ANALYSIS OF SEROLOGICAL SURVEYS USING MIXTURE MODELS: APPLICATION TO A SURVEY OF PARVOVIRUS B19

A method for the analysis of age stratified antibody prevalence surveys is developed. The age specific distribution of the quantitative results of serological antibody tests is modelled as a mixture of seropositive and seronegative components. This yields maximum likelihood estimates of the prevalence at each age. The method is illustrated using data from a previously reported survey of antibody to parvovirus B19.     

THE MOLECULAR CONTROL OF ANGIOGENESIS

Angiogenesis is a key event in a broad range of pathological conditions including both diseases with an enhanced and insufficient angiogensis. Angiogenesis is often intiated with vasodilation accompanied by an increase in vascular permeability. After destabilization of the vessel wall and degradation of the surrounding extracellular matrix, extravasation of plasma proteins provides a provisional scaffold for the migration of endothelial cells. Endothileal cell proliferation and migration themselves are under tight control by a balance of angionenesis inducers and inhibitors. A large number of angiogenic factors work together in a highly coordinated manner to induce endothelial cell outgrowth and the formation of functional vessels. On the other hand, angiostatic factor may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ischemic diseases and contribute to the temination of physiological angiogenesis. Angiogenesis ends with the recruitment of pericytes and smooth muscle cells, which stabilize the newly formed vessel. The rapid increase in the knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis has led to first treatment trials in diseases with both enhanced and reduced angiogeneis. Although initial results are promising, much more work has to be done to consdier anti-angiogenic or pro-angiogenic approaches as reliable therapeutic tools.     

成人全麻患者麻醉前评估临床实践指南分析

目的对成人全麻且无合并症患者的相关麻醉前评估指南进行内容分析,为构建我国麻醉前评估临床实践内容提供参考。方法检索国内外文献数据库、指南数据库及协会网站,按照纳入和排除标准筛选指南;采用内容分析法,对纳入指南进行文献内容分析。结果共纳入5份临床实践指南,均为国外发表。析出既往史和现病史、体格检查、实验室检查3个主题共39项内容。我国暂无针对无合并症全麻患者的指南。指南中推荐对患者进行实验室检查是应根据病史及临床症状进行。结论我国可依据国外指南推荐内容,结合我国国情加强临床实践规范,并构建适合本国成人全麻无合并症患者临床实践方案。     

Activities of Daily Living: An Area of Occupational Therapy Expertise

If occupational therapists are to provide services in the area of activities of daily living in such a way as to demonstrate their uniqueness and expertise, they must be clear in their own minds as to their uniqueness and the value of their contributions. They must also be able to communicate these effectively to others. This paper approaches the problem from two perspectives. Firstly, stimulated by the results of a survey of Royal Perth Hospital occupational therapists and a review of the literature, the authors describe a definition and classification of activities of daily living developed in order to standardise terminology and organise the content of treatment reports. Secondly, a professional model is presented to explain the uniqueness of occupational therapy in terms of activities of daily living. The use of these approaches in justifying occupational therapy intervention and communicating it to others is discussed.     

Bone Marrow Derived Cells Express Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type I (HTLV-I)-Related Antigens in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Mononuclear cells in peripheral blood (PB) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of seven patients and lymph nodes of three patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) expressed antigens that reacted with monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) specific for HTLV-I p19 and p24 gag proteins. The labelled cells were visualized with immunoperoxidase staining and indirect immunofluorescence and identified at the ultrastructural level with immunogold technique. The frequency of these cells was low, ranging from 0.1% to less than 0.01% in blood. In CSF it was approximately 10 times lower. Cells reacting with anti-p19 Ab were found in all MS samples, whereas cells reacting with anti-p24 Ab were found in 3 out of 6 blood samples and in 3 out of 7 CSF samples. All lymph nodes (3/3) obtained from MS patients contained cells that reacted with anti-HTLV-I. p19 and p24 Ab. Cells reacting with the same AB were detected in blood of one out of 12 healthy controls. Stained cells were irregular, distinctly larger than lymphocytes, and had abundant cytoplasm, suggesting that they may be monocytes/macrophages. Immunogold particles were located in vacuole-like structures in the cytoplasm. The presence in MS patients of cells that react with HTLV-I Ab indicates that a human retroviral genome is being expressed, and suggests that a virus may be present. Our data support a role for a human retrovirus in multiple sclerosis.