Parent Support Programmes for Families Who are Immigrants: A Scoping Review

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Parental support is of paramount importance in the promotion of positive parenting, strengthening parenthood and protecting children from disadvantages...     

Protroca: A Noninterventional Study on Prophylactic Lipegfilgrastim against Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia in Nonselected Breast Cancer Patients

BackgroundProtroca evaluated the efficacy and safety of primary and secondary prophylaxis of neutropenia with lipegfilgrastim (Lonquex®) in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy (CT).Patients and MethodsOf the 255 patients enrolled, 248 patients were evaluable for the intent-to-treat (ITT) and 194 patients for the per-protocol set. Primary and secondary end points after lipegfilgrastim treatment were assessed.ResultsNine patients of the ITT set receiving lipegfilgrastim as primary prophylaxis (n = 222) had febrile neutropenia of grade 3–4 (5 patients) or infection of grade 3–4 (4 patients); 1/26 of those receiving secondary prophylaxis had an event. Dose reductions were performed in 9.5% of the patients. Postponement of cancer CT cycles for >3 days occurred in <15% of patients; 10.8% (92/851 AEs) and 8% (2/25 SAEs) of documented adverse events and serious adverse events, respectively, were related to lipegfilgrastim.ConclusionsApplication of lipegfilgrastim was effective as primary and secondary prophylaxis in the prevention of CT-induced neutropenia in breast cancer.     

MIR204 n.37C>T variant as a cause of chorioretinal dystrophy variably associated with iris coloboma,early-onset cataracts and congenital glaucoma

Four members of a three-generation Czech family with early-onset chorioretinal dystrophy were shown to be heterozygous carriers of the n.37C>T in MIR204. The identification of this previously reported pathogenic variant confirms the existence of a distinct clinical entity caused by a sequence change in MIR204. Chorioretinal dystrophy was variably associated with iris coloboma, congenital glaucoma, and premature cataracts extending the phenotypic range of the condition. In silico analysis of the n.37C>T variant revealed 713 novel targets. Additionally, four family members were shown to be affected by albinism resulting from biallelic pathogenic OCA2 variants. Haplotype analysis excluded relatedness with the original family reported to harbour the n.37C>T variant in MIR204. Identification of a second independent family confirms the existence of a distinct MIR204-associated clinical entity and suggests that the phenotype may also involve congenital glaucoma.     

Vitrectomy for traction macular detachment in diabetic retinopathy

Background: A small number of eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy develop massive central fibrovascular membranes characterized by vitreoretinal tractions along the arcades and optic disk and retinal traction lines extending through the macula. The aim of our study was first to present the results of vitrectomy for removal of these central membranes and second to determine the correlation between preoperative parameters and postoperative visual outcome. Subjects and methods: We treated 28 eyes with severe central fibrovascular diabetic membranes by a modified bimanual en bloc excision technique during vitrectomy. Preoperative examination included general status, visual acuity, slit-lamp investigation, binocular funduscopy, ultrasound investigation and visual evoked potentials (VEP). Further, we analyzed intraoperative complications and postoperative anatomic and functional outcomes. Results: The retinas of 27 eyes with central traction retinal detachments were reattached by surgery. With a minimum of 6 months' follow-up, the macula remained attached in 24 eyes, while the retinas were completely attached in 22 eyes. Preoperative visual acuity was defective light perception to 0.1; an increase in visual acuity to maximal 0.1 was seen in 50% of the patients postoperatively. Preoperative visual acuity of light perception was associated with no functional improvement. Preoperative ultrasound investigation gave information about the real anatomic situation of the retina, especially if funduscopy was not possible. The other preoperative parameters could not predict correctly the functional outcome of vitrectomy in diabetics with severe central fibrovascular membranes because of the damage of the optic nerve and the retina. Conclusions: The high rate of anatomical rettachment after vitrectomy in diabetic eyes with severe central fibrovascular membranes is associated with a slight improvement of function; only preoperative visual acuity of hand motions or better was associated with an improvement of function.     

Studies of fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum from human skeletal muscle.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles were isolated from muscle biopsies of 4 normal volunteers, a patient with McArdle disease (before and during contracture), and a patient with normokalemic periodic paralysis. Fractions were analyzed for purity by electron microscopy and biochemical analysis of specific marker enzymes. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent calcium ion uptake was measured kinetically by the absorbence changes of murexide, a metallochromic indicator of ionized Ca++ concentrations, in the absence of oxalate or other calcium-complexing anions. In these experiments, time resolution of the Ca++ transport rate was limited by the manual mixing of reagents, which occurred in 1 to 3 seconds. In 1 case the "true" initial velocity of Ca++ uptake was measured by rapid mixing of ATP in a stopped-flow apparatus and by following the change in absorbence of murexide in a storage oscilloscope. In SR from normal human muscle the ATP-dependent Ca++ uptake was 3.5 nmoles per second per milligram of protein for the first 5 seconds after ATP mixing. Fast kinetic experiments showed that Ca++ uptake proceeded linearly for the first 500 msec at a rate of 9 nmoles per second per milligram of protein (at 25 degrees C) and then progressively declined to reach steady-state levels in 40 to 50 seconds. No abnormality of Ca++ transport was found in SR vesicles from the patient with McArdle disease and the patient with normokalemic periodic paralysis.     

Transformation of rodent fibroblasts by herpes simplex virus: presence of morphological transforming region 1 (MTR 1) is not required for the maintenance of the transformed state.

Studies on the mechanisms of transformation of mammalian cells by herpes simplex virus (HSV) in vitro have been prevented so far by the extremely low transformation frequencies obtained in monolayer culture. Here we present a transformation system that relies on the direct seeding in soft agar of infected single cells, thus avoiding negative interactions between normal and transformed cells. We took advantage of HSV-I temperature-sensitive mutants at the UL9 locus, which codes for a DNA-binding protein necessary for viral DNA replication. At the non-permissive temperature, viral DNA synthesis and late gene expression are prevented. Viral gene expression is restricted to immediate early and early genes. Induction of transformation was highly efficient in our one-step transformation system. It depended on intact viral particles and viral DNA. Immediate early and/or early viral gene expression was sufficient to induce transformation. Colonies were stably transformed and did not show any rescue of viable virus after temperature downshift and co-cultivation with susceptible cells. Transformed cells maintained the transformed state in the absence of viral DNA. Our data therefore support the "hit-and-run" hypothesis for the transforming effect of HSV.     

Binding of cadmium by cyanobacterial growth media: Free ion concentration as a toxicity index to the cyanobacteriumNostoc UAM 208

A quantitative study of cadmium binding to three different growth media for nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria was done with the aid of a solid state ion-specific electrode. Kratz and Myers modified medium and Arnon medium bound large amounts of Cd²⁺, BG11₀ medium had less binding capacity. Of the media components, phosphate ion showed the greatest ability to bind Cd²⁺. Different pHs, the size of cell inoculum and two buffers (Tricine and HEPES, 25 mM) also changed the availability of free cadmium ion in solution.The effect of free Cd²⁺ ion towards the cyanobacteriumNostoc UAM 208, isolated from a heavy metal polluted environment, also was tested. The effective concentration affecting 50% of population (EC₅₀), at 120 h of exposure, was less for nitrogenase activity (0.26 g/mL) than for growth (0.55 g/mL), suggesting that this enzyme activity is more sensitive to cadmium than growth. Furthermore, cadmium toxicity was influenced by the addition of buffers to the growth medium. In the presence of buffer, Tricine (25 mM), growth and nitrogenase activity was reduced by 50% at a total cadmium concentration of about 115 g/mL, although no free ion was detected in this case.These results suggest that although generally cadmium toxicity is a function of free metal ion concentration, this can also vary in the presence of complexing agents.     

The relative ethylumbelliferone dealkylase activity characterizing the effect of different inducers on the hydroxylase system in the liver musomes of female mice

d,l-Camphor was detected as a new inducer of hydroxylase in the liver musomes of female mice. After a 2-day inhalation of d,l-camphor, cyt. P-450 and the ethylumbelliferone dealkylase were increased by 250 per cent and the NADPH-cyt. P-450 reductase by 350 per cent. The product [NADPH-cyt. P-450 reductase activity × cyt. P450 concentration] was shown to be a suitable reference parameter for the ethylumbelliferone dealkylase activity in the liver musomes during the treatment with four different inducers. The relative dealkylase activity Q was much decreased during inhalation of cyclohexane or d,l-camphor.

$\text{Q =}\text{mU ethylumbelliferone dealkylase}\text{mU NADPH-cty. P-450 reductase × nmoles cty. P-450/mg protein}$

Obviously these two inducers preferably enhanced cyt. P-450 species with a low dealkylase activity. The Q-values were reproducible. Q was increased by 100 per cent during induction of a MC-sensitive mouse strain with 3-methylcholanthrene, but it was only moderately decreased by induction with phenobarbital. Corresponding to this, methylcholanthrene is known to selectively induce a cyt. P-448 with high dealkylase activity whereas phenobarbital is known to change the hydroxylase specificity in the liver musomes not very much.