Analysis of orthologous gene expression between human pulmonary adenocarcinoma and a carcinogen-induced murine model

Human adenocarcinoma (AC) is the most frequently diagnosed human lung cancer, and its absolute incidence is increasing dramatically. Compared to human lung AC, the A/J mouse-urethane model exhibits similar histological appearance and molecular changes. We examined the gene expression profiles of human and murine lung tissues (normal or AC) and compared the two species' datasets after aligning approximately 7500 orthologous genes. A list of 409 gene classifiers (P value <0.0001), common to both species (joint classifiers), showed significant, positive correlation in expression levels between the two species. A number of previously reported expression changes were recapitulated in both species, such as changes in glycolytic enzymes and cell-cycle proteins. Unexpectedly, joint classifiers in angiogenesis were uniformly down-regulated in tumor tissues. The eicosanoid pathway enzymes prostacyclin synthase (PGIS) and inducible prostaglandin E(2) synthase (PGES) were joint classifiers that showed opposite effects in lung AC (PGIS down-regulated; PGES up-regulated). Finally, tissue microarrays identified the same protein expression pattern for PGIS and PGES in 108 different non-small cell lung cancer biopsies, and the detection of PGIS had statistically significant prognostic value in patient survival. Thus, the A/J mouse-urethane model reflects significant molecular details of human lung AC, and comparison of changes in orthologous gene expression may provide novel insights into lung carcinogenesis.     

创伤病人的手术与焦虑状态调查

采用状态——特质焦虑问卷及１０项躯体性焦虑测试题，对４０例外科创伤病人手术前后的焦虑状态调查显示：术前状态焦虑量表评分显著高于术后；术前躯体性焦虑评分显著高于术后；高特质焦虑评分亚组与低特质焦虑评分亚组术前状态焦虑评分无显著差异，但术后则前者显著高于后者；急诊手术者手术前后状态焦虑评分显著高于择期手术者。     

Changes in blood lactate and respiratory gas exchange measures in sports with discontinuous load profiles

This study compares two different sport events (orienteering = OTC; tennis = TEC) with discontinuous load profiles and different activity/recovery patterns by means of blood lactate (LA), heart rate (HR), and respiratory gas exchange measures (RGME) determined via a portable respiratory system. During the TEC, 20 tennis-ranked male subjects [age: 26.0 (3.7) years; height: 181.0 (5.7) cm; weight: 73.2 (6.8) kg; maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O₂max): 57.3 (5.1) ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹] played ten matches of 50 min. During the OTC, 11 male members of the Austrian National Team [age: 23.5 (3.9) years; height: 183.6 (6.8) cm; weight: 72.4 (3.9) kg; V˙O₂max: 67.9 (3.8) ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹] performed a simulated OTC (six sections; average length: 10.090 m). In both studies data from the maximal treadmill tests (TT) were used as reference values for the comparison of energy expenditure of OTC and TEC. During TEC, the average V˙O₂ was considerably lower [29.1 (5.6) ml^·kg^−1·min⁻¹] or 51.1 (10.9)% of VO₂max and 64.8.0 (13.3)% of V˙O₂ determined at the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT) on the TT. The short high-intensity periods (activity/recovery = 1/6) did not result in higher LA levels [average LA of games: 2.07 (0.9) mmol·l⁻¹]. The highest average V˙O₂ value for a whole game was 47.8 ml·kg^−1·min⁻¹ and may provide a reference for energy demands required to sustain high-intensity periods of tennis predominately via aerobic mechanism of energy delivery. During OTC, we found an average V˙O₂ of 56.4 (4.5) ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ or 83.0 (3.8)% of V˙O₂max and 94.6 (5.2)% of V˙O₂ at IAT. In contrast to TEC, LA were relatively high [5.16 (1.5) mmol·l⁻¹) although the average V˙O₂ was significantly lower than V˙O₂ at IAT. Our data suggest that portable RGEM provides valuable information concerning the energy expenditure in sports that cannot be interpreted from LA or HR measures alone. Portable RGEM systems provide valuable assessment of under- or over-estimation of requirements of sports and assist in the optimization and interpretation of training in athletes. Electronic Publication     

Relationship Between Architecture and Adhesion in Polyurethane‐Based Copolymers, 2

Summary: This study describes the chain extension, with polycaprolactone diols, of polyurethane‐graft‐poly(butyl acrylate)s which were first prepared by the step growth polymerization of a mixture of diphenylmethane‐4,4′‐diisocyanate (MDI) and α,α′‐dihydroxyl‐poly(butyl acrylate)s. The success of the chain extension reaction was studied and confirmed by ¹H NMR, SEC and DSC analysis. The incorporation of polycaprolactone sequences in the polyurethane chains modified their specific adhesive properties, bringing cohesion to the material, as demonstrated by tack measurements.

PUR‐graft‐PBA extended with PCL.     

Evaluation of two chromogenic agar media for recovery and identification of Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants

To identify the most rapid and reliable technique for recovery and identification of Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants (SCVs), the colonial appearance of 106 isolates representing SCVs and the normal phenotype were evaluated on two newly described chromogenic agar media. Although almost all of the SCVs grew on the chromogenic agar media, they did not exhibit a change of color. In comparison with conventional media, S. aureus ID agar (SAID; bioMerieux, La Balme Les Grottes, France) showed the most reliable results, with 49 of 53 SCVs tested growing either as an SCV colony or with a normal phenotype after only 24 h of incubation. Growth of SCVs was often not detected before 72 h of incubation on some of the media tested. In conclusion, the most accurate and rapid method to detect both the species S. aureus and the SCV phenotype is to inoculate specimens onto both Columbia blood agar and SAID.     

Continuing medical education for life: eight principles.

Continuing medical education (CME) is being pressured to change in response to increasing and changing educational needs of practicing physicians, fostered by technical innovations, evolution of practice styles, and the reorganization of health care delivery. Leadership in the reform of CME falls primarily to the medical specialty societies in light of their traditional responsibilities for accrediting CME and maintaining professional standards. To address the need for reform, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1997 organized a conference to assemble CME program administrators from several medical specialties and academicians with expertise in postgraduate learning. At the conference, issues facing CME were examined. The authors, who were conference participants, state and explain eight principles that emerged from conference discussions. (For example: "Educational activities should be supportive of and coordinated with the transition to evidence-based medicine.") The principles reflect the interspecialty and interdisciplinary consensus achieved by the conference participants and can serve as useful guideposts for educators as they work to improve CME in their institutions. The authors conclude by noting the need for a more systematic and rigorously analytic approach, where CME content is determined according to assessed needs and CME is evaluated by measuring outcomes; for this to happen, CME educators and faculty must be brought up to date through training, including the use of problem-based learning. CME must also instill collegiality, interaction, and collaboration into the learning environment instead of being a solitary learning activity. Finally, CME must not only emphasize the acquisition of knowledge but also instruct physicians in the process of decision making to help them better use their knowledge as they make clinical judgments.     

Evidence for thiocyanate-sensitive peroxidase activity in human saliva.

A procedure was developed for determining the relative levels of lactoperoxidase, leukocyte myeloperoxidase, and thiocyanate-sensitive peroxidase in human saliva. With this procedure, most of the peroxidase activity in whole saliva from normal (those without cancer) subjects was found to be associated with lactoperoxidase and thiocyanate-sensitive peroxidase, with only a minor contribution from leukocyte myeloperoxidase. In contrast, thiocyanate-sensitive peroxidase and leukocyte myeloperoxidase were the major peroxidase activities present in the residual salivary secretion obtainable from two xerostomic patients examined, and these enzymes were present at concentrations much higher than those normally occurring in human saliva. The occurrence of thiocyanate-sensitive peroxidase in saliva has not been previously reported and may represent either an additional peroxidase activity of saliva or a form of lactoperoxidase which is particularly sensitive to inhibition by thiocyanate.