Iodine-125-digoxin radioimmunoassay: comparison of commercial kits

Iodine-125-digoxin radioimmunoassay kits available from Abbott Diagnostics (AD), Dade Division (D), Schwarz/Mann (SM), and Clinical Assays (CA) were evaluated with respect to assay quality. The kit accuracies did not differ significantly at 2.0 ng/ml and the interassay coefficients of variation ranged from 9% (AD) to 21.4% (CA) The accuracy for all kits above 4 ng/ml is questionable, and since serum-dilution values correlated well with undiluted serum values, the dilution method of dose quantitation is preferable for levels above 4 ng/ml. Although all the kits were adequate, for evaluating digoxin at the 2ng/ml level, the Abott kit seems to be of slightly better quality.     

Rapid detection of different RNA respiratory virus species by multiplex RT-PCR: application to clinical specimens

Inconsistent findings from recent mortality studies of workers exposed to magnetic fields have led to calls for more detailed understanding of exposure distributions and metrics in various industries. The authors undertook personal monitoring at an automobile transmission plant to (a) learn if magnetic field exposure differences were present, (b) make assignments for a brain cancer study, and (c) compare two exposure indices. A wide range of average exposures occurred (i.e., 0.016-4.6 microtesla). Within-day variability was also large, and it reached 4 orders of magnitude for some workers. Unexpectedly, demagnetizers were found among the strong sources that contributed to elevated exposures. The authors used conventional summary measures to assign job groups to exposure categories, and they used a new index of exposure irregularity to make alternative assignments. These new assignments appeared to differ from the original ones with respect to work time in each exposure group (i.e., 54% of the work time fell into different exposure categories).     

Oestradiol measurement in women on oral hormone replacement therapy: the validity of commercial test kits

This study examined the attitudes toward breastfeeding of medical professionals working with pregnant or new mothers. Most advocated breastfeeding to mothers who had not made an infant feeding decision; fewer talked about breastfeeding during the first trimester; and many recommended that mothers supplement a breastfed infant with prepared commercial baby milk. All agreed that a mother's return to work led to early discontinuance of breastfeeding and that the family is a major influence on a mother's decision to breastfeed. To increase the prevalence of breastfeeding, the study group recommended prenatal education, participation in support groups, and promotion of breastfeeding through the media.     

Isolation of myosin heavy chain from small skeletal muscle samples by preparative continuous elution gel electrophoresis: application to measurement of synthesis rate in human and animal tissue

We studied seven patients aged 14 to 40 years who received living-related kidney transplants and had allograft survivals of 26 to 29 years. The blood urea and creatinine were either within normal limits or marginally elevated. Histopathologic examination showed only mild mesangial expansion, interstitial fibrosis, and arteriosclerosis. Immunoperoxidase staining with anti-HLA antibodies or in situ hybridization with a Y chromosome probe showed persistence of donor tubular epithelium and vascular endothelium within the graft. Recipient-derived glomerular cells were seen in one case, and interstitial lymphocytic infiltrates were seen in all cases. A review of the clinicopathologic data available for these cases indicated that both central and peripheral immunologic mechanisms contributed to the maintenance of prolonged graft survival. This extended survival was independent of six antigen matching, down-regulation of donor HLA antigen expression, and ingrowth of host epithelium/endothelium into the allograft.     

Nickel content of human palatine tonsils: analysis of small tissue samples by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

We describe a method for determining the nickel content of small tissue samples by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry in this case biopsy specimens from human palatine tonsils. Contact between tissue samples and metallic objects was avoided, except for the use of biopsy forceps (Type No. 8150.00 Wolf, stainless steel) for collecting samples, to imitate the actual procedure when small biopsy specimens are removed from the nasal mucosal membranes in nickel workers for histopathological and chemical investigations. Nickel contamination from this instrument was insignificant at the precision of the present procedures. The mean concentration of nickel in 15 tonsils was 13.5 +/- 7.0 (SD) microng/100g (wet wt). The mean nickel concentration in eight different samples of the same tonsil was 5.6 +/- 2.7 (SD microng/100 g.     

Fast isolation of RNA to detect expression of tumor markers

In the repair of the defect of peripheral nerve, it was necessary to find an operative method with excellent therapeutic effect but simple technique. Based on the experimental study, one case of old injury of the ulnar nerve was treated by end-to-side neurorraphy with the intact median nerve. In this case the nerve defect was over 3 cm and unable to be sutured directly. The patient was followed up for fourteen months after the operation. The recovery of the sensation and the myodynamia was evaluated. The results showed that: the sensation and the motor function innervated by ulnar nerve were recovered. The function of the hand was almost recovered to be normal. It was proved that the end-to-side neurorraphy between the distal stump with the intact median nerve to repair the defect of the ulnar nerve was a new operative procedure for nerve repair. Clinically it had good effect with little operative difficulty. This would give a bright prospect to repair of peripheral nerve defect in the future.     

Rapid isolation of bacteria from septicemic patients by use of an antimicrobial agent removal device

The new Antimicrobial Removal Device increased the efficacy of conventional methods for isolating bacteria from the blood of septicemic patients. The device removes as much as 100 microgram of antibiotics per ml from whole blood without a significant decrease in bacteria. Of 51 patients studied, 31 yielded positive cultures, and the Antimicrobial Removal Device permitted earlier isolation of the causative agent from blood. Subcultured within the first 12 h yielded 12 positive isolates, as the 31 agents were isolated more rapidly after Antimicrobial Removal Device permitted earlier isolation of the causative agent from blood. Subcultures within the first 12 h yielded 12 positive isolates, as compared to 2 when subcultured without processing in the device. Overall, 21 of the 31 agents were isolated more rapidly after Antimicrobial Removal Device treatment, and four samples were positive only after such treatment. One agent was not isolated in the treated culture.     

Rapid purification of cationic granule proteases: application to human granzymes

This report describes a simple scheme for the simultaneous purification of cationic human granzymes A, B, and 3 from human interleukin 2 (IL-2)-activated lymphocytes. The process, which requires approximately 8 h, includes: (1) cell cavitation, (2) two centrifugation steps, (3) four granule solubilization steps, and (4) cation-exchange chromatography. Granule solubilization consists of three extractions with a hypotonic buffer (25 mM NaCl) that contained Triton X-100 followed by a final extraction in hypertonic detergent-free buffer (390 mM NaCl). We recovered approximately 35% of the trypsin-like (tryptase) activities mediated by granzymes A and 3, respectively, and approximately 25% of the asp-ase activity of granzyme B. The granzymes were identified after elution from the Mono S column by Western blot with a polyclonal antibody that reacts with a conserved amino acid sequence (9-16) of lymphoid/myeloid serine proteases. By amino-terminal sequencing, eluted granzyme A and B were indeed homogeneous. Granzyme 3, although highly enriched, appears to be contaminated with an uncharacterized granzyme. Although we have developed this scheme to rapidly isolate the granzymes, the procedure should assist the purification of secretory granule-associated cationic proteins that reside in neutrophils and mast cells as well as other cells that possess secretory function.     

Use of saline-filled tissue expanders to protect the small bowel from radiation

Over the past 7 years, 58 saline-filled tissues expanders (TEs) have been temporarily placed in 57 patients. The indications for TE placement were: small bowel exclusion from external-beam radiation therapy (N = 25), interstitial RT (N = 16), or both (N = 13) when there was insufficient omentum to provide adequate exclusion. Of the 57 patients, 24 had primary tumors (4 colon, 4 endometrial, and 11 rectal cancer; 3 sarcomas, 1 schwannoma; and 1 vaginal cancer). The remaining 33 patients (58%) had recurrent cancers (3 anal, 8 colon, and 16 rectal cancers; and 6 sarcomas), of whom 26 (79%) had received prior RT. Of the 58 TEs, 15 were placed superior to the iliac vessels and 43 were placed in the pelvis. Complications included post-withdrawal enterocutaneous fistulae in four patients, TE deflation in three patients, and TE extrusion in one patient. Improvements in TE design and removal techniques have reduced the incidence of these complications. When no native tissue is available for small bowel exclusion, the saline-filled TE is a safe, effective substitute.     

Telomerase activity in lesions of the thyroid: application to diagnosis of clinical samples including fine-needle aspirates

The telomerase enzyme is capable of replacing telomeric DNA sequences that are lost at each cell division. It has been suggested that the function of this enzyme is necessary for cells to become immortal, and in concordance with this hypothesis, telomerase activity has been detected in malignant tumor cells, whereas the enzyme is inactive in normal somatic cells. The measurement of this activity in human tissue samples may have diagnostic value, and in this study, we examined whether such a measurement may be useful for the detection of malignant cells within the thyroid. Telomerase activity was assayed using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol and related to the histological diagnosis of thyroid biopsy tissue samples and of cells obtained from the thyroid by fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Extracts from 9 of 11 (82%) carcinoma biopsy tissue samples contained telomerase activity, whereas enzyme activity was detected in only 2 of 14 (14%) benign tissue sample extracts. These two positive cases were subsequently diagnosed as Graves' disease with severe lymphocytic infiltration. Five of six (83.3%) histologically confirmed carcinoma FNA samples were identified by using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay, and two samples considered to be suspicious by FNA cytology were also positive. Conversely, only 4 of 48 (8.3%) benign FNA samples had telomerase. These promising data indicate that this sensitive assay could become a useful adjunct to microscopic cytopathology in the detection of cancer cells in small tissue biopsies and in fine-needle aspirates of the thyroid.     

Image analysis in the clinical laboratory: application of filtration cytometry to bacteriological screening of urine samples

The airway resistance (Raw) was determined with interruption technique for 327 normal old, middle-aged and young persons after exploration of the effect of forced respiration, lung volume and upper airway compliance on it. FVC, V75, V50 and V25 were also performed. The regression equations of expiratory and inspiratory resistances (R. R1) were built with age, height and FVC as independent variables. The results showed that both expiratory and inspiratory resistances had a tendency of increase with aging, and FVC, V75, V50, V25 were declined with aging. This reflected that various organs and tissues including respiratory organs gradually oldened with aging. The decrease of elastic recoil of lung and central airway can lead to an increase of airway resistance in various degrees or no change. The data and regression equations can be recommended for the application in public health and clinical care.     

Home pregnancy testing kits: prevalence of use, false-negative rates, and compliance with instructions

This study investigated the prevalence of home pregnancy kit use, incidence of false-negative results, and compliance with testing procedures. Among 144 pregnant women, identified through three health care settings, prevalence of test-kit use was 28.5 per cent. The false-negative rate was 24.3 per cent. Total compliance with instructions was reported by only 32 per cent of users. Women testing less than nine days after menstrual period was due had false-negative rates of 33 per cent contrasted with 21 per cent for those testing after the nine days.     

Vertical partial laryngectomy without tracheotomy: the use of the Cook airway exchange catheter to avoid tracheotomy

Occasionally, advances in another specialty provide the opportunity for an advance in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. One example is the Cook airway exchange catheter. In very selected cases, the use of this exchange catheter will allow the performance of vertical partial laryngectomy without the need for tracheotomy.