Suicide in men with testis cancer

ALANEE S. & RUSSO P. (2012) European Journal of Cancer Care Suicide in men with testis cancer Depression, anxiety and aggression are documented in testis cancer patients and can result in death from suicides; however, their risk of suicide is not defined. We report suicide rates among testis cancer patients in the USA and determine factors associated with higher rates. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database maintained by the National Cancer Institute to identify patients diagnosed with testis cancer between 1995 and 2008. Multivariate analysis was used to assess factors affecting suicide rate. Among 23 381 patients followed for 126 762 person‐years, suicide rate was 26.0 per 100 000 person‐years, with the average corresponding rate in the US population aged 25–44 years being 21.5 per 100 000 person‐years; the calculated standardised mortality ratio for death by suicide was 1.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–2.1]. The standardised mortality ratio for suicide was 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1–2.1) in ages less than 30 years, and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.3–2.4) in men of races other than White and Black. Other patient and disease characteristics were not predictive. In conclusion, patients with testis cancer have a 20% increase in the risk of suicide over that of the general population, and races other than White and Black and younger patients may commit suicide at higher rates.     

Surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus reduces the cerebral tissue oxygenation index in preterm infants: a near-infrared spectroscopy and Doppler study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligature on cerebral oxygen saturation, cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow velocity by means of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and transcranial Doppler simultaneous examinations. METHODS: This is an observational study considering 16 babies of gestational age 24-34 weeks diagnosed with PDA who underwent surgical ligation. The cerebral oxygen saturation, CBV and blood gases values were obtained 35 min before ligation, so also around the 14th and 27th min after the clip's insertion. RESULTS: Cerebral oxygen saturation, measured as tissue oxygenation index (TOI), decreased significantly after PDA ligation from a basal value of 61.1 (3.8) before surgery to 56.6 (3.3) and 55.8 (2.6)%, for the 14th and 27th min, respectively (P<0.04). CBV before and after clipping was unvaried. A negative correlation was found between DeltapH and DeltaCBV after ligation (R=0.52, P=0.03), whilst a positive correlation was found between DeltaCBV and DeltaP(aCO2) (R=0.62, P=0.009). pH increased at the 27th min post-ligation. CONCLUSIONS: NIRS is a tool for obtaining information on cerebral oxygen saturation and CBV changes during surgical PDA ligation at the bedside. A fall in TOI suggests an increased oxygen extraction during PDA surgery. The lack of increase in DeltaCBV or in diastolic flow velocity show that the PDA before the clipping did not limit cerebral blood flow, the drop in TOI suggests increased oxygen consumption over the clip and the need for accurate monitoring of oxygen utilization after the surgical treatment.     

Characterization of Human Null Cells Isolated from Peripheral Lymphocytes by a Simultaneous Double-Rosetting Procedure

Human null cells were isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) by differential centrifugation on a Ficoll-Hypaque gradient of the PBL following simultaneous rosetting with erythrocyte indicators specific for B and T lymphocytes. Specifically, the T lymphocytes were rosetted with 2-aminoethylisothiuronium bromide-treated sheep erythrocytes (ShE), whereas the B lymphocytes were either rosetted with ShE coated with xenoantibodies against human gamma globulin or first sensitized with monoclonal antibodies to human Ig-like antigens and then rosetted with ShE coated with xenoantibodies against mouse gamma globulin. Approximately 90% of the lymphocytes isolated were null cells that did not bear detectable B-cell markers-that is, surface immunoglobulin and/or Ia-like antigens-or T-cell markers-that is, ShE receptors. The large majority of the null cells expressed receptors for the IgG Fc fragment (53-93%), C3 component (65-92%) and monkey erythrocytes (60-91%) but lacked receptors for the IgM Fc fragment and murine erythrocytes. The null cells exhibited high natural killer cell activity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and were two- to four-fold active than the total PBL and the T-enriched cell fractions. The null cells, however, did not respond to stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin and failed to function as either stimulators or responders in an unidirectional mixed lymphocyte reaction.     

K-ras AND p53 MUTATIONS IN HUMAN COLORECTAL ABERRANT CRYPT FOCI

Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are putative precursor lesions of colon cancer, recently identified on the methylene blue-stained mucosal surface of human colon. No mutations in K- ras or p53 genes were found by non-radioactive single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis in 14 ACF collected from five patients. Using the more sensitive method of allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for K- ras , 8 of 14 ACF were found to contain K- ras mutations, suggesting that mutated cells are present in minute clones in ACF. No dysplasia was observed in any of the ACF containing a mutated clone. The presence of K- ras mutations in ACF suggests that these lesions occur at a very early stage in human colorectal carcinogenesis.     

Repression of ALA synthase by heme and zinc-mesoporphyrin in a chick embryo liver cell culture model of acute porphyria

Abstract. We characterize a liver cell culture model for acute hepatic porphyrias that recapitulates the biochemical features of the human syndrome. In chick embryo liver cells in primary culture exposed to glutethimide and 4,6-dioxoheptanoic acid, heme alone produced a transient dose-dependent decrease in 6-aminolevulinate synthase and a concomitant increase in heme oxygenase. The addition of low concentrations of zinc-mesoporphyrin (50–200 nM), an inhibitor of heme oxygenase, led to more prolonged decreases in activity of the synthase and to an additive effect with heme. These effects of zinc-mesoporphyrin were associated with prolonged inhibition of heme oxygenase. These results suggest that the treatment of choice of acute porphyric syndromes may be the combination of low doses of heme and zinc-mesoporphyrin or another similarly non-toxic inhibitor of heme oxygenase.     

Detection of Parietaria judaica airborne allergenic activity: comparison between immunochemical and morphological methods including clinical evaluation

Abstract. Airborne pollen grains und small plant particles of respirable size are the main causes of rhinitis and asthma in pollinosis patients. Consequently, it could be useful to quantify atmospheric variations in these biological aerosols and their allergenic activity as a basis for establishing correlations with the clinical symptoms in these allergic subjects. Our study was conducted in Naples from May to August 1992 and from May to August 1993 and concentrated on Perietaria judaica (Par j ) the most important hay fever-provoking plant in southern Italy. The aim of this study was lo evaluate the day-to-day variation in counts of Par j. pollen, the day-to-day variation in allergenic activity specific for this plant, and to relate these two variables to symptom scores in patients with respiratory allergy to Par j. The airborne pollen grains were collected by a Hirst-like volumetric trap and examined through an optical microscope, while the allergenic activity of particles trapped on glass fibre filters in a high volume air-sampler was determined by immunochemical assay. The two devices were placed on the flat roof of the "A. Cardarelli" Hospital. The results of this preliminary study suggest that both methods could have useful clinical relevance, since these two biological parameters were significantly correlated with the symptom scores of allergic patients. However, pollen count with morphological quantification of grains/m³ of air is a more simple technique.