Abstract Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are nuclear receptors for retinoids that play a critical role in the regulation of growth and differentiation in normal and tumor cells. Deregulation of RXR expression has been reported in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the mechanism underlying the impaired expression of RXRs in lung cancer is not known. Aberrant methylation of promoter CpG islands is known to be a major mechanism for inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. We investigated the methylation status of the RXR genes in 139 surgically-resected NSCLCs and correlated the results with the clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients. Methylation in the tumors was detected at RXRα (5.7%), RXRβ (4.3%), and RXRγ (23.7%). RT-PCR analysis showed that RXRγ methylation correlates with mRNA expression. Methylation of the RXRγ gene was not significantly associated with the prognosis of patients; however, when the patients are categorized by smoking status, the effect of RXRγ methylation on prognosis was significantly different between never- and ever-smokers (P = 0.003 [test for homogeneity]); specifically, RXRγ methylation was associated with a significantly worse survival in never-smokers, whereas it exhibited a better survival outcome in ever-smokers, although not statistically significant. This finding suggests that methylation-associated down-regulation of the RXRγ gene may play a differential role in the carcinogenesis of NSCLCs according to smoking status, but further studies are needed to confirm this. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4935.
목적 : 본 연구는 담화표지를 사용한 대화 듣기에서 지적장애성인의 추론 및 사실적 질문 이해 능력을 알아보는 것이 목적이다. 방법 : 연구에 참여한 대상자는 지적장애성인 15명(언어연령 10세-5명, 11세-5명, 12세-5명), 언어연령을 일치시킨 일반아동 15명(언어연령 10세-5명, 11세-5명, 12세-5명) 전체 30명을 대상으로 하였다. 4가지 유형의 담화표지어가 포함된 4가지 상황(전화, 학교, 일상, 가정)에서 일어나는 대화를 듣고 추론적 질문, 사실적 질문에 대한 검사를 실시하였다. 결과 : 첫째, 담화표지에 따른 듣기 이해 검사에서 추론적 질문과 사실적 질문 모두에서 일반아동집단에 비해 지적장애성인 집단이 점수가 낮게 나타났다, 둘째, 연령별 담화표지에 따른 듣기이해 검사 결과, 두 집단 모두 연령이 증가할수록 추론과 사실 대화듣기 능력이 증가하였다. 셋째, 담화표지 하위항목별(첨가, 대조, 원인/결과, 시간) 차이를 분석한 결과, 지적장애 집단과 일반아동 집단 모두 사실질문 보다 추론적 질문에서 평균이 낮게 나타났으며 특히, 지적장애 집단의 추론적 질문 중 대조 영역에서 가장 낮은 점수를 나타냈다. 넷째, 담화표지 상황별(전화, 학교, 일상, 가정) 집단 간 차이를 분석한 결과, 두 집단 모두 추론질문에서 상황별로 유의한 차이를 나타내었으며 전화 상황에서 두 집단 모두 평균이 가장 높게 나타났다. 결론: 이러한 결과에 따르면 지적장애인은 연령이 증가함에 따라 사실적 대화 듣기 능력, 추론적 대화 듣기 능력이 지속적으로 향상되므로 꾸준한 교육의 필요성을 시사한다고 볼 수 있다.
Background: The number of doctoral programmes in nursing has multiplied rapidly throughout the world. This has led to widespread concern about nursing doctoral education, specifically with regard to the quality of curricula and faculty, as well as to the availability of appropriate institutional resources. In South Africa, no study of these issues has been conducted at a national level.Objective: To explore and describe the quality of nursing doctoral education in South Africa from the perspectives of deans, faculty, doctoral graduates and students.Method: A cross-sectional survey design was used. All deans (N = 15; n = 12), faculty (N = 50; n = 26), doctoral graduates (N = 43; n = 26) and students (N = 106; n = 63) at South African nursing schools that offer a nursing doctoral programme (N = 16; n = 15) were invited to participate. Data were collected by means of structured email-mediated Quality of Nursing Doctoral Education surveys.Results: Overall, the graduate participants scored their programme quality most positively of all the groups and faculty scored it most negatively. All of the groups rated the quality of their doctoral programmes as good, but certain problems related to the quality of resources, students and faculty were identified.Conclusion: These evaluations, by the people directly involved in the programmes, demonstrated significant differences amongst the groups and thus provide valuable baseline data for building strategies to improve the quality of doctoral nursing education in South Africa.
Collagenous micronodules (CMs) are microscopic stromal nodular eosinophilic fibrillar collagen deposition of uncertain histogenesis seen in prostatic adenocarcinoma. Per the 2005 International Society of Urologic Pathology (ISUP) consensus conference, they are categorized as Gleason pattern 3. This study analyzes morphological and clinical features of CMs from a large series of radical prostatectomies. Hematoxylin and eosin stained slides for 129 radical prostatectomies for adenocarcinoma of prostate with CMs and for 93 prostatic adenocarcinoma cases without CMs as comparison were examined out of a total of 667 cases performed from January 2010 to December 2011 at Houston Methodist Hospital. CMs were identified in 19% of all radical prostatectomies (129/667 cases). Almost all tumors with CMs were located in the peripheral zone (98%) as single or multiple foci of prostatic cancer glands. The vast majority of cases (96%) were identified in association with mucinous secretion. A cribriform Gleason pattern 4 was associated in 86 cases (67%). The CMs were associated with glomerulation (42%) and amphophilic luminal secretion (59%). 88 cases (68%) showed tumor foci with Gleason pattern ≥ 4 in close association with CMs. Multivariate analysis revealed CMs of the prostatic adenocarcinoma are closely related to mucinous secretion, cribriform growth pattern, and Gleason pattern 4. This study suggests that CMs are more frequently associated with Gleason pattern 4 cancer warranting morphologic reappraisal of CMs, rather than the consensus assignment of Gleason pattern 3.
Periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN) is most commonly found either in its congenital form or after cerebellar/pontomedullary lesions. However, we identified PAN in 10 patients with peripheral vestibular disorders and will try to describe their characteristics to aid in the differential diagnosis between peripheral and central etiologies.Observation of a case series.Peripheral vestibular lesions were confirmed by neurological examinations, vestibular function tests, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs). Eye movements of the patients were recorded using electronystagmography or video nystagmography for a minimum of 10 minutes to confirm the nystagmus change in direction.The final diagnoses of the patients included Meniere's disease (n = 3), acute labyrinthitis (n = 4), sudden sensorineural hearing loss with vertigo (n = 2), and vestibular schwannoma (n = 1). Direction-changing spontaneous horizontal nystagmus with quiescent intervals was observed in all patients under dark conditions. The nystagmus was suppressed by visual fixation; and the results of oculomotor tests were normal for saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements and optokinetic nystagmus. All patients showed mild to complete canal paresis on a bithermal caloric test. PAN progressed into unidirectional nystagmus of the contra-lesion side in all patients within 48 hours.PAN can be observed in patients with peripheral vestibular disorders, but detecting PAN in this subpopulation is difficult because of its transitory nature. The absence of central symptoms and signs, the visual suppression of PAN, normal oculomotor tests, and transient persistence are important diagnostic clues for differentiating peripheral from central PAN.4.
Stereotactic thalamotomy has been an effective surgical procedure in the treatment of medically refractory essential tremor (ET), however, little is known about the bilateral effects of unilateral ventralis intermedius (Vim) thalamotomy and Vim deep brain stimulation (DBS). We studied the lateralized effects of unilateral Vim thalamotomy and Vim DBS in ET patients.Vim thalamotomy was performed in 6 patients and Vim DBS in 6. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively using the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST).The contralateral Part A (tremor localization/severity rating) and Part B (specific motor tasks/function rating) subscores, and axial subscores of CRST significantly improved after unilateral Vim thalamotomy or Vim DBS. On the side ipsilateral to surgery, ET patients demonstrated no significant improvements in the Part A and Part B subscores of CRST. The Part C (functional disabilities resulting from tremor) subscores and total scores of CRST were significantly improved after surgery.Vim thalamotomy and DBS may be equally effective for the management of contralateral and axial tremor in ET patients, but both interventions may not improve tremor on the side ipsilateral to surgery.
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Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum causes a severe systemic disease, fowl typhoid, primarily in chickens and turkeys, and it remains a disease of worldwide significance. Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) has proved to be very useful for subtyping other Salmonella serovars. We describe the development of a simple MLVA assay for S. enterica serovar Gallinarum that is comparable with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in resolution. The genome sequence of S. enterica serovar Gallinarum strain 287/91 was analysed for potential variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) and then polymerase chain reaction assays were developed to assess the variability of the loci. Four VNTR markers were selected and used in a multiplex fragment analysis assay. The stability of the VNTR markers was assessed by conducting in vitro passage experiments with two strains (95 clones per strain) over a 30-day period. A MLVA of 68 strains of S. enterica serovar Gallinarum based on the four VNTR loci distinguished 26 allelic profiles. The MLVA assay showed a Simpson's diversity index of 0.918, whereas PFGE analysis produced 23 patterns and had a diversity index of 0.874. Most importantly, the MLVA further discriminated strains having the same PFGE pattern. The MLVA assay is a highly discriminatory genotyping method for S. enterica serovar Gallinarum. Therefore, MLVA can be a useful addition to routine PFGE analysis for molecular epidemiological investigation of fowl typhoid.
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