Serum protein electrophoresis patterns in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Clinical and epidemiologic correlations

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) data obtained at diagnosis were available for 98 of 342 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) identified in a population-based case-control epidemiologic study. Patients tested with SPEP at diagnosis were significantly younger, more likely to have lymphadenopathy, and more likely to have had their conditions diagnosed at a university hospital than those not tested. Four categories of electrophoretic patterns were identified: normal (N = 56), hypogammaglobulinemia (N = 28), hypergammaglobulinemia (N = 11), and monoclonal gammopathy (N = 3). A higher proportion of those with hypergammaglobulinemia were black, and patients with hypergammaglobulinemia and monoclonal gammopathy were more likely to die within the first year following diagnosis than patients in the other SPEP groups. No association was found, however, between SPEP pattern and a clinical staging classification for CLL. These findings suggest that SPEP may be a useful adjunct in categorizing possible subtypes of CLL and developing future clinical staging classifications.     

荧光原位杂交技术分析人结肠菌群方法研究

建立荧光原位杂交技术分析人体内结肠菌群的方法。取受试者新鲜粪便 ,选用 5种特异性的 16SrRNA寡核苷酸探针 ,检测粪便样本收集后的保存时间、温度 ,离心条件及样本固定液存放时间对杂交计数结果的影响。结果建立最佳实验条件为 :粪便样本收集后应尽快在 4℃下保存 ,放置时间不要超过 12小时即作处理 ;样本的适宜离心条件为 70 0g 2分钟 ;样本用多聚甲醛固定后在 - 80℃下存放时间不要超过 5个月。该方法具有较好的稳定性 ,可以有效地检出个体之间结肠菌群的差异。     

Personal and parental problem drinking: effects on problem-solving performance and self-appraisal.

This study examined the problem-solving performances and self-appraisals of problem-solving ability of college-age subjects with and without parental history of problem drinking. Contrary to our predictions, children of problem drinkers (COPDs) were rated as somewhat more effective in their problem-solving skills than non-COPDs, undermining prevailing assumptions about offspring from alcoholic households. While this difference was not large and was qualified by other variables, subjects' own alcohol abuse did exert a detrimental effect on problem-solving performance, regardless of parental history of problem drinking. However, a different pattern was evident for problem-solving self-appraisals. Alcohol-abusing non-COPDs saw themselves as effective problem-solvers while alcohol-abusing COPDs appraised themselves as poor problem-solvers. In addition, the self-appraisals of alcohol-abusing COPDs were consistent with objective ratings of solution effectiveness (i.e., they were both negative) while alcohol-abusing non-COPDs were overly positive in their appraisals, opposing the judgments of trained raters. This finding suggests that the relationship between personal alcohol abuse and self-appraised problem-solving abilities may differ as a function of parental history of problem drinking. Limitations on the generalizability of findings are addressed.     

Reflex control of nasal blood vessels

The effect of stimulation of vagal afferent fibers on nasal blood vessels was studied in 36 cats. Volume change of the nasal capacitance vessels was measured by plethysmographic balloons inserted into the nose. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve produced a vasodilatation of nasal mucosa. Pulmonary stretch receptor stimulation by veratridine alkaloid and progressive lung inflation in open-chest cats also produced a vasodilatation of the nasal mucosa. These reflexes were abolished by sectioning the vagus nerves. These results suggest a reflex arc between the lung and nasal capacitance vessels which arises from pulmonary stretch receptors.     

In vitro preimplantation mouse embryo development with incubation temperatures of 37 and 39°C

Embryos from two strains of mice were used to assess the effect of incubation temperature on pronuclear and twocell development to the morula/blastocyst (M/B) stage. Embryos from B6D2F2 and B6SJLF1 strains were cultured in medium M16 at either 37 or 39°C until 120 hr post human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or 0, 24, or 48 hr at 37°C and the remaining time at 39°C. Overall M/B development for pronuclear embryos was 0.6, 0, 32.3, and 52.4% for 0—96, 24—72, 48—48, and 96—0 hr at 37 and 39°C, respectively. Only 0—96 and 24—72 hr at 37 and 39°C were not different (P >0.10). Overall M/B development for two-cell embryos was 48.1, 78.1, and 98.0% for 0—72, 24—48, and 72—0 hr at 37 and 39°C, respectively. Percentage development at each time was different (P <.01) for each category. Additionally, the number of nuclei for morulae and blastocysts tended to be higher for embryos initiating culture at the two-cell stage compared to pronuclear embryos. The first cell cycle was most dramatically affected by a 2°C increase in incubator temperature. More advanced embryos can tolerate slight increases in incubator temperature more readily than pronuclear embryos.