The rheumatic patient''s early needs and expectations

During the last few years, studies have revealed that the need for psychosocial support and concrete social services are great in the early stages of the treatment of rheumatic diseases. The ability to keep a job, to do household chores, to participate in leisure activities and to maintain social relations is clearly impaired. Anxiety and depression are not unusual and often associated with weak support from relatives, loneliness and disturbed family relations. Nevertheless, the patients report resilience and determination to cope with the impacts of illness. Crisis intervention, vocational guidance and counselling about problems concerning the disease should be available and offered to the patients. As the patients seem to be unaccustomed to talking about their psychosocial problems, an empathetic and information-seeking attitude on the part of the health care staff is essential.     

Chondrosarcomatous differentiation in metastatic deposit of serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma

A rare case of serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary showing chondrosarcomatous differentiation in a metastatic deposit late in the clinical course is reported. A 49-year-old female underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for bilateral ovarian tumors. Histological diagnosis was serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma of both ovaries with lymph node metastasis. After six courses of chemotherapy, she was confirmed to be in complete remission following a second laparotomy. Following additional chemotherapy, a third laparotomy disclosed swollen left inguinal lymph nodes. In one of these nodes, approximately 5.0 cm in greatest diameter, the predominant histological features were: chondrosarcoma of the bone and soft tissue, with small foci of serous papillary adenocarcinoma and squamous epithelium. A histological transition between mesenchymal and epithelial areas was identified. Immunohistochemical positivity for broad-spectrum cytokeratin (AE1/AE3), vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, and S-100 protein was observed in both chondrosarcomatous and epithelial areas. The current evidence may suggest that the chondrosarcomatous differentiation was derived from the metastatic epithelial component.     

Infrequent genetic alterations of the PTEN gene in Japanese patients with sporadic prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer death among elderly men in America, Europe, and Japan. However, the molecular mechanism of carcinogenesis is not yet well characterized. Frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 10q was reported in prostate cancer, and a candidate tumor suppressor gene, PTEN, was isolated on chromosome band 10q23.3. To investigate the genetic alterations of PTEN, we examined 45 primary prostate cancer specimens. LOH at the PTEN locus was observed in two (11.1%) of 18 tumors. However, no mutations were observed in any of the primary prostate cancers. These data suggest that mutation of the PTEN gene does not play a major role in prostate carcinogenesis of Japanese patients. Received: February 6, 1998 / Accepted: July, 3, 1998     

耳穴静态电测量中的瞬变响应

耳穴电参数时变关系实验表明，在测量起始ｔ＜２τ时，因瞬变作用，电位Ｅ（ｔ）和压降Ｕ（ｔ）为瞬态响应，响应函数呈指数关系，特征参数为弛豫时间τ，τ≈ＲＣ；ｔ＞２τ时，为时变间期。电路分析给出数学描述，并与耳穴和模拟实验结果较相符。提示，时变特征应以ｔ＞２τ后提取，静态电测量时，采样应避开瞬变期，可提高准确性。该工作对正确鉴别时变性和特征提取，全面认识耳穴电特性具有重要意义。     

杀虫剂点滴处理后德国小蠊的生理行为反应

本文报告了应用三种不同类型杀虫剂ＤＤＶＰ，残杀成和溴江菊酯点滴处理敏感株德国小蠊（Ｂｌａｔｔｅｌｌａｇｅｒｍａｎｉｃａ）不同虫期后的药物敏感性以及带荚虫脱荚及其孵化情况。试验得出了不同虫期不同时间的ＬＤ５０植和７２ｈ不同虫期对这３种药物敏感性的显著性测定（Ｐ值）的结果。发现不同虫期对这３种药物的敏感性之间关系的共同特点是：１．幼虫与雄虫敏感性差别显著（在ＤＤＶＰ和残杀威中）或者非常显著（在溴氰菊酯）；２．雌虫与雄虫间差别在３种药物处理中均显著；３．雌虫与带荚虫在ＤＤＶＰ和溴氰菊酯处理中差别也非常显著。试验同时显示，３种药物不同浓度处理对德国小蠊脱荚及其孵化有十分显著的影响。其总的趋势是随着药物浓度的增高脱荚率明显地增加；相反，脱荚的孵化率则随着浓度的增加明显的下降。实验并得出脱荚的孵化与否和卵荚长度无明显关系。     

Expression of voltage-dependent sodium and transient potassium currents in an identified sub-population of dorsal root ganglion cells acutely isolated from 12-day-old mouse embryos

The electrophysiological properties of a subset of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons microdissected from 12-day-old (E12) mouse embryos and acutely isolated were analyzed as soon as 3 after their isolation. Two classes of neurons were defined according to their mean diameter. The larger diameter class was examined in this study. They display uniform cytoskeletal properties with co-expression of vimentin and neurofilament triplet proteins. Patch-clamp methods also revealed a homogeneous and limited repertoire of ionic channels that included (1) a TTX-sensitive Na⁺ current whose properties are similar to that reported in mature mammalian neurons, and (2) two types of K⁺ currents that can be compared with the delayed rectifier (I _k ) and the transient (I _a) potassium currents found in other mammalian preparations. It may be possible to use this in vitro model to examine the development of new types of currents, such as Ca²⁺ currents during neuronal growth and differentiation.     

Serum IgG, IgA, IgM, and IgE levels and allergy in Filipino children in the United States

The serum levels of IgE, IgG, IgA, and IgM of 27 American-born Filipino children 5 to 17 years of age were measured and found to be significantly higher than those of a control group of 24 Caucasian children of similar age distribution and attending the same general pediatric clinics. The geometric mean of serum IgE of the Filipinos was 227 U. per milliliter and of the Caucasians, 69 U. per milliliter (p < 0.01). The geometric means of other serum immunoglobulin levels of the Filipinos by comparison with the Caucasians were: IgG, 1,303 and 1,010 mg. per 100 ml. (p < 0.01); IgA, 195 and 120 mg. per 100 ml. (p < 0.001); and IgM, 141 and 92 mg. per 100 ml. (p < 0.02), respectively. The incidence of atopic disease was higher in the Filipino study group (48 per cent) than in the Caucasian control group (25 per cent); eczema was especially prevalent in the Filipino group. Elevated serum IgE levels were associated with atopic disease in both racial groups; however, there was no correlation between serum level of IgG, IgA, or IgM and atopy.     

几种常用自陈主观幸福感量表在我国城市居民中的试用报告

本研究考察了几种常用自阵主观幸福感表在我国城市居民中的试用情况。表明，除情感平衡量表外，中国人幸福感量表，总体生活满意感量表和删改后夏普量表，对测量我国居民主观幸福感都有一定的实用或参考价值，但从根本上讲编订一套适用于我国居民的主观幸福感量表是很有必要的。     

Molecular determinants of human uveal melanoma invasion and metastasis

The molecular analysis of cancer has benefited tremendously from the sequencing of the human genome integrated with the science of bioinformatics. Microarray analysis technology has the potential to classify tumors based on the differential expression of genes. In the current study, a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach was utilized to study the molecular determinants of human uveal melanoma invasion and metastasis. Uveal melanoma is considered the most common primary intraocular cancer in adults, resulting in the death of approximately 50% of patients affected. Unfortunately, at the time of diagnosis, many patients already harbor microscopic metastases, thus underscoring a critical need to identify prognostic markers indicative of metastatic potential. The investigative strategy consisted of isolating highly invasive vs. poorly invasive uveal melanoma cells from a heterogeneous tumor derived from cells that had metastasized from the eye to the liver. The heterogeneous tissue explant MUM-2 led to the derivation of two clonal cell lines: MUM-2B and MUM-2C. Further morphological and functional analyses revealed that the MUM-2B cells were epithelioid, interconverted (expressing mesenchymal and epithelial phenotypes) highly invasive, and demonstrated vasculogenic mimicry. The MUM-2C cells were spindle-like, expressed only a vimentin mesenchymal phenotype, poorly invasive, and were incapable of vasculogenic mimicry. The molecular analysis of the MUM-2B vs. the MUM-2C clones resulted in the differential expression of 210 known genes. Overall, the molecular signature of the MUM-2B cells resembled that of multiple phenotypes – similar to a pluripotent, embryonic-like genotype. Validation of select genes that were upregulated and down-regulated was conducted by semiquantitative RT-PCR measurement. This study provides a molecular profile that will hopefully lead to the development of new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention and possible diagnostic markers to predict the clinical outcome of patients with uveal melanoma. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Conditioned taste aversion using four different means to deliver sucrose to rats

A solution of sucrose either to be drunk from a drinking tube-self-drinking procedure (SD)-or perfused intraorally as a consequence of nose-pokes-self-administration procedure (SA)-or perfused as a consequence of licking an empty tube (LA)-was paired with an LiCl-induced malaise in rats. The effects were compared to those of a procedure consisting of intraoral administration (IO) of sucrose not contingent to any specific action of the rat. Similar levels of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) were obtained but extinction in the IO procedure was quicker than in the SA procedure, which was itself quicker than in the SD procedure. Extinctions in the IO and LA procedures resembled one another and were quicker than in the SD procedure. A step towards deciding between several explanatory hypotheses of these differences was made by conducting two more experiments. The third experiment was based on reinstatement, or not, of the conditioning procedure for the test after standard IO extinction. CTA was produced only when SD was used both at conditioning and test. A fourth experiment was based on latent inhibition where the procedure was changed, or not, between preexposure and conditioning. Latent inhibition was absent only when the rats had been preexposed to sucrose with the SA procedure and conditioned with the SD procedure.