Hepatitis C prevalence and risk factors in the northern Alberta dialysis population.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an emerging global public health issue with particular relevance in multiply transfused renal dialysis patients. This cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors for HCV infection among renal dialysis patients in northern Alberta, Canada. Ninety-two percent of eligible patients (n = 336) provided informed consent to participate. Participants were interviewed to gather risk factor information and, using multiple logistic regression analysis with exact inference, a predictive model for HCV infection in this population was developed. The prevalence of HCV infection in the population was 6.5%, and all positive patients had at least one identifiable risk factor. The multivariate analysis showed that the risk of HCV infection was greater for those in the 18-55 years age category (odds ratio (OR) = 4.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-27.9), patients who had been on dialysis > 5 years (OR = 3.7, 95% CI 1.2-12.0), and patients who had > or = 2 high risk life-style behaviors (OR = 5.0, 95% CI 1.5-16.7). Transfusion prior to 1990 was marginally associated with HCV status (OR = 4.0, 95% CI 0.96-16.3). This study documented previously unreported life-style risk factors for HCV infection in patients with renal failure, confirmed the expected decline in transfusion-acquired HCV infection in this population, and provided evidence against nosocomial transmission of HCV.     

Bilateral upregulation of α-synuclein expression in the mouse substantia nigra by intracranial rotenone treatment

The pesticide rotenone has been shown to cause systemic inhibition of mitochondrial complex I activity, with consequent degeneration of dopamine neurons along the nigrostriatal pathway, as observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Recently, intracranial infusion of rotenone was found to increase the protein levels of the Lewy body constituents, α-synuclein and small ubiquitin-related modifier-1(SUMO-1), in the lesioned hemisphere of the mouse brain. These findings are supportive of a mouse model of PD, but information about the dopamine-synthesizing enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), an essential marker of dopaminergic status, was not reported. Clarification of this issue is important because an intracranial rotenone mouse model of Parkinson's disease has not been established. Towards this end, the present study examined the effects of intracranial rotenone treatment on TH and α-synuclein immunohistochemistry in addition to forelimb motor function. Mice were unilaterally infused with either vehicle or rotenone (2 μg/site) in both the medial forebrain bundle and the substantia nigra. The forelimb asymmetry (cylinder) test indicated a significant decrease in use of the contralateral forelimb in lesioned animals as compared to the sham group. Densitometric analysis revealed a significant depletion of TH immunofluorescence within the ipsilateral striatum and substantia nigra of lesioned animals. Moreover, a significant bilateral increase in α-synuclein immunofluorescence was found in the substantia nigra of lesioned mice, as compared to control animals. These findings indicate that this intracranial rotenone mouse model will be useful for studies of neurodegenerative disorders such as PD.     

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of palpable breast masses: comparison of conventional smears with the Cyto-Tek MonoPrep system.

BACKGROUND: One of the limitations preventing the widespread use of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is that it requires skill to obtain an adequate sample and well prepared smears. In this study, a new monolayer technique, the Cyto-Tek MonoPrep (MP) system, which obviates the need for smear preparation, was evaluated against conventional smear (CS) preparation for palpable breast lesions. METHODS: A total of 44 paired CS/MP breast FNA specimens were studied. The authors blindly analyzed the CS and the MP slides separately, then by a side-by-side evaluation. The two methods were compared with respect to diagnostic concordance, cellularity, cell preservation, background debris, and time needed to prepare and diagnose each case. RESULTS: An exact diagnostic correlation was present in 34 of 44 (77%) cases. The 10 noncorrelating cases were caused by decreased cellularity in the MP cases; nonetheless, 7 of these were correctly assigned to the right general diagnostic category, whereas the remaining 3 cases had insufficient cells. In addition to overall lesser cellularity on MP, fibroadenoma cases had smaller epithelial sheets and absence of stroma compared with CS. Both methods had comparable cellular preservation and diagnostic evaluation time, but background debris and preparation time were greater for MP. CONCLUSION: CS are favored over MP for the preparation of breast FNA specimens in centers with specialized FNA services because of their higher diagnostic yield, ease of preparation, and availability for immediate cytologic evaluation. However, in settings where specimens are collected sporadically by unskilled clinicians, the MP system may prove to be useful as an alternative or an adjunct to CS. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) Copyright 1999 American Cancer Society.