Morphological changes due to Lead exposure and the influence of DMSA on the gill tissues of the freshwater fish, Catla catla

Catla catla fingerlings were reared in freshwater and exposed to 15.5 ppm concentration of lead for 60 days. The morphological changes on the gill of the C. catla fingerlings due to lead intoxication and the effect of DMSA (meso 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) on the affected tissues were observed using Scanning Electron Microscope. It has been found that the lead treated gill tissues showed certain marked changes, such as cell hypertrophy, alteration in the lamellar surfaces, epithelial hyperplasia and the fusion of adjacent lamellae. The antidote DMSA treatment reduces the toxic effects and helps the recovery of gill tissue and its return to the level of the control/normal.     

人亲环素A基因克隆及在大肠杆菌中表达

目的 :用基因重组技术表达人亲环素 A( Cy PA) ,以避免从人组织材料中提取纯化该蛋白的麻烦。　 方法 :应用反转录聚合酶链反应 ( RT- PCR)技术从人淋巴细胞系 ( MT4 )总 RNA中扩增得到 Cy PA基因片段 ,并用重组 DNA技术对该基因片段进行克隆 ,构建表达载体 ,转入大肠杆菌进行表达。　 结果 :DNA序列分析表明 ,得到的基因片段与设计编码 Cy PA的结构基因序列完全相同。所构建的表达载体 p ET11/Cy PA转入大肠杆菌获得表达 ,重组蛋白表达量占菌体可溶性蛋白的 4 1% ,经测定具有肽基脯氨酸顺 /反异构酶活性。　 结论 :利用基因重组技术使大肠杆菌高效表达出有生物活性的人 Cy PA。     

Promoting the purchase of low-calorie foods from school vending machines: a cluster-randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND: Vending machines account for food sales and revenue in schools. We examined 3 strategies for promoting the sale of lower‐calorie food products from vending machines in high schools in the Netherlands. METHODS: A school‐based randomized controlled trial was conducted in 13 experimental schools and 15 control schools. Three strategies were tested within each experimental school: increasing the availability of lower‐calorie products in vending machines, labeling products, and reducing the price of lower‐calorie products. The experimental schools introduced the strategies in 3 consecutive phases, with phase 3 incorporating all 3 strategies. The control schools remained the same. The sales volumes from the vending machines were registered. Products were grouped into (1) extra foods containing empty calories, for example, candies and potato chips, (2) nutrient‐rich basic foods, and (3) beverages. They were also divided into favorable, moderately unfavorable, and unfavorable products. RESULTS: Total sales volumes for experimental and control schools did not differ significantly for the extra and beverage products. Proportionally, the higher availability of lower‐calorie extra products in the experimental schools led to higher sales of moderately unfavorable extra products than in the control schools, and to higher sales of favorable extra products in experimental schools where students have to stay during breaks. Together, availability, labeling, and price reduction raised the proportional sales of favorable beverages. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that when the availability of lower‐calorie foods is increased and is also combined with labeling and reduced prices, students make healthier choices without buying more or fewer products from school vending machines. Changes to school vending machines help to create a healthy school environment.     

Can an EASYcare based dementia training programme improve diagnostic assessment and management of dementia by general practitioners and primary care nurses? The design of a randomised controlled trial

Background  

Early diagnosis of dementia benefits both patient and caregiver. Nevertheless, dementia in primary care is currently under-diagnosed. Some educational interventions developed to improve dementia diagnosis and management were successful in increasing the number of dementia diagnoses and in changing attitudes and knowledge of health care staff. However, none of these interventions focussed on collaboration between GPs and nurses in dementia care. We developed an EASYcare-based Dementia Training Program (DTP) aimed at stimulating collaboration in dementia primary care. We expect this program to increase the number of cognitive assessments and dementia diagnoses and to improve attitudes and knowledge of GPs and nurses.     

Expert system-controlled image display

Conventional computer-based medical expert systems deliver advice to physicians as written text. While such advice is useful, it has distinct limitations in a visually oriented discipline such as diagnostic radiology, in which decisions often depend on pattern recognition and appreciation of subtle morphologic features. The authors developed a prototype expert computer system, IMAGE/ICON, which displays groups of images sorted into a series of axes based on different ways in which they may be similar. They may share a common feature, group of features, causes, or clinical setting. IMAGE/ICON may display examples of morphologic variations of a dominant finding or a spectrum of abnormalities seen in an specific disease or group of diseases. The system also assembles a written analysis of key features of a case. Such a tool may be useful as a diagnostic aid or for continuing medical education. It is likely to have particular impact in the form of an intelligent radiologic workstation, as picture archiving and communication systems become available.     

Pellegrini-Stieda disease

Pellegrini-Stieda disease is a condition occasionally observed on routine radiographic examinations of the knee. A literature survey revealed little in the way of explanation or therapeutic management of this disorder. An overview of this condition with an emphasis on etiological theory and treatment is offered along with two classic radiographic examples.     

尿酶检测早期诊断庆大霉素肾脏损害的动物实验与临床研究

采用犬庆大霉素肾中毒模型,结合临床病例,检测尿丙氨酸氨基肽酶、N-乙酰—β—氨基葡萄糖苷酶、γ-谷氨酰转肽酶、乳酸脱氢酶的变化和犬肾超微结构改变。结果显示,治疗剂量庆大霉素对肾脏具有损害作用,中毒量的损害明显加重;处于亚临床期肾病变者,庆大霉素显著加重其毒性损害。检测尿酶的变化可以早期反映出这种肾毒性损害,是一种灵敏的早期监测指标。     

A comparison of polymerase chain reaction and an infectivity assay for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 titration during virus inactivation of blood components

Three examples of human plasma-derived concentrates, intermediate- purity factors VIII and IX, and fibrinogen were spiked with tissue culture-grown human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strain RF. All examples were freeze-dried and heated at 80 degrees C for 72 hours by using validated production process models. HIV-1 infectivity was measured by a syncytial infectivity assay in C8166 cells and then compared with levels determined by nested HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The infectivity assay demonstrated a reduction index of at least 4.5 log10, while PCR showed an average 1.7 log10. Large amounts of HIV- 1 RNA (10(5)) were still detectable by PCR in samples in which infectivity assays failed to detect any HIV-1. These data suggest that HIV-1 PCR levels do not parallel HIV-1 infectivity levels during virus- inactivation procedures involved in coagulation factor concentrate production. PCR was able to detect the RNA associated with inactivated HIV-1 particles in the factor concentrates, which allows the conclusion that PCR is not a useful test with which to monitor virus-inactivation procedures such as heating at 80 degrees C for 72 hours. This judgment contrasts with the more definite and sensitive role of PCR in diagnosing HIV-1 infection in patients in whom a positive HIV-1 PCR result correlates with active HIV-1 infection and with PCR's usefulness in monitoring virus removal.     

Detection of circulating tumour DNA after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced oesophageal cancer

Active surveillance instead of standard surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) has been proposed for patients with oesophageal cancer. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) may be used to facilitate selection of patients for surgery. We show that detection of ctDNA after nCRT seems highly suggestive of major residual disease. Tumour biopsies and blood samples were taken before, and 6 and 12 weeks after, nCRT. Biopsies were analysed with regular targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) was analysed using targeted NGS with unique molecular identifiers and digital polymerase chain reaction. cfDNA mutations matching pre-treatment biopsy mutations confirmed the presence of ctDNA. In total, 31 patients were included, of whom 24 had a biopsy mutation that was potentially detectable in cfDNA (77%). Pre-treatment ctDNA was detected in nine of 24 patients (38%), four of whom had incurable disease progression before surgery. Pre-treatment ctDNA detection had a sensitivity of 47% (95% CI 24–71) (8/17), specificity of 85% (95% CI 42–99) (6/7), positive predictive value (PPV) of 89% (95% CI 51–99) (8/9), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 40% (95% CI 17–67) (6/15) for detecting major residual disease (>10% residue in the resection specimen or progression before surgery). After nCRT, ctDNA was detected in three patients, two of whom had disease progression. Post-nCRT ctDNA detection had a sensitivity of 21% (95% CI 6–51) (3/14), specificity of 100% (95% CI 56–100) (7/7), PPV of 100% (95% CI 31–100) (3/3), and NPV of 39% (95% CI 18–64) (7/18) for detecting major residual disease. The addition of ctDNA to the current set of diagnostics did not lead to more patients being clinically identified with residual disease. These results indicate that pre-treatment and post-nCRT ctDNA detection may be useful in identifying patients at high risk of disease progression. The addition of ctDNA analysis to the current set of diagnostic modalities may not improve detection of residual disease after nCRT. © 2022 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.