The levels of key nucleolar proteins in the lymphoid cells of healthy individuals and patients with lymphoproliferative diseases

Immunocytochemical staining with specific antibodies was used to study the expression of three nucleolar proteins (fibrillarin, B23/nucleofozmin, and SURF6), which were involved in pRNA maturation, in the lymphoid cells of healthy individuals and patients with lymphoproliferative diseases and to compare it with the expression of the known proliferation marker Ki-67 protein. The results indicated that fibrillarin was detectable at the comparable level in the lymphoid cells of the patients and in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the healthy individuals. In one fourth of the patients, the proportion of cells containing B23/nucleofozmin was noticeably higher than that in the lymphocytes of donors; however, there was no great difference in patients with different types of the disease. The number of SURF6-positive cells was directly correlated with that of Ki-67-positive cells. The maximum level (47-67%) of SUR6-positive lymphoid cells was found in splenic lymphosarcomas and mantle cell lymphoma. The findings suggest that SURG6 protein may be of additional diagnostic and prognostic value.     

Neuro-ophthalmological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus in Asian patients

Purpose : To report eight patients with diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who presented with a variety of neuro‐ophthalmological complications and outcomes. Methods : A review of the follow up, subsequent management and outcomes of the neuro‐ophthalmological complications of eight patients with SLE. Results : The patients presented with a myriad of symptoms of varying severities. The most common manifestations were that of optic neuropathy and eye movement abnormalities. The outcome was variable ranging from complete recovery to optic atrophy with navigational visual acuity. Treatment was often empirical, although early treatment with corticosteroids has been tried with varying success. Conclusions : The pathophysiology in the neuro‐ ophthalmological manifestations of SLE is thought be due to vaso‐occlusive disease of the small vessels of the nerve and brain, secondary to an autoimmune process. Ophthalmologists may need to consider the diagnosis of SLE in young women who present with a recent onset of neuro‐ophthalmological symptoms and signs.     

Undergraduate ophthalmology education survey of New Zealand ophthalmologists, general practitioners and optometrists

Aim : To determine what New Zealand ophthalmologists, general practitioners and optometrists consider important ophthalmic topic areas requiring emphasis in the medical undergraduate curriculum. Method : A total of 793 questionnaires related to the content and teaching of undergraduate ophthalmology were sent to ophthalmologists, general practitioners and optometrists. Results were analysed separately for the three respondent groups and as a whole. Results : Four hundred and fourteen questionnaires were returned (52% return rate). Overall responses of the three participant groups were similar and agreed favourably with the current curriculum. The ability to measure visual acuity (97%) and pupillary reflexes (93%), perform ophthalmoscopy (92%), and assess visual fields (68%) were regarded as ‘important or essential’ by the majority of respondents. Only 53% of respondents consider the ability to diagnose chronic open angle glaucoma as important. The respondents stressed the importance of the diagnosis of predominantly anterior segment disease contrasting with the traditional bias towards the teaching of ophthalmoscopy and posterior segment disease. The majority of respondents stressed the importance of graduating medical students being able to treat bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis, styes, blepharitis, corneal abrasion, and corneal and conjunctival foreign bodies, areas present but not normally emphasized in current curricula. Conclusion : The findings of this study provided additional data to facilitate curriculum design and illustrated the value of an integrated problem‐based learning approach in ophthalmology undergraduate teaching.     

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist dose-dependency of pituitary desensitization during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in IVF

The aim of this study was to find the minimal effective daily s.c. dose of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, triptorelin acetate, that suppresses the GnRH-induced release of luteinizing hormone (LH) at time of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) injection and thereby prevents spontaneous LH surges during in-vitro fertilization (IVF) stimulation cycles. Therefore, a double-blind, prospective and randomized titration study was performed. A total of 48 IVF patients were divided into four groups of 12 patients. Each group received a different dose of triptorelin acetate, namely 5, 15, 50 or 100 microg s.c. daily. Standard ovarian stimulation was carried out using urinary follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) preparations. A 500 microg GnRH test was performed 90 min before the HCG injection in order to measure the degree of pituitary desensitization. Spontaneous LH surges were not detected in any of the groups, although three patients in the 5 microg group had ovulated at the time of ovum retrieval. The pituitary LH response to the GnRH test at time of HCG, expressed as area under the curve (AUC), appeared to be dose-dependent. Thus, a daily s.c. dose of 100 microg triptorelin acetate appears to be too high, since adequate desensitization of the pituitary (i.e. no spontaneous LH surge) can be achieved with doses as low as 15 and 50 microg.      

自身免疫甲状腺病循环和甲状腺内细胞毒性T细胞(T_8/S_6F_1)的实验研究

应用新型单克隆抗体T_8/S_6F_1和流体细胞测定仪双色荧光程序检测了15例Graves病和8例Hashimoto甲状腺炎患者循环和甲状腺内的细胞毒性T细胞(cytotoxic T ceils,Tc)的分布。传统的单克隆抗体CD_8(OKT_8或Leu_2)仅能检测含有两个次亚群——抑制性T细胞(Ts)和细胞毒性T细胞(Tc)的Ts/TcT细胞亚群,不能将它们区别开来。本文应用的单克隆抗体T_8/S-6F_1首次能够单独测定Tc亚群。Graves病和Hashimoto甲状腺炎患者的循环Tc亚群分别为27.6±11.2％和27.5％±12.2％,与正常对照组差异无显著性。两组患者甲状腺内的Tc亚群数目也未见增加。Graves病患者甲状腺内Te细胞为16.45±4.7％。本文结果提示:AITD患者循环内和甲状腺内的细胞毒性T细胞亚群的数目未见增加。     

Magnetic resonance imaging of prosthetic heart valves

To evaluate the safety of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of prosthetic heart valves, nine different synthetic and tissue valves were studied ex vivo. Deflection was measured in 0.35-tesla (T) and 1.5-T superconducting magnets and at the edge of the bore of a 2.35-T electromagnet in field gradients of 5, 1.1, and 6.3 mT/cm, respectively. No valve deflected in the 0.35-T magnet; six synthetic valves deflected 0.25 degrees-3 degrees in the 1.5-T magnet; all valves deflected 1 degree-27 degrees at the edge of the 2.35-T magnet. Each valve was then submerged in a vial of water and the temperature was measured immediately before and after each of two spin-echo imaging sequences in the two superconducting magnets. No significant temperature rise followed exposure in either magnet. Image distortion varied from negligible to severe in both imagers; magnitude of distortion paralleled magnitude of deflection. These data suggest that patients with present-day prosthetic heart valves can be safely imaged in present-day MR imagers and that prosthesis-induced artifacts will not interfere with interpretation in most instances.