Relationship between premenstrual symptoms and general well-being

Data on the general well-being and premenstrual symptoms of military wives were collected on two occasions one year apart. The women's general well-being and premenstrual symptoms were highly correlated on both occasions, but an even higher correlation was found between the presence of premenstrual symptoms at time 1 and the presence of premenstrual symptoms at time 2. Further analyses revealed that women with higher scores on general well-being and premenstrual symptoms were older and reported fewer cognitive depressive symptoms than women with lower scores on general well-being and premenstrual symptoms. At the one-year follow-up, the women with lower scores on general well-being who complained of premenstrual symptoms were more depressed than those who did not.     

Genotoxic evaluation of welders occupationally exposed to chromium and nickel using the Comet and micronucleus assays

Chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) are widely used industrial chemicals. Welders in India are inclined to possible occupational Cr and Ni exposure. The carcinogenic potential of metals is a major issue in defining human health risk from exposure. Hence, in the present investigation, 102 welders and an equal number of control subjects were monitored for DNA damage in blood leucocytes utilizing the Comet assay. The two groups had similar mean ages and smoking prevalences. A few subjects were randomly selected for estimation of Cr and Ni content in whole blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The Comet assay was carried out to quantify basal DNA damage. The mean comet tail length was used to measure DNA damage. Welders had higher Cr and Ni content when compared with controls (Cr, 151.65 versus 17.86 micro g/l; Ni 132.39 versus 16.91 micro g/l; P < 0.001). The results indicated that the welders had a larger mean comet tail length than that of the controls (mean +/- SD, 23.05 +/- 3.86 versus 8.94 +/- 3.16; P < 0.001). In addition, the micronucleus test on buccal epithelial cells was carried out in a few randomly selected subjects. Welders showed a significant increase in micronucleated cells compared with controls (1.30 versus 0.32; P < 0.001). Analysis of variance revealed that occupational exposure (P < 0.05) had a significant effect on DNA mean tail length, whereas smoking and age had no significant effect on DNA damage. The current study suggested that chronic occupational exposure to Cr and Ni during welding could lead to increased levels of DNA damage.     

Nipah virus glycoprotein: production in baculovirus and application in diagnosis

A method for serological diagnosis of Nipah virus (NiV) is described. DNA encoding truncated G protein of NiV was cloned into the pFastBac HT vector, and the fusion protein to His-tag was expressed in insect cells by recombinant baculovirus. The resulting His-G recombinant fusion protein was purified by affinity chromatography and used as the coating antigen for serological testing by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). When tested against a panel of swine serum samples, the recombinant G protein-based ELISA successfully discriminated all 40 samples previously determined to be serum neutralizing test (SNT) positive from 11 SNT negatives samples. The data show that the recombinant G protein exhibits the antigenic epitopes and conformation necessary for specific antigen-antibody recognition. The main advantage of the recombinant G protein-based NiV ELISA compared to an ELISA using whole virus antigen is the use of a single antigenic protein instead of inactivated whole virus which is required to be prepared under high risk and cost. This test is suitable for routine diagnosis of NiV and also for epidemiological surveys as it allows highly reliable testing of a large number of sera rapidly.     

A report of pregnancy following ICSI in one of two sisters with familiar primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a disorder of structure and function of motor ciliary and dyskinetic activity of ciliary in the fallopian tubes of affected women and could lead to infertility in some cases. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a choice of treatment in infertile women with PCD, which could conquer the tubal dysfunction. In this case study, we report a PCD affected woman with infertility who was treated by IVF and pregnancy was achieved but it failed due to the spontaneous abortion. We also performed whole-exome sequencing for this case and her PCD-affected sister, which did not reveal any genetic abnormality related to the PCD or infertility.     

A cross‐sectional study of the relationship between serum sexual hormone levels and internal derangement of temporomandibular joint

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are defined as clinical conditions that involve the masticatory muscles, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or both. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum 17β‐oestradiol and progesterone levels in menstruating women affected by internal derangement of the TMJ. A total of 142 women (mean age 30·2 ± 6·7) who referred to medical diagnostic laboratory of Iranian Academic Centre for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Mashhad Branch, were enrolled during 2007 and 2008. Forty‐seven individuals had disc displacement with reduction (Group IIa) according to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC)/TMD Axis I diagnosis. Radioimmunoassay was used for the detection of serum 17β‐oestradiol and progesterone levels in all 142 subjects. The mean progesterone level was significantly higher in control group (11·6 ± 10·4 ng mL^?1) compared to women with TMD (8·4 ± 6·8 ng mL^?1, P = 0·03). No significant difference was found in two groups regarding 17β‐oestradiol level. Lower progesterone level in women with TMD can suggest the more important role of this hormone in the development of the disorder.     

Exploring Mental Health and Substance use Treatment Needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Participating in a Specialty Juvenile Court

The study sought to: (1) describe the mental health and substance use profiles among participants of a specialty trafficking court program (the Succeed Though Achievement and Resilience Court); (2) describe youths' mental health and substance use treatment prior to participating in the program; and (3) examine whether abuse influences report of mental health problems and/or substance use. Retrospective case review of court files was performed on commercially sexually exploited youth who volunteered to participate in the court from 2012 to 2014 (N = 184). All participants were female. Mental health problems and report of substance use was high among this population. Substance use differed at statistically significant levels between youth with a documented abuse history compared to those with no abuse history. Substance use also differed by report of mental health problems. Unexpected findings included the high rate of hospitalization for mental health problems and relatively low substance use treatment prior to STAR Court participation. Opportunities for improvement in critical points of contact to identify commercially sexually exploited youth and address their health needs are discussed.