胶体硒免疫层析法检测抗-HIV(1+2)抗体的评价

目的 对检测抗-HIV抗体的胶体硒免疫层析法进行评价。方法 用胶体硒免疫层析试剂检测HIV国家参考品、已经确证的临床阴、阳性标本，评价此法的灵敏度、特异性。结果 快速胶体硒法试剂特异性较好，灵敏度尚可，可以满足快速筛查抗-HIV的要求。结论 此法可用于紧急情况下的抗-HIV的筛查，鉴于其灵敏度有待进一步提高，目前尚不能替代酶标法的检测。同时，该法不适用于献血者献血前的筛查。     

Differential Stripping: Determination of the Amount of Topically Applied Substances Penetrated into the Hair Follicles

The determination of penetration pathways of topically applied substances into the skin is the subject of several investigations. Recently, follicular penetration has become a major focus of interest. To date, a direct, non-invasive quantification of the amount of topically applied substance penetrated into the follicles had not been possible. The development of such a method was the aim of this study. Therefore, the advantages of both stripping techniques, tape stripping and cyanoacrylate skin surface biopsy, were combined and evaluated. Tape stripping was used to remove the part of the stratum corneum that contained the topically applied dye. Subsequently, the follicular contents were ripped off by cyanoacrylate skin surface biopsy. The combined method termed "differential stripping" was evaluated in vitro and in vivo , and the amount of topically applied fluorescent dye penetrated into the hair follicles was quantified after different penetration times. After 30 min, 5% of the recovered concentration of sodium fluorescein was found in the follicular infundibula, where it was still detectable after 48 h. Altogether, the results of this investigation revealed that differential stripping is a new method that can be used to study the penetration of topically applied substances into the follicular infundibula non-invasively and selectively.     

Health status,work limitations,and return-to-work trajectories in injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the health status and work limitations in injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders at 1 month post-injury, stratified by return-to-work status, and to document their return-to-work trajectories 6 months post-injury. METHODS: A sample of 632 workers with a back or upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder, who filed a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board lost-time claim injury, participated in this prospective study. Participants were assessed at baseline (1 month post-injury) and at 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: One month post-injury, poor physical health, high levels of depressive symptoms and high work limitations are prevalent in workers, including in those with a sustained first return to work. Workers with a sustained first return to work report a better health status and fewer work limitations than those who experienced a recurrence of work absence or who never returned to work. Six months post-injury, the rate of recurrence of work absence in the trajectories of injured workers who have made at least one return to work attempt is high (38%), including the rate for workers with an initial sustained first return to work (27%). CONCLUSIONS: There are return-to-work status specific health outcomes in injured workers. A sustained first return to work is not equivalent to a complete recovery from musculoskeletal disorders.     

Clinical impact of CCM mutation detection in familial cavernous angioma

Introduction and background A 3-year-old Bosnian girl with a large symptomatic brainstem and multiple supratentorial cavernous angiomas, who underwent neurosurgical treatment, is presented. As multiple cavernomas are more common in familial cases, genetic analyses and neuroradiological imaging were performed in the patient and her parents to see whether there was any evidence for inheritance. This information is important for genetic counseling and provision of medical care for at-risk relatives. Currently, no recommendation is available on how to manage these cases.Results Genetic analyses demonstrated a novel CCM1 frameshift mutation (c.1683_1684insA; p.V562SfsX6) in the child and the asymptomatic 27-year-old mother. Sensitive gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging of the mother revealed multiple supratentorial lesions, whereas analogous imaging of the father showed no pathological findings.Conclusion This case exemplifies that seemingly sporadic cases with multiple lesions might well be hereditary and that presymptomatic genetic testing of family members may identify relatives for whom clinical and neuroradiological monitoring is indicated.     

Long-term benefit to pallidal deep brain stimulation in a case of dystonia secondary to pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration.

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder with onset in childhood and rapid progression. There is no causative and insufficient symptomatic drug therapy. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal pallidum (GPi) has been reported to improve motor function. Most case reports, however, are limited to short observational periods. The impact of DBS on the progression and life expectancy in PKAN is unknown. We present a 5-year outcome and video documentation of bilateral GPi-DBS of an adolescent patient suffering from genetically defined PKAN.     

Segregation of presynaptic inputs on an identified target neuron in vitro: structural remodeling visualized over time.

Sensory cells of Aplysia form chemical synapses with the motor cell L7 in culture. Under certain conditions, sensory cells will also form electrical connections with each other. Sites of chemical synaptic interaction between the sensory cells and L7 are located at varicosities along sensory cell processes that overlie the main axons of L7, since these structures have been shown ultrastructurally to contain active zones. Previous studies have suggested that the distribution of sensory cell varicosities can be restricted to exclusive regions of the motor cell by the presence of other sensory cells. We wished to investigate (1) how this segregated pattern is generated over time and (2) whether electrical coupling between sensory cells has an effect on this segregated pattern. Using fluorescent dye injection and low-light video microscopy, we visualized the distribution of varicosities for each of two sensory cells growing on L7. In cases in which sensory cells are not electrically coupled, the varicosities from these two cells are spatially segregated on the target after 4 d in culture but not after 2 d in culture. Examination of the varicosity distribution of the same sensory cells on the second and third day of growth indicated both an increased rate in the elimination of varicosities from previously occupied areas and a restriction of varicosity formation in new areas of the target when a second sensory cell is present. For sensory cells that are electrically coupled, varicosities from these cells were not spatially segregated on the target even after 4 d in culture. These observations in vitro suggest that segregation of synaptic inputs by Aplysia sensory cells, which show little spontaneous activity of action potentials, can emerge over time via a process that includes both the elimination of existing sensory varicosities and the restriction of new varicosity formation. Our results also suggest that electrical connections between presynaptic cells can disrupt the segregation of their varicosities on a target, resulting in significant changes in the developing connectivity.     

Disposition of oral and intravenous pravastatin in MRP2-deficient TR- rats.

The aim of this study was to characterize the role of the efflux transporter Mrp2 (Abcc2) in the pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously administered pravastatin in rats. Eight Mrp2-deficient TR- rats and eight wild-type rats were given an oral dose of 20 mg/kg pravastatin. Four TR- animals and four wild-type animals were studied after intravenous administration of pravastatin (5 mg/kg). The TR(-) rats showed a 6.1-fold higher mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of pravastatin (p < 0.001) after oral administration and a 4.7-fold higher AUC (p < 0.01) after intravenous administration of pravastatin as compared with the wild-type animals. The mean systemic (total) clearance of pravastatin was 4.6-fold higher (39.2 versus 8.50 l/h/kg, p < 0.001) and the mean V 4.3-fold higher (14.1 versus 3.29 l/kg, p < 0.01) in the wild-type rats. The mean renal clearance of pravastatin in the TR(-) rats was 16.5-fold increased as compared with the wild-type animals (0.695 versus 0.042 l/h/kg, p < 0.05). The increased systemic exposure to oral pravastatin in the TR- rats was associated with a greater inhibitory effect on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, as shown by smaller lathosterol to cholesterol concentration ratios. These results suggest that the reduced biliary pravastatin excretion in the Mrp2-deficient TR- rats is partly compensated for by increased urinary excretion of pravastatin. Furthermore, intestinal Mrp2 does not appear to play a major role in the oral absorption of pravastatin in normal rats.