Endometrial expression of vasopressin, oxytocin and their receptors in patients with primary dysmenorrhoea and healthy volunteers at ovulation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate gene expressions for neurohypophyseal and ovarian hormones as well as their receptors in the endometrium of women with primary dysmenorrhoea and healthy subjects at ovulation. STUDY DESIGN: A group of eight women with moderate to severe dysmenorrhoea and eight healthy subjects were compared in parallel between 18 and 35 years of age, regularly menstruating, non-overweight and nulliparous. The study was performed at The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Lund, Sweden. Endometrial biopsies were taken around the time of ovulation, which was determined by repeated ultrasound examinations. Receptor and gene expressions for oxytocin and vasopressin in the tissue were measured. RESULTS: The gene expression for oxytocin receptor was significantly lower in dysmenorrhoic than in healthy women, in median 1.21 and 3.44 oxytocin-receptor/actin, respectively (p=0.048). The expressions for oxytocin peptide, vasopressin V1a receptor, oestrogen receptor alpha, beta and progesterone receptor did not differ between the two groups. Expression of vasopressin peptide was not detectable. CONCLUSION: A lower oxytocin receptor gene expression at mid-cycle could be involved in the aetiology of primary dysmenorrhoea. However, the importance of a paracrine effect of oxytocin and its receptor at ovulation warrants further investigation.     

Fibronectin concentrations in lung lavage fluid after inhalation exposure to low levels of metals

Groups of rabbits were exposed by inhalation to chlorides of cobalt, nickel, and manganese as well as to tri- and hexavalent chromium at metal concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 3.9 mg/m3 for 1-4 months (5 days/week, 6 hr/day). Fibronectin content and lysozyme (muramidase) activity in lavage fluid were measured after all treatments and in alveolar macrophages after treatment with nickel chloride. In the lavage fluid no marked changes were seen in fibronectin content and lysozyme activity after exposure to tri- or hexavalent chromium or manganese. Nickel exposure significantly decreased the lysozyme activity in the lavage fluid and in the macrophages whereas the fibronectin content was unchanged in the lavage fluid and significantly increased in the macrophages. Both fibronectin content and lysozyme activity were increased markedly in the lavage fluid after cobalt exposure.     

乙稀雌酚肌注致心房纤颤1例

1　病例报告　男 ,71岁 ,因排尿困难于 1999- 0 9- 0 4入院 .B超确诊前列腺增生 5 a,既往无高血压、心脏病及心率失常史 .查体 :Bp17/ 10 k Pa,心界不大 ,心率 6 2次· min- 1 ,心律齐 .下腹部可触及涨大的膀胱 ,约耻骨上 4指 .入院时 ECG正常 .肝肾功能无异常 ,确诊前列腺增生伴急性尿潴留 .首先予导尿 ,导出尿液约 90 0 m L,之后 im乙稀雌酚 1mg,2 h后患者突发心慌、胸闷、气短、心前区疼痛 .发现患者大汗BP12 /6 k Pa,P110次· min- 1 ,R2 8次· min- 1 ,心率绝对不齐 ,脉搏明显短促 ,两肺底可闻及湿性罗音及哮鸣音 ,ECG示房颤 ,心…     

Rapid Selection of Plasmodium falciparum Chloroquine Resistance Transporter Gene and Multidrug Resistance Gene-1 Haplotypes Associated with Past Chloroquine and Present Artemether-Lumefantrine Use in Inhambane District,Southern Mozambique

Chloroquine (CQ) use in Mozambique was stopped in 2002 and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) was implemented in 2008. In light of no use of CQ and extensive use of AL, we determined the frequency of molecular markers of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance/tolerance to CQ and AL in persons living in Linga-Linga, an isolated peninsula and in Furvela village, which is located 8 km inland. The P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter gene CVMNK wild type increased in frequency from 43.9% in 2009 to 66.4% in 2010 (P ≤ 0.001), and combined P. falciparum multidrug resistance gene 1 N86-184F-D1246 haplotype increased significantly between years (P = 0.039). The combination of P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter gene CVMNK and P. falciparum multidrug resistance gene NFD increased from 24.3% (2009) to 45.3% in (2010, P = 0.017). The rapid changes observed may largely be caused by decreased use of CQ and large-scale use of AL. In the absence of a clear AL-resistance marker and the (almost) continent-wide use of AL in sub-Saharan Africa, and when considering CQ reintroduction, continued monitoring of these markers is needed.     

Long-term protection of hematopoiesis against the cytotoxic effects of multiple doses of nitrosourea by retrovirus-mediated expression of human O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase

A human O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase) cDNA-containing retrovirus was used to infect murine long-term primary bone marrow cultures. High levels of ATase expression were obtained, and colony- forming cells of the granulocyte-macrophage lineage from the cultures transduced with the human ATase retrovirus were three times more resistant to the alkylating agent, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), than control cultures. Furthermore, expression of the human ATase protected long-term hematopoiesis, measured as the output of progenitor cells to the nonadherent fraction of the culture, against the cytotoxic effects of repeated exposures to MNU. These results clearly show that a human ATase cDNA-containing retrovirus can be used to infect long-term primary bone marrow cultures and that this attenuates their sensitivity to nitrosoureas.     

Lack of hepatitis B virus DNA sequences in sera from patients with acute and chronic liver diseases diagnosed as non-A, non-B-hepatitis

The sera of 15 individuals with transfusion-associated acute or chronic non A, non B hepatitis, which lacked hepatitis B virus markers, were tested for hepatitis B virus DNA by dot blot hybridization test. Three sera of two patients positive in this test, however, also gave positive results when the labeled plasmid was used as probe instead of labeled HBV-DNA, indicating false positive results in the initial test. In conclusion, the data indicated that sera of patients with confirmed non A, non B hepatitis do not contain DNA-sequences in the serum hybridizing with HBV-DNA.     

Further characterization of the androgen receptor in rat testis.

Immature rat testes contain a specific binding protein for testosterone (T) and 5alpha-dihyrotestosterone (DHT) with physico-chemical properties similar to the cytoplasmic androgen receptors in the epididymis and ventral prostate but different from the testicular androgen-binding protein (ABP). Like the androgen receptors in the prostate and epididymis, it has a sedimentation coefficient of about 7 S at low ionic strength, is eluted in or close to the void volume on Sephadex G-200 gel filtration (Stokes radius greater than 80 A), has an isoelectric point of about 5.6-6.0 (mean) 5.8 and a relative mobility (Rf) of 0.4 in 3.25% acrylamide gels. Following the injection of 3H-labeled testosterone, T and DHT are bound selectively by the receptor. Relatively more [3H]T than [3H]DHT is present in bound and free fractions as well as in total testicular 105,000 g supernatant. Similar results are obtained from testicular incubations with equimolar amounts of [3H]T and [3H]DHT at 0 degrees C in vitro. Saturation of receptor sites is achieved by incubation of testis supernatants with increasing amounts of [3H]T at 0 degrees C. The number of available binding sites following post-hypophysectomy regression is estimated to be about 9 fmoles/mg protein, and the apparent equilibrium constant of dissociation is 7 X 10(-10) M. The temperature stability and sulfhydryl dependence of the testicular androgen receptor are similar to androgen receptors in other organs. Binding is destroyed by heating the supernatants at 50 degrees C for 30 min and by exposure to p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonate (1 mM) at 0 degrees C for 60 min. Furthermore, like other androgen receptors, the half-time of dissociation of testicular androgen-receptor complexes at 0 degrees C is extremely slow (t1/2 greater than 35 h). Separation of seminiferous tubules from interstitial tissue showed that a major portion of these receptors were localized within the seminiferous tubules.     

Pain‐relieving effectiveness,quality of life and tolerability of repeated capsaicin 8% patch treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in Scandinavian clinical practice

Context

Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of the capsaicin 8% patch in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP); however, few studies have assessed this treatment in a clinical practice.

Objective

To determine whether treatment and re‐treatment with the capsaicin 8% patch reduce PNP intensity in clinical practice.

Methods

Three non‐interventional, observational studies were concurrently conducted in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Patients with probable or definite PNP received one or two treatments with the capsaicin 8% patch according to usual clinical practice. All analyses were performed on combined data.

Results

Overall, 382 and 181 patients received treatment and re‐treatment, respectively, with the capsaicin 8% patch. At the group level, a significant reduction in mean level of ‘usual pain’ intensity (Numerical Pain Rating Scale) over the last 24 h’ score was observed from baseline to Weeks 2 through 8 [?1.05 (95% confidence interval: ?1.27, 0.82); p < 0.001] with 28% and 31% of patients reporting a ≥30% reduction in pain after first treatment and re‐treatment, respectively. Improvements in health‐related quality of life (EQ‐5D‐3L index) and overall health status (Patient Global Impression of Change) were observed early (Week 1) and throughout the treatment periods. Most application site reactions subsided within a week after treatment. Following treatment and re‐treatment, 57% and 71% of patients, respectively, were willing to undergo further treatment with the capsaicin 8% patch.

Conclusion

In Scandinavian clinical practice, capsaicin 8% patch treatment was associated with significant reductions in pain intensity and was well tolerated with over half of patients willing to undergo re‐treatment.