A Prospective Randomized Experimental Study to Investigate the Eradication Rate of Endometriosis after Surgical Resection versus Aerosol Plasma Coagulation in a Rat Model

Purpose To investigate the eradication rate of endometriosis after surgical resection (SR) vs. thermal ablation with aerosol plasma coagulation (AePC) in a rat model.Methods In this prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blinded animal study endometriosis was induced on the abdominal wall of 34 female Wistar rats. After 14 days endometriosis was either removed by SR or ablated by AePC. 14 days later the rats were euthanized to evaluate the eradication rate histopathologically. Intervention times were recorded.Results Eradication rate of endometriosis after 14 days did not significantly differ between AePC and SR (p=0.22). Intervention time per endometrial lesion was 22.1 s for AePC and 51.8 s for SR (p<0.0001).Conclusions This study compares the eradication rate of the new aerosol plasma coagulation device versus standard surgical resection of endometriosis in a rat model. Despite being a thermal method, AePC showed equality towards SR regarding eradication rate but with significantly shorter intervention time.     

The role of COMT and plasma proline in the variable penetrance of autistic spectrum symptoms in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

This paper examines how COMT¹⁵⁸ genotypes and plasma proline levels are associated with variable penetrance of social behavioural and social cognitive problems in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Severity of autistic spectrum symptoms of 45 participants with 22q11DS was assessed using the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised. Face and facial emotion recognition was evaluated using standardized computer‐based test‐paradigms. Associations with COMT¹⁵⁸ genotypes and proline levels were examined. High proline levels and poor face recognition in individuals with the COMT^MET allele, and poor facial emotion recognition, explained almost 50% of the variance in severity of autism symptomatology in individuals with 22q11DS. High proline levels and a decreased capacity to break down dopamine as a result of the COMT^MET variant are both relevant in the expression of the social phenotype in patients. This epistatic interaction effect between the COMT¹⁵⁸ genotype and proline on the expression of social deficits in 22q11DS shows how factors other than the direct effects of the deletion itself can modulate the penetrance of associated cognitive and behavioural outcomes. These findings are not only relevant to our insight into 22q11DS, but also provide a model to better understand the phenomenon of variable penetrance in other pathogenic genetic variants.     

Cell-free fetal DNA and intact fetal cells in maternal blood circulation: implications for first and second trimester non-invasive prenatal diagnosis

Both intact fetal cells as well as cell-free fetal DNA are present in the maternal circulation and can be recovered for non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis. Although methods for enrichment and isolation of rare intact fetal cells have been challenging, diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy including trisomy 21 in first- and second-trimester pregnancies has been achieved with a 50-75% detection rate. Similarly, cell-free fetal DNA can be reliably recovered from maternal plasma and assessed by quantitative PCR to detect fetal trisomy 21 and paternally derived single gene mutations. Real-time PCR assays are robust in detecting low-level fetal DNA concentrations, with sensitivity of approximately 95-100% and specificity near 100%. Comparing intact fetal cell versus cell-free fetal DNA methods for non-invasive prenatal screening for fetal chromosomal aneuploidy reveals that the latter is at least four times more sensitive. These preliminary results do not support a relationship between frequency of intact fetal cells and concentration of cell-free fetal DNA. The above results imply that the concentration of fetal DNA in maternal plasma may not be dependent on circulating intact fetal cells but rather be a product of growth and cellular turnover during embryonic or fetal development.     

Alterations of molecular architectures in skeletal muscle plasma membranes of dehydrated and water-loaded mice

It is likely that orthogonal arrays (OAs) and caveolae seen on the replicas of freeze-fractured muscle plasma membranes are involved in maintaining osmotic homeostasis. Therefore, using the freeze-fracture technique, we examined the ultrastructural changes in OAs and caveolae of the skeletal muscle plasma membrane of dehydrated and water-loaded mice. In the muscle plasma membranes of 6 dehydrated and 6 water-loaded mice, caveolar distribution was not altered, and the densities of caveolae and OAs did not show statistically significant differences when compared with those in 6 control mice, although the skeletal muscles of water-loaded mice sometimes had muscle plasma membranes with extremely numerous OAs. In contrast, the muscle plasma membranes of dehydrated mice often revealed changes in the distribution of OAs, which existed in a group at the confined area of the muscle plasma membranes and were frequently accompanied by the aggregations of intramembranous particles (IMPs) around OAs. Thus, on the basis of the present study, we suggest that OAs in skeletal muscles as well as those in brain may play an important role in maintaining osmotic homeostasis of these organs under abnormal water balance.     

Comparison of the COBAS TaqMan HBV test with the COBAS Amplicor monitor test for measurement of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum

Quantitation of low hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B is important for monitoring natural history of disease and treatment efficacy. This study aimed to compare the quantitation range and analytical sensitivity of the newly developed COBAS TaqMan HBV test (TaqMan test) with the COBAS Amplicor HBV Monitor Test (Amplicor test), using the Eurohep HBV reference plasma and serum samples from patients. Serial dilutions (2.7x10(1)-2.7x10(8) copies/ml) of the Eurohep HBV reference plasma and 50 serum samples from chronic hepatitis B patients were tested by both assays. The TaqMan test could detect seven (2.7x10(2)-2.7x10(8) copies/ml) of eight dilutions of the reference plasma, while the Amplicor test could only detect three of them (2.7x10(3)-2.7x10(5) copies/ml). The HBV DNA values measured by the TaqMan test correlated very well with the theoretical Eurohep standard values (r=0.998, P<0.001). There were good correlations between the HBV DNA levels measured by the two assays on both the Eurohep reference plasma (r=0.993, P<0.001) and serum samples from patients (r=0.904, P<0.001). Compared to the Amplicor test, the TaqMan test had a higher sensitivity (50 vs. 300 copies/ml), shorter assay time (6 vs. 10 hr), and wider dynamic range (8 vs. 3 logs), and was more cost-effective in a clinical setting. These data indicate that the TaqMan test is an excellent tool for HBV DNA quantitation.     

猪IL-2真核表达质粒对猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒ORF5基因疫苗诱导小鼠细胞免疫增强作用的研究

目的 :研究猪白细胞介素 2真核表达质粒 (pcDNA IL 2 )对猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒ORF5基因疫苗 (pcDNA PRRSV ORF5 )诱导BALB/c小鼠产生细胞免疫应答的影响。方法 :用pcDNA IL 2与PRRSVORF5基因疫苗 (pcDNA PRRSV ORF5 )共同免疫BALB/c小鼠 ,以空载质粒pcDNA为阴性对照 ,PBS为空白对照 ;采用流式细胞仪 (FACS)、淋巴细胞增殖试验(MTT法 )分别对小鼠外周血中CD4 + 、CD8+ T淋巴细胞数和淋巴细胞的转化功能进行了检测。结果 :pcDNA IL 2与pcDNA PRRSV ORF5共同免疫小鼠后外周血对ConA有明显的反应性 ,CD4 + 、CD8+ T淋巴细胞数在免疫后 7天显著超过对照组 ,共同组与单独pcDNA PRRSV ORF5组有显著差异 (P <0 0 1)。结论 :pcDNA PRRSV ORF5免疫小鼠能够诱导其机体产生良好的细胞免疫应答 ,猪pcDNA IL 2能够显著增强pcDNA PRRSV ORF5诱导小鼠细胞免疫的能力。     

血浆置换治疗急性妊娠脂肪肝3例体会

目的通过在急性妊娠脂肪肝的治疗中应用非生物型人工肝——血浆置换,分析评价人工肝血浆置换治疗在该病中的治疗作用、安全性。方法3例急性妊娠脂肪肝患者,在内科保守治疗的同时应用非生物型人工肝血浆置换,观察病情变化,血浆置换治疗前后患者的肝肾功能、血浆白蛋白、血常规、血液凝固时间的变化,以及血浆置换治疗的时机、副作用等。结果通过内科保守治疗,及时应用非生物型人工肝血浆置换,3例患者的症状、体征明显改善,肝肾功能明显好转,白细胞数明显下降(P<0.05),而PT、APTT、HB、PLt无明显变化(P>0.05)。血浆置换治疗中仅1例次出现皮肤搔痒,1例次出现轻度手足抽搐,无一例因不良反应而中止治疗。结论血浆置换治疗急性妊娠脂肪肝安全有效,并发症少,在病程早期连续应用更能有效地阻止病情进展。     

High bisphenol A (BPA) concentration in the maternal,but not fetal,compartment increases the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine if BPA exposure, as measured by maternal plasma (MP) and amniotic fluid (AF) BPA concentrations is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) and preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM).

Methods: In this nested case–control study, MP samples from women in term labor (n?=?30), preterm labor that ended with preterm delivery (n?=?25), or who had pPROM (n?=?30) and amniotic fluid samples from term labor (n=?45), preterm labor (n?=?60), and pPROM (n?=?35) were assayed for BPA by enzyme immunoassay.

Results: BPA was detectible in 100% of MP and AF samples. Women with MP BPA concentrations in the fourth quartile were at increased risk of PTB (cOR?=?4.12, 95% CI?=?1.32–12.87; aOR?=?4.78, 95% CI?=?1.14–20) but not pPROM. High (fourth quartile) AF BPA values also tended to increase the risk of pPROM (cOR?=?2.47, 95% CI?=?0.96–6.37) but results were not statistically significant.

Conclusions: Increased BPA concentration is associated with an increased risk for PTB or pPROM depending on the maternal–fetal compartment(s) affected. High MP plasma BPA concentrations are associated with PTB with intact membranes but high AF BPA concentrations may weakly be associated with pPROM.     

射频热凝联合臭氧融盘治疗神经根型颈椎间盘突出症

目的探讨应用射频热凝联合臭氧融盘治疗神经根颈椎间盘突出症的临床疗效。方法2005年6月～2009年6月,对92例根颈椎间盘突出症患者行射频热凝联合臭氧融盘,并作术后随访分析。结果全部病例术后3-6个月随访,优59例、良20例、可5例、差8例,优良率85．9％。结论应用射频热凝联合臭氧融盘的优势互补技术是一种行之有效的微创治疗方法,从而使治疗效果达到最大化,使局部损伤降低到最小化,拓展了适应证,扩大了微创技术在根型颈椎间盘突出症治疗中的应用空间。