Commentary on the safety of red cells preserved in extended-storage media for neonatal transfusions

Red cells preserved in extended-storage media are the standard product dispensed by many regional blood centers. When the red cells are intended for neonatal transfusion, concern exists about the safety of the relatively high quantities of additives present in these media. Definitive studies to address these concerns are not available. Therefore, to estimate the effects of additives and to delineate circumstances in which they might be harmful, the quantities transfused in defined clinical settings were calculated, and the following recommendations are offered for transfusing infants less than 4 months of age. First, red cells preserved in extended-storage media should present no substantive risks when used for small-volume (approximately 10 mL/kg) transfusions of premature infants and can be used without additional processing. Second, the risks of the most premature neonatal patients or those with severe renal and/or hepatic insufficiency cannot be defined clearly, and, because data are not available to ensure safety for these infants, removal of the additive medium and resuspension of the red cells in saline or albumin solution immediately before transfusion are recommended. Third, following a similar rationale, it seems prudent to avoid using entire units of red cells preserved in extended-storage media in massive transfusion settings (e.g., exchange transfusion, cardiac surgery, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). In these settings, the preservative medium should be removed and the red cells resuspended in the fluid that is most appropriate for the procedure that is planned. It must be emphasized that these recommendations are based on calculations and hypothetical settings, not actual data. Accordingly, they are tentative and should be altered as definitive information becomes available.     

Intraindividual Reproducibility of Heart Rate Variability

Heart rate variability was determined from three consecutive Holter recordings performed on days 1, 7, and 28 in 17 normal subjects, in 13 patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries, and in 9 patients with remote myocardial infarctions. Group data of several time and frequency domain measures of heart rate variability were highly reproducible (correlation coefficients 0.629–0.894). However, some individuals exhibited considerably larger day-to-day variations in heart rate variability. Single heart rate indices differed by up to 50% between two Holter recordings. Such potential differences must be considered when repeated heart rate variability determinations are used to assess changes in neurocardiac reflex regulation or effects of therapeutic interventions.     

Mycobacterial Infections After Renal Transplantation

Mycobacterial infections occurred in 11 of 633 (1.7 per cent)recipients of successful renal transplants. There were no casesof tuberculosis in patients receiving chemoprophylaxis, butamongst those who did not receive prophylaxis disease occurredin six of the 27 (22 per cent) high-risk patients. The majorcause of morbidity during treatment was renal allograft rejection,largely due to reduction in immunosuppressive drug therapy.     

Laparoscopic management of a pelvic retroperitoneal leiomyoma—case report

Leiomyomas are benign tumors frequently found in the fourth and fifth decades of life. Although the uterus is the most common site of origin of leiomyomas, they can develop at any site where there is smooth muscle cell. Extrauterine leiomyomas are not common and usually their diagnostic are more challenging. In this paper, we report one case of pelvic retroperitoneal leiomyoma associated to vulvar/perineal leiomyomas. A 47-year-old female patient presented with a 6-month history of deep dyspareunia, abdominal pain, dysuria, and pain during defecation. She had a previous history of two open myomectomies, a supracervical hysterectomy associated to the exeresis of a vulvar leiomyoma, and a left salpingo-oophorectomy. On vaginal examination, there was a tender and firm mass at the vaginal vault and along the posterior vaginal wall. There was another tumor at the left vulvar/perineal region measuring around 6 cm. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the presence of a mass at the Douglas pouch measuring 14 × 10 × 10 cm suggestive of uterine leiomyomatosis. She underwent a successful laparoscopic resection of the pelvic tumor with an operative time of 210 min. The vulvar/perineal lesions were resected by vaginal approach. She presented an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged home 3 days after surgery. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of leiomyomas. Laparoscopic approach for pelvic retroperitoneal leiomyoma is feasible. It is important to keep in mind the possibility of this entity as a differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal masses in women.     

Cloning of glycoprotein IIIa cDNA from human erythroleukemia cells and localization of the gene to chromosome 17

Platelet aggregation requires the binding of adhesive proteins such as fibrinogen to the heterodimer of membrane glycoproteins IIb (GPIIb) and IIIa (GPIIIa). Human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells synthesize both GPIIb and GPIIIa. Using poly(A+) RNA purified from HEL cells, we constructed a cDNA library in the lambda gt10 phage vector. This library was screened with a 38mer oligonucleotide derived from a platelet GPIIIa peptide, and three overlapping cDNAs were isolated. The three inserts encompassed 3.5 kilobases (kb), including the entire coding region of mature GPIIIa (2,286 basepairs, bp) and 1.3 kb of 3' untranslated sequence. All 222 residues determined directly from platelet GPIIIa tryptic peptides exactly matched the HEL cell-deduced amino acid sequence. The HEL cell sequence matched a previously reported endothelial cell cDNA sequence except for eight nucleotides. Five of these nucleotide differences were silent changes consistent with genetic polymorphisms. The other three differences resulted in changes in the deduced amino acid sequence of GPIIIa; reexamination of the endothelial cell cDNA sequence in these three areas revealed that it is actually identical to the HEL cell sequence. The virtual identity of the endothelial and HEL cell cDNA sequences provides direct evidence that GPIIIa is a subunit common to cell-adhesion receptors present in more than one cell type. We localized the gene for GPIIIa to chromosome 17, the same chromosome to which we had previously mapped the gene for GPIIb.     

N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体在缺氧缺血性脑损伤新生大鼠脑海马中的远期表达

目的:观察新生大鼠缺氧缺血性脑损伤后,海马发育过程中N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体的远期表达变化。方法:实验于2006-03/06在解放军第三军医大学新桥医院中心实验室完成。选用新生7日龄SD大鼠72只,按随机数字表法分为缺氧缺血性脑损伤组和假手术组,每组36只。各组又分为生后15d(n=6)、22d(n=6)、29d(n=6)、36d(n=12)及43d(n=6)5个时相点。①参照Rice法通过结扎7日龄大鼠左侧颈总动脉,吸入氧气体积分数为0.08的氮氧混合气,制成缺氧缺血性脑损伤模型,出现自发或夹尾左旋则证明模型制作成功。假手术组仅切开颈部皮肤,暴露左侧颈总动脉。②应用免疫组织化学法检测缺氧缺血后不同时点两组大鼠脑海马CA1区N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体NR1亚单位的表达(n=6),测量平均灰度值,灰度值越低,蛋白表达越强;生后36d时相点大鼠(n=6)利用Morris水迷宫测定学习记忆能力;最后应用电镜观察生后36d大鼠海马突触结构。结果:72只大鼠,全部进入结果分析,无脱失。①生后22-43d缺氧缺血性脑损伤组大鼠(缺氧缺血后15-36d)脑海马CA1区NR1平均灰度值分别为167.69±6.48,174.57±4.81,179.30±5.92,176.50±5.93,均显著高于同日龄假手术组148.96±4.91,151.17±6.37,152.06±9.86,156.32±6.86(P均<0.01)。②Morris水迷宫实验中,缺氧缺血性脑损伤组大鼠逃避潜伏期显著长于假手术组(48.87±9.47)s,(11.97±2.20)s,(P<0.01);原平台象限游泳距离/总游泳距离的百分比显著低于假手术组(14.45±3.85)%,(62.20±8.74)%(P<0.01)。③生后36d(缺氧缺血后29d),透射电镜下缺氧缺血性脑损伤组大鼠患侧海马突触后膜致密物较假手术组明显减少。结论:新生大鼠缺氧缺血性脑损伤后期存在海马N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体的表达下调,可能对大鼠远期空间学习记忆产生一定影响。     

Laparoscopic management of adnexal masses: a gold standard?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent literature on the laparoscopic management of adnexal masses, when this approach may be considered as a gold standard. RECENT FINDINGS: Cyst rupture was recently demonstrated to be a significant prognostic factor in stage I invasive epithelial carcinoma, and it was recommended to restrict the laparoscopic approach to patients with preoperative evidence that the cyst was benign. The laparoscopic approach is still highly controversial in masses suspicious at ultrasound. The limits of the laparoscopic approach are discussed reviewing recent literature and our experience. The laparoscopic management of adnexal masses appears to be safe in most hospitals even in developing countries. This approach is being used with increasing frequency in unusual indications such as newborns, children, adolescents and pregnant women. The learning curve for endoscopic surgery appears to be longer than expected. Many patients with benign adnexal masses, such as ovarian endometrioma, are still treated by laparotomy or with an inadequate endoscopic technique. Several studies have suggested that the stripping technique is a tissue-sparing procedure. SUMMARY: The laparoscopic puncture of malignant ovarian tumours confined to the ovaries is uncommon, and should be avoided whenever possible. The teaching of endoscopy is essential to promote adequate procedures performed according to the principles of microsurgery and to preserve postoperative ovarian physiology.     

Expression and localization of rabbit B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and its specific receptor BR3 in cells and tissues of the rabbit immune system

Rabbits are widely used for vaccine development, and investigations of human infectious and autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). For these applications, we cloned, sequenced and expressed rabbit B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF), and localized BAFF in cells and tissues of the rabbit immune system. The rabbit homolog of the human BAFF binding site (miniBR3 peptide) within the BAFF-specific receptor BR3 was synthesized. This 26-residue core domain binds to recombinant rabbit BAFF protein. Flow cytometric analyses using purified recombinant rabbit BAFF combined with real-time PCR findings revealed that BAFF detected on peripheral blood B-cells from normal rabbits is probably complexed to BAFF receptors rather than produced by the B-cells. BAFF was detected in developing appendix of young rabbits by immunohistochemical staining suggesting that BAFF plays a role during the period following birth when rabbit B-cell development and pre-immune antibody repertoire diversification and selection is occurring.