Application of Color Transformation Techniques in Pediatric Spinal Cord MR Images: Typically Developing and Spinal Cord Injury Population

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an improved and reliable visualization method for pediatric spinal cord MR images in healthy subjects and patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). A total of 15 pediatric volunteers (10 healthy subjects and 5 subjects with cervical SCI) with a mean age of 11.41 years (range 8–16 years) were recruited and scanned using a 3.0T Siemens Verio MR scanner. T2-weighted axial images were acquired covering entire cervical spinal cord level C1 to C7. These gray-scale images were then converted to color images by using five different techniques including hue-saturation-value (HSV), rainbow, red-green-blue (RGB), and two enhanced RGB techniques using automated contrast stretching and intensity inhomogeneity correction. Performance of these techniques was scored visually by two neuroradiologists within three selected cervical spinal cord intervertebral disk levels (C2-C3, C4-C5, and C6-C7) and quantified using signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR). Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the color images shows consistent improvement across all the healthy and SCI subjects over conventional gray-scale T2-weighted gradient echo (GRE) images. Inter-observer reliability test showed moderate to strong intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficients in the proposed techniques (ICC?>?0.73). The results suggest that the color images could be used for quantification and enhanced visualization of the spinal cord structures in addition to the conventional gray-scale images. This would immensely help towards improved delineation of the gray/white and CSF structures and further aid towards accurate manual or automatic drawings of region of interests (ROIs).     

Investigations using a novel monoclonal antibody to the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein that carries Gregory, Holley, and Dombrock blood group antigens

BACKGROUND: The high-frequency Hy and Gya antigens have been shown to reside on the same protein. Gy(a-) Hy-negative red cells are also Do(a- b-). A mouse monoclonal antibody, 5B10, was produced with specificity related to the human Gregory, Holley, and Dombrock blood group antigens. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The antibody reacted in direct hemagglutination assays, and its specificity was investigated by radioimmunoassay, inhibition assay, and Western blotting. RESULTS: The 5B10 antibody failed to bind to abnormal paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria red cells and human erythroleukemia cell line K562, but it was weakly reactive with HEL cells. Red cells, but not other circulating hematopoietic cells, express the 5B10 antigen. The 5B10 antibody had a specificity similar but not identical to that of Gya. Gy(a-) Hy-negative red cells reacted extremely weakly with 5B10 antibody, but Gy(a-) Hy-negative red cells treated with a variety of proteases bound 5B10 antibody strongly. This suggests that these cells express a variant form of the protein recognized by 5B10. CONCLUSION: Identification of a monoclonal antibody to this glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked protein opens a new avenue for investigation of the biochemistry, genetics, and function of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked protein that bears the Gya, Hy, and Do antigens.     

Sepsis associated with transfusion of red cells contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica

Between April 1987 and May 1989, the Centers for Disease Control investigated seven cases of transfusion-associated Yersinia enterocolitica sepsis; four were caused by organisms of serotype O:3, and one each was caused by organisms of serotype O:1,2,3; O:5,27; and O:20. All seven recipients developed septic shock after receiving units of red cells (RBCs) contaminated with Y. enterocolitica; five recipients died. The cases occurred in seven states and were unrelated. There was no evidence for contamination of the RBC units during processing. Six of the seven donors had serologic evidence of recent Y. enterocolitica infection, and it is hypothesized that these donors had asymptomatic bacteremia when they donated the implicated blood. Four of the seven donors reported gastrointestinal illness in the 4 weeks before blood donation, and one donor became ill on the day he donated blood. Y. enterocolitica grows well at 4 degrees C and in the presence of dextrose and iron. If blood is contaminated at the time of collection, storage of the RBCs at 4 degrees C provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth and endotoxin production. These cases demonstrate the need for careful evaluation of patients with transfusion reactions for possible sepsis and suggest a need to screen prospective blood donors for mild gastrointestinal illness, including those illnesses not requiring physician evaluation or medication.     

MEDICAL PREGNANCY TERMINATION IN THE PRESENCE OF A MASSIVE UTERINE FIBROID

SUMMARY Surgical termination of pregnancy in the presence of uterine fibroids may be technically difficult resulting in reduced efficacy of the termination procedure. We describe the first documented use of RU486 and gemeprost in the successful medical termination of a pregnancy in a uterus grossly enlarged by fibroids.     

Considerations of pool size in the manufacture of plasma derivatives

BACKGROUND: The pooling of human plasma from many donors for the purpose of manufacturing therapeutic proteins increases the risk of exposing recipients of these proteins to pathogens that may contaminate 1 or a few units included in the pool. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This risk is estimated for a range of manufacturing scales that would derive material from a varied number of donors and for a number of hypothetical infectious agents that may exist in the donor population over a wide range of prevalence. Risk is also calculated both for recipients of single doses of a plasma protein and for those who depend on long-term treatment with plasma derivatives. RESULTS: Risk of exposure increases with pool size and the prevalence of the agent in question and accumulates with repeated treatments with material manufactured from different pools. CONCLUSION: Reducing pool size would at best decrease this risk in proportion to the reduction in manufacturing scale. However, for individuals requiring repeated or continuous treatments, the risk of exposure to all but the rarest infectious agents would be only minimally affected, even by large reductions in manufacturing scale.     

5-氮胞苷诱导骨髓间充质干细胞向心肌细胞的分化

目的:目前在5-氮胞苷诱导骨髓间充质干细胞向心肌细胞分化领域中,对用于诱导的细胞代次选择不一。实验选择第2,9代骨髓间充质干细胞,观察比较经5-氮胞苷体外诱导后其各自向心肌细胞分化过程中心肌特异性肌钙蛋白cTnT和早期分化基因的表达。方法:实验于2005-07/2007-07在天津中医药大学病理三级实验室完成。①实验方法:清洁级Wistar雄性大鼠,脱颈处死后取双侧股骨、胫骨,采用密度梯度离心法分离骨髓单个核细胞进行原代培养。去掉原代细胞瓶内的培养液,D-Hank’s液冲洗去除血清,胰蛋白酶 乙二胺四乙酸消化,制备单细胞悬液,按1∶3传代。用10μmol/L的5-氮胞苷分别诱导第2,9代骨髓间充质干细胞,诱导4周,并设立未加诱导剂的阴性对照。②实验评估:倒置相差显微镜下观察细胞的生长情况及形态变化;免疫组织细胞化学法检测心肌特异性肌钙蛋白cTnT的表达,胞浆出现棕黄色颗粒状物质为阳性;嵌合荧光法检测心肌早期基因NKx2.5、GATA-4、Desmin、α-actin的相对表达量。结果:①细胞形态学观察:5-氮胞苷诱导前细胞生长较快,诱导后死亡细胞较多且生长较慢。诱导后2,3,4周,第9代骨髓间充质干细胞无论在形态和细胞活力方面均优于第2代。②心肌特异性肌钙蛋白cTnT的表达:5-氮胞苷诱导4周后,第9代骨髓间充质干细胞心肌特异性肌钙蛋白cTnT阳性表达率明显高于第2代(22.42±9.97),(11.22±5.62)%,P<0.05,阴性对照无阳性表达。③心肌早期基因的表达:反转录-聚合酶链反应结果显示,5-氮胞苷诱导4周后,第9代骨髓间充质干细胞心肌早期基因NKx2.5、GATA-4、Desmin、α-actin的相对表达量均明显高于第2代(P<0.05)。结论:经5-氮胞苷诱导后,骨髓间充质干细胞表达心肌特异性肌钙蛋白cTnT及4种心肌早期基因,证实其能够向心肌细胞分化,且传至第9代时向心肌细胞分化的能力要强于第2代。