采用AlphaScreen受体竞争机制，观察脑缺血后抑郁大鼠前额叶皮层、海马IP3含量的变化及中药颐脑解郁方的干预作用。结果：脑缺血后抑郁模型大鼠皮层及海马IP3含量明显高于正常组，模型组IP3的含量明显高于治疗组。结论：脑缺血后抑郁模型大鼠脑皮层及海马IR含量增加，中药颐脑解郁方能使之明显下调，提示脑缺血后抑郁IPl含量增加，颐脑解郁方的抗抑郁作用可能与调节受体后PI信号通路有关。     

Bone growth patterns in Chinese children and adolescents: a 6-year follow-up study provides evidence for sexual dimorphism and tracking

Summary We prospectively examined bone growth patterns in 894 children aged 6–17 years at the baseline visit, with a 6-year follow-up. Results show bone “tracking” over a six-year interval and sexual dimorphism of bone attained levels and timing of peak bone growth. Our findings underscore childhood and adolescence as critical periods for building bone and developing gender differences. Introduction Bone growth patterns were prospectively examined in 894 Chinese children (496 males), aged 6–17 yrs, from a population-based twin cohort. Whole-body bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured by DEXA at baseline and a 6-yr follow-up. Methods Graphic smoothing plots and generalized estimating equations were used to model bone attained levels, growth, and “tracking”. Results Attained levels of BMC and BA increased curvilinearly with age. Male attained levels were higher than females after age ∼15 yr, but BMD was lower between 13–17 yrs (Tanner stage I to IV). In both genders, peak BMC and BMD growth lagged ∼2 yrs behind peak BA growth, which lagged 2 yrs behind peak height growth. Peak bone growth occurred 1–3 yrs later in males. Over the 6-yr follow-up, all bone measurements “tracked”, but “shifting” across ranks also occurred, and baseline tertile ranking influenced bone growth. Females with early menarche had higher attained levels than females with late menarche at age 12–13 yrs. Conclusion Our findings confirm and expand previous studies on peak bone growth conducted in Caucasian cohorts, particularly sexually dimorphic and maturational effects. The significant “tracking” of bone measurements in this 6-yr follow-up study underscores the importance that osteoporosis prevention should begin in childhood and adolescence. Fengxiu Ouyang and Binyan Wang contributed equally to this article. Source(s) of support: This study is supported in part by grant R01 HD049059, R01 HL0864619 and R01 AR045651 from the National Institute of Health and by the Food Allergy Project.     

子宫内膜萎缩疗法治疗青春期功血362例临床研究

目的：探讨子宫内膜萎缩疗法治疗青春期功血（DUB）的止血效果。方法：将362例平均分为观察组（采用炔诺酮、戊酸雌二醇联合疗法止血）和对照组（单用炔诺酮子宫内膜萎缩疗法止血），两组各181例，比较两组的止血效果。结果：观察组和对照组止血有效率分别为96．13％（174／181）和92．27％（167／181），两组比较差异无统计学意义（踟105）；观察组和对照组控制出血时间分别为（28．69±14．87）h和（29．72±15．34）h，两组比较差异无统计学意义（踟．05）。观察组和对照组的完全止血时间分别为（32．80±19．10）h和（47．30±18．60）h，两组比较差异有统计学意义（／9〈0．05）。观察组和对照组的住院天数平均为（6．10±2．80）d和（6．9±2．60）d，观察组住院时间短于对照组（P〈0．01）。结论：炔诺酮止血疗法和炔诺酮、戊酸雌二醇联合疗法治疗青春期功血效果均较好，但炔诺酮、戊酸雌二醇联合疗法治疗效果更佳。