Immunotoxicant screening and prioritization in the twenty-first century

Current immunotoxicity testing guidance for drugs, high production-volume chemicals, and pesticides specifies the use of animal models to assess potential biomarkers of immune system effects (e.g., lymphoid organ and bone marrow indices, histopathology) or actual measures of immune function (e.g., responses to challenge with antigens or pathogens). These assays are resource intensive and often require special training or experience to ensure reliable results. Alternative in vitro assays to detect immunosuppression and allergic hypersensitivity have the potential to reduce animal use and testing costs and increase immunotoxicity screening and prioritization efforts. Alternative models to detect immunosuppression tend to address broad modes of action because suppression may be caused by a wide variety of events; current in vitro models access the supply of innate and adaptive immune system cells as well as cellular markers associated with function, including gene expression, protein synthesis, and proliferation. Events leading to the induction of allergic hypersensitivity, particularly contact hypersensitivity, are more restricted, and alternative methods currently exploit chemical properties and activation of defined cell populations to detect and estimate the potency of skin sensitizers.     

Assuring clinical genetic services for newborns identified through U.S. newborn screening programs

PurposeThe study purpose was to determine whether U.S. newborn screening and/or genetics programs systematically document whether newborns and their families, identified with genetic disorders through newborn dried blood spot screening, receive clinical genetic services.MethodsNineteen state genetic plans were reviewed and a 30-question survey was administered to 53 respondents, including state newborn screening program coordinators and state genetics program coordinators in 36 states and principal investigators of 5 Health Resources and Services Administration-designated regional genetic and newborn screening collaboratives.ResultsSurvey findings indicate that none of the state newborn screening and/or state genetics programs routinely tracked patient-level data on clinical genetic services for newborns identified with all of the genetic and congenital conditions for which their programs screened. Few programs could provide information systematically on whether patients were referred for, or received, genetic counseling.ConclusionsSystematic tracking of clinical genetic services for newborns identified by newborn screening programs is desirable and manageable. Recent national guidelines recommend tracking genetic counseling in newborn screening follow-up. The communications processes that state programs currently use to obtain follow-up reports from subspecialists could be augmented with clinical genetic service questions. Programs should be encouraged and supported in the efforts to track genetic services for the benefit of newborns and their families.     

The clinical pathology for the twenty-first century

At first, the ideal way of the scientific convention should be reexamined. It is approved the future direction which should do the joint with the related societies. It has been decided that it is held at a partly congruence with Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry in the next fiscal year. The Corporation Promotion Committee(chairman of prof. I. Sakurabayashi) negotiates with the Ministry of Education about the incorporation. The Society Improved Committee(chairman of prof. K. Watanabe) is discussing about a retirement system and improved select system of the councilor. And, though the more than 400 persons of clinical laboratory physicians has been registered as a certified clinical laboratory physicians, it copes in the selection committee of each university does not always taking laboratory medical doctor as a professor of the department of clinical laboratory. And, it becomes the name of the Japan Society of Clinical Pathology does not suit at present state. The Appellation Revision Subcommittee(chairman of K. Nakahara) is discussing in the ideal name of the Society. The opinion of the most part of way will concern national medical insurance. The clinical laboratory tests related groups(Japan Society of Clinical Pathology, Japanese Association of Clinical Laboratory Physicians, Japan Society of Medical technologists, Japan Registered Clinical Laboratories Association, Japan Association of Clinical Reagents Industries, Japan Council of Clinical Reagents wholesales) formed the Council on Clinical Laboratory Tests-Related Organization at present, and the demanding paper was submitted to related associations, such as Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan Medical Association and so on.     

Tissue engineering in the twenty-first century

In the 20th century, free tissue transfers have been successfully introduced using microvascular anastomosis techniques. Transplants not only include whole organs such as the kidney, liver and lung, but also bone, muscle and skin. However, there are a limited number of organs available for transplantation. This leads to the patient not only suffering from the malfunctioning tissue or organ, but also from the psychological trauma of an indefinite waiting period. The rapidly evolving field of tissue engineering is beginning to have an impact on free tissue transfers including organ. Small biopsy specimens can be grown into a large number of cells. These cultured cells can then be seeded onto biodegradable polymers, which serve several purposes. Firstly, the polymers function as a cell delivery system that enables the transplantation of a large numbers of cells into an organism. Secondly, they create a three-dimensional space for cell growth and serve as a template, thereby providing a structure for the extracellular matrix. These approaches have been demonstrated as practical strategies for the reconstruction of many tissues such as the liver, intestines, heart valve leaflets, bone and cartilage.     

Islet transplantation in the twenty-first century

Isolated islet transplantation is poised for clinical application to treat insulin-dependent diabetes. Unlike exogenous insulin therapy, islet transplantation has promise for preventing and/or reversing the dismal secondary complications of diabetes. Islet transplants are arguably the most unique type of allografts, and we discuss their properties, limitations, and potential in this overview. The induction of immunologic tolerance to allow islet grafts to endure and prevail, without the hardship of chronic immunosuppressive therapy, is a major goal in this field. In this context, we discuss our successful results in preclinical models of primate allogeneic and xenogeneic islet graft tolerance.     

Filicide research in the twenty-first century

Archives of Women's Mental Health -     

Subgross breast pathology in the twenty-first century

Subgross studies on breast morphology in cleared thick sections are informative, but lengthy protocols could clash with diagnostic timescales and interfere with immunohistochemistry (IHC) or molecular analysis. We sought to speed up staining and tissue clearing to improve compatibility with diagnostic needs without detriment to histology or other assays. Thick sections (2-3 mm) of normal human breast tissue and whole mouse mammary glands were stained with alum-carmine, aceto-carmine, Harris's haematoxylin, cresyl violet, neutral red, thionin, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), ethidium bromide (EB), or propidium iodide (PI) and cleared in xylene (refractive index ν = 1.50), benzyl alcohol/benzyl benzoate (BABB; ν = 1.59), xylene-BABB (X-BABB), thiodiglycol (2,2'-thiodiethanol, ν = 1.52) or anethole (ν = 1.56). Tissue was then paraffin embedded for IHC for ER, PR, E-cadherin, CD31 or cytokeratin 7. Haematoxylin and alum-carmine are excellent non-fluorescent subgross stains giving strong nuclear staining and minimal background. DAPI and EB permeate thick sections poorly but PI penetrates well, with a high signal-to-noise ratio after clearing in BABB or X-BABB. Other clearing agents were less effective, including thiodiglycol. Anethole's unpleasant odour precluded further evaluation. All evaluated clearing agents preserved comparable immunoreactivity for all markers. PI is a promising stain for subgross breast studies, compatible with BABB clearing. The hope that the water-miscible thioalcohol, thiodiglycol, might accelerate tissue clearing was not realised. There is scope for further streamlining to make subgross techniques more acceptable in combined research/diagnostic settings.     

生物芯片--二十一世纪革命性的技术

1 生物芯片技术的发展 九十年代以来以DNA芯片为代表的生物芯片(biochip)技术[1,2]得到了迅猛发展,目前已有多种芯片出现,以DNA芯片和PCR、毛细管电泳及介电电泳等芯片为代表.在1990年开始实施的人类基因组计划的推动下,生物芯片的一大种类--DNA芯片技术得以迅速发展.而且,这些芯片中有的已经在生命科学研究中开始发挥重要作用.生物芯片技术的发展有赖于分子生物学及微加工两方面技术的进步和发展,它将生命科学中许多不连续的过程如样品制备、化学反应和检测等步骤在微小的芯片上实现并使其连续化和微型化.随着微电子技术的进步,与其相关的领域也取得了迅速的发展.这些技术在生物、化学和医学等领域也得到了较广泛的应用,各种生物传感器和微型分析仪器相继出现.     

生物芯片——二十一世纪革命性的技术

１生物芯片技术的发展 九十年代以来以ＤＮＡ芯片为代表的生物芯片（ｂｉｏｃｈｉｐ）技术［１，２］得到了迅猛发展，目前已有多种芯片出现，以 ＤＮＡ芯片和 ＰＣＲ、毛细管电泳及介电电泳等芯片为代表。在 １９９０年开始实施的人类基因组计划的推动下，生物芯片的一大种类一ＤＮＡ芯片技术得以迅速发展。而且，这些芯片中有的已经在生命科学研究中开始发挥重要作用。生物芯片技术的发展有赖于分子生物学及微加工两方面技术的进步和发展，它将生命科学中许多不连续的过程如样品制备、化学反应和检测等步骤在微小的芯片上实现并使其连续化…     

Status of gross anatomy in the U.S. and Canada: Dilemma for the 21st century

As a component of a recent academic review, the Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, developed a questionnaire designed to compare the curricula, direction, and challenges of their department with the approximately 140 anatomy departments in the U. S. and Canada. The response was overwhelming in that over 80% of the schools returned a completed questionnaire. One of the areas of interest revealed by this survey was a growing concern over significant changes in both medical school curricula and the future of anatomy departments. Most departments still used traditional lectures to present course material and the majority of the scheduled contact hours were in the dissection laboratory; however, other teaching formats, such as case studies and small group discussions, accounted for significantly more of the teaching effort. Nearly 20% of the schools were making major modifications in their teaching methods. The general trend was to include more integrated, problem-based learning and computer-assisted teaching while reducing overall content, didactic lectures, and rote memorization. The role and need for traditionally trained gross anatomists in medical education appeared to be diminishing as curricular reform moved toward more student-directed, faculty-facilitated programs. Concurrently, the recruitment and career development of gross anatomy faculty appeared to be influenced more by funding status than by academic training or teaching experience, as most departmental chairman were willing to hire non-anatomists and “train” them to assume an often reduced teaching load in gross anatomy courses. In addition, fewer graduate students were being trained in classical gross anatomy, a trend that better suited the emerging student-directed medical school curricula. The reduction in classically trained anatomists also appeared to reflect the widespread practice whereby anatomy faculty were rewarded far more for research than for teaching. Although the continued inclusion of gross anatomy in medical education appeared to be assured, its traditional mode of presentation and academic prominence will likely change by the turn of the century. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Information technology,medical education,and anatomy for the twenty-first century

Medicine is experiencing an escalating explosion of information. With more data available about more topics, the key questions are how to access and make sense of the medical information jungle. Skill in choosing and applying information is essential for both medical education and practice and will require new approaches to mastering data. Medical education, like medicine itself, will continue to be driven by technology, and we can expect our students to be increasingly computer literate. Thus the role of medical education will become more one of how to use this information than of obtaining the information itself. What medical education must focus on is the processing of information for appropriate medical care. This, in turn, depends upon practitioners having contexts in which the relevance and significance of information can be evaluated. New imaging technologies and molecular advances demand a broader understanding of both health and disease. With the information explosion “on line,” how can a student use this to understand the structure and function of the human body in four dimensions? Anatomy, the structural basis for life, provides a unique and necessary perspective on the human body from the molecular to the macroscopic. A solid foundation in anatomy is the best preparation for an effective physical examination and for safe, efficient basic clinical procedures. Finally, anatomy laboratories provide a context for learning other important aspects of medicine—group process, clinical problem solving, and a sensitivity to human mortality. Advocating for these unique features of our discipline in medical education is the task facing anatomists as we end this millennium. The challenges and opportunities for us have never been greater, if we don't throw out the baby with the bath water. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.