Hand hygiene and glove use behavior in an Italian hospital.

In an Italian hospital, we observed that hand hygiene was performed in 638 (19.6%) of 3,253 opportunities, whereas gloves were worn in 538 (44.2%) 1,218 of opportunities. We observed an inverse correlation between the intensity of care and the rate of hand hygiene compliance (R2=0.057; P<.001), but no such association was observed for the rate of glove use compliance (R2=0.014; P=.078). Rates of compliance with hand hygiene and glove use recommendations follow different behavioral patterns.     

Postcoital contraception with levonorgestrel during the peri-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle. Task Force on Post-ovulatory Methods for Fertility Regulation

The contraceptive efficacy and side effects of postcoital levonorgestrel used repeatedly during the peri-ovulatory period of one cycle was examined in 259 women. All subjects were of proven fertility in their present union and had ovulatory cycles as assessed from pre-treatment BBT charts. The mean number of coital acts during the treatment cycle was 7.5 (SD:2.6) and the mean number of 0.75 mg levonorgestrel tablets taken during the peri-ovulatory period was 4.0 (SD:1.2). Two pregnancies, both considered to be method failures, occurred, giving a failure rate of 0.8% per treated cycle. Although the overall effect of levonorgestrel on menstrual cycle length was small and insignificant, menstrual cycle disturbances were not uncommon. Intermenstrual bleeding or spotting occurred in 8.5% of the treated cycles and 12.5% of the cycles were less than 20 or more than 35 days. Other side effects, mainly nausea, headache and dizziness, were reported by about 20% of the subjects but the apparent incidence of these complaints varied markedly between the nine participating centres from 0% to just over 50%. The data suggest that repeated postcoital use of levonorgestrel is probably not a viable approach to fertility regulation for the majority of women who have regular intercourse and wish to limit the number of their pregnancies.     

Effects of lead on red blood cell membrane proteins

Summary The effects of lead on red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins were studied in two groups of workers with different lead exposure levels: Group 1 (6 subjects employed in a battery plant) with a mean blood lead of 40.1 (SD = 3.7) g/100 ml; Group II(5 workers employed in different industries) with a mean blood lead of 60.6 (SD = 8.0) g/100 ml, compared with a control group with mean blood lead of 15.6 (SD = 9.3) g/100 ml. The analysis of RBC membrane polypeptides was carried out by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and by using a densitometer for percentage measurement of the bands corresponding to protein fractions. The results show a very significant decrease in Band 3 (anion channel) and 4.1 in more exposed workers (Group II) only. The effects of lead on RBC membrane proteins seem to be evident at blood-lead levels higher (> 50 g/100 ml) than those previously reported in literature. These results confirm the effects of lead on membrane proteins, even if the exact mechanism, particularly the influence of proteolysis and the meaning of the interference, still needs to be investigated thoroughly.     

Silent mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene as an aid to the diagnosis of phenylketonuria.

Direct sequencing of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene indicated the existence of silent mutations in codons 232, 245, and 385, linked to specific RFLP haplotypes in several Caucasian populations, namely Germans, Bulgarians, Italians, Turks, and Lithuanians. All three mutations create a new restriction site and can be easily detected on PCR amplified DNA. The usefulness of the silent mutations for diagnostic purposes depends on the haplotype distribution in the target population. The combined analysis of these markers and one or two PKU mutations forms a simple panel of diagnostic tests with full informativeness in a large proportion of PKU families, which helps to avoid the problems of genetic heterogeneity and of prenatal genomic Southern blot analysis.     

Chondromyxoid fibroma resembles in vitro chondrogenesis, but differs in expression of signalling molecules

Chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign cartilaginous bone tumour characterized by morphological features that resemble different steps of chondrogenesis in terms of both cellular morphology, ranging from spindled to rounded cells, and the extracellular matrix formed, which ranges from fibrous to cartilaginous. The presence in chondromyxoid fibroma of signalling molecules that regulate the spatial expression of proteins involved in normal cartilage proliferation and differentiation was investigated in samples from 20 patients and compared with articular chondrocytes from 11 normal donors cultivated in 3D pellet culture. Sections were stained with safranin-O and H&E, and immunohistochemistry was performed for p16, cyclin D1, FGFR3, BCL2, p21, PTHLH, PTHR1 and N-cadherin. Expression patterns were analysed using hierarchical clustering. In chondromyxoid fibroma, specific morphological features correlated with a distinct pattern of expression. Comparison with normal chondrocytes in pellet culture showed a striking morphological resemblance, but with an unmistakably different pattern of expression. N-cadherin, PTHLH, and PTHR1 were expressed to a significantly higher level (p < 0.01) in articular chondrocyte pellets but, conversely, there was significantly lower expression of cyclin D1, p16 and BCL2 (p < 0.05) in these cells. Morphological similarities reflect common steps in cartilage differentiation, albeit driven by different molecular mechanisms. The proteins we have found to be differentially expressed seem crucial for neoplastic chondrogenesis.