Bone mineral densities in individuals with Gilbert’s syndrome: A cross-sectional,case-control pilot study

BACKGROUND

Unconjugated bilirubin inhibits osteoblastic proliferative activity in vitro, raising the possibility that Gilbert’s syndrome (GS) patients are at increased risk of osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVES

To compare bone mineral density (BMD), serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), C-telopeptide (CTX) and osteocalcin levels in GS subjects versus matched controls in a cross-sectional, case-control study.

METHODS

BMD determinations were obtained with central dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Serum PTH, CTX and osteocalcin levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay.

RESULTS

A total of 17 GS and 30 control subjects were studied. Overall, there were no significant differences in BMD, PTH, CTX or osteocalcin levels between the two groups. However, when older (older than 40 years of age) and younger (40 years of age and younger) cohorts were considered separately, the older GS cohort had significantly decreased total hip BMD, T scores and Z scores, and femoral neck BMD, T scores and Z scores (P<0.005 for each parameter, respectively) compared with older control subjects. Serum osteocalcin levels were lower in the older versus younger GS cohort (P=0.006). An inverse correlation existed between all subjects’ serum unconjugated bilirubin levels and total body BMD determinations (r=−0.42; P=0.04). On univariate analysis, the association between serum unconjugated bilirubin and total body BMD was not significant (P=0.066), nor was serum unconjugated bilirubin identified as a risk factor for low BMD when entered into multivariate analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present pilot study warrant further research involving larger numbers of subjects and longitudinal measurements to determine whether GS is associated with decreased BMD, particularly in older GS subjects.     

The Pain That Binds Us: Midwives’ Experiences of Loss and Adverse Outcomes Around the World

Although much has been written about helping women and their families cope with loss related to childbearing, little exists in the literature to guide and support the midwives who witness these losses. We conducted qualitative interviews globally with 22 midwives from nations located on six different continents to begin exploring common themes of experiences and coping methods of midwives involved in adverse perinatal outcomes. The concept of critical incident stress (CIS) is presented as a framework for understanding practitioner reactions that occur after adverse outcomes. Implications for practice, education, and continued research are addressed.     

Review of Growth Inhibitory Peptide as a Biotherapeutic agent for tumor growth,adhesion, and metastasis

This review surveys the biological activities of an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) derived peptide termed the Growth Inhibitory Peptide (GIP), which is a synthetic 34 amino acid segment produced from the full length 590 amino acid AFP molecule. The GIP has been shown to be growth-suppressive in both fetal and tumor cells but not in adult terminally-differentiated cells. The mechanism of action of this peptide has not been fully elucidated; however, GIP is highly interactive at the plasma membrane surface in cellular events such as endocytosis, cell contact inhibition and cytoskeleton-induced cell shape changes. The GIP was shown to be growth-suppressive in nine human tumor types and to suppress the spread of tumor infiltrates and metastases in human and mouse mammary cancers. The AFP-derived peptide and its subfragments were also shown to inhibit tumor cell adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and to block platelet aggregation; thus it was expected that the GIP would inhibit cell spreading/migration and metastatic infiltration into host tissues such as lung and pancreas. It was further found that the cyclic versus linear configuration of GIP determined its biological and anti-cancer efficacy. Genbank amino acid sequence identities with a variety of integrin alpha/beta chain proteins supported the GIP's linkage to inhibition of tumor cell adhesion and platelet aggregation. The combined properties of tumor growth suppression, prevention of tumor cell-to-ECM adhesion, and inhibition of platelet aggregation indicate that tumor-to-platelet interactions present promising targets for GIP as an anti-metastatic agent. Finally, based on cholinergic studies, it was proposed that GIP could influence the enzymatic activity of membrane acetylcholinesterases during tumor growth and metastasis. It was concluded that the GIP derived from full-length AFP represents a growth inhibitory motif possessing instrinsic properties that allow it to interfere in cell surface events such as adhesion, migration, metastasis, and aggregation of tumor cells.     

IRIDIUM exposure increases c-fos expression in the mouse brain only at levels which likely result in tissue heating.

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology over the last 20 years, there has been some public concern over possible health effects of long-term, low-level radiofrequency exposure from cellular telephones. As an initial step in compiling a database for risk analysis by government agencies, the effects of 1-h exposure of mice to a 1.6-GHz radiofrequency signal, given as either a continuous wave or pulse modulated at 11 Hz with a duty cycle of 4:1 and a pulse duration of 9.2 ms IRIDIUM), on c-fos gene expression in the brain was investigated. The IRIDIUM signal is the operating frequency for a ground-to-satellite-to-ground cellular communications web which has recently become fully operational, and was named as such due to the original designed employment of the same number of low orbiting satellites as there are electrons orbiting the nucleus of an iridium atom. The expression of c-fos was not significantly elevated in the brains of mice until exposure levels exceeded six times the peak dose and 30 times the whole body average dose as maximal cellular telephone exposure limits in humans. Higher level exposure using either continuous wave (analog) or IRIDIUM signals elevated c-fos to a similar extent, suggesting no obvious pulsed modulation-specific effects. The pattern of c-fos elevation in limbic cortex and subcortex areas at higher exposure levels is most consistent with a stress response due to thermal perception coupled with restraint and/or neuron activity near thermoregulatory regions, and not consistent with any direct interaction of IRIDIUM energy with brain tissue.     

构建招收飞行员基本认知能力预测学业成绩的模型

目的：通过空军招收飞行员心理品质检测第一平台的基本认知能力测验,建立学生学业成绩的预测模型,提前淘汰高考成绩不良的学生,以节省开支. 方法：①实验1：采用完全随机设计的方法,于2005-12选取西安市某部队院校入校3个月的854名大学生,进行加法计算、比较刻度、找特殊图形、组合图形、填写数据、识符检数、判别方向、选词配对、找规律填数等9项基本能力测试,利用Pearson相关分析,选出与学业成绩显著相关的4项测验.②实验2：2006-12选取与实验1不同部队院校的2006级入校3个月的200名大学生,进行4项选定的测验,通过SPSS 12.0统计软件包进行多元回归分析最终建立预测学业成绩的基本认知能力模型,并分析其预测效度. 结果：①实验1结果：选定的4项能力测试与学业成绩的相关分别是：加法计算X1（r=0.233）、找特殊图形X2（r=0.226）、填写数据X3（r=0.100）、选词配对X4（r=0.176）.②实验2结果：最终建立的预测方程是Y=532.75＋1.001X1＋1.247X3＋1.257X4,它能解释学业成绩中13.0%的变异. 结论：基本认知能力测验能预测学业成绩,并且能达到较好的效度,可以应用到飞行员选拔的实际中.     

马缨丹叶的化学成分研究

自马缨丹(Lantana camara L.)叶中分离到六个化合物。经光谱(UV,IR,MS,¹HNMR,¹³CNMR)和化学分析,分别鉴定为齐墩果酮酸(oleanonic acid,Ⅰ),马缨丹甲素(lantadene A,Ⅱ),马缨丹乙素(lantadene B,Ⅲ),lantanilic acid(Ⅳ),icterogenin(Ⅴ)和4′,5-二羟基-3,7-二甲氧基黄酮-4′-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖甙(4′,5-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone-4′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside,Ⅵ)。Ⅵ是新化合物,命名为马缨丹黄酮甙(camaroside)。