High-resolution array CGH clarifies events occurring on 8p in carcinogenesis

Background  

Rearrangement of the short arm of chromosome 8 (8p) is very common in epithelial cancers such as breast cancer. Usually there is an unbalanced translocation breakpoint in 8p12 (29.7 Mb – 38.5 Mb) with loss of distal 8p, sometimes with proximal amplification of 8p11-12. Rearrangements in 8p11-12 have been investigated using high-resolution array CGH, but the first 30 Mb of 8p are less well characterised, although this region contains several proposed tumour suppressor genes.     

The relationship between hypertension and anxiety or depression in Hong Kong Chinese

BACKGROUND:

Psychosocial stress can be the cause or the consequence of hypertension.

OBJECTIVE:

To study the association between hypertension and anxiety or depression in adults from Hong Kong, China.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

Patients with diagnosed hypertension (n=197) were recruited to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. The control group comprised 182 normotensive subjects recruited using random telephone numbers.

RESULTS:

The score in the anxiety subscale (HADS-A) of the HADS correlated with age (r= −0.23, P<0.001) and sex (r=0.11, P=0.042), and was found to be higher in women. The score in the depression subscale (HADS-D) correlated with age (r=0.17, P=0.003) and hypertension (r=0.12, P=0.039), but not with sex (r=0.02, P=0.68). When the control subjects were matched for sex and age with the subjects with hypertension, the mean HADS-A score was 5.51±0.41 in 113 hypertensive subjects and 4.38±0.39 in 113 normotensive subjects (P=0.047). The mean HADS-D score was 5.56±0.39 in the hypertensive and 4.76±0.32 in the normotensive subjects (P=0.11). Multiple regression analysis using data from both groups indicated that the HADS-A score was related to the HADS-D score (β=0.49, P<0.001), age (β= −0.25, P<0.001) and sex (β=0.12, P=0.01) (R²=0.28), whereas the HADS-D score was related to the HADS-A score (β=0.48, P<0.001), age (β=0.30, P<0.001), positive smoking status (β=0.13, P=0.004) and lack of exercise habit (β=0.12, P=0.008) (R²=0.31). Hypertension was related to waist circumference, history of parental hypertension and age (R²=0.38, P<0.001). Anxiety and depression scores were rejected as independent variables.

CONCLUSIONS:

Hypertension was associated with anxiety but not depression; however, age, history of parental hypertension and central obesity appeared to have a stronger association with hypertension in adults from Hong Kong.     

Do Segmented Reconstruction Algorithms for Cardiac Multi-Slice Computed Tomography Improve Image Quality?

PURPOSE: To evaluate segmented reconstruction algorithms for spiral multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) that use data from two cardiac cycles to improve temporal resolution (tau) for imaging of the heart. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An initial group of 78 cardiac patients (heart rates [HR] = 63-167 beats per minute [bpm]) were imaged on a 4-slice, 500 ms gantry rotation time scanner (scanner 1). Images were reconstructed with a single-segment algorithm using data from one cardiac cycle with a reconstruction window of fixed length (tau = 250 ms). Images were also reconstructed with two variants of a multi-segment algorithm using data from two cardiac cycles where only one end of the reconstruction window was fixed and the other end was freely moveable to allow adjustment of tau according to HR: (1) "2-segment fixed start" with fixed start of reconstruction, (2) "2-segment fixed end" with fixed end of reconstruction (for both, tau = 125-250 ms). The resulting image sets were ranked from best to worst (1-3, respectively) in a side-by-side, blinded comparison by two independent readers. A second group of 26 patients (HR = 74-90 bpm) were imaged on a 12-slice, 420 ms gantry rotation time scanner (scanner 2). Data were reconstructed with a single-segment algorithm (tau = 210 ms) and a "2-segment fixed start" algorithm (tau = 105-210 ms) and image sets were ranked from best to worst (1-2, respectively). RESULTS: There was no clear evidence that any one technique is superior for imaging on scanner 1. Reader 1 ranked single-segment images the highest for all HRs, but statistically significant differences among the three algorithms were only found for the lowest HRs (< 80 bpm), where reader 1 preferred single-segment over "2-segment fixed end" techniques (p = 0.048). The highest rankings given by reader 2 varied according to HR: single-segment images were superior for lowest HRs, while "2-segment fixed start" images were superior for HRs > 80 bpm; none of these comparisons reached statistical significance. Improved performance of 2-segment reconstruction was found with scanner 2. Both readers ranked "2-segment fixed start" images the highest (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The added value of 2-segment cardiac reconstruction algorithms for spiral MSCT was not demonstrated for a 4-slice, 500 ms gantry rotation time scanner but shown to be beneficial for a 12-slice, 420 ms gantry rotation time scanner in the crucial HR range of 74-90 bpm.     

Psychopathology in individuals with post-traumatic headaches and other pain types

In this study, the psychological functioning of patients with chronic post-traumatic headache (PTH), chronic combination headache and chronic low back pain without headache, whose time of onset was similar, and a matched group of controls was investigated. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form Y (STAI-Y), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess the degree of psychopathology. A MANOVA test indicated highly significant differences between groups. In general, the pain groups fell along a continuum with PTH subjects demonstrating the highest elevations, back pain subjects demonstrating the next highest elevations, and combination subjects demonstrating fewer elevations. A cluster analysis indicated that findings were best classified into four clusters, but no one pain diagnosis predominated in any cluster. Eighty-nine percent of controls were assigned to clusters 1 or 2, which revealed essentially normal scores on all tests. It is suggested that while chronic pain patients demonstrate more psychopathology than non-pain controls, a variety of coping styles exists within each pain group independent of diagnostic categorization.     

N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体在缺氧缺血性脑损伤新生大鼠脑海马中的远期表达

目的:观察新生大鼠缺氧缺血性脑损伤后,海马发育过程中N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体的远期表达变化。方法:实验于2006-03/06在解放军第三军医大学新桥医院中心实验室完成。选用新生7日龄SD大鼠72只,按随机数字表法分为缺氧缺血性脑损伤组和假手术组,每组36只。各组又分为生后15d(n=6)、22d(n=6)、29d(n=6)、36d(n=12)及43d(n=6)5个时相点。①参照Rice法通过结扎7日龄大鼠左侧颈总动脉,吸入氧气体积分数为0.08的氮氧混合气,制成缺氧缺血性脑损伤模型,出现自发或夹尾左旋则证明模型制作成功。假手术组仅切开颈部皮肤,暴露左侧颈总动脉。②应用免疫组织化学法检测缺氧缺血后不同时点两组大鼠脑海马CA1区N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体NR1亚单位的表达(n=6),测量平均灰度值,灰度值越低,蛋白表达越强;生后36d时相点大鼠(n=6)利用Morris水迷宫测定学习记忆能力;最后应用电镜观察生后36d大鼠海马突触结构。结果:72只大鼠,全部进入结果分析,无脱失。①生后22-43d缺氧缺血性脑损伤组大鼠(缺氧缺血后15-36d)脑海马CA1区NR1平均灰度值分别为167.69±6.48,174.57±4.81,179.30±5.92,176.50±5.93,均显著高于同日龄假手术组148.96±4.91,151.17±6.37,152.06±9.86,156.32±6.86(P均<0.01)。②Morris水迷宫实验中,缺氧缺血性脑损伤组大鼠逃避潜伏期显著长于假手术组(48.87±9.47)s,(11.97±2.20)s,(P<0.01);原平台象限游泳距离/总游泳距离的百分比显著低于假手术组(14.45±3.85)%,(62.20±8.74)%(P<0.01)。③生后36d(缺氧缺血后29d),透射电镜下缺氧缺血性脑损伤组大鼠患侧海马突触后膜致密物较假手术组明显减少。结论:新生大鼠缺氧缺血性脑损伤后期存在海马N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体的表达下调,可能对大鼠远期空间学习记忆产生一定影响。