Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) correlations with cystatin C, serum creatinine and eGFR in patients with normal serum creatinine undergoing coronary angiography.

Sir, Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a memberof the lipocalin family, is readily excreted and detected inurine, due to its small molecular size (25 kDa) and resistanceto degradation. NGAL is highly accumulated in the human kidneycortical tubules, blood and urine, after nephrotoxic and ischaemicinjuries [1]. Thus, NGAL might represent an early, sensitive,non-invasive biomarker for acute renal injury [2], and urinaryNGAL might serve as an early marker for ischaemic renal injuryin children after cardiopulmonary bypass [3]. On the other hand,serum cystatin C was proposed as a new marker of glomerularfiltration rate (GFR), even in chronic kidney disease [4]. CystatinC has a low molecular weight (13 kDa) and is freely filtered     

Occupation and breast cancer risk in Polish women: a population-based case-control study

BACKGROUND: The etiology of breast cancer is not well understood and the role of occupational exposures in breast carcinogenesis is still uncertain. METHODS: The population-based case-control study included 2,386 incident breast cancer cases diagnosed in 2000-2003, and 2,502 controls. Lifetime occupational histories and information on other potential breast cancer risk factors were obtained through personal interviews. Conditional logistic regression analyses calculated odds ratios (ORs) associated with various occupations and industries after control for potential confounders. RESULTS: We found statistically significant excesses of breast cancer among engineers (OR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.0-3.8), economists (2.1; 1.1-3.8), sales occupations-retail (1.2; 1.0-1.5), and other sales occupations (1.2; 1.0-1.5). Industries showing significantly elevated risks included special trade contractors (2.2; 1.2-4.3), electronic and electric equipment manufacturers (1.7; 1.1-2.7); and public administration/general government n.e.c. (2.7; 1.3-5.7). Each of these findings was supported by a statistically significant positive trend for duration of employment (P<0.05). A decreased breast cancer risk was observed in janitors and cleaners (0.7; 0.5-0.8). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found few associations for breast cancer and occupations or industries. The suggestive findings for the electronic and electric equipment manufacturing industry and for the occupations with potential exposure to magnetic fields deserve further evaluation.     

Incidental Chest Radiographic Findings in Adult Patients With Acute Cough

PURPOSE

Imaging may produce unexpected or incidental findings with consequences for patients and ordering of future investigations. Chest radiography in patients with acute cough is among the most common reasons for imaging in primary care, but data on associated incidental findings are lacking. We set out to describe the type and prevalence of incidental chest radiography findings in primary care patients with acute cough.

METHODS

We report on data from a cross-sectional study in 16 European primary care networks on 3,105 patients with acute cough, all of whom were undergoing chest radiography as part of a research study workup. Apart from assessment for specified signs of pneumonia and acute bronchitis, local radiologists were asked to evaluate any additional finding on the radiographs. For the 2,823 participants with good-quality chest radiographs, these findings were categorized according to clinical relevance based on previous research evidence and analyzed for type and prevalence by network, sex, age, and smoking status.

RESULTS

Incidental findings were reported in 19% of all participants, and ranged from 0% to 25% by primary care network, with the network being an independent contributor (P <.001). Of all participants 3% had clinically relevant incidental findings. Suspected nodules and shadows were reported in 1.8%. Incidental findings were more common is older participants and smokers (P <. 001).

CONCLUSIONS

Clinically relevant incidental findings on chest radiographs in primary care adult patients with acute cough are uncommon, and prevalence varies by setting.Key words: cough, lung/radiography, primary care, incidental findings     

Psychometric Validation of the Sexual Function Questionnaire in Poland

Questionnaires diagnosing sexual dysfunctions in women are important tools which can facilitate the diagnosis and therapy of individual female patients. The study is aimed at the adaptation of the Sexual Function Questionnaire, which was designed by Frances H. Quirk and associates for the American population, to Polish conditions (Quirk et al. in J Sex Med 4:469–77, 1). The study group consisted of 143 women aged 20–68 who were receiving gynaecological care and displayed various types of sexual dysfunction (e.g. female sexual arousal disorder, female orgasmic disorder, dyspareunia), or none of those. The good psychometric quality of the Sexual Function Questionnaire has been confirmed with the following results: convergent validity r_s=0.62, p<0.01, construct validity was estimated by Principal Component Analysis with the promax rotation method. The 7 factors together explained 80.7% of total variance, and a reliability of 0.97 for the whole test, with that for particular domains ranging from 0.62 to 0.96 (estimated with Cronbach’s alpha). The obtained results are mostly consistent with results from studies conducted by the authors of the Questionnaire in the United States, and with the adaptation study carried out in Iran. There are, however, some differences in the assignment of questions to particular domains, as well as in the names of the domains.     

Comparison of treatment results between holmium laser endourethrotomy and optical internal urethrotomy for urethral stricture

Purpose

We comparatively evaluated urethral stricture (US) treatment outcomes, efficacy and complications, using either holmium laser endourethrotomy (HLU) or optical internal urethrotomy (OIU) since studies such as this are scarce in literature.

Methods

During 2003?C2008, 50 men aged 17?C78?years were operated on for primary or refractory US, 32 (64%) and 18 (36%) patients, respectively. The average stricture length was 1.86?cm. Strictures were single or multiple, forty-one (82%) and nine (18%) patients, respectively, and were located in the anterior or posterior urethra in 27 (54%) and 32 (64%) patients, respectively. US were iatrogenic in 32 (64%) and idiopathic in 18 (36%). Patients were divided into two groups, grpA and grpB, each containing 25 patients who were treated using either HLU or OIU, respectively. An evaluation scale of 1?C3 was adopted and took maximum flow rate (Q_max), postvoid residual (PVR), and quality of life (QL) into consideration. A score of ??1 was very good, ??2 was good, and ??3 was poor.

Results

Treatment results were evaluated after 3, 6, and 12?months, respectively. Evaluation of grpA was as follows: five (20%), nine (36%), and seven (28%) patients scored a ??1; thirteen (52%), nine (20%), and four (16%) patients scored a ??2; and seven (28%), eleven (44%), and fourteen (56%) patients scored a ??3. Evaluation of grpB: seven (28%), ten (40%), and five (20%) patients scored a ??1; eleven (44%), seven (28%), and ten (40%) patients scored a ??2; and seven (28%), eight (32%), and ten (40%) patients scored a ??3.

Conclusions

Neither complication rate nor degree of efficacy between HLU and OIU for US revealed a significant difference. We found both laser and conventional urethrotomies to be safe and effective modes of treatment.     

The Influence of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin on Tumor Necrosis Factor α and Interleukin-10 Production by Whole Blood Cell Cultures in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract: Impaired immunological response in hemodialysis (HD) patients, which leads to inappropriate cytokine production, is partially caused by the hyperstimulation of both T lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages. Recent data suggest that human recombinant erythropoietin (rhEPO) may have an immunological action. The goal of our study was to estimate the influence of rhEPO treatment on the production of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and antiinflammatory cytokin interleukin-10 (IL-10) in 10 HD patients receiving rhEPO for 6 months. The levels of cytokines were measured in the in vitro cultures of whole blood. The level of IL-10 increased in all treated patients during the therapy, and it was accompanied by a transitory decrease of TNFα. The results of our studies suggest that rhEPO may reduce the inflammatory process by decreasing production of TNF α and increasing production of IL-10.     

Qualitative and quantitative study of the postnatal development of the rabbit claustrum

The morphometric analysis of changes occurring in the rabbit claustrum in the early postnatal period was performed by means of unbiased stereological methods. Material consisted of 40 animals aged from P2 to P180 (P-postnatal day) divided into eight groups. The volume of the claustrum, total number and numerical density of its neurons change very rapidly at the beginning of the postnatal life and stabilize by about the fourth week.From the 21st postnatal day distribution and morphology of neurons correspond to that in adults. Almost from the beginning of the postnatal life the rabbit claustrum is composed of three different parts: anterior, central and posterior. The anterior part is the largest and it consists mainly of fusiform, pyramidal and multipolar neurons. The central part is generally composed of oval neurons. The posterior part is the smallest; the distribution of its neuronal types is similar to that in the anterior one.Rapid morphological changes of the claustrum and its neurons occurring during the first postnatal month seem to point out that this structure is able to fulfill its physiological role after this critical period.     

Hexosaminidase as a new potential marker for middle ear cholesteatoma

OBJECTIVES: The study aim was to investigate the activities of hexosaminidase (HEX) in cholesteatoma tissue compared with that in normal skin. DESIGN AND METHODS: The enzyme activities were determined using the Chatterjee et al. method in the modification of Zwierz et al. in cholesteatoma and skin. RESULTS: Significantly higher activity of hexosaminidase was observed in cholesteatoma tissue compared with the skin. CONCLUSIONS: Hex may be considered as a new pathogenetic factor in that destructive lesion.