Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn Apparently Caused by Anti-Lua

Report of the first example of pure anti-Lu^a associated with hemolytic disease of the newborn. Of special interest is the fact that this serum demonstrated a marked prozone reaction in saline, papain and indirect Coombs titrations, and is the first anti-Lu^a serum to react well by the indirect Coombs technic.     

Helicobacter pylori infection in Icelandic children

Objective: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is decreasing in the western world. The seroprevalence among 25–50-year-old Icelandic adults was recently shown to be 30–40%. Information on the seroprevalence in Nordic children is limited. We aimed at ascertaining the infection prevalence among healthy Icelandic children.

Methods: The infection status in stored frozen blood samples from two cross-sectional studies on the health of 7–9-year-old children (n?=?125) and 16–18-year-old adolescents (n?=?80) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Information on family demographics and GI symptoms was obtained by standardized questionnaires.

Results: Overall, 3.4% (7/205) of the children were infected with H. pylori. The prevalence was 2.6% (5/190), missing data n?=?3, among children with both parents born in a low prevalence country compared to 17% (2/12) among those with at least one parent born in a high prevalence area (p?=?.026). When at least one parent was born in a high prevalence country, the odds ratio for being H. pylori seropositive was 2.2 (95% CI, 1.02–54.67), when adjusted for the educational status of the mother. There was no significant association between H. pylori infection and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Conclusion: Prevalence of H. pylori infection in Iceland has become very low, suggesting a great reduction in transmission from older generations. There was an association between H. pylori infection and origin from high prevalence areas but not with gastrointestinal symptoms. The results mirror recent studies of children of Scandinavian ancestry.     

Blood Group Chimerism as a Clue to Generalized Tissue Mosaicism

Blood group studies disclosed mosaicism of the red cells in a healthy male Negro donor who was subsequently also found to have mosaicism of skin and bone marrow with respect to XX-XY chromosomal constitution and whose skin showed unequal pigmentation. The two red cell populations were unequal in numbers with a ratio of approximately 10:1. The major population was group A, Jk^a negative and showed the sickling trait in wet films and by electrophoresis. The minor population was group B, Jk^a positive, did not sickle and contained only hemoglobin A. Both red cells were Le^a positive despite the fact that the propositus was a secretor. However, only A substance was secreted and it was demonstrated by salivary studies and with the help of complete family studies, that the minor genetic product which had produced the group B erythrocytes represented the gene contribution se se and was the source of Le^a substance sufficient to coat both red cell populations. The family studies showed that the propositus had received a 2 allele contribution from each parent and was therefore the result of double fertilization of a double egg nucleus presumably an ovum and a polar body.     

骨髓单个核细胞移植对心肌修复相关因子的调节作用

目的:干细胞移植后可以通过分化为心肌细胞、减少心肌重构等方面发挥改善心功能的作用。观察急性心肌梗死后进行骨髓单个核细胞移植对相关细胞因子的调节作用,探讨干细胞发挥改善心脏重构的可能机制。方法:实验于2006-01/2007-02在福建省高血压研究所完成。①实验材料:清洁级SD大鼠由上海实验动物公司提供。②实验方法:取SD大鼠骨髓,分离出单个核细胞,以DAPI标记骨髓单个核细胞。取体质量200～250g雄性SD大鼠24只,建立急性心肌梗死模型后,随机分为2组,实验组从股静脉注入同种异体大鼠骨髓单个核细胞1.0×107,对照组注入等量的生理盐水。③实验评估:于移植后4周采用免疫组组织化学法检测DAPI阳性细胞、肌钙蛋白阳性细胞、基质细胞源性因子1、转化生长因子β及大鼠心功能改变。结果:24只大鼠均进入结果分析。移植后4周实验组基质细胞源性因子1表达较对照组明显升高,转化生长因子β表达较对照组下降;实验组在免疫荧光显微镜下可观察到DAPI和肌钙蛋白阳性细胞,心功能较对照组明显改善。结论:骨髓单个核细胞移植改善急性心肌梗死大鼠心功能的同时伴有基质细胞源性因子1表达增加及转化生长因子β表达下降。     

Increased CD11b and Decreased CD62L in Blood and Airway Neutrophils from Long-Term Smokers with and without COPD

There is incomplete mechanistic understanding of the mobilization of neutrophils in the systemic and local compartment in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this pilot study, we characterized how the adhesion molecules CD11b and CD62L, surface markers indicative of priming, are altered as neutrophils extravasate, and whether surface density of CD11b and CD62L differs between long-term tobacco smokers (LTS) with and without COPD compared with healthy never-smokers (HNS). Unstimulated blood neutrophils from LTS with (n = 5) and without (n = 9) COPD displayed lower surface density of CD62L compared with HNS (n = 8). In addition, surface density of CD11b was higher in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) neutrophils from LTS without COPD compared with those with COPD and HNS. Moreover, in BAL neutrophils from all study groups, CD62L was lower compared with matched blood neutrophils. In addition, BAL neutrophils responded with a further decrease in CD62L to ex vivo TNF stimulation. Thus, neutrophils in the airway lumen display a higher state of priming than systemic neutrophils and bear the potential to be further primed by local cytokines even with no smoking or the presence of COPD, findings that may represent a universal host defense mechanism against local bacteria. Moreover, systemic neutrophils are primed in LTS regardless of COPD. Further studies in larger materials are warranted to determine whether the priming of neutrophils is protective against COPD or merely preceding it.     

女性缩阴术30例临床分析

1 临床资料 2000-03/2004-06阴道松弛症女性30例,年龄24～44岁,其中24～30岁12例,占40%;31～40岁10例,占33.3%;41～44岁8例,占26.7%.术前检查阴道容三指以上,自诉因阴道松弛性生活时快感不足,均排除子宫脱垂、阴道炎及阴道肿瘤等疾病.手术在月经完全干净3 d后,采用硬膜外麻醉或局部麻醉下进行.患者取膀胱截石位,于阴道口外6点处设计出一弧形切口,左右宽度3～7 cm具体视阴道松弛程度而定,沿设计线在阴道黏膜下注射盐酸肾上腺素盐水以利止血和分离,切开并剥离阴道后壁黏膜,暴露黏膜下肌肉,以可吸收缝线拉拢缝合阴道黏膜下左右侧阴道括约肌及肛提肌等,从阴道深处开始缝合,缝到阴道口附近处.缝合后阴道容二指松.阴道后壁黏膜不切除,阴道黏膜下肌肉左右对叠缝合后阴道黏膜自然向上膨隆形成一皱襞.阴道外的横弧形切口因黏膜下肌肉左右拉拢缝合,变成竖形切口以丝线间断缝合.术后静滴抗生素3 d,每天以碘伏清洗切口1次,7 d拆线,2 mo内禁止性生活.术后随访3～6 mo,自诉性快感明显增强22例,改善8例.     

Perfluorochemicals as US contrast agents for tumor imaging and hepatosplenography: preliminary clinical results

In animals, perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are effective ultrasound (US) contrast agents that produce hepatic, splenic, and tumor enhancement. The use of Fluosol-DA 20%, an emulsion of perfluorodecalin and perfluorotripropylamine, was studied in nine non-critically ill patients with cancer who had liver lesions. US studies without Fluosol were compared with studies obtained 24, 48, and 72 hours after Fluosol infusion. Vital signs and extensive laboratory analyses are performed before and after Fluosol infusion. Liver metastases from colonic, pancreatic, and gastric carcinoma exhibited rim or diffuse enhancement after a Fluosol dose of 1.6 g/kg or greater. Fluosol produced echogenic enhancement of the liver and spleen relative to kidney at a dose of 2.4 g/kg, allowing the detection of nonenhancing lesions. In addition, Fluosol at a dose of 1.6 g/kg or greater allowed detection of lesions not seen before contrast medium was administered in three of the seven patients studied. There was a mild increase in the level of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in two patients, one given 2.4 and the other 3.2 g/kg of Fluosol. Mild and transient allergic reactions without change in vital signs were experienced by two patients.     

Frequency-plane analysis of normal and pathological ECG signals for disease identification

In this paper a frequency plane analysis of both normal and diseased ECG signals is performed specifically for disease identification. Image processing techniques are used to develop an automated data acquisition package of 12 lead ECG signals from paper records. A regeneration domain is also developed to check the captured pattern with the original wave shape. A QRS complex detector with an accuracy level ～98.4% in up to 30% signal to noise level is developed. Discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is performed to obtain the frequency spectrum of every ECG signal. Some interesting amplitude and phase response properties of chest lead V2, V3, V4, V6 and limb lead I, II, III, AVL, AVF are seen. Both amplitude and phase properties are different for normal and diseased subjects and can serve an important role in disease identification. A statistical analysis of amplitude property is carried out to show that this property is significantly different for normal and diseased subjects.     

Proliferation of human malignant hematopoietic cells in immunodeficient mice: suppression by antibody to pluripotent K-562 leukemia cells involves direct cytolysis and effector cells

Six human hematopoetic cell lines were successfully heterotransplanted into athymic (nude) and asplenic-athymic (lasat) neonatal mice. The tumors arising from leukemia and lymphoma cells could then be serially transplanted into adult nude mice. Seven days after the fourth serial mouse passage, each mouse was treated with goat immune gamma globulin against K-562 cells. One control group was treated similarly, but with nonimmune (normal) gamma globulin, while another control group was not treated. The goat gamma globulin was not toxic for nude and lasat mice, and the immune, but not the normal, gamma globulin suppressed local subcutaneous growth of myelosarcomas, lymphosarcomas, and Burkitt lymphoma cells. On the other hand, the growth of lung, breast, and prostatic carcinomas and a melanoma of human origin were not altered by the immune gamma globulin. Since suppression of cell growth occurred equally well in decomplemented mice, a complement-mediated cytotoxicity apparently cannot be considered as responsible for the abrogation. The Fab fragment of the immunoglobulin did not suppress the growth of the myelosarcomas. We conclude that antibody suppression of the in vivo proliferation was specific for malignant hematopoietic cells and that the Fc portion of IgG is necessary for in vivo cytolysis of leukemia cells. The most probable mechanisms are direct antibody cytolysis and antibody-dependent macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity.