Effects of age,gender and menstrual cycle on platelet function assessed by impedance aggregometry

Platelets are needed to prevent or arrest bleeding and aggregate at the site of injury upon vascular damage. Platelets express receptors for estrogens which might affect the function of the platelets and their hemostatic ability. The aim was to identify possible differences in platelet function related to age, gender, and phases of the menstrual cycle by use of impedance aggregometry with Multiplate. In the first part of the study, platelet function was assessed in 60 healthy individuals (30 men and 30 women) in each of three age groups (20–25, 40–45, and 60–65 years). In the second part of the study, the platelet function was analyzed on four occasions during the menstrual cycle in women without oral contraceptives (OCs) (n = 17) and compared to 19 women on OCs and 18 men of similar age (20–40 years). For the women on OCs, aggregation was analyzed once during the tablet-free week and once late during the period with OCs. The men were sampled once. Women of younger age (<45 years) had significantly higher agonist-induced aggregation response than both men and post-menopausal women (60–65 years). The agonist-induced aggregation response did not differ between phases of the menstrual cycle or OC use. The results suggest that estradiol and/or progesterone affect spontaneous aggregation since it was found to be lowest in the mid-luteal phase. Spontaneous aggregation was significantly lower in women on OCs than in both men and women without OCs. Our findings indicate that fertile age is associated with higher aggregation response capacity of the platelets, possibly to prevent excessive bleeding during menstruation, but this response capacity is not altered during the menstrual cycle or by use of OCs.     

Treatment of classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma in children and adolescents

Introduction: The treatment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) in children is a story of success. Nowadays, more than 90% of patients are cured and overall survival is nearly 100% at 5 years. Efforts have been made to avoid related effects of therapies; therefore, children are treated using different chemotherapy schemes in comparison with adults.

Areas covered: This review includes a view of the clinical classification and risk assessment in children suffering from HL. The chemotherapy more commonly employed is revisited. The use of PET/CT to evaluate the disease in order to guide therapy is analyzed. New options of chemotherapy and emerging immunotherapy are also included.

Expert opinion: In order to make the right treatment choice, a proper initial assessment of risk is mandatory. The choice of therapy in these kinds of patients must be done according to the experience of the team, and also, the cost and logistics related to the eligible scheme are very important. If possible, efforts must be made to include PET/CT in guiding therapy and avoiding overtreatment and long-term adverse effects in children. New options in immunotherapy are emerging and must be considered with caution in selected patients.     

HPLC-MS Method for Simultaneous Quantitative Determination of an Innovative Russian Gestagen and its Metabolites in Rat and Rabbit Blood Sera

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal - An HPLC-MS method for simultaneous quantitative determination of a novel gestagenic pharmaceutical and two of its metabolites in rat and rabbit blood sera was...     

Patients undergoing recurrent CT exams: assessment of patients with non-malignant diseases,reasons for imaging and imaging appropriateness

To determine percent of patients without malignancy and ≤ 40 years of age with high cumulative radiation doses through recurrent CT exams and assess imaging appropriateness. From the cohort of patients who received cumulative effective dose (CED) of ≥ 100 mSv over a 5-year period, a sub-set was identified with non-malignant disease. The top 50 clinical indications leading to multiple CTs were determined. Clinical decision support (CDS) system scores were analyzed using a widely adopted standard of 1–3 (red) as “not usually appropriate,” 4–6 (yellow) “may or may not be appropriate,” and 7–9 (green) “usually appropriate.” Clinicians reviewed patient records to assess compliance with appropriate use criteria (AUC). 9.6% of patients in our series were with non-malignant conditions and 1.4% with age ≤ 40 years. CDS scores (rounded) were 2% red, 38% yellow, 27% green, and 33% unscored CTs. Clinical society guidelines for CT exams, wherever available, were followed in 87.5 to 100% of cases. AUCs were not available for several clinical indications as also referral guidelines for serial CT imaging. More than half of CT exams were unrelated to follow-up of a primary chronic disease. We are faced with a situation wherein patients in age ≤ 40 years require or are thought to require many CT exams over the course of a few years but the radiation risk creates concern. There is a fair number of conditions for which AUC are not available. Suggested solutions include development of CT scanners with lesser radiation dose and further development of appropriateness criteria.     

不伴红细胞增多的慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者并发肺栓塞的影响因素研究

背景　慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）患者肺栓塞（PE）发生率显著高于常人，但目前不伴红细胞增多的COPD患者并发PE的机制尚不明确。目的　探讨不伴红细胞增多的COPD患者并发PE的影响因素。方法　本研究为回顾性病例对照研究。收集2017年1-12月在新疆医科大学第一附属医院呼吸与呼吸危重症中心住院治疗的血红蛋白（Hb）≤140 g/L的COPD患者。依据肺多层螺旋CT肺血管成像（CTPA）检查结果将患者分为并发PE组和单纯COPD组。记录患者的年龄、性别、合并症、服用抗血小板或抗凝药物史。采用倾向性评分匹配（PSM）方法，通过二元Logistic回归分析估计倾向性评分值，采用1∶1最邻近原则匹配，卡钳值为0.05，筛选出基线相同的两组病例。记录患者的D-二聚体、血常规检查结果，比较两组间差异；分析不伴红细胞增多的COPD患者并发PE的影响因素，红细胞分布宽度（RDW）与中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比值（NLR）的相关性。结果　共纳入病例339例，其中单纯COPD组289例，并发PE组50例。采用PSM方法筛选两组患者，最终得到单纯COPD组、并发PE组各50例进行后续研究。并发PE组患者D-二聚体、中性粒细胞计数（N）、RDW、NLR高于单纯COPD组，淋巴细胞计数（L）低于单纯COPD组（P<0.05）。二元Logistic回归分析结果显示，RDW是不伴红细胞增多的COPD患者并发PE的影响因素〔OR=1.561，95%CI（1.096，2.225），P<0.05〕。Spearman秩相关分析结果显示，不伴红细胞增多的COPD患者RDW与NLR呈正相关（rs=0.225，P<0.05）。结论　RDW升高是Hb≤140 g/L的COPD患者并发PE的危险因素，且RDW与NLR呈正相关。     

The Impact of a Healthy Weight Intervention Embedded in a Home-Visiting Program on Children's Weight and Mothers’ Feeding Practices

Objective

To examine whether a healthy weight intervention embedded in the Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visiting program, which was previously found to improve mothers’ body mass index (BMI) and obesity-related behaviors, changed the BMI of preschool children or maternal feeding practices.