Short term correlates of the Neuro Emotional Technique for cancer-related traumatic stress symptoms: A pilot case series

Introduction As many as one quarter of all cancer survivors report traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences. While the majority of these patients do not meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is growing evidence that subsyndromal symptoms can significantly contribute to functional impairment and negative health outcomes. Treatment options for the hallmark symptoms of traumatic stress—unpleasant, intrusive thoughts and avoidant behaviors—have not been well investigated for the cancer survivorship population. Materials and methods Seven female cancer survivors with traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences and no other major psychopathology, were enrolled to receive three sessions of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET), a brief, targeted treatment that combines traditional desensitization principles with complementary modalities. Results Psychological outcome measures (Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) and physiological measures (Heart Rate (HR) and Skin Conductance Level (SCL) demonstrated the following changes: 71% on IES, 88% SUD, 74% on HR, and 65% on SCL following the intervention. Statistically significant changes were observed for all four parameters, and effect size g for proportion improved were 0.50 each for IES, SUD, and HR, and 0.20 for SCL. Conclusions These cases suggest feasibility of the NET intervention for cancer-related traumatic stress and the potential for change in symptoms and physiological reactivity. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific and long-term effects of such an approach. Implications for cancer survivors Traumatic stress from cancer-related experiences might represent a constellation of symptoms that are amenable to brief, targeted interventions. This study was supported by the O.N.E. Research Foundation     

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。     

Infection of peripheral mononuclear blood cells by hepatitis C virus.

We investigated the infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) by hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 5 patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis. The presence of HCV-RNA-positive and -negative strands was tested with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. In all subjects, HCV-RNA was shown in PBMNC. In 3 cases, HCV-RNA was shown in the T- and B-cell populations, with viral RNA also present in the monocyte-macrophage fraction of two of these. HCV-RNA-negative stranded molecules, indicative of the viral multiplication, were significantly increased in cells maintained in cultures with PHA/PMA stimulation. The results indicate that HCV infect blood mononuclear cells, thus suggesting that this cellular tropism may play a role in HCV infection.     

Relationship between maternal- and fetal-specific IgE

AIM: A positive correlation between maternal and cord-blood IgE levels is well documented for total IgEs, but not for specific IgEs. The difficulty in detecting specific cord-blood IgEs is due to their low concentrations, which hinder their dosage by low-sensitivity methods. The study aimed to correlate maternal and foetal specific IgEs against individual cow's milk proteins, detected by highly sensitive and specific techniques. METHODS: Cow's milk specific IgE detection was performed by chemiluminescence on 52 specimens of maternal and cord blood after cow's milk protein separation by 1D and 2D gel electrophoresis. Cow's milk protein (CMP) antigens were identified by mass spectrometry techniques. RESULTS: Specific IgEs for CMPs were found in 25/52 (48.1%) of maternal sera and in 19/52 (37%) of cord-blood sera. In order of decreasing frequency, the proteins found were BSA, IgG heavy chain, caseins and, in a single case, b-lactoglobulin. Positive cord-blood sera in all cases corresponded to a positive maternal result, and maternal and foetal immunoreactivity patterns were closely correlated. Moreover, in no case was there a positive cord-blood response with a negative maternal response. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates a close relationship between maternal and cord-blood specific IgE patterns. The phenomenon observed could provide a model to elucidate the general production method of foetal IgEs, which might only be produced in the presence of both the corresponding maternal IgE and the related allergen.