Assessment of MUSASHI 1 and MUSASHI 2 expression in spermatozoa and testicular tissue

MUSASHI (MSI) family plays the main role in the spermatogenesis process. The purpose of this study was the assessment of sperm MSI1 and MSI2, and sperm functional tests in infertile men (n = 30) with varicocele and fertile men (n = 30). Furthermore, MSI1 and MSI2 proteins were assessed in testicular tissue of azoospermic men (n = 9) as well as epididymal spermatozoa and testis of mice. Expression of MSI1 and MSI2 was assessed at RNA and protein levels in human spermatozoa. Sperm concentration and motility were significantly lower, while abnormal sperm morphology, lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation and protamine deficiency were significantly higher in men with varicocele compared to fertile individuals. Any significant difference was not observed in the expression of MSI1 and MSI2 mRNA between the two groups. Unlike MSI1 protein that was not detectable in humans, the relative expression of MSI2 protein was similar in varicocele and fertile individuals. The expression level of both Msi1 and Msi2 proteins was also observable in mouse spermatozoa. No significant relationship was observed between sperm functional parameters with expression of these genes. The data of this study demonstrated that although MSI1 and MSI2 play important roles during spermatogenesis, their relative expression in spermatozoa was not affected by varicocele.     

Risk of precancer and follow-up management strategies for women with human papillomavirus-negative atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relative performances of follow-up cytology and carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing among carcinogenic HPV-negative women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), for detection of cervical precancer. METHODS: Twelve-month follow-up management strategies to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) or worse using cytology or HPV testing or both were compared among women with HPV-negative ASCUS in the Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance-Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (ASCUS-LSIL) Triage Study. RESULTS: Overall only 22 of 1,559 (1.4%) HPV-negative ASCUS women developed CIN grade 3 or worse during follow-up compared with 269 of 1,767 (15.2%) HPV-positive ASCUS women (P<.001). Because of the low risk of disease among HPV-negative ASCUS women, only 7 cases of CIN3 were diagnosed between 12 and 24 months of follow-up, limiting power to distinguish meaningful differences in sensitivity among 12-month testing strategies. The specificity of HPV testing (84%) was significantly higher than cytology using an ASCUS threshold (71%) (P<.001). Cotesting with cytology and HPV testing at 12 months resulted in even lower specificity (61%). Because cases were uncommon, the positive predictive value for subsequent CIN3 or worse was low for cytology (2.6%), Hybrid Capture 2 (3.8%), and cotesting with cytology and HPV testing (2.2%). The negative predictive value for all three management strategies was very high (99.70%, 99.82%, and 100.0% for HPV testing, cytology, or cotesting, respectively.) CONCLUSION: Women with HPV-negative ASCUS have very low absolute risk of subsequently detected CIN3 or worse in the subsequent 2 years, similar to women with a negative cytology in the absence of HPV testing. The results suggest that women with HPV-negative ASCUS should return to routine screening intervals which may be longer than 1 year depending on age and screening history. However, if increased surveillance is chosen, a single HPV test for carcinogenic types at 12 months has significantly higher specificity and lower referrals than cytology.     

Opioid receptors mediate inotropic and depressor effects of apelin in rats with 2K1C‐induced chronic renovascular hypertension

Apelin receptors (APJ) cross‐talk with other G‐protein‐coupled receptors. However, the role of APJ interaction with opioid receptors (OPR) on the cardiovascular effects of apelin in hypertension is not clear. Renovascular hypertension was induced by placing a Plexiglas clip on the left kidney of rats. After 16 weeks, F13A (an APJ antagonist), naloxone (a general OPR inhibitor), and nor‐binaltorphimine dihydrochloride (nor‐BNI; a selective inhibitor of KOR) were given prior to injections of apelin at doses of 40 and 60 μg/kg. The arterial systolic/diastolic blood pressure and left ventricular contractility responses were then evaluated. The arterial systolic/diastolic blood pressure in sham and 2K1C rats was 110/71 mm Hg and 171/124 mm Hg, respectively. The hypotensive effects of apelin at both doses were inhibited by F13A and naloxone. Nor‐BNI completely inhibited the effects of apelin 40 on arterial pressure, and decreased the effects of 60 μg/kg. KOR inhibition also prevented the compensation for the decrease in the left ventricle +dp/dt max and ?dp/dt max caused by apelin 60. The simultaneous inhibition of OPR and APJ reduced arterial pressure and increased cardiac contractility. Findings showed that the OPR, particularly KOR, mediate the inotropic, lusitropic, and depressor effects of apelin. The interaction of the OPR and APJ augments the inotropic and vasodepressor effects of apelin. This interaction may have potential clinical applications in cardiac failure since opioids are currently used in the treatment of myocardial infarction and stroke, and apelin has been introduced as a potential therapeutic agent in cardiovascular complications.     

Temporal trends in the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection and risk behavior among injection drug users in Baltimore,Maryland, 1988-1998

Although the incidence of and mortality from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome have declined recently in the United States, data are needed on the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and risk behaviors among injection drug users (IDUs). The authors studied the temporal trends of HIV incidence and risk behavior, ascertained through semiannual confidential interviews, between 1988 and 1998 in a cohort of 1,532 HIV-seronegative IDUs in Baltimore, Maryland. An additional 338 HIV-negative drug users were recruited in 1994 and were studied by using the same methods. Overall, 277 persons seroconverted to HIV during 8,826.45 person-years of follow-up, an incidence of 3.14 per 100 person-years. The incidence per 100 person-years declined over time from 4.45 in 1988-1990 to 3.35 in 1991-1994 to 1.84 in 1995-1998, a decline of 12% per year. HIV infections were associated with injection of cocaine, more frequent injection, needle sharing, and injection in a shooting galley. Sexual behavior variables associated with HIV incidence included a sexually transmitted infection, male homosexual behavior, and sex with another IDU. These data suggest that high-risk behavior and HIV incidence among IDUs have decreased recently in Baltimore. Nevertheless, additional prevention strategies are needed in these populations.     

Coordinate‐based (ALE) meta‐analysis of brain activation in patients with fibromyalgia

There are an increasing number of neuroimaging studies that allow a better understanding of symptoms, neural correlates and associated conditions of fibromyalgia. However, the results of these studies are difficult to compare, as they include a heterogeneous group of patients, use different stimulation paradigms, tasks, and the statistical evaluation of neuroimaging data shows high variability. Therefore, this meta‐analytic approach aimed at evaluating potential alterations in neuronal brain activity or structure related to pain processing in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients, using quantitative coordinate‐based “activation likelihood estimation” (ALE) meta‐analysis. 37 FMS papers met the inclusion criteria for an ALE analysis (1,264 subjects, 274 activation foci). A pooled ALE analysis of different modalities of neuroimaging and additional analyses according functional and structural changes indicated differences between FMS patients and controls in the insula, amygdala, anterior/mid cingulate cortex, superior temporal gyrus, the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, and lingual gyrus. Our analysis showed consistent results across FMS studies with potential abnormalities especially in pain‐related brain areas. Given that similar alterations have already been demonstrated in patients with other chronic pain conditions and the lack of adequate control groups of chronic pain subjects in most FMS studies, it is not clear however, whether these findings are associated with chronic pain in general or are unique features of patients with FMS. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1749–1758, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .     

Chronic typhoid infection and the risk of biliary tract cancer and stones in Shanghai,China

Previous studies have shown a positive association between chronic typhoid carriage and biliary cancers. We compared serum Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi antibody titers between biliary tract cancer cases, biliary stone cases without evidence of cancer, and healthy subjects in a large population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China.