Effect of vitamin E on chromosomal aberrations in lymphocytes from patients with Down's syndrome

A possible protective effect of vitamin E (DL-alpha-tocopherol) on chromosomal damage was evaluated in lymphocytes from patients with Down's syndrome (DS) and from controls. This included the analysis of the basal and G2 chromosomal aberration frequencies in lymphocytes cultured with and without 100 microM vitamin E. The chromosomal damage in G2 was determined by scoring the number of chromosomal aberrations in lymphocyte cultures treated with 5 mM caffeine, 2 h before harvesting. Vitamin E treatment decreased the basal and G2 chromosomal aberrations both in control and DS lymphocytes. In DS cells, this protective effect, expressed as a decrease in the chromosomal damage, was greater (50%) than in controls (30%). These results suggest that the increment in basal and G2 aberrations yield in DS lymphocytes may be related to the increase in oxidative damage reported in these patients.     

Claeys MJ,Bosmans JM,Hendrix J,Vrints CJ. Reliability of fractional flow reserve measurements in patients with associated microvascular dysfunction: Importance of flow on translesional pressure gradient. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2001;54:427–434

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions; 2002; 54(4) 427–434     

Arguments in favor of HPV testing for cervical screening and post-treatment CIN2+ monitoring

Several studies have shown that the human papilloma virus (HPV) test is a more sensitive and objective primary cervical cancer screening tool than cytology. Therefore, conversion of cytology into HPV screening (as is planned in The Netherlands and some other European regions) will result in a better protection against cervical cancer and high-grade precursor lesions. Moreover, offering self-sampling for HPV testing will increase screening attendance by re-attracting former non-attendees. However, triage of HPV positive women is necessary because the specificity of HPV testing is 2–4% lower than of cytology. Several triage strategies have been evaluated, of which two, with cytology testing included, are feasible and were recently recommended. As an alternative for cytology triage, objective, non-morphological disease markers are upcoming and so far have shown promising results. Finally, HPV testing can also contribute to a more efficient monitoring of women treated for high-grade cervical precursor lesions, permitting fewer follow-up visits.