Use of a dual lumen port for automated red cell exchange in adults with sickle cell disease

Red cell exchange (RCE) is a common procedure in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Implantable dual lumen Vortex (DLV) ports can be used for RCE in patients with poor peripheral venous access. We performed a retrospective cohort study of RCE procedures performed in adults with SCD. The main objective of the study was to compare the inlet speed, duration of procedures and rate of complications performed through DLV ports to those performed through temporary central venous and peripheral catheters. Twenty‐nine adults with SCD underwent a total of 318 RCE procedures. Twenty adults had DLV ports placed and 218 procedures were performed using DLV ports. Mean length of follow‐up after DLV port placement was 397 ± 263 days. Six DLV ports were removed due to infection and 1 for malfunction after a mean of 171 ± 120 days. Compared to temporary central venous and peripheral catheters, DLV port procedures had a greater rate of procedural complications, a longer duration, and a lower inlet speed (all P < 0.01). When accounting for the maximum allowable inlet speed to avoid citrate toxicity, 40% of DLV port procedures were greater than 10% below maximum speed, compared to 7 and 14% of procedures performed through temporary central venous and peripheral catheters (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, DLV ports can be used for RCE in adults with SCD, albeit with more procedural complications and longer duration. The smaller internal diameter and longer catheter of DLV ports compared to temporary central venous catheters likely accounts for the differences noted. J. Clin. Apheresis 30:353–358, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Can EGFR mutation status be reliably determined in pre‐operative needle biopsies from adenocarcinomas of the lung?

The identification of EGFR mutations in non‐small‐cell lung cancer is important for selecting patients, who may benefit from treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The analysis is usually performed on cytological aspirates and/or histological needle biopsies, representing a small fraction of the tumour volume. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of this molecular test. We retrospectively included 201 patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the lung. EGFR mutation status (exon 19 deletions and exon 21 L858R point mutation) was evaluated on both pre‐operative biopsies (131 histological and 70 cytological) and on the surgical specimens, using PCR. Samples with low tumour cell fraction were assigned to laser micro‐dissection (LMD). We found nine (4.5%) patients with EGFR mutation in the lung tumour resections, but failed to identify mutation in one of the corresponding pre‐operative, cytological specimens. Several (18.4%) analyses of the pre‐operative biopsies were inconclusive, especially in case of biopsies undergoing LMD and regarding exon 21 analysis. Discrepancy of mutation status in one patient may reflect intra‐tumoural heterogeneity or technical issues. Moreover, several inconclusive results in the diagnostic biopsies reveal that attention must be paid on the suitability of pre‐operative biopsies for EGFR mutation analysis.     

Oral administration of modified live canine parvovirus type 2b induces systemic immune response

Different strategies have been proposed to overcome maternally derived antibody (MDA) interference with canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) immunisation, including intranasal vaccination, which presents some practical limitations. In the present study, the results of the oral administration of a commercial CPV-2b modified live virus (MLV) vaccine in pups with MDA are reported. The CPV-2b vaccine was orally administered to 14 6-week-old pups with a bait. Blood samples and rectal swabs were collected at different days post-vaccination (dpv) to determine CPV-2 antibody titres and DNA loads. Thirteen pups were positive to serological and virological tests after the first vaccination and one pup became positive after the second vaccine administration. The findings of this study suggest that systemic immunity against CPV-2 may be achieved by the use of an MLV CPV-2b vaccine administered orally even in the presence of MDA titres that usually interfere with vaccination.     

利咽散结方对自发性高血压大鼠血压及相关炎性因子的影响

目的研究利咽散结方对自发性高血压大鼠血压及相关炎性因子的影响。方法将36只自发性高血压大鼠随机分为利咽散结方组、氨氯地平组、模型组,每组12只。正常WKY大鼠12只作为正常组。利咽散结方组给予利咽散结方药液15.6 g/kg灌胃,氨氯地平组给予氨氯地平药液0.001 g/kg灌胃,模型组和正常组均给予等体积的蒸馏水灌胃,均1次/d,连续8周。测量各组大鼠灌胃前及灌胃2周、4周、6周、8周后血压,末次灌胃结束后用ELISA法测定血清炎性因子肿瘤坏死因子(TNF-α)、超敏C反应蛋白(hs-CRP)、白细胞介素-6(IL-6)、白细胞介素-10(IL-10)水平。结果利咽散结方组与氨氯地平组灌胃2周、4周、6周、8周后收缩压与舒张压均显著低于同期模型组(P均<0.05);利咽散结方组灌胃2周、4周、6周、8周后收缩压均显著高于同期氨氯地平组(P<0.05),而舒张压与同期氨氯地平组比较差异均无统计学意义(P均>0.05)。模型组血清TNF-α、hs-CRP、IL-6水平均明显高于正常组(P均<0.05),IL-10水平明显低于正常组(P<0.05);利咽散结方组与氨氯地平组血清TNF-α、hs-CRP、IL-6水平均明显低于模型组(P均<0.05),且利咽散结方组均明显低于氨氯地平组(P均<0.05);利咽散结方组与氨氯地平组血清IL-10水平均明显高于模型组(P均<0.05),且利咽散结方组明显高于氨氯地平组(P<0.05)。结论利咽散结方可显著降低自发性高血压大鼠血压,其降收缩压效果不如氨氯地平,降舒张压效果与氨氯地平相近,其作用机制可能与调节炎性因子水平有关。     

Orthogonally oriented scaffolds with aligned fibers for engineering intestinal smooth muscle

Controlling cellular alignment is critical in engineering intestines with desired structure and function. Although previous studies have examined the directional alignment of cells on the surface (x–y plane) of parallel fibers, quantitative analysis of the cellular alignment inside implanted scaffolds with oriented fibers has not been reported. This study examined the cellular alignment in the x–z and y–z planes of scaffolds made with two layers of orthogonally oriented fibers. The cellular orientation inside implanted scaffolds was evaluated with immunofluorescence. Quantitative analysis of coherency between cell orientation and fiber direction confirmed that cells aligned along the fibers not only on the surface (x–y plane) but also inside the scaffolds (x–z & y–z planes). Our study demonstrated that two layers of orthogonally aligned scaffolds can generate the histological organization of cells similar to that of intestinal circular and longitudinal smooth muscle.