Accelerated aging of senescence accelerated mice R-1 demonstrated by flash visually evoked cortical potentials

To determine the physiological alterations of visual functions induced by aging, the latency of the N40 peak of the flash visual evoked cortical potentials at several stimulus frequencies were analyzed from senescence accelerated mice (SAM). The senescence prone (P-8) and senescence resistant (R-1) SAM lines were studied. In both the P-8 and ICR (the standard outbred albino laboratory mouse also called CD-1) mice, the peak latency was not significantly different at 6 and 12 months of age. In contrast, there was a prolongation of the peak latency in the R-1 line at 12 months compared to that at 6 months. We conclude that there is an acceleration of the aging process in the R-1 line for visually evoked responses. Thus, the R-1 line might be an independent line suited for the study of aging effects on visual functions.     

A pilot study of selected Japanese nurses' ideas on patient advocacy

This pilot study had two purposes: (1) to review recent Japanese nursing literature nursing advocacy; and (2) to obtain data from nurses on advocacy. For the second purpose, 24 nurses at a nursing college in Japan responded to a questionnaire. The concept of advocacy, taken from the West, has become an ethical ideal for Japanese nurses but one that they do not always understand, or, if they do, they find it difficult to fulfil. They cite nursing leadership support as necessary to enacting this role. Discussion on meaning of and the rationale for advocacy in a society where goodness or badness is relative to social situations and its impact may reveal two parallel but overlapping views of morality. Such a situation would not only influence notions of advocacy but also possibly render them more complex.     

Correlation between nuclear grade and biological prognostic variables in invasive Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Grading of carcinomas is an estimation of differentiation. Nuclear grading is the cytological evaluation of tumor nuclei in comparison with the nuclei of normal mammary epithelial cells. Because nuclear grading does not involve an assessment of the growth pattern of the tumor, it applies not only to invasive ductal carcinoma but also to other subtypes of breast carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 215 primary breast carcinomas obtained from the Affiliated Kihoku Hospital of Wakayama Medical College were enrolled in our present study. Nuclear grade was evaluated according to the criteria of the National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer (NSAS-B) protocol. Immunohistochemistry was also performed to determine Bcl-2, p53, c-erbB-2, estrogen receptor (ER) and MIB-1 expression in paraffin-embedded tissues for all cases. RESULTS: Thirty-two (14.9%) of the patients were graded as 1,124 (57.7%) as 2, and 59 (27.4%) as 3. Nuclear grade displayed a negative correlation with Bcl-2 expression (r=-0.308, p<0.0001), and a positive correlation with c-erbB-2 overexpression (r= 0.172, p=0.0117) and tumor proliferative index labeling by MIB-1 (r=0.485, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that nuclear grade is related to the characteristics of tumor biology, indicating that the morphology and biology of breast cancer are tightly linked. Our present results also suggest that adding the nuclear grade to the pathological diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma may be clinically useful for predicting tumor behavior, for example aggressiveness, and for prognostication.     

Evaluation of Efficacy in Platelet Collection by the Haemonetics Component Collection System

Abstract: Platelet concentrate product derived from plateletpheresis from a single donor is preferable in terms of reducing the risks of adverse reactions in platelet transfusion. This study evaluated the status of platelet transfusion and the efficacy and safety of plateletpheresis machines. The average number of donors of platelet product per patient has been decreasing and recently reached nearly 1.0; however, some patients still receive multiple random donor platelet products. Platelet collection efficacy was comparable between the Haemonetics Component Collection System (CCS) and the Multi Component System (Multi). However, the CCS has been shown to be effective in terms of processed blood volume and procedure time, especially in donors with lower hematocrits. These results suggest that the CCS may be preferable and safer for donors with lower hematocrits and lighter body weights. Blood centers should collect platelets more effectively to achieve platelet transfusion with the use of platelets derived from a single donor using effective equipment.     

Comparison of protein phosphatase inhibitory activity and apparent toxicity of microcystins and related compounds.

Two metabolites of microcystin-LR glutathione conjugate and, microcystin-cysteine conjugate, as well as microcystin-RR (MCRR) are less toxic than microcystin-LR (MCLR). In the present study, we investigated why these compounds are weakly toxic in comparison with MCLR, as the reason is still unknown and no systematic study has so far been carried out for a clarification of this issue. Although they showed almost the same inhibitory activity against protein phosphatases 1 and 2A as MCLR in vitro, the apparent toxicity of these three compounds by intratracheal administration to mice decreased to about 1/12 the level of MCLR at 100microg/kg. An immunostaining study showed that these conjugates at a sublethal dose of 200microg/kg were prominently observed in the intestine and kidney, whereas effective accumulation and bleeding were not found in the liver in spite of the larger dosage. As an explanation for these results, there may be two possibilities. First, the transport system to the liver might not function well, and second, transported toxins may be effectively eliminated by an appropriate system such as the GS-X (ATP-dependent glutathione S-conjugate exported) pump. It was concluded that the inhibitory activity against protein phosphatases is not always related to the apparent LD(50) level, and that the appearance of toxicity by microcystins depends on the balance between accumulation and metabolism in the liver.     

Ethical issues after the disclosure of a terminal illness: Danish and Norwegian hospice nurses' reflections

This research explored the ethical issues that nurses reported in the process of elaboration and further disclosure after an initial diagnosis of a terminal illness had been given. One hundred and six hospice nurses in Norway and Denmark completed a questionnaire containing 45 items of forced-choice and open-ended questions. This questionnaire was tested and used in three countries prior to this study; for this research it was tested on Danish and Norwegian nurses. All respondents supported the ethics of ongoing disclosure to terminally ill patients based on ethical principles embedded in their country's Patients' Rights Acts. Truth, as an intrinsic value, proved foundational to patient autonomy, the most frequent ethical principle these nurses reported to justify their ethical position on information disclosure to terminally ill people. Telling the truth about a diagnosis was not the end of ethics in hospice care, but rather the beginning because what occurs ethically in dealing with prognosis issues became central to these hospice nurses, the patients and their families. Coupled with truth-telling, compassionate interaction and care become extensions of patients' rights.