Discussing options between patients and health care professionals in genetic diagnosis: ethical and legal criteria

The specific characteristics of genetic data lead to ethical-legal conflicts in the framework of genetic diagnosis. Several international organisations, including UNESCO and the Council of Europe, have enacted rules referring to the use of genetic information. This paper discusses possible legal and ethical criteria that could be used in genetic testing.     

甲睾酮对小鼠生殖系统发育及生精功能的影响

目的 探讨甲睾酮对雄性小鼠精子的产生及生殖器官的影响.方法 将48只昆明小白鼠随机分为4组,每组12只,每天分别向各组灌胃甲睾酮16 mg/kg,32 mg/kg,64 mg/kg 和等量蒸馏水(对照组),连续10 d.结果 与对照组比较,甲睾酮16 mg/kg组精子活率最高为66.22%(P<0.05);甲睾酮64mg/kg组睾丸指数、精子畸形率、精子密度都极显著和显著地升高(P<0.01和P<0.05),且睾丸组织有较明显的病理学损伤.结论 适量甲睾酮能提高精子活率,大剂量使精子活率降低且畸形率升高.     

A Spanish version of the Family Assessment Device

Introduction  

This paper presents the results of a study on the psychometric properties of an authorized Spanish version of the McMaster Family Assessment Device, a self-report measure of family functioning.     

The genetic and epigenetic basis of ependymoma

Introduction  

Although ependymoma is the third most common pediatric brain tumor, we know little about the genetic/epigenetic basis of its initiation, maintenance, or progression. This is due in part to the heterogeneity of the disease, as well as the small sample size of the cohorts analyzed in most studies.     

Abnormal fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in benign esophageal leiomyoma

A benign esophageal leiomyoma with abnormally increased fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography (PET) was resected thoracoscopically. The tumor, of which the maximum standardized uptake value of the lesion was 4.7, was well defined and 38 mm in diameter. Neither mitotic activity nor degeneration was found histologically; and immunoreactivity for CD34, CD117, MIB-1, and glucose transporter-1 was negative immunohistochemically. A diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor was ruled out by an oncogenic kinase gene mutation study. This case cautions against PET-dependent evaluation for malignant potential of esophageal submucosal tumors.