Use of the antibody neutralization test for detecting myoglobin in the urine in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction

A total of 230 patients admitted to Moscow city hospitals were examined to study the diagnostic value of a kit "Diagnosticum for the detection of erythrocytic myoglobin, dry". Myocardial infarction was diagnosed in 165 of them: in 138 it was transmural, in 27 intramural and in 65 the diagnosis was not confirmed (they were entered into the control group). Myoglobinuria was detected on the 1st day of transmural MI in 95%, on the 2nd day in 92% and on the 3rd day in 82%. In patients with intramural MI myoglobinuria was noted in 72% of the cases. In the control group the test was false positive in 9%.     

脊髓损伤后真皮多能干细胞移植时机的选择

目的:观察脊髓损伤后不同时间移植真皮多能干细胞对大鼠运动功能修复的影响。方法:实验于2006-06/2007-03在第三军医大学生理学教研室完成。①实验材料:实验动物2～4月龄SPF级SD大鼠,体质量(210±40)g,雌雄不限,由第三军医大学实验动物中心提供。真皮多能干细胞为第三军医大学防原医学系从SD大鼠真皮中提取和分离。②实验方法:将42只SD大鼠在L4水平制成脊髓全横断损伤模型。将动物随机分为对照组(n=6)、真皮多能干细胞移植组(n=36)。真皮多能干细胞移植组又分为6个时间点:损伤后1,4,7,10,14,21d移植组,每组6只。各移植组于伤处移植大鼠真皮多能干细胞,而对照组于损伤后7d注射等量磷酸盐缓冲液。③实验评估:分别于移植后1d、1周、4周、8周、12周对各组大鼠进行动物行为学和脊髓诱发电位检测。结果:42只实验大鼠均进入结果分析,无脱落。①动物行为学评分:4周以后各组动物行为学评分比较差异有显著性意义(P<0.05),移植组明显高于对照组(P<0.05),各移植组间比较,以损伤后7,10d移植组动物行为学评分改善最显著。②各组大鼠脊髓诱发电位检查:体感诱发电位和运动诱发电位潜伏期和波幅值于移植后8,12周后明显高于对照组(P<0.05),各移植组间比较,以损伤后7,10d移植组体感诱发电位和运动诱发电位潜伏期和波幅值改善最显著。结论:脊髓损伤后7～14d进行真皮多能干细胞移植可明显改善大鼠后肢的运动功能。     

Borna disease, a progressive meningoencephalomyelitis as a model for CD4+ T cell-mediated immunopathology in the brain

A homogeneous T cell line NM1 with Borna disease (BD) virus reactivity could be established. The NM1 cells have been characterized as CD4+ T cells. Adoptive transfer revealed that this MHC class II-restricted immune cell is responsible for the immunopathological effect leading to BD, a progressive meningoencephalomyelitis.     

应用28通道近红外光谱分析恢复过程中老年期抑郁症患者前额叶的激活特征

目的：认知功能障碍是老年期抑郁症的可逆性症状，试验以认知功能研究为突破口，采用28通道的近红外光谱技术分析处于恢复过程中的老年期抑郁症患者在执行词语流畅性测验时前额叶的激活特点，探讨老年期抑郁症的发病机制。 方法：①分组：患者组为2006～03／12首都医科大学附属北京安定医院收治的12例处于恢复过程中的老年期抑郁症患者，入组时符合DSM-4有关重度和中度抑郁发作或复发的标准诊断，首次发病年龄≥60岁，均服用SSRIs类抗抑郁药物治疗。对照组为12例性别、年龄和教育程度与患者组相匹配的健康志愿者。所有受试者排除脑器质性病变：②试验方法：所有受试者接受近红外光谱测查，在28通道的CW5（TechEnInc．American）NIRS系统上完成。通过近红外光谱系统监测被试者在执行词语流畅性测验任务过程中，前额叶氧合血红蛋白和脱氧血红蛋白浓度的变化，从而反映前额叶认知任务相关的激活效应。采用组块设计的词语流畅性测验作为认知激活任务，任务范式包括词语重复任务和词语流畅性任务两种试验。 结果：24例受试者均进入结果分析。①在健康老年人和处于恢复过程中的老年期抑郁症患者，词语流畅性测验能够激活双侧前额叶．未发现半球单侧化激活效应。②处于恢复过程中的老年期抑郁症患者在词语流畅性测验任务过程中，左侧前额叶激活效应较对照组减弱。③尽管在健康老年人和处于恢复过程中的老年期抑郁症患者，近红外光谱显示了不同的激活模式，但词语流畅性测验的成绩不存在显著性的组间差异（P〉0．05）。 结论：处于恢复过程中的老年期抑郁症患者存在词语流畅性测验相关的功能性左侧前额叶功能减退，微血管功能失调和多巴胺系统异常也许在老年期抑郁症的病理生理学机制中起重要作用。     

Zur Differenzialindikation anatomischer und inverser Schulterendoprothesen bei chronischer Polyarthritis

Background

In addition to joint destruction, there is often also a loss of rotator cuff function in rheumatism patients. Thus, joint replacement alone using an anatomical prosthesis is unable to achieve satisfactory results. A half-linked inverse prosthesis, on the other hand, achieves improved function even in the presence of non-functioning rotator cuffs.

Patients and Methods

Of 157 shoulder prostheses that were followed up, 21 had been implanted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. An anatomical endoprosthesis was implanted in 15 cases and an inversed endoprosthesis in six cases (average age 55.5/66.6 years).

Results

The Constant score improved from 23 to 65 points for the anatomical prosthesis and from 15 to 67 points for the inversed endoprosthesis. An analogous improvement was also noted for mobility, strength and pain relief.

Conclusion

The results of anatomical prostheses depend substantially on the extent of damage to the rotator cuff. Implantation of a semi-constrained inversed prosthesis provides a solution for severely damaged joints since it has a fixed centre of rotation. One prerequisite of success, however, is a sufficient bone stock in the glenoid region. The indication for bipolar prostheses, in contrast, is particularly strong when implantation of an inverse prosthesis is no longer possible.     

Amplification-free detection of grapevine viruses using an oligonucleotide microarray

A single-colour microarray hybridization system was designed and evaluated for the detection of viruses infecting grapevine. Total RNA (≥0.5μg) from infected plants was converted to cDNA and labelled with Cy3 using two different strategies. While amine-modified and labelled cDNA was adequate for the detection of nepoviruses, the 3DNA technique, a post-hybridization detection method that uses intensely fluorescent dendrimer reagents, was required for the detection of closteroviruses in infected plants. Threshold detection levels were based on the ratio between viral specific and 18S rRNA positive control signal intensities. Oligonucleotides between 27 and 75 nucleotides in length were evaluated and compared. Viruses detected include eight nepoviruses, two vitiviruses, and one each of closterovirus, foveavirus, ampelovirus, maculavirus and sadwavirus. Results of this work demonstrate the potential of microarray technique to detect viral pathogens without sequence bias amplification of template RNA.     

Amoebicidal activity and chemical composition of Pterocaulon polystachyum (Asteraceae) essential oil

Acanthamoeba species are free-living amoebae that constitute an etiological agent of Acanthamoeba keratitis, an illness that may cause severe ocular inflammation and blindness and has a very difficult treatment. These molecules that are found in plants may be an alternative for the development of new drugs. Plants of the genus Pterocaulon (Asteraceae) are used in folk medicine as an antiseptic and antifungal agent. In this work, we analyzed Pterocaulon polystachyum essential oil and assessed its amoebicidal activity against Acanthamoeba polyphaga. The leaves of the fresh plant submitted to hydrodistillation yielded 0.15% (w/v) of essential oil that was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry being E-sesquilavandulyl acetate as the major component, representing 43.8% of the oil. For the assessment of the amoebicidal activity, concentrations of 20, 10, 5, 2.5, and 1.25 mg/mL of essential oil were tested, being lethal to 100% of the A. polyphaga trophozoites at the concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/mL in 24 and 48 h. The cytotoxic effect of essential oil was also tested in mammalian cells using MTT assay. Amoebicidal activity results are in accordance with previous work in which the lipophilic compounds from this plant were active against Acanthamoeba castellanii. However, further studies with the major component of the essential oil will be carried out.     

A novel SRY missense mutation affecting nuclear import in a 46,XY female patient with bilateral gonadoblastoma

Patients with disorders of sex development (DSD), especially those with gonadal dysgenesis and hypovirilization, are at risk of developing the so-called type II germ cell tumors (GCTs). Both carcinoma in situ and gonadoblastoma (GB) can be the precursor lesion, resulting in a seminomatous or non-seminomatous invasive cancer. SRY mutations residing in the HMG domain are found in 10–15% of 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis cases. This domain contains two nuclear localization signals (NLSs). In this study, we report a unique case of a phenotypical normal woman, diagnosed as a patient with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis, with an NLS missense mutation, on the basis of the histological diagnosis of a unilateral GB. The normal role of SRY in gonadal development is the upregulation of SOX9 expression. The premalignant lesion of the initially removed gonad was positive for OCT3/4, TSPY and stem cell factor in germ cells, and for FOXL2 in the stromal component (ie, granulosa cells), but not for SOX9. On the basis of these findings, prophylactical gonadectomy of the other gonad was performed, also showing a GB lesion positive for both FOXL2 (ovary) and SOX9 (testis). The identified W70L mutation in the SRY gene resulted in a 50% reduction in the nuclear accumulation of the mutant protein compared with wild type. This likely explains the diminished SOX9 expression, and therefore the lack of proper Sertoli cell differentiation during development. This case shows the value of the proper diagnosis of human GCTs in identification of patients with DSD, which allows subsequent early diagnosis and prevention of the development of an invasive cancer, likely to be treated by chemotherapy at young age.     

Antifungal treatment in sarcoidosis--a pilot intervention trial

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is generally treated with corticosteroids that are not always an effective therapy. OBJECTIVES: To assess if treatment with antifungal drugs would improve the clinical status of patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: Patients (n=18) with sarcoidosis grades II and III according to established criteria and without clinical and immunological signs of fungal infection, were treated with antifungal medication together with corticosteroids for 3-6 months. Pulmonary X-ray infiltration, lung function, and severity of symptoms were registered before and after the treatment and at follow up 9-58 months later. RESULTS: The treatment resulted in statistically significant decreases in the degree of pulmonary infiltration with an average decrease in the group from 2.0 to 1.0. There were also significant increases in diffusion capacity and decreases in the severity of symptoms. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that treatment with antifungal drugs may be useful, at least in certain cases of sarcoidosis.