Quantitative and rapid estimations of human sub‐surface skin mass using ultra‐high‐resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Non‐invasive and quantitative estimations for the delineation of sub‐surface tumor margins could greatly aid in the early detection and monitoring of the morphological appearances of tumor growth, ensure complete tumor excision without the unnecessary sacrifice of healthy tissue, and facilitate post‐operative follow‐up for recurrence. In this study, a high‐speed, non‐invasive, and ultra‐high‐resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography (UHR‐SDOCT) imaging platform was developed for the quantitative measurement of human sub‐surface skin mass. With a proposed robust, semi‐automatic analysis, the system can rapidly quantify lesion area and shape regularity by an en‐face‐oriented algorithm. Various sizes of nylon sutures embedded in pork skin were used first as a phantom to verify the accuracy of our algorithm, and then in vivo, feasibility was proven using benign human angiomas and pigmented nevi. Clinically, this is the first step towards an automated skin lesion measurement system.

In vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT) image of angioma (A). Thin red arrows point to a blood vessel (BV).     

Influence of social mixing and group size on skin lesions and mounting in organic entire male pigs

Alternatives to surgical castration are needed, due to stress and pain caused by castration of male pigs. One alternative is production of entire male pigs. However, changed behaviour of entire males compared with castrated males might adversely affect the welfare of entire males and changes in management procedures and production system might be needed. Elements from the organic pig production system might be beneficial in this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the effect of grouping strategy including social mixing and group size on levels of mounting behaviour and skin lesions, hypothesising that procedures that disrupt the social stability (e.g. regrouping) will have a larger negative effect in small groups compared with large groups. Approximately 1600 organic entire male pigs of the breed (Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc were reared in parallel in five organic herds, distributed across four batches in a 2×2 factorial design in order to test the influence of social mixing (presence or absence of social mixing at relocation) and group size (15 and 30 animals). Animals were able to socialise with piglets from other litters during the lactation period, and were all mixed across litters at weaning. A second mixing occurred at insertion to fattening pens for pigs being regrouped. Counting of skin lesions (1348 or 1124 pigs) and registration of mounting behaviour (1434 or 1258 pigs) were done on two occasions during the experimental period. No interactive effects were found between social mixing and group size on either skin lesions or mounting frequency. Herd differences were found for both mounting frequency and number of skin lesions. No association between skin lesions and mounting were revealed. Social mixing and group size were shown as interacting effects with herds on mounting frequency (P<0.0001), but with no consistent pattern across all herds. In addition, no effect of social mixing was found on mean number of skin lesions, but more lesions were observed in large groups (P<0.036). This could indicate that keeping entire male pigs in groups of 30 animals as compared with smaller groups of 15 may marginally decrease the welfare of these animals.     

新疆维吾尔族和汉族妇女宫颈脱落细胞中HPV Ll 壳蛋白的表达比较

目的:研究HPV L1壳蛋白在在新疆维吾尔族和汉族妇女宫颈脱落细胞中的表达情况及差异性。方法:收集2012年9月至2014年3月在新疆维吾尔自治区人民医院妇科门诊就诊或行宫颈癌机会性筛查的新疆维吾尔族和汉族妇女病例1160例,选择其中HPV感染阳性或TCT阳性或两项同时阳性的465例纳入研究队列,通过免疫细胞化学法检测宫颈脱落细胞中HPV L1蛋白的表达情况。结果:新疆维吾尔族与汉族妇女HPV L1壳蛋白的总阳性表达率比较无显著差异(P=0.964);维吾尔族与汉族妇女正常或慢性炎症组、CIN1组、CIN2组、CIN3组和SCC组HPV L1壳蛋白表达的阳性率比较均无显著差异(P=0.988,0.957,0.803,0.892,1.000)。新疆维吾尔族妇女和汉族妇女HPV L1壳蛋白表达的阳性率在C1N1组为最高,高于正常或慢性炎症组及其它高病变组,且HPV L1壳蛋白表达的阳性率随宫颈病变恶性程度的增加而降低,呈负相关(相关系数=-0.687和-0.379,P0.001)。结论:新疆维吾尔族与汉族妇女宫颈脱落细胞中HPV L1壳蛋白的表达不存在民族差异,但其与宫颈病变的恶性程度呈负相关,可能是宫颈病变的保护性因素之一。     

Lytic bodies from cereals hydrolysing maltose and starch

Protein bodies and spherosomes from sorghum contained carbohydrase activity against maltose, starch and p-nitrophenyl-α-d-glucoside. Maltase activities in sorghum and also in maize lytic bodies were very high; carbohydrase activities of lytic bodies from whole wheat, whole barley, sorghum aleurone, sorghum embryo and maize embryo were considerably lower. The pH response of sorghum lytic bodies was bimodal with an optimum in the range of 3·4–4·2 and a minimum or a shoulder near pH 3·8. Protein bodies from sorghum, maize, wheat and barley reduced the iodine-colouring capacity of soluble starch to give a purple colour typical of a β-limit dextrin. With spherosomes colour reduction was usually more rapid, eventually taking the breakdown of starch beyond the achroic point. The lytic bodies produce both maltose and glucose from starch, except in the case of maize when only glucose was found. The data suggest that protein bodies contain a linked β-amylase-maltase system and that spherosomes contain a linked α-amylase-maltase system.     

Effect of Intranigral Administration of 6-Hydroxydopamine and 5, 7-Dihydroxytryptamine on Rat Brain Tryptamine

Earlier experiments have shown that unilateral electrolytic lesions of the substantia nigra result in significant reductions in the rate of accumulation of rat striatal tryptamine. For elucidation of the type of neuronal degeneration that is associated with tryptamine depletion, the effects of intranigral injections of 6-hydroxydopamine or 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, which would affect, respectively, dopamine- or indoleamine-containing neurons, have been assessed. Nigral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions resulted in an ipsilateral reduction in the rate of accumulation of striatal tryptamine, but no changes were observed after nigral injections of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine. The present results suggest that decreases in the pargyline-induced accumulation of striatal tryptamine may be associated with lesions of the nigral dopamine-containing cell bodies. Alternatively, there may exist specific tryptamine-containing neurons that are damaged by 6-hydroxytryptamine and unaffected by 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine.     

Changes in Levels of Dopamine and Tyramine in the Rat Caudate Nucleus Following Alterations of Impulse Flow in the Nigrostriatal Pathway

Following electric stimulation of the substantia nigra for 1 h there was a substantial increase in dopamine (DA) turnover in the rat caudate nucleus evidenced by an increase in its acid metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA). Concurrently there was an increase in striatal m-tyramine (mTA) and a substantial decrease in p-tyramine (pTA). Lesioning the substantia nigra to decrease impulse flow resulted in a buildup of striatal DA and mTA, but again a decrease in pTA. Following pretreatment with a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, the effects of stimulation of the nigra on mTA were reversed, there being a significant decrease in this amine. The decrease of pTA in response was partially prevented by tyrosine hydroxylase inhibition. The effects of stimulation or substantia nigra lesions on pTA levels were reversed, however, by tyrosine hydroxylase inhibition, a significant increase in this amine being recorded. mTA and DA levels were largely unaffected by a combination of lesion and tyrosine hydroxylase inhibition. The results provide insight into the possible biosynthetic interrelationships between DA and the tyramine isomers in the rat caudate nucleus.     

Biochemical lesions of respiratory enzymes and configurational changes of mitochondria in vivo

Summary Chick embryo heart fragments in primary hanging-drop culture were treated with sodium fluoroacetate to induce inhibition of aconitate hydratase, a mitochondrial enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The mitochondria were analyzed in the living myoblasts by phase-contrast time-lapse cinemicrography. The results were recorded in a 16 mm film. After 20–30 minutes contact of the cells with the inhibitor some mitochondria became thickened and swollen. The swelling was polymorphous, asynchronous and reversible; the same mitochondrion could swell and shrink many times. Some mitochondria seemed not to respond to fluoroacetate and remained rod-like. Mitochondria appeared the only cell components to be morphologically affected by fluoroacetate and the changes were specifically caused by the inhibitor. The type of mitochondrial swelling differed from the large-amplitude respiration-dependent swelling of the isolated mitochondria in vitro and from the configurational changes of isolated mitochondria associated with the respiratory states. The evidence pointed to a specific connection between the biochemical lesion caused by fluoroacetate and the configurational changes of the mitochondria. The mitochondrial swelling was to a large extent reversed by washing the cultures with Tyrode physiological saline solution and the reversal was further accentuated by incubation of the cultures in fresh nutrient medium.This work was supported by grants of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerce of Italy to both Institutes.     

Modulating influence of dehydroepiandrosterone administration on the morphology and enzyme phenotype of dimethylaminoazobenzene-induced hepatocellular foci and nodules

The effect of 4 weeks dietary administration of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on enzyme and morphological phenotype of focal lesions previously induced by dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB) treatment was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats. In contrast to the DAB-alone livers where large numbers of glycogen-storing, mixed cell nodules homogeneously positive for glutathione S-transferase P form (GST-P) were apparent, DHEA treated animals were characterized by significantly fewer, more heterogeneous lesions, in some cases demonstrating increased amphophilia and structured basophilia. The enhanced heterogeneity, in some ways reminiscent of that reported earlier for ‘reversibility’ or ‘remodelling’ of rapidly induced nodular lesions, was associated with increased catalase (CAT), acid phosphatase (AP) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and decreased glycogen content and phosphorylase (PHO) activity in both nodules and background parenchyma. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity was elevated irregularly, focal lesions also demonstrating a heterogeneous reaction. The experimental data suggest two separate effects of the hormone treatment, the first involving modulation of the usual altered phenotype of preneoplastic lesions with a shift towards ‘tigroid’ cell character and the second, similar to that reported earlier for rapidly induced nodules, involving enhanced phenotypic instability and leading to reduction in numbers.     

Triage of women with equivocal or low-grade cervical cytology results: a meta-analysis of the HPV test positivity rate

Consistent evidence underlines the utility of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing in the management of women with equivocal cervical cytological abnormalities, but not in case of low-grade lesions. We performed a meta-analysis including studies where the high-risk probe of the Hybrid Capture-II is used to triage these two cytological categories. The triage test-positivity rate reflects the colposcopy referral workload.Data were pooled on the HPV test positivity rate in women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS/ASC-US) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), derived from different cytological classification systems. The meta-analysis was restricted to studies, published between 1991 and 2007. A random-effect model was applied for meta-analytical pooling and the influence of covariates on the HPV positivity rate was analyzed by meta-regression. The variation by age was assessed within individual studies since age strata were not defined uniformly. On an average, 43% (95% CI: 40–46%) of women with ASCUS/ASC-US were high-risk HPV positive (range 23–74%). In women with LSIL, the pooled positivity rate was 76% (95% CI: 71–81%; range 55–89%). In spite of considerable inter-study heterogeneity, the difference in HPV positivity between the two triage groups was large and highly significant: 32% (95% CI: 27–38%). HPV rates dropped tremendously as age and cutoffs of test positivity increased. Other factors (cytological classification system, country, continent, collection method and year of publication) had no statistically significant impact, except in LSIL triage where HPV positivity was significantly lower in European compared to American studies. Women with LSIL, especially younger women, have high HPV positivity rates suggesting limited utility of reflex HPV triaging these cases. Research is needed to identify more specific methods to triage women with low-grade squamous cervical lesions.     

Stereoselective Nucleoside Deuteration for NMR Studies of DNA

A procedure has been elaborated for stereoselective deuterium substitution of one of the diastereotopic 5′-protons in 2′-deoxynucleotides. The synthetic scheme uses the reduction of the 5-oxosugar derivative with deuterated Alpine-Borane. The resulting deuterosugar is converted into pyrimidine nucleosides and incorporated into DNA using standard protocols. Comparison of two-dimensional NMR spectra of the fully protonated and partially deuterated duplexes allowed us to assign diastereotopic 5′ protons, increasing the number of experimental restraints used for structure determination.