Prediction of return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with non-shockable initial rhythm using point-of-care testing: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND:Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest(OHCA) is a public health concern, and many studies have been conducted on return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC) and its prognostic factors.Rotational thromboelastometry(ROTEM^?), a point-of-care testing(POCT) method, has been useful for predicting ROSC in patients with OHCA, but very few studies have focused on patients with non-shockable rhythm. We examined whether the parameters of POCT could predict ROSC in patients with OHCA and accompany...     

7,12-DMBA-induced rat leukemia: a review with insights into future research

7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) elicits leukemia in Long–Evans rats (LE). This leukemia is mostly erythroblastic and 30% of leukemias have total and partial trisomy of #2 chromosome and the rest have diploid karyotype. The common duplication site is in 2q26–q34 and N-ras gene is located in 2q34. 7,8,12-Trimethylbenz[a]anthracene (TMBA) also induces similar leukemias. These leukemias reveal a highly specific mutation of N-ras gene as in human leukemias. N-ras mutation is induced 48 h after DMBA treatment. Wild type N-ras allele is frequently lost in diploid leukemias but not in trisomy type. Therefore, a gene dosage problem related to the mutant N-ras gene is involved in development of leukemia. Some secondary genetic rearrangements involving abl and H-ras are also observed in cultured leukemia cells. DMBA-induced chromosome aberrations as well as leukemia are enhanced by erythropoietin and blocked by Sudan III given prior to DMBA treatment. This leukemia will provide an important tool for chemical carcinogenesis and leukemia studies.     

Investigation of differences in coagulation characteristics between hospitalized patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 Alpha,Delta, and Omicron variant infection using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM): A single‐center,retrospective, observational study

BackgroundThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant has a low rate of serious illness, is highly contagious, and has spread rapidly since January 2022. The number of severe cases and deaths remains problematic. Here, we aimed to elucidate the coagulation pathology of Omicron‐infected patients using rotational thromboelastometry.MethodsPatients with coronavirus disease 2019, hospitalized and treated from January 2021 to April 2022, were included. The Alpha–Delta and Omicron groups were defined during admission. Blood tests, clinical course, and rotational thromboelastometry measurements were compared using a propensity score‐matched cohort.ResultsBoth groups had 21 patients each. Lactate dehydrogenase (Alpha–Delta group [interquartile range] vs. Omicron group [interquartile range]; 449 [368–518] U/L vs. 241 [196–398] U/L, p = 0.01) and ferritin (1428 [1145–3061] ng/dl vs. 481 [188–881] ng/dl, p = 0.0002) levels were significantly lower in the Omicron group. In rotational thromboelastometry, the thrombus hardness indexes FIBTEM A5 (29 [23–34] mm vs. 23 [18–28] mm, p = 0.034) and maximum clot firmness (34 [27–40] mm vs. 26 [21–33] mm, p = 0.021) were significantly lower in the Omicron group, whereas the fibrinolysis index FIBTEM LI60 (98 [92–100] % vs. 100 [100–100] %, p = 0.0082) was higher.ConclusionSevere coagulation abnormalities may be less likely in Omicron‐infected patients than in those infected with the previous Alpha and Delta variants.     

Computerized morphometric analysis of microvasculature in non-small cell lung carcinoma

Interactions between tumor cells and microvasculature are particularly critical. This computerized morphometric study was designed to analyze the distance between cancer cells and blood vessels and microvasculature organization in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) comparing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC). Seventy nine nests of tumor cells, located less than or more than 3 mm from the invading edge, with a similar surface area, and their surrounding stroma were analyzed. After immunolabeling with an antihuman CD34 monoclonal antibody, computerized morphometric analyses of microvascular density (MVD), distribution of microvessels within stroma, and fractions of carcinomatous cells over various distances from microvessels were performed. This analysis showed a significantly higher MVD score in ADC than in SCC, particularly close to the invading edge (382+/-57 in ADC <3 mm; 242+/-28 in SCC <3 mm, p=0.015). Moreover, a significantly higher proportion of cancer cells was situated more than 75 microm from microvessels in SCC than in ADC, regardless of their site in relation to the invading edge (for example, 25+/-5% in ADC <3 mm; 52+/-3% in SCC <3 mm, p=0.001).