Approaches to functional genomics: potential of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization--time of flight mass spectrometry combined with separation methods for the analysis of DNA in biological samples

MALDI-TOF MS has potential as a valuable technique in DNA mapping studies and may well be complementary to other approaches to DNA analysis such as gel electrophoresis and sequencing. This study used 2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) mixed with diammonium hydrogen citrate (DAHC) as the matrix. In addition, recent technical advances such as time lag focussing (TLF) and better selection of matrices (such as 3-hydroxypicolinic acid (3 HPA) and picolinic acid (PA)) extended the range of DNA fragments that can be studied by this approach. The following samples were investigated: Poly-T mixture (dT 15, 19, 20, 25, 74 and 75), plasmid pBR322 derived oligonucleotides (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 50 nucleotides long) and DNA fragments of 25, 36 and 37 base pairs corresponding to a fragment in the restriction map for the gene corresponding to the hexon protein of Adenovirus 2 and 5. The results were contrasted with similar analyses performed by ion-paired reversed-phase HPLC coupled to on-line electrospray mass spectrometry.     

Bone-particle-impregnated bone cement: an in vivo weight-bearing study

To evaluate an experimental inorganic-bone-particle-impregnated bone cement, canine hip prostheses were implanted in dogs using a regular bone cement on one side and the experimental bone cement on the other. In a preliminary feasibility study, bone ingrowth into the resorbed bone-particle spaces was established 3 months after implantation in three dogs. In a more detailed study, twenty-eight (28) dogs were divided in four groups to delineate the effects of time on the phenomena of bony ingrowth. One month after implantation, active bone ingrowth into the bone cement was obvious. By 3 months postimplantation, the ingrowth appeared to have traversed the thickness of the bone-particle-impregnated cement. By the fifth month, most of the interconnected inorganic bone particles were replaced by new bone. At the end of a year, the ingrown bone was mature and negligible new bone activity was present. Biomechanical pushout tests closely corroborated the histologic observations. The maximum shear strength of the cement/bone interface of the experimental side reached 3.6 times that of the control side at 5 months postimplantation. No further improvements were seen at 12 months postimplantation. A viable bone/cement interface may result in a better orthopedic implant fixation system by combining the advantages of both cement for immediate rigidity and biological ingrowth for longterm stability.     

The lack of effect of histamine on spontaneous activity in the isolated human myometrium

The effects of histamine on the spontaneous activity of the isolated human myometrium were studied. Both the frequency and force of contractions of the muscle strips were not significantly altered by histamine. The presence of either a histamine H₁-or H₂-receptor antagonist in the organ bath did not significantly change the responses of the uterine muscle to histamine. These findings suggest that histamine has negligible effects on the human myometrium, possibly due to the absence, or paucity, of histamine receptors.     

一种自动优选标准型股骨柄的方法

髋关节置换手术中采用标准型假体时,术前只能大致选取假体,术中还要预备多个假体,往往手术时间增长。为了解决这一问题,本文提出一种利用计算机优选标准型髋关节假体的方法。从X线片中获取患者股骨解剖数据。利用这些解剖数据和股骨近端截面平均数据库三维重建患者股骨近端,重建出的股骨近端模型使优选标准假体成为可能。理论分析表明,该方法切实可行。     

Association of genetic polymorphism in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene with endometrial hypoplasia in infertile women

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) polymorphisms and endometrial hypoplasia in infertile women. METHODS: The study was conducted in 105 primary infertile patients with endometrial hypoplasia diagnosed by pathology and the thickness of endometrium by B-mode ultrasound and 85 controls who were not pregnant and had normal fertility. The -675 4G/5G polymorphism in the PAI-1 gene was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymerphim analysis. RESULTS: The frequencies of 4G/4G genotype and 4G allele of the PAI-1 gene were higher in the patient group (48.6% and 66.2%) than in the normal controls (22.4% and 47.1%) (P < 0.01). ThePAI-1 4G/4G genotype was significantly associated with endometrial hypoplasia in the infertile patients (OR=4.9, 95% CI: 2.10-10.12). CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that the 4G/5G polymorphism of the PAI-1 gene was associated with endometrial hypoplasia in infertile patients.     

乳腺髓样癌的超声检查与组织病理的相关性分析

目的:探讨超声检查在诊断乳腺典型髓样癌中的临床意义。方法:按严格的病理诊断学标准将病例重新分类为乳腺典型髓样癌和非典型髓样癌,比较两者间声像学特征的异同。结果:32例中有13侧重新诊断为乳腺典型髓样癌;另外19例为非典型髓样癌。13例典型髓样癌患者中的10例边界整齐光滑;全部19例非典型髓样癌病人没有一例边界光滑,或者边界呈锯齿状(16例),或者边界光滑伴局部不规则(3例)。非典型与典型髓样癌间肿瘤边界的规则性有明显的差异。结论:如果超声检查提示肿瘤边界呈锯齿状或肿瘤边界光滑伴局部不规则,应行整个肿瘤的病理评估防止典型髓样癌的过诊断。     

Study of the mechanism of essential garlic oil inhibiting lnterleukin-1 α-induced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells

Objective  

To observe the effects of essential garlic oil (EGO) on vascular cell adhesive molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression of endothelial cells and monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion rate induced by interleukin-l_α(IL-l_α).     

Systematic review and network meta-analysis assess the comparative efficacy and safety of transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumor

Neurosurgical Review - To quantitatively synthesize the comparative efficacy and safety of the most common surgical approaches including endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery (ETES),...     

Clinicopathological characteristics,prognosis, and chemosensitivity in patients with metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma

PurposeTo investigate the clinical characteristics, chemosensitivity, and outcome of metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).Patients and MethodsRecords of patients with metastatic UTUC since January 2005 were retrieved from a database that included clinical and survival data. Statistical analyses including survival and multivariate analyses of factors were respectively performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model.ResultsA total of 250 consecutive UTUC cases were evaluated. There were 56 patients (22.4%) with initially diagnosed stage IV disease. The most common metastatic sites were lung (39.6%), distant lymph nodes (39.2%), bone (19.6%), liver (18.0%), and adrenal gland (7.2%), respectively, and the local recurrence rate was 10.4%. Two hundred thirteen patients received first-line chemotherapy. The overall response rate was only 28.7% and the median progression-free survival time was only 5.0 months. The overall survival time of the cohort was 18.0 months. Multivariate analyses showed that initially diagnosed stage IV disease, number of metastatic organs ≥3, no response to chemotherapy and cycles of chemotherapy ≤2 were adverse prognosticators for overall survival.ConclusionUTUC presented to be more prone to metastasize than locally recur and thought to have low chemosensitivity. Stage IV disease at initial diagnosis, number of metastatic organs, response and cycles of chemotherapy were independent prognosticators for metastatic UTUC.