Universal Collection Medium (UCM) is as suitable as the Standard Transport Medium (STM) for Hybrid Capture II (HC-2) assay.

BACKGROUND: Collection of cervical-vaginal material in liquid media enables simultaneous evaluation of both oncologic cytology and molecular tests for the detection of Human papillomavirus (HPV), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). Universal Collection Medium (UCM) has been developed to fulfill this objective. OBJECTIVES: To compare Hybrid Capture II (HC-2) to diagnose HPV, NG and CT in specimens collected in UCM and in the current Digene Standard Transport Medium (STM). STUDY DESIGN: The study was cross-sectional. Three collections of endocervical and ectocervical material were performed in each of 893 women referred for colposcopy in the following order: (1) to prepare a conventional Pap smear slide using the accompanying brush of the STM kit and with Ayre spatula; (2) for HC-2 test and liquid-based cytology using a 1 ml UCM vial as transport medium; material was collected with another similar brush; (3) for HC-2 test using a 1 ml STM vial as transport medium; material was collected with the same brush that we used in the procedure no. (1) (conventional Pap smear). HC-2 results from samples taken from STM and UCM media were compared by using simple linear regression analysis and Kappa statistic. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: HC-2 results from the two media were highly correlated: high-risk HPV (kappa=0.92; r(2)=0.92), low-risk HPV (kappa=0.85; r(2)=0.86) and NG/CT (kappa=0.96; r(2)=0.81). Despite being obtained from a second specimen, the UCM HC-2 results were equivalent to those obtained with the standard medium STM and the UCM medium.     

Phosphorylated map kinase (ERK1, ERK2) expression is associated with early tau deposition in neurones and glial cells, but not with increased nuclear DNA vulnerability and cell death, in Alzheimer disease, Pick's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration

Abnormal tau phosphorylation and deposition in neurones and glial cells is one of the major features in taupathies. The present study examines the involvement of the Ras/MEK/ERK pathway of tau phosphorylation in Alzheimer disease (AD), Pick's disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD), by Western blotting, single and double-labelling immunohistochemistry, and p21Ras activation assay. Since this pathway is also activated in several paradigms of cell death and cell survival, activated ERK expression is also analysed with double-labelling immunohistochemistry and in situ end-labelling of nuclear DNA fragmentation to visualise activated ERK in cells with increased nuclear DNA vulnerability. The MEK1 antibody recognises one band of 45 kD that identifies phosphorylation-independent MEK1, whose expression levels are not modified in diseased brains. The ERK antibody recognises one band of 42 kD corresponding to the molecular weight of phosphorylation-independent ERK2; the expression levels, as well as the immunoreactivity of ERK in individual cells, is not changed in AD, PiD, PSP and CBD. The antibody MAPK-P distinguishes two bands of 44 kD and 42 kD that detect phosphorylated ERK1 and ERK2. MAPK-P expression levels, as seen with Western blotting, are markedly increased in AD, PiD, PSP and CBD. Moreover, immunohistochemistry discloses granular precipitates in the cytoplasm of neurones in AD, mainly in a subpopulation of neurones exhibiting early tau deposition, whereas neurones with developed neurofibrillary tangles are less commonly immunostained. MAPK-P also decorates neurones with Pick bodies in PiD, early tau deposition in neurones in PSP and CBD, and cortical achromatic neurones in CBD. In addition, strong MAPK-P immunoreactivity is found in large numbers of tau-positive glial cells in PSP and CBD, as seen with double-labelling immunohistochemistry. Yet no co-localisation of enhanced phosphorylated ERK immunoreactivity and nuclear DNA fragmentation is found in AD, PiD, PSP and CBD. Finally, activated Ras expression levels are increased in AD cases when compared with controls. These results demonstrate increased phosphorylated (active) ERK expression in association with early tau deposition in neurones and glial cells in taupathies, and suggest activated Ras as the upstream activator of the MEK/ERK pathway of tau phosphorylation in AD.     

Assessment of genotype and molecular evolution of hepatitis C virus in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded liver tissue from patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Drawbacks of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA detection in paraffin-embedded liver tissue have satisfactorily been solved by RT-PCR amplification of the 5'non-coding region (5'NCR). However, detection of this highly conserved region does not provide information on epidemiological or pathogenetic aspects of HCV infection. This study explores whether other functionally important genetic regions of HCV, such as the hypervariable region 1 (HVR-1) and the interferon sensitivity-determining region (ISDR), can be retrieved from paraffin-embedded liver specimens by RT-PCR, and whether the amplified material is suitable for further molecular analyses. RT-PCR amplification of 5'NCR, HVR-1, and ISDR was assessed in RNA extracted from 50 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver specimens, including 23 needle liver biopsies (11 from patients with non-A, non-B chronic hepatitis diagnosed between 1971 and 1985, 8 from subjects with normal liver histology and 4 from sequential biopsies from a patient with HCV recurrence after liver transplantation), and 27 liver explants from patients undergoing transplantation between 1988 and 1996 (16 with HCV-related cirrhosis and 11 with other disorders). The 5'NCR was successfully amplified in 8 of 11 (73%) non-A, non-B chronic hepatitis biopsies and in all of the specimens from patients with serological documentation of HCV infection. There were no false-positive results. HCV genotype was identified by RFLP analysis of the 5'NCR in the 13 cases analyzed. HVR-1 and ISDR were amplified in 24 of 28 (86%) samples, which were positive for the 5'NCR. Efficient amplification was inversely related to the time of storage. The evolutionary changes of HVR-1 and ISDR were successfully analyzed by direct sequencing of amplificates from the explanted liver and from the sequential liver biopsies in a patient with HCV infection recurrence after transplantation. These observations indicate that paraffin-embedded liver tissue, even when stored for more than 20 years, is appropriate for advanced studies on the molecular biology of HCV.     

Giant inguinal scrotal vesical hernia

Presentation of one case of scrotal hernia in a man of 64 years old patient. Diagnosed by cistography and ultrasound and treated by herniorraphy and posterior transuretral litolaplaxy of a vesical litiasis and RTU of prostate. Postoperative urography showed normal vesical morphology.     

Acute and nongenomic effects of testosterone on isolated and perfused rat heart

Gonadal steroid hormones influence vascular tone and the development of hypertension. There are sex differences in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, and great attention has been placed on the study of estrogen cardiovascular effects. However, there are only a few reports on the effects of testosterone on the vasculature. It is commonly accepted that the mechanism of the action of steroid hormones on target tissues is mediated through the binding of hormones to cytoplasmic or nuclear receptors. However, some studies indicate that steroid action can be extremely rapid and therefore unlikely to be through a genomic mechanism. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of intravascularly confined testosterone on an isolated rat heart to demonstrate acute and possibly nongenomic effects of the steroid. Our results show that testosterone blocked the adenosine vasodilator effect and increased vascular resistance, even when its presence was restricted to the coronary vascular lumen. These effects were exerted rapidly and possibly through nongenomic mechanisms.     

Hemorrhagic cholecystitis: ultrasound and CT imaging findings—a retrospective case review series

Emergency Radiology - Gallbladder pathology is diverse, and imaging tests are essential tools for its diagnosis. Acute cholecystitis has multiple manifestations or complications, one of which is...