Use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to measure semen exposure resulting from male condom failures: implications for contraceptive efficacy and the prevention of sexually transmitted disease

Accurate measurement of semen exposure resulting from condom failures can refine public health messages and improve predictions of condom efficacy in preventing pregnancy and HIV transmission. Eight hundred and thirty couples enrolled in a condom efficacy study were asked to collect a baseline sample of ejaculate from the inside of the first study condom they used and to collect a postcoital vaginal sample whenever a study condom broke or slipped off during intercourse. All samples were quantitatively tested for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a substance found only in human semen, using rocket immunoelectrophoresis, and inspected microscopically for presence of sperm. Sixty-eight baseline ejaculate samples collected from the inside of the first study condom by couples who subsequently experienced a condom failure averaged 13.4 microg PSA per swab and 79% of the samples averaged one or more sperm per high power field (hpf). Seventy-nine postcoital vaginal samples obtained after a condom break averaged 5.7 microg PSA per swab and only 38% averaged one or more sperm per hpf. The PSA results indicated a 50% reduction in semen exposure compared to baseline levels (p = 0.0001). Seventeen samples obtained after a condom slip-off averaged 2.5 microg PSA per swab and none of the samples averaged one or more sperm per hpf. The PSA results indicated an 80% reduction in semen exposure compared to baseline levels (p = 0.0001). Our results suggest that even condoms that fail reduce the risk of pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted disease compared to unprotected intercourse. We also used PSA results to adjust a model designed to predict consistent-use pregnancy rates from condom breakage and slippage data.     

Molecular cloning of the cDNA for human erythrocyte beta-spectrin

Overlapping cDNA clones, totaling 3.3 kilobases (kb) in length, which encode over 50% of the human erythrocyte beta-spectrin subunit, were isolated by antibody screening of a lambda gt11 expression library constructed from human fetal liver mRNA. The amino acid sequence of the C-terminus of beta-spectrin was derived. The size of beta-spectrin mRNA in human erythroleukemia cells was found to be 7.5 kb. Erythrocyte beta- spectrin is encoded by a gene located on human chromosome 14, as determined by cDNA hybridization to human X mouse somatic cell hybrids.     

Recovery and viability of Orientia tsutsugamushi from packed red cells and the danger of acquiring scrub typhus from blood transfusion

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether infective Orientia tsutsugamushi, the etiologic agent of scrub typhus, could survive normal blood banking processing and storage procedures. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Mononuclear cells isolated from whole blood by density gradient centrifugation were inoculated with O. tsutsugamushi, Karp strain. Infection of the mononuclear cells was confirmed by Giemsa stain, direct fluorescent antibody assay, and polymerase chain reaction using primers specific for the groESL operon of O. tsutsugamushi. The quantity of rickettsial particles in each preparation was determined by direct counts from the Giemsa-stained preparations. Infected mononuclear cells were returned to their respective aliquots of packed red blood cells, which were then either stored at 4 degrees C or glycerolized and frozen at -70 degrees C. RESULTS: Rickettsiae survived up to 10 days (but not 30 days) of refrigerated storage and 45 days of frozen storage, as determined by inoculation of mice with 0.5-mL aliquots of the blood components. Infection of the mice was determined by illness, death, direct fluorescent antibody assay of peritoneal smears, polymerase chain reaction of blood, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detection of antibodies in plasma. CONCLUSION: Because the quantity of rickettsiae injected into the mice was comparable to the quantity reported in the literature for human blood during natural infections, scrub typhus could present a risk in blood collected from donors in endemic areas. This may especially be true, because people can be rickettsemic before illness, after successful antibiotic treatment, and chronically after resolution of disease.     

养老院老年人锻炼行为及心理变化阶段与生活质量的关系

目的:分析养老院老年人锻炼行为变化阶段分布及其与生活质量关系。方法:选择2004-01/03入住广州寿星大厦的意识清楚且有自理能力的60岁以上老年人234名作为对象。以当面访谈形式进行了人口学特征、锻炼行为变化阶段和生活质量问卷调查。锻炼行为变化阶段用Marcus制定的问卷测定;生活质量采用SF-36生活质量表测定。结果:调查对象中16人资料不全予以去除,分析218人。①调查养老院老年人锻炼行为变化阶段分布:218人名养老院老年人中,处于意向前期17%、意向期7.3%,准备期5.5%、行动期8.3%、坚持期61.9%;而年龄较高者、文化程度较低者、以前是服务人员、目前无配偶者以及患脑及脑血管病和慢支/肺气肿等肺部疾病者则处于坚持期者相对较少,但仅年龄组间、职业组间在α=0.1水平有差异。②养老院老年人锻炼行为变化阶段与生活质量关系分析:调整人口学参数以及所患疾病参数后,不同锻炼行为变化阶段总体上处于准备期/行动期/坚持期者生活质量优于处于意向前期/意向期者,但组间差异无显著意义。而在众多相关因素中脑及脑血管病/肺疾病等是影响生活质量各项的主要因素。结论:年龄、职业与养老院老年人的锻炼行为阶段分布存在一定程度相关性;处于准备期/行动期/坚持期者生活质量趋向优于处于意向前期/意向期者。     

移植耐受诱导细胞在肾移植受者免疫干预中的临床应用

德国研究者在前期研究基础上通过体外培养和免疫干预一类巨噬细胞获取移植耐受诱导细胞（transplant acceptance—inducing cells，TAICs），并在前期动物实验中证实应用TAICs可以在一定程度上特异性减轻排斥反应，使移植受者可以安全地减少传统免疫抑制剂用量。本文主要介绍了TAICs的临床制备方法及其在尸体肾移植受者中的应用情况。首先，临床可用的TAICs制备方法主要是采用尸体供肾者的脾脏分离单个核细胞，并通过5d的分阶段的TAICs培养基的培养制备出TAICs，其主要表型仍保持巨噬细胞亚型的特征，     

Treatment of reducible unstable fractures of the distal radius in adults: a randomised controlled trial of De Palma percutaneous pinning versus bridging external fixation

Background  

At present, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the best treatment method for reducible unstable fractures of the distal radius. This study compared the effectiveness of two methods used in surgical treatment of such fractures: percutaneous pinning and external fixation.     

On the variability of QRS time-duration in magnetocardiographic recordings

High resolution electrocardiography (HRECG) recordings have already shown an increased beat-to-beat microvariability of the QRS duration of the terminal QRS in patients with a history of ventricular tachycardia (VT). The purpose of this study is to detect QRS-duration microvariability with magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings in normals, patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI), and VT patients. QRS microvariability is calculated as the variance of time-shifts of single beats respectively to the average of all beats. The average over all channels of the MCG is performed. QRS microvariability was evaluated from 55-channel MCG in 15 normal persons, in 12 patients with CHD, in 13 patients with MI, and in 10 patients with VT. We found a significantly higher microvariability in patients with MI compared to normals. The highest microvariability was found in VT patients.