Mast cells and T lymphocytes in chronic urticaria

Mast cells are considered to be the primary effector cells in urticaria but it is possible that lymphocytes contribute to the formation of weals by secreting histamine releasing factors. The aim of this study was to examine the population of mast cells and to quantify the T cell subsets and their activation status in delayed pressure urticaria (DPU), chronic idiopathic urticaria and normal controls. Three biopsies were obtained from each of four patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria but not DPU. Three biopsies were taken from each of 13 patients with DPU, from a combination of unchallenged skin and at 0, 2, 6, 24, 48 and 120 h after weighted steel rods (diameter 1.5 cm) had been applied to the thighs. Three biopsies were similarly obtained from each of four normal controls before an identical pressure challenge and at 6, 24 and 48 h afterwards. The chloracetate esterase stain was used to demonstrate mast cells and an alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase immunohistochemical technique to assess the phenotypic and activation characteristics of the T cell infiltrate. The mast cell count did not differ significantly between unchallenged skin from DPU patients and normal controls. Following a pressure challenge to the DPU patients, the number of stainable mast cells decreased significantly to a level comparable with that in spontaneous weals of chronic idiopathic urticaria. Investigation of T cell subsets showed a preponderance of CD4+ cells over CD8+ cells. There was no evidence of T cell activation in chronic idiopathic urticaria or DPU when compared with normal controls. These data support the view that mast cell degranulation occurs in chronic idiopathic urticaria and suggest that it may also play a role in the pathogenesis of DPU. There was no evidence that lymphocyte activation occurs in either condition.     

创伤病人的手术与焦虑状态调查

采用状态——特质焦虑问卷及１０项躯体性焦虑测试题，对４０例外科创伤病人手术前后的焦虑状态调查显示：术前状态焦虑量表评分显著高于术后；术前躯体性焦虑评分显著高于术后；高特质焦虑评分亚组与低特质焦虑评分亚组术前状态焦虑评分无显著差异，但术后则前者显著高于后者；急诊手术者手术前后状态焦虑评分显著高于择期手术者。     

Synergy between the genes for butyrylcholinesterase K variant and apolipoprotein E4 in late-onset confirmed Alzheimer's disease

The allelic frequency of the gene for the K variant of butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE-K) was 0.17 in 74 subjects with late-onset (age > 65 years) histopathologically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD), which was higher than the frequencies in 104 elderly control subjects (0.09), in 14 early-onset cases of confirmed AD (0.07) and in 29 confirmed cases of other dementia (0.10). The association of BCHE-K with late-onset AD was limited to carriers of the epsilon 4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE), among whom the presence of BCHE-K gave an odds ratio of confirmed late-onset AD of 6.9 (95% C.I. 1.65-29) in subjects > 65 years and of 12.8 (1.9-86) in subjects > 75 years. In APOE epsilon 4 carriers over 75 years, only 1/22 controls, compared with 10/24 confirmed late-onset AD cases, had BCHE-K. We suggest that BCHE-K, or a nearby gene on chromosome 3, acts in synergy with APOE epsilon 4 as a susceptibility gene for late-onset AD.      

The salivary microbiota as a diagnostic indicator of oral cancer: A descriptive,non-randomized study of cancer-free and oral squamous cell carcinoma subjects

Background  

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if the salivary counts of 40 common oral bacteria in subjects with an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) lesion would differ from those found in cancer-free (OSCC-free) controls.     

X-radiation induces 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine formation in vivo in rat mammary gland DNA

Ionizing radiation is a carcinogen that induces oxidative DNA damage. 8- Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is a relatively abundant, mutagenic lesion that is widely regarded as a reliable index of oxidative DNA damage. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of X- radiation on levels of 8-OHdG in the context of an experimental model for breast cancer in which chronic radiation exposure has been shown to be carcinogenic in Sprague-Dawley rats. A secondary objective of this study was to determine if the use of phenol during DNA isolation affected the concentration of 8-OHdG subsequently measured. Our results indicate that a profoundly carcinogenic dose of radiation induced a small but significant increase in 8-OHdG concentration in mammary gland DNA, and that the use of a phenol-based versus a salt-based method of DNA isolation had no significant impact on the levels of 8-OHdG detected in either control or irradiated tissue.