Comparison of antigen expression on normal urothelial cells in tissue section and tissue culture

Antigenic characterization of urothelial cells cultured from normal adult ureter was performed. These cells were cultured using a simplified isolation and culture technique and a commercially available serum-free medium. The cells growing in these cultures had epithelioid morphology and normal quantities of DNA. The antigen expression on these cultured normal urothelial cells was evaluated using a panel of monoclonal antibodies: 5G6.4, AN43, URO-5, anti-keratin and anti-blood group antibodies, and 425 (anti-epidermal growth factor receptor). Lower levels of anti-A and AN43 binding on cultured cells were observed than are seen on urothelial cells in sections of normal ureter, while the binding of anti-blood group H, 5G6.4, and URO-5 was unchanged. Binding of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody 425 was improved if the cells were grown in medium lacking epidermal growth factor. These results confirm the urothelial origin of these cultured urothelial cells but indicate that some antigenic differences between cultured normal urothelial cells and urothelial cells in situ in the normal ureter exist.     

Smoking and coffee intake following alcohol withdrawal in alcoholic inpatients

The aim of this study was to assess alcoholic inpatients' smoking and coffee intake variation following withdrawal. Only moderate smokers (less than 30 cigarettes/day) showed a significant increase of cigarette consumption after alcohol withdrawal. However, their urinary cotinine level did not vary, suggesting a behavioral, and not biological, compensation through smoking following alcohol withdrawal. Heavy smokers (30 cigarettes/day or more) showed no significant clinical or biological variation of smoking behavior. Coffee consumption increased after alcohol withdrawal in all patients, irrespective of smoking habits.     

Path analysis and sib-pair linkage

When the distance between linked loci is expressed in terms of the correlation between the identity-by-descent (idb) values of the loci, then a path model may be used to order loci with data on sib-pairs and their parents. The relationship between the recombination fraction and the correlation coefficient is developed and a method for fitting a covariance matrix predicted by a specific ordering of loci to an observed covariance matrix is proposed. © 1993 Wiley-Liss. Inc.     

Overexpression/amplification of HER-2/neu is uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND： Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most prevalent fatal cancers in the world. Despite advances in early diagnosis and improvements in surgical techniques, the survival of patients with HCC even after resection is poor because of the high incidence of recurrences. Therefore, the identification of prognostic factors may be helpful in the development of new treatment protocols. AIMS： To investigate HER-2/neu status in HCC by immunohistochemistry （IHC） and fluorescence in situ hybridisation （FISH）, and to explore the possibility of using trastuzumab in the treatment of HCC. METH ODS： Eight hundred and sixty eight surgical samples from patients with primary HCC were examined for their HER-2/neu status. IHC for HER-2/neu was performed with the HercepTest kit; FISH analysis was performed with the PathVysion HER-2 DNA probe kit. The correlations between HER-2/neu overexpression and clinicopathological characteristics were analysed statistically. RESULTS： HER-2/neu overexpression was detected in 21 （2.42%） of the 868 primary HCCs. Only one specimen showed HER-2/neu gene amplification by FISH. No significant associations were found between HER-2/neu overexpression and the clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSIONS： There is a low frequency of HER-2/neu overexpression/amplification in HCC. There appears to be no role for HER-2/neu as a prognostic marker and no benefit of anti-HER-2/neu trastuzumab treatment in patients with HCC.     

Acute pustulosis of the legs in diverticulitis with sigmoid stenosis: an overlap between bowel-associated dermatosis–arthritis syndrome and pustular pyoderma gangrenosum

BACKGROUND: Bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome denotes the occurrence of diarrhoea with arthritis and skin lesions related to bowel disease with or without bowel bypass. In this condition, the histological finding of cutaneous aseptic neutrophilic cell infiltrate is non-specific and common to a wide spectrum of neutrophilic dermatoses, including pyoderma gangrenosum. OBSERVATION: We describe a 78-year-old woman with fever, abdominal discomfort and arthralgias, who developed grouped pustular lesions on her shins with histologically spongiform pustule formation. Aetiological assessment disclosed diverticular disease with sigmoid stenosis. CONCLUSION: Although clinical and histological features in our case fit the diagnosis of bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome, they may also correspond to a pustular variant of pyoderma gangrenosum. Our observation raises the question of the nosological classification of bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome within the spectrum of neutrophilic diseases.     

Asthma and climatic conditions: experience from Bermuda, an isolated island community

A retrospective study of patients attending the emergency department with acute asthma was performed in Bermuda. Climatic data (barometric pressure, rainfall, humidity, and wind strength and direction) were obtained and compared with frequency of exacerbations of asthma. Three factors--namely, relative humidity, average daily temperature, and northeasterly winds--were found to be related to worsening asthma. Owing to Bermuda's lack of pollution and aeroallergens it was thought that these weather parameters had a direct effect on the asthmatic population.     

Laparoscopic feeding jejunostomy: also a simple technique

Summary Placement of feeding tubes is a common procedure for general surgeons. While the advent of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy has changed and improved surgical practice, this technique is contraindicated in many circumstances. In some patients placement of feeding tubes in the stomach may be contraindicated due to the risks of aspiration, gastric paresis, or gastric dysmotility. We describe a technique of laparoscopic jejunostomy tube placement which is easy and effective. It is noteworthy that this method may be used in patients who have had previous abdominal operations, and it has the added advantage of a direct peritoneal view of the viscera. We suggest that qualified laparoscopic surgeons learn the technique of laparoscopic jejunostomy.     

Incidence and prevalence of the sexual dysfunctions: A critical review of the empirical literature

The research which has assessed the incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunctions is reviewed. Twenty-three studies are evaluated. Studies completed with community samples indicate a current prevalence of 5–10% for inhibited female orgasm, 4–9% for male erectile disorder, 4–10% for inhibited male orgasm, and 36–38% for premature ejaculation. Stable community estimates with regard to the current prevalence of female sexual arousal disorder, vaginismus, and dyspareunia are not available. Recent studies completed with clinical samples suggest an increase in the frequency of orgasmic and erectile dysfunction and a decrease in premature ejaculation as presenting problems. Desire disorders have increased as presenting problems in sex clinics, with recent data indicating that males outnumber females. Methodological limitations of these studies are identified and suggestions for future research are offered.     

Morphological correlates of response dynamics and efferent stimulation in horizontal semicircular canal afferents of the toadfish, Opsanus tau.

1. We used the intraaxonal labeling technique to study correlations between the terminal dendritic morphology of horizontal semicircular canal primary afferents and their response dynamics to sinusoidal head rotation and combined electrical stimulation of central efferent vestibular neurons. Thirty-eight canal afferents were identified by their sensitivity and phase of response to rotation between 0.1 and 1.0 Hz (+/- 10 degrees/s) and were subsequently labeled with horseradish peroxidase or biocytin. The afferent's dendritic field and synaptic specializations in the neuroepithelium of the crista were examined under light microscopy. 2. Rate and regularity of background discharge of the afferent were not correlated with its axon diameter or relative location of its dendritic field in the crista. 3. Response sensitivity of the afferent to rotation was correlated both with the relative location of its dendritic field in the crista and with the number of terminal endings it possesses. Afferents having low sensitivities, slow dynamics, and few terminal endings supply the peripheral portions of the crista; afferents with higher sensitivities, faster dynamics, and greater number of terminal endings supply the more central portions. It is suggested that the differences in sensitivity among the afferents reflect principally the variations in both the cupular dynamics along the crista and the number of possible hair cell contact sites in the neuroepithelium. 4. Response phase of the afferent was correlated only with the extent of its dendritic processes along the transverse axis of the crista. Afferents having transversely oriented dendritic fields had less phase lags relative to acceleration than did those having a more longitudinally oriented dendritic field. 5. Efferent stimulation produced a change in both the afferent's discharge rate and its response sensitivity to rotation. Afferents discharge rate and its response sensitivity to rotation. Afferents having a centrally located dendritic field and acceleration afferents, defined by their response to rotation, were the most affected by efferent stimulation. These results suggest that efferent innervation is either directed toward, or most efficacious in, the central regions of the crista and that it may select specific hair cell-afferent complexes.