Experimental nickel sensitization in the guinea pig: comparison of different protocols

3 different sensitization protocols were compared for inducing delayed-type nickel contact hypersensitivity in guinea pigs. Open epicutaneous sensitization (OE) induced nickel allergy in 11/22 (50%) guinea pigs. When intradermal injections of Freund's complete adjuvant into the nickel-painted skin was added to the same protocol. 4/13 (31 %) became sensitized. The guinea pig maximization protocol induced nickel allergy in only 7/31 (23%) of the animals. Compared with the 2 other methods, animals sensitized with open epicutaneous applications reacted more rapidly (maximum at 6 h) and strongly (2+ reaction in 12/22 of animals) in previous patch lest sites upon systemic (i p.) nickel challenge. Open epicutaneous sensitization of guinea pigs should he a useful model for studying cellular and immunological mechanisms in nickel contact sensitivity.     

Substance use-related outpatient consultations in specialized health care: an underestimated entity

Background To study the occurrence and documentation of substance use related outpatient visits in specialized health care.
Methods The diagnosis recorded in retrospective discharge data in Tampere University Hospital for 6 years was compared with the prospective data gathered from separately completed forms added during an 8-week period to every outpatient's discharge data. In this form, the relation of substance use and the actual reason for the consultation were specifically elicited.
Results On the basis of diagnoses, retrospectively, 0.4% (6,666 of 1,555,898) of outpatient visits were caused by substance use. In the prospective part of the study, 5.6% of visits (1,401/25,014) were related to substance use. Retrospective study demonstrated 2% prevalence of substance use, whereas prospective study showed 36% substance use–related visits at the emergency room. According to the retrospective discharge data, alcohol-related organ damages were the major reason for substance use–related outpatient visits. In the prospective study, the proportion of acute traumas was most prevalent.
Conclusions Our study indicates that substance use–related visits often remain undetected in specialized health care. Substance use–related visits were underdocumented/undetected in the emergency room. Using a simple separate form could dramatically increase the detection of substance use–related visits.     

RNU6B,a frequent reference in miRNA expression studies,differentiates between deaths caused by hypothermia and chronic cardiac ischemia

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Here, we tested the usefulness of small non-coding RNAs as references in quantitative RT-PCR expression analyses in hypothermia and chronic cardiac...     

Low biological aggressiveness of screen-detected lung cancers may indicate over-diagnosis

All cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the Tampere University Hospital catchment area in 1983–1987 were identified, analyzed for DNA flow cytometry and followed up to 1992. The patients were classified into 3 groups: screen-detected, symptom-detected, and detected by chance. The biological aggressiveness as indicated by DNA flow cytometry was not related to the survival of the symptom-detected patients. Also the screen-detected patients with an aggressive tumour (aneuploid or high S-phase fraction, SPF) had the same survival as the symptom-detected patients. The survival of screen-detected patients with a diploid or low SPF tumour was significantly better than that in the other groups. It is concluded that some of the previously known discrepancy of no effect on mortality and effect on survival of lung-cancer screening may be due to over-diagnosis, i.e., detection of morphologically malignant but biologically indolent lesions by screening. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Search for large genomic alterations of the BRCA1 gene in a Finnish population

Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are known to predispose to breast cancer. In Finland, however, only 21% of all breast cancer families have mutations in these genes. Recent studies have shown that large genomic alterations of BRCA1 are common in many countries. Because such alterations will be missed in conventional mutation screening strategies, we decided to screen Finnish breast and ovarian cancer families for genomic alterations by using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction method. The most characteristic features of BRCA1-related breast cancer were used to select patients, namely (1) both breast and ovarian cancer in the family (48 patients), (2) four or more breast cancers in family (22 patients), or (3) young age (< or =40 years) of onset (58 patients). A total of 128 patients were included in the study. All exons of BRCA1 were analyzed but no alterations were found. This study excludes the frequent occurrence of large genomic alterations in the BRCA1 gene in Finland. Here, again, Finland differs from other countries with a mixed population structure. Our results are in agreement with the common hypothesis that there are still unknown breast cancer susceptibility gene(s) that are responsible for breast cancer predisposition.