Anti-p53 in breast cancer: concordance of different assay procedures and association with p53 antigen expression

OBJECTIVE: Anti-p53 levels detected by different methods were compared in a predefined group of patients with breast cancer and correlated with p53 antigen expression in the corresponding tumors. METHODS: P53 autoantibodies were investigated in 165 patients with primary breast cancer using ELISAs with recombinant or native p53. Immunoblot and indirect immunofluorescence (Huh7) were used for confirmation, p53 antigen expression in the tumor was determined immunohistochemically. RESULTS: Using ELISA, overall 18/165 positives (11%) were detected, with only partly concordant results between the assays. Five positive sera were confirmed by immunoblot, and three also by indirect immunofluorescence. Anti-p53-positive patients detected by more than two assays showed accumulated p53 in the tumor (6/6) and mostly suffered from recurrent tumors (4/6; p = 0.02). In these cases, a trend towards a shortened disease-free interval was found (26 vs. 49 months; n.s.). In patients with a positive or borderline result in only one of the serological methods, there was no increased rate of p53 accumulation compared to anti-p53-negative patients (4/19 versus 35/126). CONCLUSIONS: Lack of assay standardization may partly explain the divergence in reports on anti-p53 and its clinicopathological associations. We speculate that, in different groups of patients, anti-p53 might be induced by different mechanisms.     

上颌窦提升在上颌后牙区萎缩牙槽嵴牙种植术中的应用

目的：探讨上颌窦提升术对上颌后牙区萎缩牙槽嵴患者种植义齿修复的临床应用价值。方法：56例患者植入196枚种植体，患者平均年龄60．6岁。将自体松质骨(Spongiosa)与Bio-OSS混合进行上颌窦提升术，根据情况一期或二期植入种植体。种植体植入后至少6个月，选用适当的上部修复体进行义齿修复。结果：上颌窦提升术后或／和种植体植入术后，创口愈合良好，未见种植体松动或脱落，供骨区和种植术区均未见并发症。术后12个月PTVs最小为-5，X线检查种植体周垂直骨吸收均不超过1mm。种植体全部稳定地行使功能。结论：应用上颌窦提升术对上颌后牙区萎缩牙槽嵴患者进行种植义齿修复有广阔的应用前景。     

A possible protocol for postoperative management in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

The goal of the "Prospect" programme (sponsored by Pfizer) is to create possible evidence-based protocols related to the management of postoperative pain after certain type of surgical intervention (e.g. hernia repairs, hysterectomies, etc.). This article is introducing the protocol for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for both day-case and longer hospital admission cases. The protocol is designed for preoperative, intra and postoperative period, choosing only those measures which were effective for postoperative pain, published in the literature. We are also presenting an analyze of our 13,000 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, from "Prospect" protocol point of view, and what we should do to improve the management of postoperative pain.     

Increased leakage of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ contributes to abnormal myocyte Ca2+ handling and shortening in sepsis

OBJECTIVE: Changes in cardiac function due to sepsis have been widely reported. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the mammalian heart, myocyte function and intracellular calcium homeostasis are closely coupled. In this study we tested the hypothesis that alterations in cardiac calcium homeostasis due to sepsis underlie the observed myocyte dysfunction. DESIGN: Randomized prospective animal study. SETTING: Research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-275 g. INTERVENTIONS: We induced sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture in the rat, which mimics the type of infection caused by perforation of the intestine in humans. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Forty-eight hours after cecal ligation and puncture, isolated cardiac ventricular cardiomyocytes demonstrated a 57% decreased peak systolic [Ca]. The time constant of the Ca transient increased 71% and 57% in myocytes obtained 24 hrs and 48 hrs after cecal ligation and puncture, respectively. The average shortening of cardiomyocytes 48 hrs after cecal ligation and puncture was significantly decreased. To investigate the cellular mechanisms of altered Ca transients and myocyte shortening, we measured Ca sparks, the spontaneous local Ca release events in cardiomyocytes at resting states. The Ca spark frequency progressively increased in myocytes 24 hrs and 48 hrs after cecal ligation and puncture. The total activity of sparks also increased compared with sham-operated animals. The overall leakage of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca in resting states was increased in sepsis and resulted in reduced sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca content. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal Ca leakage from the sarcoplasmic reticulum contributes significantly to the depressed myocyte shortening in sepsis. In the future, modalities that prevent this Ca leakage may prove beneficial in the treatment of sepsis-induced myocyte shortening.     

Multispectral analysis of magnetic resonance images

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging systems produce spatial distribution estimates of proton density, relaxation time, and flow, in a two dimensional matrix form that is analogous to that of the image data obtained from multispectral imaging satellites. Advanced NASA satellite image processing offers sophisticated multispectral analysis of MR images. Spin echo and inversion recovery pulse sequence images were entered in a digital format compatible with satellite images and accurately registered pixel by pixel. Signatures of each tissue class were automatically determined using both supervised and unsupervised classification. Overall tissue classification was obtained in the form of a theme map. In MR images of the brain, for example, the classes included CSF, gray matter, white matter, subcutaneous fat, muscle, and bone. These methods provide an efficient means of identifying subtle relationships in a multi-image MR study.