Glutathione-S-transferase P1 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to endometriosis

BACKGROUND: Glutathione-S-tranferase (GST) is the part of the key phase II detoxifying enzyme system. Many studies have investigated the role of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms in endometriosis. Although GSTP1 was found to be one of the most abundant types of GST in genital system, there are insufficient data about the importance of the role of GSTP1 gene polymorphism in endometriosis. METHODS: This case-control study involved 150 patients with endometriosis and 150 controls. The frequency of GSTP1 single nucleotide polymorphisms was evaluated using PCR and melting curve analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of GSTP1 ile/ile tended to be higher in patients with endometriosis than control group, although the difference was not significant [odds ratio (OR)=1.53; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.95-2.46]. In contrast, GSTP1 val/val was significantly higher in control patients and seems protective for endometriosis (OR=0.10; 95% CI=0.02-0.42). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that GSTP1 polymorphism might modulate the risk of endometriosis with significantly decreased risk for GSTP1 val/val and marginally increased risk for GSTP1 ile/ile. Further studies on not only the disease processes but also normal distribution of the enzyme in female genital tract may provide better understanding about the role of GST types and their polymorphs in endometriosis.     

What triggers catch-up saccades during visual tracking?

When tracking moving visual stimuli, primates orient their visual axis by combining two kinds of eye movements, smooth pursuit and saccades, that have very different dynamics. Yet, the mechanisms that govern the decision to switch from one type of eye movement to the other are still poorly understood, even though they could bring a significant contribution to the understanding of how the CNS combines different kinds of control strategies to achieve a common motor and sensory goal. In this study, we investigated the oculomotor responses to a large range of different combinations of position error and velocity error during visual tracking of moving stimuli in humans. We found that the oculomotor system uses a prediction of the time at which the eye trajectory will cross the target, defined as the "eye crossing time" (T(XE)). The eye crossing time, which depends on both position error and velocity error, is the criterion used to switch between smooth and saccadic pursuit, i.e., to trigger catch-up saccades. On average, for T(XE) between 40 and 180 ms, no saccade is triggered and target tracking remains purely smooth. Conversely, when T(XE) becomes smaller than 40 ms or larger than 180 ms, a saccade is triggered after a short latency (around 125 ms).     

Micro-centrifugation of human spermatozoa: its effect on fertilization of hamster oocytes after micro-insemination spermatozoal transfer

Micro-centrifugation (MC) at 6500 r.p.m. (3352 g) has not beenused previously for spermatozoal concentration and subsequentfertilization. We investigated MC for micro-insemination spermatozoaltransfer (MIST) of human spermatozoa from normal donors intohamster oocytes. MC resulted in reduced penetration of hamsteroocytes, both after MIST [77.4% (41/53) versus 87.8% (43/49)for control; NS] and after exposure to zona-free hamster oocytes[60.8% (79/130) versus 72.7% (88/121) for control; P < 0.05].However, MIST under the zona resulted in better incorporationof sperm nuclei when compared with zona-free hamster oocytes,for spermatozoa exposed to micro-centrifugation (77.4 versus60.8%, P < 0.05) and controls (87.8 versus 72.7%, P <0.05). Polyspermy was higher after MIST [22.0% (9/41) versus13.9% (11/79); NS] for MC + , and [25.6% (11/43) versus 13.6%(12/88); NS] for MC-. We conclude that MC does have a negative,but minimal effect on the fertility of human spermatozoa withrespect to hamster oocytes.     

Mundgesundheitskompetenz von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund – Erste Auswertungen der MuMi-Studie

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Erste Studien heben den Migrationshintergrund von Menschen in Deutschland als eigenständigen Risikofaktor für eine...     

Salbutamol or mist in acute bronchiolitis

Abstract Background : The role of bronchodilators in the treatment of bronchiolitis remains controversial.
Methods : A double-blind, placebo controlled trial was performed to evaluate the clinical response to nebulized salbutamol. One hundred and fifty-six infants aged between 7 weeks and 24 months who had had an episode of wheezing and other signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis were randomized to three groups as follows: (i) nebulized salbutamol was administered to 52 patients in group I at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg in 2 mL saline; (ii) saline was nebulized to 52 patients in group II and (iii) in group III 52 patients received mist in a tent. All three groups were administered oxygen during the procedures. Treatment was repeated with the same agent after 30 min if the respiratory score was 5 or more. Respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation and presence of cyanosis, wheezing, retractions were recorded before and after each treatment.
Results : The decrease in the respiratory score was 5.2 ± 1.8, 0.82 ± 2.4 and 1.7 ± 1.3 in group I, II and III, respectively. The decrease in group I was significantly higher than in the other groups. Heart rate was similar between groups. Oxygen saturation decreased in group I without reaching statistical significance.
Conclusions: Salbutamol was shown to be effective and safe in the treatment of acute bronchiolitis.