Factors affecting the performance of the styles cell transformation test

The effects of certain factors on the performance of the cell transformation test of Styles were examined by testing the demonstrability of transformation of cells of a subclone of BHK21 C13 in response to treatment with 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, benzo[a]pyrene and 2-acetamidofluorene. An important requirement for success was supplementation of the soft agar medium with a serum which supported microcolony formation by a high proportion of the cells. Increasing the concentration of an unsuitable serum improved the results obtained; this suggests that the serum was inadequate rather than inhibitory. Alteration of the concentration of S-9 fraction used to activate the precarcinogens benzo[a]pyrene and 2-acetamidofluorene had little effect on the induction of transformation by either. A clearer distinction between the transformation frequencies for control and treated cells was usually obtained when 500 microm rather than 200 microm was the minimum diameter set for definition of transformation. It is suggested that, to assess the validity of results obtained with compounds which appear to induce transformation only at highly toxic levels, transformation frequencies for treated cells should be compared with those for control cells seeded at comparable densities.     

Alterations in proteoglycan metabolism in the nephrotic syndrome induced by the aminonucleoside of puromycin

The synthesis of intact proteoglycans and their glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains by isolated rat glomeruli in vitro were studied both at the onset (5 days) and at the point of maximal proteinuria (7 days) of the nephrotic syndrome induced with the aminonucleoside of puromycin. Glomeruli from nephrotic animals incorporated 1.5-fold and 3.0-fold more 35SO4 label into GAG than glomeruli from control animals at 5 and 7 days, respectively, with heparan-35SO4 GAG being responsible for the majority of the increment. Both nephrotic and control incubations contained 60% of the label in the incubation medium, 40% in the glomerular fractions, and less than 1% in the glomerular basement membrane. Glomerular basement membrane from nephrotic rats had no change in their total heparan-35SO4 GAG content. The majority of intact proteoglycan(s) from the glomerular matrix and from the incubation medium of nephrotic and control animals was found in the most buoyantly dense fraction of CsCl gradients (fraction 1). 35S-labeled material isolated from glomeruli of nephrotic animals showed a consistent shift toward lower density gradient fractions, indicating a decrease in their overall carbohydrate to protein ratio. Diethylaminoethyl chromatography of fraction 1 proteoglycan showed a single biphasic peak with the nephrotic rat having an increase in the proportion contributed by the earlier component of the peak. Fraction 1 proteoglycan(s) from the nephrotic experiment was found to have a smaller average hydrodynamic size by Sepharose CL-2B chromatography without a significant change in the corresponding 35S-GAG chain sizes (molecular weight 14,000) by Sepharose CL-6B chromatography. 35S-macromolecules from glomeruli of nephrotic and control rats that appeared in the middle of the CsCl gradients (fraction 3) had similar Sepharose CL-2B elution volumes, whereas the corresponding 35S-GAG chains from incubations of glomeruli from nephrotic animals were smaller. Increased synthesis of heparan sulfate proteoglycan by glomeruli from puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrotic rats may be compensatory to loss of another component of the glomerular filtration barrier or may result from abnormal interaction of proteoglycan(s) from nephrotic animals with other glomerular matrix constituents.     

Resilience and Mental Health Among Syrian Refugee Children in Jordan

Refugee populations are at high risk of experiencing trauma and developing negative mental health outcomes. The resilience of Syrian refugee children is not well established as far as modifying the association between trauma and mental illness. A total of 339 Syrian refugee children aged 10 to 17 were surveyed to assess resilience, depression and history of trauma. All children reported exposure to at least one traumatic event, 48.6% reported exposure to highly salient traumatic events such as being held hostage, kidnapping or imprisonment. High rates of suicidal ideation and depression symptomatology were found. Resilience was strongly inversely related to depression. Relational support was found to be the most protective resilience factor and was the most highly correlated with less depressive symptomatology. Empowering children and families to build resilience through social support may be a viable prevention and management approach to other unaffordable or unavailable treatments for mental illnesses.

     

Die symptomatische Hypokalzämie nach Thyreoidektomie

Background

Treatment of hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy consists of an individual substitution, prophylaxis or a daily administration of calcium/vitamin D3.

Objective

Does prophylactic therapy combined with a risk-adapted substitution of calcium and vitamin D3 reduce symptomatic hypocalcemia compared to individual substitution?

Material and methods

After implementation of a new algorithm, patient data were prospectively documented and analyzed compared to a historical patient population. The algorithm consisted of a single prophylactic i.?v. administration of calcium (1 g calcium gluconate 10% in 250?ml saline) and a risk-adapted oral administration of calcium and vitamin D3 after surgery. Patients without risk (parathyroid hormone, PTH?>?15?pg/ml) were not treated. Patients with a low risk (PTH?≥?6?≤?15?pg/ml and Ca?>?2.0?mmol/l) received 3?g calcium, patients with a high risk (PTH?≥?6?≤?15?pg/ml and Ca?<?2.0?mmol/l) received 3?g calcium and 2?×?0.5?µg vitamin D3 and patients with a very high risk (PTH?<?6?pg/ml) got 4?g calcium and 2?×?0.5?µg vitamin D3.

Results

In this study 415 patients were included (230 prospectively and 185 retrospectively). Serum calcium of patients with individual substitution increased significantly at day 1 (p?=?0.0001) and the number of patients with critical hypocalcemia (Ca?<?2.0?mmol/l) decreased by half (27% vs. 12.2%; p?=?0.0001). There was a significantly lower rate of symptomatic patients (24.9% vs 13.0%; p?=?0.002) and a clear reduction of patients with a prolonged hospitalization (10.8% vs. 6.5%; p?=?0.08). The rate of permanent hypocalcemia was comparable (2.2% vs. 2.1%). In the risk groups there was a significantly different rate of hypocalcemia: patients without risk (n?=?170) in 2.2%, patients with low risk (n?=?36) in 25%, patients with high risk (n?=?13) in 69.2% and patients with very high risk (n?=?11) in 71%.

Conclusion

This new treatment regimen is practicable, significantly lowers the symptoms, also in comparison to the literature and shows a clear differentiation between the risk groups.