Hypothesis: association of the critical region of trisomy 18 and 18q2—syndrome with dermatoglyphic findings and a growth suppressor (deleted in colon cancer) locus

Evidence from the literature is reviewed to suggest that when fingertip dermal ridge patterns in chromosomal deletion syndromes are characteristic of the opposite spectrum of the developmental scale from patterns found in cases trisomic for the same chromosomal region, the association may be a consequence of loci with growth regulatory functions. Evidence is presented that DNA markers at 18q21 should be the first candidate sequences to be used to test this hypothesis in families with fingertip arches segregating in an apparent autosomal dominant fashion.     

Urine as an alternative to urethral swabs for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in infertile males

Swabbing the urethrae of men has been the traditional approach for collecting specimens for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis . Recently, however, urine testing using enzyme immunoassay has yielded promising results. A total of 105 patients attending the Andrology Clinic at Ga Rankuwa Hospital, Medunsa were included in the study. These patients were asymptomatic and had no urethral discharge. Three endo-urethral swabs and first-catch urine were collected fiom each patient. The urethral swabs were used for enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (IDEIA 111), tissue culture and direct immonufluorescent antibody (DFA) test (IMAGEN) to detect C. trachomatis . In addition about 15–30 ml of first-catch urine, or urine collected at least 2h after the previous micturition, was collected for each patient for EIA testing. Fifteen (14.3%) of 105 patients were positive on urethral swab EIA, in comparison with the DFA test in which 14 (13.3%) were positive. Eight (7.8%) were positive in tissue culture. Urine EIA was positive in 17 (16.2%) patients, of whom five (4.8%) were positive in urine EIA only. All EIA positive urines were confirmed by DFA. We recommend that first-catch urine or urine collected at least 2h after the previous micturition in infertile males may be considered a suitable alternative to urethral swab for chlamydial diagnosis because it is noninvasive and nontraumatic.     

Deprivation of form vision suppresses diurnal cycling of retinal levels of leu-enkephalin

Deprivation of form vision by the fitting of translucent occluders suppressed the diurnal cycling of enkephalinergic amacrine cells (the ENSLI amacrine cells), in the chicken. Daily periods of normal vision or enforcing temporal contrast using strobe lighting appeared to restore normal functioning of the ENSLI cells. These results suggest that the ENSLI cells are involved in retinal circuits that assess the quality of the visual image and control eye growth.     

人体膀胱移行上皮癌细胞系(TSB-90,TSB-91)的建立及其生物学特性

从1例膀胱癌患者的癌组织培养中，分离得到2个不同生长特性的悬浮生长型细胞系，定名为TSB-90和TSB-91。在培养过程中，对其生物学特性进行了细胞和亚细胞水平的探讨，并进行了核型分析。发现2个细胞系核型的演化趋势有明显差异，生物学特性也不尽相同。这可能与膀胱癌组织中细胞的遗传异质性和分化程度有关。对其机制和细节有待进一步深入研究。     

运用组织芯片技术检测COX-2在结直肠癌中的表达及其临床意义

目的 探讨结直肠癌组织中COX-2的表达及其与各临床病理因素的关系，评价COX-2在结直肠癌预后判断中的价值。方法 应用组织芯片技术结合免疫组织化学SABC法，检测126例早中期结直肠癌组织中COX-2的表达情况，回顾性分析COX-2与各临床病理因素及预后之间的关系。结果 根据免疫组化染色强度，所有病例被分为COX-2高表达组和低表达组，其中高表达组有32例（25．4％），低表达组有94例（74．6％）。COX-2在结直肠癌中表达情况与年龄、性别、肿瘤大小、肿瘤部位、组织学类型、浸润深度、淋巴是否转移、Dukes分期均无相关。然而，高表达的COX-2与肿瘤复发、特别是血行转移显著相关（P〈0．05）。两组之间生存率具有显著差异（P=0．0067），COX-2高表达组术后五年生存率显著低于低表达组。多因素回归模型分析结果显示．在潜在的预后因素中（年龄、性别、肿瘤大小、肿瘤部位、组织学类型、淋巴是否转移、Dukes分期、COX-2表达），COX-2表达和Dukes分期可作为是结直肠癌根治术后独立预后因素，COX-2的检测可作为结直肠癌患者预后判断的一个有价值的指标。结论 高表达的COX-2与肿瘤复发、特别是血行转移显著相关，COX-2的检测町作为结直肠癌患者琐后判断的一个有价值的指标：应用组织芯片高效检测临床组织样本具有快速、方便、经济、准确的优点。     

Treatment time analysis for extensive amalgam restorations

The treatment times for the fabrication of Extensive Amalgam Restorations (EAR) as recorded in a longitudinal clinical trial at the Dental School in Nijmegen were analyzed. 269 EAR's with different retention methods were made on molars by three operators. A mean total treatment time of 60 min was found. The factor operator had a significant influence on all treatment phases resulting in a 26% difference in total treatment time between operators. Also significant influences were found in some treatment phases for the factor retention, side location of the tooth and extension of the restoration. The results of this study with regard to treatment times must be considered from the perspective of the quality of the care provided.     

Evaluation of vertebral volumetric vs. areal bone mineral density during growth

Bone mineral “density” (BMD) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) does not represent the volumetric density (grams per cubic centimeter), but rather the areal density (grams per square centimeter). This distinction is important during growth. The purpose of this study was to measure vertebral dimensions in cadavers of young pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina), and to derive equations to predict the volumetric bone density from noninvasive measurements. We measured the areal bone density by DEXA, vertebral volume by underwater weighing, mineral content by ashing, dimensions of lumbar vertebrae by calipers, and dimensions of vertebrae by radiography. Somatometric measurements of the female lumbar vertebral bodies showed that the shape changed during growth. The bone mineral content from the densitometer correlated significantly with the ash weight (r = 0.99, error 8.7%). The correlation coefficient between the volumetric bone mineral density and areal BMD measurement was significant (r = 0.68, p < 0.0001) with a 9.5% error; this improved significantly to 0.82 (7.2% error) when the BMD was divided by the vertebral depth from the radiograph. Areal BMD showed a strong correlation with age (r = 0.82, p < 0.0001), with an average increase of 7.4%/year. In contrast, volumetric mineral density showed a weak relationship with age (r = 0.43, p < 0.01), for an average increase of 1.5%/year. When studying bone mineral density during growth, the differences between volumetric and areal bone mineral density should be taken into consideration. (     

阿片类依赖者的社会心理因素分析

本文对２８４例自愿戒毒的阿片类依赖者的部分社会心理因素进行分析。３０ａ以下、初中以下文化的青年，特别是待业和个体户，性格不稳定者是阿片类物质滥用的高危人群，为预防的重点对象。阿片类依赖戒断治疗后的高复吸率，反映出目前的治疗仅注重戒断，忽视康复和回归社会后的随访工作。今后应在人力、财力方面向康复和社会随访方面转移和倾斜，方能真见成效。