Effects of HSPA8, an evolutionarily conserved oviductal protein, on boar and bull spermatozoa.

Previous studies have shown that a soluble protein fraction derived from preparations of apical plasma membrane (APM) of the oviductal epithelium enhances the in vitro survival of mammalian spermatozoa. Here, we show that the survival enhancing property of the soluble protein fraction seems to depend significantly upon heat shock 70 kDa protein 8 (HSPA8 previously known as HSPA10). The following findings in the present study enabled us to draw this conclusion: first, using proteomic analysis, we identified a subset of 70 kDa oviductal surface proteins that bound to spermatozoa, one of which was HSPA8.

Liquid crystal over silicon device characteristics for holographic projection of high-definition television images.

We discuss some fundamental characteristics of a phase-modulating device suitable to holographically project a monochrome video frame with 1280 x 720 resolution. The phase-modulating device is expected to be a liquid crystal over silicon chip with silicon area similar to that of commercial devices. Its basic characteristics, such as number of pixels, bits per pixel, and pixel dimensions, are optimized in terms of image quality and optical efficiency.

Serum adipokine levels in chronic liver diseases: association of resistin levels with fibrosis severity.

Objective: Leptin and adiponectin have been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC), but little is known about the role of resistin in chronic liver diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate serum levels of the above three adipokines in relation to the etiology of liver disease and to determine their associations with histological severity.

Material And Methods: We prospectively evaluated 146 patients (HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB): 52, CHC: 70, NASH: 24) who consecutively underwent liver biopsy.

BCL-2, p53 and HLA-DR antigen expression in surgically treated parotid cancer patients.

Our objective was to investigate the prognostic significance of bcl-2 protein, p53 protein and HLA-DR antigen expression in a group of surgically treated parotid cancer patients. We studied bcl-2, p53 and HLA-DR immunohistochemical expression in paraffin-embedded surgically removed tissue specimens derived from 26 patients with parotid cancer and 9 patients with Warthin parotid tumors operated between 2000 and 2006 at the Hippokration Hospital of Athens. The staining results were correlated with the patients' clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcome.

Oviductal cell proteome alterations during the reproductive cycle in pigs.

The mammalian oviduct plays a crucial role in events leading to the establishment of pregnancy. During the reproductive cycle, the reproductive system undergoes various changes, including alterations in the number of different cell types in the oviductal epithelium and changes in the height of oviductal cells. Maintaining the unique oviductal environment required for the fertilization and early embryonic development comes with an energy cost to the organism.

Computerised order entry systems: sustained impact on laboratory efficiency and mortality rates?

Few studies have attempted to measure the effectiveness of computerised test-order entry systems to reduce test turnaround time and the extent to which improvements are sustained or continue over time. Further, a recent study has raised the possibility that such systems, which require significant work practice change, may be associated with an increase in mortality rates. Our study answered two questions in relation to the introduction of a computerised pathology order entry system in a major Australian teaching hospital: i) are initial improvements in turnaround times achieved in the first 12 months of system use sustained beyond this time; and ii) did mortality rates change following the introduction of the order entry system? We found significant improvements in turnaround times 12 and 24 months following system implementation and no change in average number of tests per patient.

The use of performance metrics to monitor the impact of CPOE on pathology laboratory services.

Organisational communication perspectives provide a framework for examining the impact of new Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems on health care organisations. The aim of this study was to utilise performance metrics (volume of telephone/fax calls and the management of unfulfilled test requests) as a way of monitoring the impact of a new CPOE system on the communication (synchronous and asynchronous) interface in the Central Specimen Reception (CSR) area of a pathology laboratory service. The total number of outgoing and incoming calls rose considerably after the implementation of the new system.

Performance characteristics of microparticle enzyme and chemiluminescence immunoassays for measurement of anti-HBc immunoglobulin M in sera of patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

The IMx, AxSym, and Architect immunoglobulin M anti-HBc assay systems for detecting hepatitis B virus e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B virus infection were compared. Despite good intra- and interassay coefficients of variation, significantly different values and low correlation (overestimation by AxSym and underestimation by Architect) were observed. Association and cutoff values for distinguishing patients with viral replication should be established for all methods.

Serum apoptotic caspase activity as a marker of severity in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Background And Aims: In chronic hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, apoptotic caspases are activated in liver, and serum caspase activity has been suggested as a sensitive marker of early liver injury. An investigation was carried out into whether the serum levels of caspase-generated fragments of cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) are associated with the severity of liver lesions in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Patients/

Methods: CK-18 fragment serum levels were determined in 115 treatment-naive, consecutive HBV patients and 30 healthy controls.

Modulation of the oviductal environment by gametes.

The notion of a gamete recognition system that alerts females to the presence of gametes in their reproductive tract profoundly influences our understanding of the physiology of events leading to conception and the bearing of offspring. Here, we show that the female responds to gametes within her tract by modulating the environment in which pregnancy is initially established. We found distinct alterations in oviductal gene expression as a result of sperm and oocyte arrival in the oviduct, which led directly to distinct alterations to the composition of oviductal fluid in vivo.

Is telomere length in peripheral blood lymphocytes correlated with cancer susceptibility or radiosensitivity?

Mean terminal restriction fragment (TRF) lengths in white blood cells (WBCs) have been previously found to be associated with breast cancer. To assess whether this marker could be used as a test for breast cancer susceptibility in women, TRF length was measured in 72 treated female breast cancer patients and 1696 unaffected female controls between the ages of 45 and 77 from the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas' Hospital, as well as 140 newly diagnosed breast cancer cases and 108 mammographically screened unaffected controls from Guy's Hospital. Mean TRF was also tested for correlation with chromosome radiosensitivity and apoptotic response in the Guy's Hospital patients.

A novel role for the Aurora B kinase in epigenetic marking of silent chromatin in differentiated postmitotic cells.

Combinatorial modifications of the core histones have the potential to fine-tune the epigenetic regulation of chromatin states. The Aurora B kinase is responsible for generating the double histone H3 modification tri-methylated K9/phosphorylated S10 (H3K9me3/S10ph), which has been implicated in chromosome condensation during mitosis. In this study, we have identified a novel role for Aurora B in epigenetic marking of silent chromatin during cell differentiation.

Cardiovascular risk management and its impact in Australian general practice patients with type 2 diabetes in urban and rural areas.

Objective: To investigate the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk management and its impact on Australian general practice patients with type 2 diabetes in urban and rural areas between 2000 and 2002, and to compare trends over time and differences between urban and rural areas.

Design And Methods: Population-based repeated cross-sectional study. 6305 patient records from 2000 to 2002 were extracted from registers of diabetes type 2 patients held by 16 Divisions of General Practice (250 practices) across Australia.

Pathology's front line - a comparison of the experiences of electronic ordering in the clinical chemistry and haematology departments.

Socio-technical approaches to health information systems evaluation are particularly relevant to the study of Computerised Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems. Pathology services are made up of a number of departments each with unique and complex tasks and requirements. These different components of pathology have received very little research attention.

Information and communication processes in the microbiology laboratory--implications for computerised provider order entry.

The aim of this multi-method study based at a microbiology department in a major Sydney metropolitan teaching hospital was to: i) identify the role that information and communication processes play in a paper-based test request system, and ii) examine how these processes may affect the implementation and design of Computerised Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems. Participants in this study reported that clinical information can impact on the urgency and type of tests undertaken and affect the interpretation of test results. An audit of 1051 microbiology test request forms collected over a three-day period showed that 47% of request forms included clinical notes which provide a variety of information often vital to the test analysis and reporting process.

Cardiovascular risk levels in general practice patients with type 2 diabetes in rural and urban areas.

Objective: To investigate the change of cardiovascular risk factor from 2000 to 2002 in general practice patients with type 2 diabetes in urban and rural areas, and the association between cardiovascular risk (both single risk factors and coronary heart disease absolute risk (CHDAR)) and rurality in three years.

Methods: In total, 6305 patients were extracted from 16 Divisions (250 practices). Multivariate regression at Division, practice and patient levels was conducted with adjustment for age and gender.

Multimethod evaluation of information and communication technologies in health in the context of wicked problems and sociotechnical theory.

Objective: Few research designs look at the deep structure of complex social systems. We report the design and implementation of a multimethod evaluation model to assess the impact of computerized order entry systems on both the technical and social systems within a health care organization.

Design: We designed a multimethod evaluation model informed by sociotechnical theory and an appreciation of the nature of wicked problems.

Lymphocyte radiosensitivity in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and implications for breast cancer susceptibility.

There is conflicting evidence as to whether individuals who are heterozygous for germ-line BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations have an altered phenotypic cellular response to irradiation. To investigate this, chromosome breakage and apoptotic response were measured after irradiation in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 26 BRCA1 and 18 BRCA2 mutation carriers without diagnosed breast cancer, and 38 unaffected age, ethnically and sex-matched controls. To assess the role of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in homologous recombination, an S phase enrichment chromosome breakage assay was used.

Biallelic mutation of MSH2 in primary human cells is associated with sensitivity to irradiation and altered RAD51 foci kinetics.

Background: Reports of differential mutagen sensitivity conferred by a defect in the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway are inconsistent in their conclusions. Previous studies have investigated cells established from immortalised human colorectal tumour lines or cells from animal models.

Methods: We examined primary human MSH2-deficient neonatal cells, bearing a biallelic truncating mutation in MSH2, for viability and chromosomal damage after exposure to DNA-damaging agents.

Is chromosome radiosensitivity and apoptotic response to irradiation correlated with cancer susceptibility?

Purpose: Individuals who have been treated for breast cancer have been reported to have increased lymphocyte chromosomal sensitivity to ionizing radiation and a significantly lower apoptotic response to irradiation compared to controls. We set out to test these findings using a substantial number of cases sampled before treatment (which could alter the parameters measured), compared to age-matched controls with normal mammograms.

Material And Methods: We used the G2 chromosome breakage, and apoptotic response assays of peripheral blood lymphocytes to ionizing radiation to compare 211 unselected newly diagnosed and untreated breast cancer patients, with 170 age, sex and ethnically matched controls.

The role of host immune response and apoptosis in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: To determine whether the combined use of markers of host immune response (HLA-DR) and apoptosis (bax and bcl-2) can predict prognosis in laryngeal carcinoma patients.

Procedures: Immunohistochemical staining for HLA-DR, bax and bcl-2 proteins was investigated retrospectively in 37 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Seven healthy adult males were used as the control group.

Health response of two communities to military antennae in Cyprus.

Objectives: This study investigated concerns that have been raised about past and future health effects caused by high power transmissions of high frequency (7-30 MHz) radio waves from military antenna systems at Akrotiri, Cyprus.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of three villages (two exposed, one unexposed) collected longitudinal and short-term radiofrequency measurements. Health data were collected using questionnaires containing information on demographic factors, specific illnesses, general health (SF-36 well-being questionnaire), reproductive history, childhood illnesses, risk perception and mortality.