机械负荷调节猪腰椎间盘细胞表达α5β1整合素的体外研究

目的研究α5β1整合素在体外培养的猪腰椎间盘细胞中的表达和机械负荷对其的影响。方法取10只年龄5-6周、体重25-30kg的猪，处死后12h内，无菌条件下切取完整的腰椎，剔除腰椎周围的韧带和软组织，尤其是椎间盘周围的韧带。从腹侧一次性切开椎间盘取出髓核（nucleus pulpous，NP），仔细分离纤维环（anulus fibrous，AF），将两者立即置于Hanks平衡盐溶液中，制成细胞悬液。分别对腰椎间盘的AF和NP细胞施加1MPa、1Hz，3h／d，共3d的周期性液压，通过对细胞的形态学观察、Western免疫印迹和免疫组织化学染色，检测α5β1整合素在正常腰椎间盘AF细胞和NP细胞中的表达及周期性压力对其的影响。结果经周期性液压后，NP细胞的存活率大于90％，AF细胞的存活率大于85％，加压后的AF细胞和NP细胞均可见体积缩小。α5β1整合素在正常腰椎间盘AF细胞和NP细胞中的表达呈强阳性。Western免疫印迹结果显示：加压后α5β1整合素在AF细胞中的表达均明显减少，P值分别为0．000、0．003，与对照组比较差异有统计学意义；α5β1整合素在NP细胞中的表达也明显减少，P值分别为0．001、0．015，与对照组比较差异有统计学意义。结论机械负荷可引起腰椎间盘细胞中α5β1整合素的变化，提示α5β1整合素在腰椎间盘细胞中可能发挥力学传感器的作用。     

Comparative efficacy of Hanifin and Rajka''s criteria and the UK working party''s diagnostic criteria in diagnosis of atopic dermatitis in a hospital setting in North India

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD) depends on clinical features because no definitive diagnostic test exists. Criteria proposed by Hanifin and Rajka (Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 1980; Suppl 92: 44-47) were acceptable for hospital-based studies but were found not to be suitable for field studies. A UK working party formulated clinical diagnostic criteria that could be used in both hospital and epidemiological settings. Validation studies of the criteria showed widely variable results, probably due to different clinical settings and ethnicity. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to validate Hanifin and Rajka's criteria and to assess the comparative efficacy of their criteria and the UK working party's diagnostic criteria in the diagnosis of AD in a hospital setting in North India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study serially included 101 patients with AD and 48 controls of paediatric age group. The study period was from July 2003 to December 2004. RESULTS: Hanifin and Rajka's criteria (sensitivity 96%, specificity 93.75%, positive predictive value 97% (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) 91.84%) had a statistical advantage over the UK working party's diagnostic criteria (sensitivity 86%, specificity 95.83%, PPV 97.75% and NPV 76.67%), with a P-value < 0.005.     

A midface swelling in a child – A possible diagnostic dilemma

A lump on the midface of a child can pose as a diagnostic dilemma. There is a wide variety of possible differential diagnoses, ranging from simple benign conditions such as a sebaceous cyst, dermoid cyst, lipoma, neuroma and neurofibroma, to potentially devastating conditions such as odontogenic myxoma.A case of a child in which the formulation of a definite diagnosis was clinically and histologically challenging is presented.     

Current thinking on chronic renal allograft rejection: issues, concerns, and recommendations from a 1997 roundtable discussion

Chronic rejection accounts for most renal allograft losses after the first year posttransplantation. On March 24 and 25, 1997, a roundtable of five transplant surgeons, two nephrologists, and one pathologist assembled in Dallas, Texas, to review critical issues surrounding chronic renal allograft rejection. This article summarizes the presentations and relevant discussions of this meeting regarding the cause of chronic rejection, clinical diagnoses, risk factors, future prospects for intervention strategies, and general recommendations for the transplant community. Growing evidence indicates that chronic rejection is the aggregate sum of irreversible immunologic and nonimmunologic injuries to the renal graft over time. A history of acute rejection episodes and inadequate immunosuppression, likely attributable to inconsistent cyclosporine exposure or poor patient compliance, are among the most recognizable immunologic risk factors for chronic rejection. Donor organ quality, delayed graft function, and other donor and recipient variables leading to reduced nephron mass are nonimmunologic factors that contribute to the progressive deterioration of renal graft function. Clinical management of renal transplant recipients should incorporate both immunologic- and nonimmunologic-based intervention strategies aimed at minimizing risk factors to thwart the progression of chronic rejection and improve long-term allograft and patient survival.     

Detecting pre-ovulatory luteinizing hormone surges in urine

The study objectives were to determine (i) if pre-ovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surges, undetected in urine by two immunoradiometric assays (IRMA), were detectable by an ultrasensitive immunofluorometric assay (IFMA) and (ii) the influence of creatinine adjustment on the detection and timing of the urinary LH surges. Daily urine specimens were contributed by healthy 25-36 year old volunteers during 14 ovulatory menstrual cycles for an epidemiological study conducted in 1983-1985. Specimens were selected as having been previously assayed by two IRMA without consistently detecting LH surges. These urine specimens were remeasured using an IFMA and adjusted for creatinine concentration. IFMA measurements revealed unambiguous LH surges in all cycles. Adjusting IRMA urinary LH values for creatinine concentrations revealed previously undetected LH surges in four of eight cycles. Creatinine adjustment also altered the timing of IRMA and IFMA LH surges by 1-5 days. These results demonstrate an IFMA that detects pre- ovulatory LH surges in unpreserved, frozen urine from cycles where such surges were previously undetectable. Further, creatinine adjustment can markedly affect detection and timing of the onset and peak of the urinary LH surge. While our analysis suggests that this adjustment improves the validity of the LH measure, this requires further investigation.