Exploiting the terminological approach from CEN/TC251 and GALEN to support semantic interoperability of healthcare record systems

We apply the principles included in two CEN standards (ENV 12265, ENV 12264) to the analysis of the semantic structure of health record systems, to support their semantic interoperability. This result was made possible by dramatic methodological progress in the field of terminological systems--due to a worldwide evolution towards a new generation--and by the experience we acquired in the GALEN-IN-USE (formerly GALEN) project. The meaning behind names, content and context of record items and record item complexes can be considered as a 'semantic continuum'. This continuum is made explicit, by building a suitable paraphrase in a controlled language. We can then apply the principles we previously elaborated for the second generation of terminological system. Methodology and tools for generating a controlled language and a second-generation terminological system were developed and successfully used in the GALEN-IN-USE project and promising experiments were performed on elements of record structure listed in LOINC and SDM. In this way, the semantic structures of different record systems can be expressed by the resulting common formalism and thus, information units can be faithfully exchanged among different structures.     

Ultrastructural study on cytotoxic effects of cyclosporine A in spermiogenesis in rats

Cyclosporine A (CsA) is known to have testicular toxicity, leading to male infertility. The occurrence of numerous anomalous spermatids and residual bodies in the epididymal ducts of rats treated with CsA was observed in our previous studies. To examine the fine structural changes of impaired spermiogenesis induced by CsA, rats were treated s.c. with 40 mg/kg/day CsA for 2 weeks. Desquamation of round spermatids still surrounded by a slender Sertoli cell cytoplasm was occasionally observed. A prominent change in the seminiferous tubules was an occurrence of numerous residual bodies containing one or more flagella. They were not phagocytosed by the Sertoli cell, and accumulated in the epididymal ducts. Cellular components in the epididymal lumen included degenerating round spermatids and abnormal spermatozoa and residual bodies. Although separation of the head from the tail of the spermatozoa was rarely seen, various kinds of abnormalities of flagella were frequently encountered; compact aggregation of numerous flagella in a single spermatozoon or residual body, disarrangement of mitochondrial or fibrous sheath with outer dense fibers, and fusion of flagella with a single intervening mitochondrial layer. These findings indicate that CsA gives rise to toxic effects on the spermiogenesis by impairing directly the spermiogenic cell development and by impeding Sertoli cell function including a reduction of its phagocytic activity.     

Growth factors increase retroviral transduction but decrease clonogenic potential of umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The feasibility of gene marking or gene therapy protocols making use of purified CD34+ cells greatly depends on the efficiency of their stable transduction. The great potential of umbilical cord blood as a source of CD34+ cells combined with the availability of advanced cell purification procedures prompted us to evaluate whether incubation with growth factors might influence the type of cells effectively transduced by retroviral vectors. DESIGN AND METHODS: Isolated, at least 95% pure, CD34+ cells were infected with the LXSN murine retrovirus carrying the neomycin-resistance gene. Different schedules of CD34+ cell infection were performed with or without incubation for different times in the presence of Interleukin-3 (IL-3), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and stem cell factor (SCF). Efficiency of transduction was evaluated by clonogenic assays, semiquantitative PCR and RT-PCR analyses performed either immediately or after 7 day expansion of CD34+ cells in liquid culture in the presence of erythropoietin (EPO), IL-3 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). RESULTS: The results obtained indicated that the amount of transduced cells increased with the lenght of incubation with growth factors, either before or during infections. However, different types of cells were transduced depending on the duration of stimulation and infection. Thus, following one week culture of CD34+ cells in the presence of EPO, IL-3 and GM-CSF the clonogenic potential was affected dyshomogeneously. Precisely, with a single 3-hour infection performed after 12 hours of stimulation with growth factors, the clonogenic potential of the transduced cells greatly increased after one week in culture. In contrast, with a 48 hour infection, the transduced cells completely lost their clonogenic potential after one week in culture. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that a reasonably high transduction efficiency of purified CD34+ cells can be achieved with short schedules of incubation/infection in the absence of stroma or extracellular matrix.     

Characterization of texture and mechanical properties of heat-induced soy protein gels

Heat-set gels were prepared from acid-precipitated soybean proteins at various heating temperatures (80–100°C), protein concentrations (18–20%), and proportions of glycinin. The gels were evaluated for mechanical parameters by means of a compression-decompression test. Gels formed at higher heating temperature and protein concentration were firm, tough and unfracturable. The elasticities of the gels were similar at all protein concentrations and were lower when heated at higher temperature. Heating above 93°C was necessary for formation of rigid gels. The glycinin/β-conglycinin ratio affected the texture of the gels. Three-dimensional representation of the gels through factor analysis of instrumental data and calculation of factor scores was useful to evaluate the texture of the gels.     

Anti-HIV-1 activity of herbs in Labiatae

Heating or freezing leads to loss in infectivity of oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum toward neonatal BALB/c mice and is reflected in the profile of the polar lipid fatty acids. Upon loss of infectivity, the ratio of polar lipid to neutral lipid fatty acid decreased and the relative proportions of 18:1n-9 also decreased; proportions of 18:2n-6 and 20:5n-6 increased, whereas the proportions of 16:0 remained constant with freezing. During these investigations, a novel fatty acid, 10-OH 18:0, was discovered in the glycolipid fraction. The identification of a fatty acid unique to species of Cryptosporidium was thought to provide a specific biomarker for this organism. Cryptosporidium also demonstrated fluctuations in absolute quantities of 10-OH 18:0 with events that lead to loss of infectivity. This led to the presumed correlation of this biomarker with infectious Cryptosporidium. The 10-OH 18:0 was putatively localized at the sn-2 position of phosphatidylethanolamine. High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed that the 10-OH 18:0 existed principally in the free fatty acid form. Herein, we establish that the free fatty acid 10-OH 18:0 was, in actuality, an artifact of the procedures for sample preparation.     

Pathologic and biochemical studies of juvenile parkinsonism linked to chromosome 6q

We report the results of pathologic and biochemical studies in a patient with 6q-linked autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism (AR-JP). Neuronal loss and gliosis were restricted to the substantia nigra and the locus ceruleus. No Lewy bodies were found, but neurofibrillary tangles and argyrophilic astrocytes were seen in the cerebral cortex and brainstem nuclei. The later findings, which have not been reported previously in AR-JP, suggest the pathologic heterogeneity of 6q-linked AR-JP.     

On the relationship between the spectral radius and stabilityradius for discrete systems

The relationship between the spectral radius and the stability radius is established via elementary calculation. The result gives a discrete counterpart of the existing result for continuous systems and provides an upper bound for the stability radius. The main result of the calculation is summarized in the form of a theorem     

Pulmonary manifestations in cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis

We investigated five cases with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) with particular reference to biochemical and pathological pulmonary disorders. To date, few reports discuss the pathophysiology of pulmonary disorders of CTX patients. This study is the first investigation of such pulmonary disorders. All 5 patients had no pulmonary symptoms and no disturbances on radiological studies and pulmonary function tests. However, in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, many cells with cruciform reflexes, which is characteristic of intracellular sterol accumulation, were found under phase contrast microscopy. Biochemically, cholestanol was found to be increased in the BAL fluid as well as in serum. Pathological findings of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) samples disclosed foamy macrophages and small granulomas in alveolar septa. In conclusion, the lung was apparently involved in CTX, and the lesions were characterized with the accumulation of foamy and giant cells with a high concentration of cholestanol, which likely results in the formation of foreign body granulomas.