Congruence Between Latent Class and K-Modes Analyses in the Identification of Oncology Patients With Distinct Symptom Experiences

Context

Risk profiling of oncology patients based on their symptom experience assists clinicians to provide more personalized symptom management interventions. Recent findings suggest that oncology patients with distinct symptom profiles can be identified using a variety of analytic methods.

RP-HPLC法测定β-司他夫定的有关物质

目的:建立了β-司他夫定原料有关物质的RP-HPLC测定方法和水解破坏制备系统适用性试验溶液方法。方法:采用Agilent 1100型高效液相色谱仪,使用SUPELCOSIL LC-18-DB(4.6 mm×250 mm,5μm)色谱柱,以0.01 mol·L-1醋酸铵溶液-乙腈(96.5∶3.5)和0.01 mol·L-1醋酸铵溶液-乙腈(75∶25)为流动相,梯度洗脱,检测波长254 nm,柱温25℃。结果:β-司他夫定和4种已知杂质及其他未知杂质均能达到有效分离;经水解破坏产生的α-司他夫定与β-司他夫定的分离度均达2.8;β-司他夫定、胸腺嘧啶、β-胸苷与5-O’-苯甲酰-司他夫定线性范围分别为0.51~26μg·m L-1(r=1.000)、0.13~27μg·m L-1(r=1.000)、0.50~25μg·m L-1(r=1.000)、1.7~6.3μg·m L-1(r=1.000),已知杂质胸腺嘧啶、β-胸苷与5-O’-苯甲酰-司他夫定的平均加样回收率(n=9)分别为102.8%(RSD=1.5%)、100.6%(RSD=0.9%)、101.9%(RSD=2.1%);β-司他夫定与3种已知杂质的最小检出量均在2.5 ng以下;经水解破坏制备的系统适用性溶液的重复性良好;供试品溶液在4℃下的30 h内基本稳定。结论:本方法灵敏、准确、可靠,专属性强,可用于β-司他夫定原料的有关物质测定。     

The pathology and treatment of interstitial pneumonitis in two infants with AIDS

Two infants with AIDS who presented with interstitial pneumonitis, failure to thrive, lymphadenopathy, and hypergammaglobulinemia have been studied. Antibody to human T-lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV-III) was identified by ELISA and Western blot analysis in serum samples from both patients. The T4/T8 ratios of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes in both patients were mildly decreased, with normal absolute numbers of lymphocytes and positive T4 cells. Lung biopsies from both patients demonstrated similar histopathologic features with features of lymphocytic interstitial infiltrates and accumulation of macrophages in the air spaces. Immunoperoxidase studies of the lung biopsy from 1 patient revealed that the lymphocytic infiltrate was composed predominantly of T cells of the T8 subset. Each patient was treated with prednisone, with improvement or resolution of pulmonary symptoms, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, and growth failure. Neither patient has had any opportunistic infections. One patient has been followed for more than 4 years and the other for 8 months.     

Endoglin, a TGF-beta receptor-associated protein, is expressed by smooth muscle cells in human atherosclerotic plaques

Endoglin is a transmembrane protein that is found in association with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily receptor complexes and has an expression pattern that appears to be restricted primarily to endothelial cells, activated macrophages, trophoblasts, and fibroblasts. Since mutations in endoglin have been shown to be linked to hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1, a disease manifested as vascular malformations characterized by excessive layers of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), the expression of endoglin was investigated in VSMC. In vivo, the majority of SMC in human atherosclerotic plaques expressed high levels of endoglin, while endoglin was not detected in SMC from samples of the normal arterial wall. In vitro studies demonstrate that human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) express the L-isoform of endoglin. Like endothelial cells, HASMC express endoglin protein as a dimer on the cell surface that binds TGF-beta1. In vitro, endoglin expression by HASMC is upregulated in response to TGF-beta1, suggesting that the presence of this factor in the atherosclerotic plaque might be responsible for the increased expression of endoglin. The demonstration of increased levels of endoglin in VSMC in human atherosclerotic plaques suggests a role for SMC endoglin in the maintenance of vascular integrity and in the response of the vessel wall to injury.     

A Phenotypic Approach for IUIS PID Classification and Diagnosis: Guidelines for Clinicians at the Bedside

The number of genetically defined Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PID) has increased exponentially, especially in the past decade. The biennial classification published by the IUIS PID expert committee is therefore quickly expanding, providing valuable information regarding the disease-causing genotypes, the immunological anomalies, and the associated clinical features of PIDs. These are grouped in eight, somewhat overlapping, categories of immune dysfunction. However, based on this immunological classification, the diagnosis of a specific PID from the clinician’s observation of an individual clinical and/or immunological phenotype remains difficult, especially for non-PID specialists. The purpose of this work is to suggest a phenotypic classification that forms the basis for diagnostic trees, leading the physician to particular groups of PIDs, starting from clinical features and combining routine immunological investigations along the way. We present 8 colored diagnostic figures that correspond to the 8 PID groups in the IUIS Classification, including all the PIDs cited in the 2011 update of the IUIS classification and most of those reported since.     

Corticobasal and ataxia syndromes widen the spectrum of C9ORF72 hexanucleotide expansion disease

Recently, a hexanucleotide (GGGGCC) repeat expansion in the first intron of C9ORF72 was reported as the cause of chromosome 9p21‐linked frontotemporal dementia‐amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD‐ALS). We here report the prevalence of the expansion in a hospital‐based cohort and associated clinical features indicating a wider clinical spectrum of C9ORF72 disease than previously described. We studied 280 patients previously screened for mutations in genes involved in early onset autosomal dominant inherited dementia disorders. A repeat‐primed polymerase chain reaction amplification assay was used to identify pathogenic GGGGCC expansions. As a potential modifier, confirmed cases were further investigated for abnormal CAG expansions in ATXN2. A pathogenic GGGGCC expansion was identified in a total of 14 probands. Three of these presented with atypical clinical features and were previously diagnosed with clinical olivopontocerebellar degeneration (OPCD), atypical Parkinsonian syndrome (APS) and a corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Further, the pathogenic expansion was identified in six FTD patients, four patients with FTD‐ALS and one ALS patient. All confirmed cases had normal ATXN2 repeat sizes. Our study widens the clinical spectrum of C9ORF72related disease and confirms the hexanucleotide expansion as a prevalent cause of FTD‐ALS disorders. There was no indication of a modifying effect of the ATXN2 gene.     

胃泌素对胃癌细胞SGC7901 Reg Ⅰ基因转录因子的效应

目的 探讨胃泌素对胃癌细胞SGC7901 Reg Ⅰ(Reg Ⅰ)基因转录因子的效应.方法 应用巢式PCR技术从胃癌细胞SGC7901基因组DNA扩增Reg Ⅰ基因启动子1414bp片段,将该片段插入pMD19-T载体,序列分析鉴定.应用随机引物法以地高辛分别标记1414bp及其HindⅢ酶切800bp和614bp片段,经灵敏度检测后,作为探针.应用Genomatix MatInspector在线分析软件分析Reg Ⅰ基因启动子1414bp片段的转录因子结合位点.分别以10-7 mol/L和10-8mol/L胃泌素G-17处理胃癌细胞SGC7901 48h,提取核蛋白.应用DNA-蛋白质印迹法(Southern blotting),分别以地高辛标记的1414bp、800bp和614bp片段为探针检测胃泌素对胃癌细胞SGC7901 Reg Ⅰ基因转录因子的效应.结果 1414bp探针可检测到20条蛋白主带.胃泌素孵育后,带型没有变化,但是一些条带的灰度值改变,带9、12、13、14、15和16的灰度值明显降低(P＜0.05);不同浓度胃泌素处理组之间上述6个条带的灰度值差异不明显(P＞0.05).614bp探针可检测到灰度值变化的6条主带中的带9、12和13,胃泌素处理后,此3条主带的灰度值明显降低(P＜0.05).800bp探针可检测到灰度值变化的6条主带中的带9、12和14,胃泌素处理后,仅带14的灰度值明显降低(P＜0.05).614bp和800bp探针均未检出带15和带16.结论 胃癌细胞SGC7901Reg Ⅰ基因表达由多个转录因子协同调控.降低几个转录因子的结合活性可能是胃泌素上调胃癌细胞SGC7901Reg Ⅰ基因表达的途径之一.     

乙型肝炎病毒对肝内TGF-β1/Smads信号通路的作用

 目的：探讨乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）对肝内TGF-β1蛋白表达及Smads信号通路的作用,为制定慢性乙肝肝纤维化临床治疗策略提供理论依据。方法：(1)运用免疫组化PV-6000法检测对照组和慢性乙肝组肝组织中TGF-β1、HBsAg和HBcAg的表达,并采用荧光定量PCR法测定慢性乙肝患者血清HBV DNA含量。(2)应用体外细胞培养技术培养HBV刺激的人肝星状细胞系LX-2细胞,Western blotting方法测定其细胞内TGF-β1、Smad3和Smad7的蛋白表达。结果：(1)慢性乙肝组肝组织内TGF-β1的表达高于对照组（P＜0.01）;肝内TGF-β1表达水平与血清HBV DNA含量呈正相关（P＜0.01）,且HBcAg阳性肝组织水平较高（P＜0.01）。(2)体外细胞学实验中,HBV刺激组LX-2细胞内TGF-β1和Smad3蛋白含量高于对照组和HBV+抗-TGF-β1组（P＜0.01）;Smad7蛋白表达差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论：(1)TGF-β1在慢性乙肝患者肝组织中的表达与血清HBV DNA含量及肝内HBcAg的表达有关。(2)在TGF-β1/Smads信号通路中,HBV致纤维化作用机制以Smad3的正性调控为主,Smad7的作用不明显。     

Tetracycline use in treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Inflammation Research - The purpose of the review was to synthesize the current literature regarding tetracyclines in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Using multiple databases, a systematic review...