Loss of heterozygosity and allelic imbalance in apocrine metaplasia of the breast: microdissection microsatellite analysis

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and allelic imbalance (AI) at loci reported to show allele loss and/or imbalance in preinvasive and invasive breast cancer were examined in 41 cases of apocrine metaplasia (APM) of the breast using a microdissection technique, polymorphic microsatellite markers, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Occasional examples of LOH and/or AI were identified in 2/28 (7.1%) informative cases at 1p (MYCL1), 2/14 (14.3%) at 11q (INT2), 1/15 (6.7%) at 13q (D13S267), 3/22 (13.6%) at 16q (D16S539), 2/23 (8.7%) at 17p (TP53), and 1/11 (9.1%) at 17p (D17S513) and 3/16 (18.8%) at 17q (D17S250). The finding of LOH/AI in cases of APM indicates that a subset of APM appears clonal, but the significance of allelic loss or imbalance in the pathogenesis of APM or its possible subsequent progression to carcinoma is not yet clear and requires further investigation. Clinical follow-up of these particular cases of APM showing LOH/AI would be of further value.     

Acute-phase proteins and oxidative stress biomarkers in water buffalo calves subjected to transportation stress

The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of the transportation stress on water buffalo calves. A total of 50 buffalo calves (8?±?1 months old, 165?±?13 kg) were assigned to one of two equal groups; the first group represented clinically healthy non-transported calves (control non-transported group; n?=?25) whereas calves of the second group were subjected to transportation (transported group; n?=?25). Blood samples were collected from control non-transported calves and from transported calves immediately after unloading (post-transportation). The present findings indicated that the examined hematological and biochemical parameters were not significantly (P?≤?0.05) changed in transported calves when compared with the control non-transported group. Furthermore, serum concentration of the investigated acute-phase proteins (APP) namely, haptoglobin (0.37?±?0.01), serum amyloid A (75.43?±?2.11), and fibrinogen (7.51?±?0.25) were significantly (P?≤?0.05) higher in transported calves when compared with control calves (0.1?±?0.01 g/l, 23.9?±?0.56 mg/l, and 4.2?±?0.16 g/l), respectively. Lipid peroxidation represented as malonaldhyde (56.78?±?3.42) was higher significantly (P?≤?0.05), whereas antioxidant biomarkers in the form of nitric oxide (17.68?±?0.89) levels, and activities of superoxide dismutase (7.37?±?0.53) and reduced glutathione (5.25?±?0.95) were lower significantly (P?≤?0.05) in the serum of transported calves when all were compared with the control group (24.68?±?0.19 nmol/g Hb, 21.80?±?0.24 mmol/ml, 9.24?±?0.1 U/g Hb, and 7.23?±?0.21 mmol/l), respectively. Conclusively, the present study demonstrated that transportation were significantly enough to trigger changes in APP and oxidative stress biomarkers in buffalo calves.     

Transient heating of expressed breast milk up to 65°C inactivates HIV‐1 in milk: A simple,rapid, and cost‐effective method to prevent postnatal transmission

The postnatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from mothers to children occurs through breastfeeding. Although heat treatment of expressed breast milk is a promising approach to make breastfeeding safer, it is still not popular, mainly because the recommended procedures are difficult to follow, or time‐consuming, or because mothers do not know which temperature is sufficient to inactivate HIV without destroying the nutritional elements of milk. To overcome these drawbacks, a simple and rapid method of heat treatment that a mother could perform with regular household materials applying her day‐to‐day art of cooking was examined. This structured experiment has demonstrated that both cell‐free and cell‐associated HIV type 1 (HIV‐1) in expressed breast milk could be inactivated once the temperature of milk reached 65°C. Furthermore, a heating method as simple as heating the milk in a pan over a stove to 65°C inhibited HIV‐1 transmission retaining milk's nutritional key elements, for example, total protein, IgG, IgA, and vitamin B₁₂. This study has highlighted a simple, handy, and cost‐effective method of heat treatment of expressed breast milk that mothers infected with HIV could apply easily and with more confidence. J. Med. Virol. 85:187–193, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Field evaluation of an area repellent system (Thermacell) against Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) and Ochlerotatus caspius (Diptera: Culicidae) in Sanliurfa Province, Turkey

A field evaluation of a new area repellent system, Thermacell Mosquito Repellent (TMR, cis-trans allethrin), was conducted against phlebotomine sand flies and mosquitoes in Cunpolat village, Sanliurfa Province, in southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, an area historically endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis and high sand fly populations. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy, duration of protection, and spatial characteristics of protection (downwind distance from point of release), of the TMR. Twelve adult volunteers (nine in the treatment and three controls) made collections from ankle to knee for 25 min every hour from 2100 to 0300 on six consecutive nights in August 2002. Treatment consisted of placing a TMR unit at the middle of the village and then placing human bait collectors at 2.3, 4.6, and 7.6 m away from the repellent unit. Results from the field tests showed highly significant protection provided by the TMR from attack by Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) (P < 0.001) and Ochlerotatus caspius (Pallas) (P < 0.001) for up to 4 h postapplication. In the six nights that tests were done, a total of 949 sand flies and 1095 mosquitoes were collected from the untreated control sites. Only 86 sand flies and 83 mosquitoes were collected at all distances from the places treated with TMR. These results indicated that reduction in sand fly and mosquito biting rates in treated groups ranged from 87.5 to 97.7% (mean protection 92%) and 90.2-97.4% (mean protection 93%), respectively. The percentage reduction values were maintained above 90.0% for 6 h of the assessment period. Overall, the number of bites by the cutaneous leishmaniasis vector Ph. papatasi and also Oc. caspius was reduced > 11-fold and 13-fold, respectively, by the TMR.     

The FOUR Score Predicts Mortality,Endotracheal Intubation and ICU Length of Stay After Traumatic Brain Injury

Background

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most widely accepted scale for assessing levels of consciousness, clinical status, as well as prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. The Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) score is a new coma scale developed addressing the limitations of the GCS. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to compare the performance of the FOUR score vs. the GCS in predicting TBI outcomes.

Methods

From April to July 2011, 60 consecutive adult patients with TBI admitted to the Alexandria Main University Hospital intensive care units (ICU) were enrolled in the study. GCS and FOUR score were documented on arrival to emergency room. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, unfavorable outcome [Glasgow outcome scale extended (GOSE) 1–4], endotracheal intubation, and ICU length of stay (LOS).

Results

Fifteen (25 %) patients died and 35 (58 %) had unfavorable outcome. When predicting mortality, the FOUR score showed significantly higher area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) than the GCS score (0.850 vs. 0.796, p = 0.025). The FOUR score and the GCS score were not different in predicting unfavorable outcome (AUC 0.813 vs. 0.779, p = 0.136) and endotracheal intubation (AUC 0.961 vs. 0.982, p = 0.06). Both scores were good predictors of ICU LOS (r ² = 0.40 [FOUR score] vs. 0.41 [GCS score]).

Conclusions

The FOUR score was superior to the GCS in predicting in-hospital mortality in TBI patients. There was no difference between both scores in predicting unfavorable outcome, endotracheal intubation, and ICU LOS.     

Increased Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio is Associated with Unfavorable Functional Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Neurocritical Care - Inflammatory response is the hallmark of secondary brain injury in stroke patients. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) emerged as a marker for functional outcome in several...     

The role of MRS in the differentiation of benign and malignant soft tissue and bone tumors

Objective

The aim of our study was to investigate the value of choline in the discrimination of benign and malignant soft tissue and bone tumors.

Materials and methods

The study group consisted of thirty subjects with bone or soft tissue tumors larger than 1.5 cm in diameter. The experiments were performed in a 1.5 T MR scanner. Coils were selected according to specific locations. A single-voxel MRS was performed for three different TE (time to echo) (31, 136, 272 ms). The volume of interest was positioned on the brightest enhancement. The presence of a cholin peak on at least 2 of these spectrums was considered as the marker of malignancy. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the MRS in the detection and diagnosis of malignant lesions were calculated. The reproducibility of MRS and histopathological results were tested with kappa statistics.

Results

Histopathologically, 18 (60%) of the lesions were classed as malignant whereas 12 (40%) were classed as benign. With MRS, 15 (50%) of these lesions were classed as malignant and 15 (50%) as benign. Two patients who were found spectroscopically to have malignant tumors were shown histopathologically to have benign types. Five patients with an MRS showing a benign type were classed with malignant types in histopathological examinations. MRS had a sensitivity rate of 72.2%, specificity of 83.3%, and an accuracy rate of 76.6% in detecting malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. The interrater reliability of both techniques had a kappa value of 0.533.

Conclusions

MRS may help in the differentiation of benign and malignant soft tissue and bone tumors.