肌营养不良蛋白在假肥大肌营养不良双生子肌组织中的表达

[目的]假肥大肌营养不良是男性最常见的X-连锁隐性遗传病,而肌营养不良蛋白(dystrophin)在DMD患者肌细胞上的表达异常是导致该病发生的最根本的病理生理机制。[方法]应用兔抗Anti5-7多克隆抗血清及免疫组化技术检测dystrophin在两对DMD孪生子肌组织中的表达。[结果]显示dystrophin在无症状的孪生子肌组织中存在着阳性表达,而在DMD患儿肌组织中则表达缺失。[结论]检测肌细胞膜上dystrophin蛋白的表达对DMD患者的诊断及预后判定有着重要的应用价值。     

Duchenne/Becker型肌营养不良分子遗传学诊断策略

Duchenne/Becker型肌营养不良(Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy,DMD/BMD)是一种X-连锁隐性遗传性肌病,临床以进行性加重的对称性肌无力、肌萎缩,血清肌酸激酶水平增高,腓肠肌假性肥大为主要特征,临床病情轻重不一。致病基因为编码抗肌萎缩蛋白(dystrophin)基因,该基因组序列跨越2 200 kb,由79个外显子组成,是迄今发现的最大的人类基因。DMD基因突变类型复杂多样,包括单个或多个外显子缺失、基因片段重复、单个碱基互换、缺失或插入。迄今已形成多种检测技术,从Sanger测序、多重-PCR、Southern-blotting到多重链接探针依赖扩增技术(multiplex ligation probe amplification,MLPA)、单个扩增/内部引物测序技术(single condition amplification/internal primer sequencing technique,SCAIP)、基于基因芯片的比较基因组杂交(array-based comparative genomic hybridization,aCGH)、二代测序技术(next-generation sequencing,NGS)等,检测方法优缺点各异,本文结合DMD/BMD临床表现和分子遗传学检测手段就DMD/BMD的分子遗传学诊断策略进行综述,以期形成完整全面的临床诊断思路。     

携带者发病的进行性肌营养不良症一家系分析

假肥大型进行性肌营养不良症 ,是一种性连锁隐性遗传性疾病 ,一般可分为Duchenne肌营养不良 (DMD)和Becker肌营养不良 (BMD)两种类型。DMD发病率约占活产男婴 1/ 3 5 0 0 ,表现为进行性肌肉萎缩无力 ,多数于 12岁前不能行走 ,2 0岁左右死亡。BMD的发病率约为前者的 1/ 10 ,症状较缓和[1] 。近年有较多关于女性BMD患者的报道 ,亦有研究发现 ,DMD致病基因携带者 (女性 )表现肢体轻微无力、肌酶轻微升高 ,但尚未见有典型临床表现的假肥大型进行性肌营养不良的DMD致病基因携带者[2 ] 。笔者在一DMD家系中诊治 1例 ,现报道如下。1　临…     

假肥大型肌营养不良症产前诊断与遗传咨询

<正> 假肥大型肌营养不良症(pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy)是由于基因缺陷引起的疾病,以进行性肌肉萎缩与肌无力为主要特征,分Duchenne型(Duchenne muscular dystrophy,DMD)和Becker型(Becker muscular dystrophy,BMD)。DMD是假肥大型肌营养不良症中最常见和最严重的类型,发病率为活产男婴的1/3500,多数于12～13岁前丧失行走能力,20岁左右死亡。BMD发病率约1/30000,临床症状体征较轻,进展缓慢,14岁后仍能行走。DMD/BMD是最常见的X连锁隐性致死性遗传病之一,至今缺乏有效的治疗方法,只有通过产前诊断阻止患病胎儿出生以达到遗传优生的目的。     

反义寡核苷酸治疗Duchenne型肌营养不良的研究进展

Duchenne型肌营养不良(DMD)是由抗肌萎缩蛋白基因Dystrophin发生移码突变导致的儿童遗传性致死性肌病。反义寡核苷酸(AON)靶向外显子中的剪接调控序列可以诱导Dystrophin基因的相应外显子跳读,以恢复dystrophin mRNA阅读框,是目前新的DMD治疗方法。该治疗方法的有效性已在患者来源的肌细胞及动物模型中得到证实。目前,AON靶向治疗DMD已经进入药物临床试验阶段。笔者拟对DMD的分子致病机制、AON治疗DMD的作用机制及其临床试验新进展进行综述,为AON在DMD治疗中的临床应用提供理论依据。     

应用cDNA探针检测DMD患者基因缺失

假肥大型肌营养不良(DMD)是较为常见的遗传性肌病,呈X连锁阴性遗传,发病率约占出生男婴的1/3500。本文采用cDNA_8探针对20名正常成年人与8例DMD/BMD进行了基因分析。DMD基因位于X染色体短臂2区1带2亚带(Xp21.2),全长2300kb,其cDNA长14kb,由65个外显子组成,蛋白质产物为抗肌萎缩蛋白(dystrophin)。近年来的DMD分子遗传     

MLPA技术用于产前DMD基因诊断的应用探讨

<正>假肥大性肌营养不良症是一种严重的神经肌肉疾病,分为杜氏肌营养不良症(DMD)和贝氏进行性肌营养不良症(BMD),均是由于DMD基因(Xp21.2)突变所致[1]。由于本病目前无有效的治疗方法,产前诊断成为控制致病基因传递、防止患儿出生及降低发病率的主要措施。本研究对DMD产前诊断家系中具有高患病风险的2个胎儿,提取其羊水基因组DNA,采用多重连接探针扩增技术(ML-PA)进行产前基因诊断的探索。1资料与方法11一般资料2例均为进行DMD基因诊断,经MLPA技术确诊为DMD基因外显子缺失者,其母亲再次妊娠,经     

高通量检测技术对假肥大型肌营养不良分子诊断的研究

目的利用高通量检测技术对假肥大型肌营养不良(DMD/BMD)患者进行分子诊断,检测DMD基因上各种类型的变异,评估组合的分子诊断技术应用于假肥大型肌营养不良患者的价值。方法对106例临床疑似为假肥大型肌营养不良的患者,利用CNVplex?技术检测致病基因拷贝数变异,同时利用靶向捕获及高通量测序检测致病基因单核苷酸水平变异,对患者进行精确的分子诊断。结果通过组合的高通量检测技术,检测到其中85例患者存在DMD基因的致病性变异,包括62例不同大小的外显子缺失和重复,9例单核苷酸水平小缺失和重复,8例无义变异,2例错义变异和2例剪接位点变异。结论分子诊断对假肥大型肌营养不良患者意义重大,组合的高通量检测技术能检测到不同类型的致病基因变异,精确的分子诊断结果对假肥大型肌营养不良患者的诊断和家系的遗传咨询有着重要意义。     

易误诊为多发性肌炎的肌营养不良临床及病理分析

目的 明确肢带型肌营养不良2B(LGMD2B)与多发性肌炎(PM)的鉴别诊断.方法 分析LGMD2B临床表现、骨骼肌病理学特点及与PM的关系.结果 LGMD2B 临床表现为四肢近端肌无力,血清肌酸激酶显著增高,肌电图呈肌源性损害,与PM相似.组织化学染色:呈不同程度肌纤维变性、坏死、再生和炎性细胞浸润,与PM相似.免疫组织化学染色:抗-Dysferlin单克隆抗体染色,5例LGMD2B患者Dysferlin蛋白在肌膜上完全缺失,PM均表达正常.结论 LGMD2B临床表现、骨骼肌病理学特点与PM相似,抗-Dysferlin单克隆抗体免疫组织化学染色是鉴别二者的关键.     

不同程度营养不良患者骨骼肌超微结构观察

采用超薄切片透射电镜技术,对9例消化道癌症患者合并营养不良的腹直肌超微结构进行观察分析.9例患者入院后按营养指标评定分为轻、中、重三度,取其腹直肌进行电镜观察,结果显示电镜下的病变特点随营养不良程度而各异.轻者表现为部分肌原纤维排列稍紊乱,重者可见肌原纤维走行弯曲,粗、细肌丝紊乱甚至断裂,肌浆液化,线粒体变形,肌纤维内大量溶酶体、空泡、脂滴及糖原颗粒堆积,这些改变都代表了细胞内代谢的紊乱.从而归纳了因营养不良引起的骨骼肌超微结构变化特点,为营养不良性肌肉病变的电镜诊断提供可靠的参考依据.     

Calcium intake in the elderly: validation of a dietary questionnaire

Epidemiological studies of calcium and osteoporosis have been hampered by the lack of a suitable tool for assessing calcium intake. This report describes a new frequency and amount questionnaire for measuring present and past calcium intake in the elderly. The validity of the questionnaire was tested against two commonly used standards of dietary assessment, five-day duplicate diets and seven-day weighed dietary inventories. The resulting correlation coefficients were, respectively, r = 0.76 and r = 0.69, while that for repeatability was r = 0.84. Furthermore, the questionnaire categorized subjects into thirds of the distribution of intake with almost no gross misclassification. It is suggested that the present findings may be extended to the majority of normal, healthy elderly subjects, implying wide application for the questionnaire in the assessment of calcium intake in the elderly.     

Self-reported health problems among Swedish miners one year after unemployment

Unemployment is considered to be a public health concern sincedeterioration in the health of the unemployed is often anticipated.However, for some groups, such as miners, unemployment mightimprove health due to a cessation of potentially harmful occupationalexposures. This study evaluates the health of 79 miners in oneSwedish iron-ore mine, and 226 age-matched controls from thegeneral population, during one year after the closure of themine. The participants received a questionnaire regarding medicalhistory and subjective symptoms at the beginning of the studyperiod, and after one year. Statistically significant negativeeffects on self-reported health attributable to unemploymentwere not found, although neuropsychiatric symptoms were morecommon among the unemployed miners. The miners reported a statisticallysignificant improvement in grip force (p=0.031). They had asignificantly higher prevalence of symptoms associated withmining related exposures when compared with the population controls;pain in the upper extremities [relative risk (RR)=2.27, 95%confidence interval (Cl)=1.44–3.59), back pain (RR=1.84;Cl=1.237–2.75), vasospastic disease of the fingers (RR=2.05;Cl=1.18–3.57) and obstructive respiratory symptoms (attacksof dyspnea and wheezing: RR=3.67; Cl=1.167–11.6).     

Excès de cas humains et animaux de tularémie en France au cours de l’hiver 2007–2008 : émergence ou phénomène isolé ?

Context

Tularemia is a zoonosis affecting humans and hares in France. We describe the results of surveillance in both species, in 2007 and 2008.

Methods

Human tularemia cases are mandatorily notifiable in France since 2003. In hares, surveillance relies on volunteer hunter associations in all districts of the country. Data from mandatory reports and volunteer surveillance in 2007/2008 were analyzed and compared with previous results.

Results

In 2007/2008, 144 cases were reported in humans and 117 cases in hares. This was a 100% increase compared to previous years. Human cases differed from those of previous years only by the frequency of contact with breeding animals. Human cases without any documented risk exposure were also more frequent.

Conclusion

An increase of tularemia cases occurred in 2007/2008 in both species. Complementary studies are needed to identify the species reservoir in France to understand the causes of this peak of cases.     

Occupational health hazards in mining: an overview

This review article outlines the physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychosocial occupational health hazards of mining and associated metallurgical processes. Mining remains an important industrial sector in many parts of the world and although substantial progress has been made in the control of occupational health hazards, there remains room for further risk reduction. This applies particularly to traumatic injury hazards, ergonomic hazards and noise. Vigilance is also required to ensure exposures to coal dust and crystalline silica remain effectively controlled.     

Manufacture and use of nanomaterials: current status in the UK and global trends

This paper provides an overview of the production and use of nanomaterials (NMs), particularly in the UK. Currently, relatively few companies in the UK are identifiable as NM manufacturers, the main emphasis being the bulk markets in metals and metal oxides, and some niche markets such as carbon nanotubes and quantum dots. NM manufacturing in the UK does not reflect the global emphasis on fullerenes, nanotubes and fibres. Some assumptions have been made about the types of NM that are likely to be imported into the UK, which currently include fullerenes, modified fullerenes and other carbon-based NMs including nanotubes. Many university departments, spin-offs and private companies have developed processes for the manufacture of NMs but may only be producing small quantities for research and development (R&D) purposes. However, some have the potential to scale up to produce large quantities. The nanotechnology industry in the UK has strong R&D backup from universities and related institutions. This review has covered R&D trends at such institutions, and appropriate information has been added to a searchable database. While several companies are including NMs in their products, only a few (e.g. manufacturers of paints, coatings, cosmetics, catalysts, polymer composites) are using nanoparticles (NPs) in any significant quantities. However, this situation is likely to change rapidly. There is a need to collect more information about exposure to NPs in both manufacturing and user scenarios. As the market grows, and as manufacturers switch from the micro- to the nanoscale, the potential for exposure will increase. More research is required to quantify any risks to workers and consumers.     

深圳公立医院管理体制改革制度设计

深圳公立医院管理体制改革实行政事分开、管办分开,在理事会架构下按法定机构模式组建市医管中心,落实公立医院运营管理自主权.作者从当前公立医院管理体制的弊端入手,介绍了深圳市进行公立医院管理体制改革的基本思路及改革方案设计的主要举措,深入剖析了的改革方案的特点,并对改革效果进行了预测.     

Effects of nitrogen dioxide on red blood cells of rats: Changes in components of red cell membranes during in vivo exposure to NO2

Red cell membranes, prepared from red blood cells of rats exposed to 4, 10, or 20 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) for 1 to 10 days, were examined for evidence of changes in membrane components. Appreciable changes were not found in contents of phospholipid and cholesterol during exposure to 10 ppm NO₂. By contrast, protein content altered with the time of exposure. Moreover, changes in protein composition were observed by employing sodium dodecyl sulfate — polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Twenty-four-hour exposure to NO₂ at the concentration above 10 ppm resulted in a marked increase in the percentage of lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE) to the total phospholipids. The prolonged exposure to 10 ppm NO₂ gave rise to a further increase in LysoPE, whereas the percentage of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) showed a gradual decrease. A 1-day exposure to 4.0 ppm NO₂ also caused an increase in sialic acid content and decreases in those of PE and hexose. In addition to contents of these components the percentage of LysoPE increased 5 days after exposure and the elevated values were maintained up to the end of exposure period. These results demonstrate that red blood cells in circulation exhibit different membrane properties in terms of lipid and carbohydrate composition during 10 days of exposure to 4.0 ppm NO₂.     

Investigating clusters in the workplace and beyond

Clusters of disease are common and occur in the workplace and in the general community. They often arouse considerable concern among the population. Investigations have sometimes lead to exciting new knowledge, but in general the investigation of clusters is difficult and often unrewarding, especially for community clusters. In the workplace, investigations are more likely to find associations and even new causes, but still many clusters remain enigmatic. Despite this, there are many reasons for investigating clusters, including allaying community concern and identifying uncontrolled exposures. A structure for investigating clusters in the workplace is suggested.