Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women by Amplicor PCR: comparison of diagnostic performance with urine and cervical specimens

We used the Roche Amplicor PCR assay to compare urine and cervical swabs as sample material in the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis causing genital infections. The diagnostic performance of Amplicor PCR was compared with that of cell culture and the Gen-Probe PACE 2 assay with cervical specimens. If discrepant from other results, the specimens negative by PCR were diluted and reanalyzed to reveal PCR inhibitors. Of 666 patients, 39 (5.9%) were confirmed to have chlamydial infection. The respective sensitivity and specificity of Amplicor PCR were as follows: urine specimens, 82.0 and 99.7%; cervical specimens, 82.0 and 99.8%. Those for cell culture with cervical specimens were 84.6 and 100%. For the Gen-Probe PACE 2 assay, the sensitivity and specificity with cervical specimens were 79.5 and 100%, respectively. Without the effect of PCR inhibitors, the sensitivity of PCR with urine would have been 97.4%. Provided that the problems currently caused by inhibitors will be solved, the Amplicor PCR assay with urine specimens offers a tempting alternative for the diagnosis of C. trachomatis infection in women.     

Articulating User Needs in Collaborative Design: Towards an Activity-Theoretical Approach

This paper analyses the collaborative design ofa high-technology product, a neuromagnetometerused in the analysis of the activity of thehuman cortex. The producer, Neuromag Company istrying to transform the device from a basicresearch instrument into a means of clinicalpractice. This transition is analyzed as asimultaneous evolution of the product,producer-user network and user activities. Thenetwork is analyzed as a network of activitysystems. Each activity has a historicallyformed object and a motive of its own, as wellas a system of cultural means and expertise. Weuse these to explain and understand theinterests and points of view of the actors inrelation to the product and the contradictionsof the producer-user network. It is suggestedthat the emerging user needs of collectiveactors must be analyzed at three levels. At thefirst level, the use value of the product, itscapacity of solving the vital problems andchallenges of developing user activities, ischaracterized. The second-level analysisconcerns the creation and development of thenecessary complementary tools and services thatmake the implementation and use of the productpossible. This task presupposes collaborationbetween several communities of the innovationnetwork. The third level is the situatedpractical use of the product. In ourexperience, it is advantageous that researcherscontribute with their data to a dialogue inwhich the user needs are articulated.     

The apolipoprotein E phenotype has a strong influence on tracking of serum cholesterol and lipoprotein levels in children: a follow-up study from birth to the age of 11 years

Fatty acid uptake is partly controlled by the FATP gene family, of which at least five members are known in mice. Using the mmFATP1 cDNA as hybridization probe, a 1.6 kb partial cDNA clone was isolated from a human heart cDNA library. With 5' and 3' RACE procedures, the complete cDNA was isolated. Sequence comparisons with its mouse homologues identified this clone as hsFATP4.     

Dietary squalene increases tissue sterols and fecal bile acids in the rat

Feeding 1% squalene increased markedly the concentrations of squalene and methyl sterols in each serum lipoprotein class, intestinal mucosa, liver and also in adipose tissue. It also increased cholesterol concentration of the liver and serum VLDL, and esterified cholesterol in serum LDL as well as fecal bile acids. The results suggest that absorbed dietary squalene contributes to some extent to the squalene content of adipose tissue, effectively increases the overall cholesterol synthesis and enhances cholesterol elimination preferentially as fecal bile acids.     

From big smartphone data to worldwide research: The Mobile Data Challenge

This paper presents an overview of the Mobile Data Challenge (MDC), a large-scale research initiative aimed at generating innovations around smartphone-based research, as well as community-based evaluation of mobile data analysis methodologies. First, we review the Lausanne Data Collection Campaign (LDCC), an initiative to collect unique longitudinal smartphone dataset for the MDC. Then, we introduce the Open and Dedicated Tracks of the MDC, describe the specific datasets used in each of them, discuss the key design and implementation aspects introduced in order to generate privacy-preserving and scientifically relevant mobile data resources for wider use by the research community, and summarize the main research trends found among the 100+ challenge submissions. We finalize by discussing the main lessons learned from the participation of several hundred researchers worldwide in the MDC Tracks.     

Wet Chemical Treatment and Mg Doping of p-InP Surfaces for Ohmic Low-Resistive Metal Contacts

Manufacturing a low-resistive Ohmic metal contact on p-type InP crystals for various applications is a challenge because of the Fermi-level pinning via surface defects and the diffusion of p-type doping atoms in InP. Development of wet-chemistry treatments and nanoscale control of p-doping for InP surfaces is crucial for decreasing the device resistivity losses and durability problems. Herein, a proper combination of HCl-based solution immersion, which directly provides an unusual wet chemical-induced InP(100)c(2 × 2) atomic structure, and low-temperature Mg-surface doping of the cleaned InP before Ni-film deposition is demonstrated to decrease the contact resistivity of Ni/p-InP by the factor of 10 approximately as compared to the lowest reference value without Mg. Deposition of the Mg intermediate layer on p-InP and postheating of Mg/p-InP at 350 °C, both performed in ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) chamber, lead to intermixing of Mg and InP elements according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Introducing a small oxygen gas background (O₂ ≈ 10⁻⁶ mbar) in UHV chamber during the postheating of Mg/p-InP enhances the indium outdiffusion and provides the lowest contact resistivity. Quantum mechanical simulations indicate that the presence of InP native oxide or/and metal indium alloy at the interface increases In diffusion.     

Extrarenal rhabdoid tumors of soft tissue: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 18 cases

Rhabdoid tumor is a well-accepted clincopathologic entity among childhood renal neoplasms; similar tumors have been described in extrarenal locations. We present the clinicopathologic profile and the immunohistochemical features of a series of soft tissue rhabdoid tumors. Twenty-eight cases coded as extrarenal rhabdoid tumor (ERRT), RT, possible ERRT, and "large cell sarcoma" were retrieved from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology soft tissue registry. The tumors were reclassified according to strict criteria by light microscopy, clinical information, immunohistochemistry, and, in some cases, electron microscopy. Soft tissue rhabdoid tumor (STRT) was defined as (1) a tumor composed of noncohesive single cells, clusters, or sheets of large tumor cells with abundant glassy eosinophilic cytoplasm, an eccentric vesicular nucleus, and an extremely large nucleolus; (2) positivity for vimentin and/or cytokeratin or other epithelial markers by immunostaining; and (3) exclusion of other tumor types with rhabdoid inclusions (melanoma, other sarcomas, carcinoma). Eighteen cases met our criteria for soft tissue rhabdoid tumors. The median patient age was 13 years (range, 6 months to 56 years). Ninety-four percent of STRT cases were positive for vimentin and 59% for pan-cytokeratin. Sixty-three percent and 60% were positive for CAM 5.2 and EMA, respectively. Seventy-nine percent stained for at least one epithelial marker; 76% stained for both vimentin and epithelial markers simultaneously. Forty-two percent stained for MSA, and 14% for CEA and SMA. CD99, synaptophysin, CD57 (Leu-7), NSE, and focal S100 protein were identified in 75%, 66%, 56%, 54%, and 31% of the STRT cases, respectively. All STRT cases examined were negative for HMB-45, chromogranin, BER-EP4, desmin, myoglobin, CD34, and GFAP. Follow-up examination in 61% of the STRT patients revealed that 64% of patients died of disease within a median follow-up interval of 19 months (range, 4 months to 5 years); 82% had metastases to lung, lymph nodes, or liver; 22% had local recurrences before metastasis; and 18% were alive without known disease status (median, 5.5 years). Soft tissue rhabdoid tumor is a highly aggressive sarcoma, predominantly of childhood. Besides having nearly consistent coexpression of vimentin and epithelial markers, STRTs show positivity for multiple neural/neuroectodermal markers that overlap with those of primitive neuroectodermal tumor.