Occupational health management of work-related stress: guidelines versus practice.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress, anxiety and depression (WRSAD) are common, overlapping mental health problems burdened with major medical, occupational, institutional and societal implications. Current occupational health (OH) management of WRSAD is based on clinical and managerial guidelines and individual risk assessment. AIMS: The study sought to identify patterns of OH advice in WRSAD and the relationships between the OH advice, available evidence, experience and expertise of the OH doctors (OHDs). METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 101 first-time OH consultations for WRSAD by nine OHDs. RESULTS: The three most common OH interventions included follow-up OH consultations, adjusted duties and referrals for counselling. All OHDs preferred a light-touch approach but the less experienced and qualified OHDs were more proactive and prescriptive. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of a specific occupational medical guideline for the management of WRSAD, the OH interventions may be guided by clinical guidelines, individual risk assessment, the client's circumstances or the experience, expertise and preferences of the OHDs. In the study group, OH interventions were under-utilized and not consistently applied. Our findings support the argument for OH guideline for WRSAD to improve the consistency and effectiveness of OH interventions. This is important given the scale of the problem and the recent increase in WRSAD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new case of pure partial 7q duplication.

We report on an 18-month-old boy conceived by assisted reproduction technology with developmental delay, hypotonia, microcephaly, frontal bossing, a mild convergent squint, malformed ears, and a short neck. Karyotype analysis revealed a de novo 7q21.1q22.3 duplication characterized by array comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) as a segment of 18.69 Mb. Duplications of the long arm of chromosome 7 are uncommon. There are 18 reported cases of different 7q segments with a pure duplication with no additional deletion of other chromosomes. As a consequence, duplications of chromosome 7q have been classified in 4 groups on the basis of the involved region. The present case is included in group 3 which involves interstitial duplications of different sizes. In the literature, only one case with an apparently smaller duplication of the same region has been described. Despite this, the phenotype is different. Moreover, the 2 patients share some phenotypic features, such as psychomotor delay, hypotonia, frontal bossing, short neck, and strabismus. However, the absence of physical characterization in most of the reported cases could justify the lacking phenotype-genotype correlation in patients with partial 7q duplication. Further studies using recent molecular approaches such as array-CGH might permit a more clinically useful grouping of 7q duplications.

Detection of chromosomal aneuploidies in fetal cells isolated from maternal blood using single-chromosome dual-probe FISH analysis.

Detection of chromosomal aneuploidies using fetal cells isolated from maternal blood, for prenatal non-invasive genetic investigation, has been a long-sought goal of clinical genetics to replace amniocentesis and chorionic villous sampling to avoid any risk to the fetus. The purpose of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific new assay for diagnosing aneuploidy with circulating fetal cells isolated from maternal blood as previously reported using two novel approaches: (i) simultaneous immunocytochemistry (ICC) evaluation using a monoclonal antibody for i-antigen, followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); (ii) dual-probe FISH analysis of interphase nuclei using two differently labeled probes, specific for different loci of chromosomes 21 and 18; in addition, short tandem repeats (STR) analysis on single cells isolated by micromanipulation was applied to confirm the presence of fetal cells in the cell sample enriched from maternal blood. Blood samples were obtained from women carrying trisomic fetuses, and from non-pregnant women and men as controls. Using ICC-FISH approach, a large heterogeneity in immunostaining pattern was observed, which is a source of very subjective signal interpretation. Differently, dual-probe FISH analysis provided for a correct diagnosis of all pregnancies: the mean percentage of trisomic cells was 0.5% (range, 0.36-0.76%), while the mean percentage of trisomic cells in the control group (normal pregnancies or non-pregnant women) was ≤0.20%. The application of the dual-probe FISH protocol on fetal cells isolated from maternal blood enables accurate molecular detection of fetal aneuploidy, thus providing a foundation for development of non-invasive prenatal diagnostic testing.

Different approaches in the molecular analysis of the SHOX gene dysfunctions.

Deficit of the short stature homeobox containing gene (SHOX) accounts for 2.15% of cases of idiopathic short stature (ISS) and 50-100% of cases of Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD). It has been demonstrated that patients with SHOX deficit show a good response to treatment with GH. Thus, the early identification of SHOX alterations is a crucial point in order to choose the best treatment for ISS and LWD patients. In this study, we analyze the most commonly used molecular techniques for the detection of SHOX gene alterations. multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis appears to represent the gold standard for the detection of deletion involving the SHOX gene or the enhancer region, being able to show both alterations in a single assay.

Human amniotic fluid stem cells culture onto titanium screws: a new perspective for bone engineering.

The use of titanium plates and screws for osteosynthesis is considered to be an effective treatment for different kinds of fractures in orthopedic surgery. The aim of the present study is to test the ability of titanium screws to promote the growth of osteoblasts obtained from human amniotic fluid stem cells (AFS). Osteoblastic differentiation was assessed by RT-PCR of specific markers such as COL1, ONC, OPN, OCN, OPG, BMP-4 and Runx2. Mineralization was demonstrated by the presence of red depositions. Adherent cells were found to cover the whole surface of titanium screw by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The result indicates the excellent growth of osteoblasts obtained from amniotic fluid on a titanium surface and could represent an important point in view of a possible therapeutic application of AFS cells.

Homozygous p.M172K mutation of the TFR2 gene in an Italian family with type 3 hereditary hemochromatosis and early onset iron overload.

The p.M172K TFR2 mutation was identified in two Italian siblings aged 32 and 40 years old with primary iron overload. The two patients showed a severe increase in serum iron indices. From the age of 25, the male sib also revealed abnormal levels of hepatic enzymes, presumably in relation to iron induced liver damage. Clinical findings seem to evidence that type 3 hemochromatosis can be more serious than classic hemochromatosis. This report adds two more type 3 hereditary hemochromatosis cases which suggest that TFR2 mutations could be more frequently involved in non-HFE hemochromatosis than has been actually thought.

Identification and chromosomal localisation by fluorescence in situ hybridisation of human gene of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C beta(1).

Members of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) families are central intermediary in signal transduction in response to the occupancy of receptors by many growth factors. Among PLC isoforms, the type beta(1) is of particular interest because of its reported nuclear localisation in addition to its presence at the plasma membrane. It has been previously shown that both the stimulation and the inhibition of the nuclear PLCbeta(1) under different stimuli implicate PLCbeta(1) as an important enzyme for mitogen-activated cell growth as well as for murine erythroleukaemia cell differentiation. The above findings hinting at a direct involvement of PLCbeta(1) in controlling the cell cycle in rodent cells, and the previously reported mapping of its gene in rat chromosome band 3q35-36, a region frequently rearranged in rat tumours induced by chemical carcinogenesis, prompted us to identify its human homologue. By screening a human foetal brain cDNA library with the rat PLCbeta(1) cDNA probe, we have identified a clone homologous to a sequence in gene bank called KIAA 0581, which encodes a large part of the human PLCbeta(1). By using this human cDNA in fluorescence in situ hybridisation on human metaphases, it has been possible to map human PLCbeta(1) on chromosome 20p12, confirming the synteny between rat chromosome 3 and human chromosome 20 and providing a novel locus of homology between bands q35-36 in rat and p12 in man. Since band 20p12 has been recently reported amplified and/or deleted in several solid tumours, the identification and chromosome mapping of human PLCbeta(1) could pave the way for further investigations on the role exerted both in normal human cells and in human tumours by PLCbeta(1), which has been shown to behave as a key signalling intermediate in the control of the cell cycle.

Morphometric and functional study of apoptotic cell chromatin.

Apoptosis is usually characterized by profound morphological nuclear changes. Chromatin undergoes a progressive condensation that eventually involves all the nucleus. At earlier stages chromatin appears as divided in compact and diffuse areas, while the nuclear pores disappear from the nuclear envelope that surrounds the compact areas, and cluster around diffuse chromatin. Here we have performed a morphometric study on the different chromatin areas of freeze-fractured apoptotic cell nuclei in order to investigate its morphometric and functional organization. We have found large portions of inactive chromatin aggregations corresponding to the dense cap-shaped patches, while domains of nucleosomic fibres have been identified in the diffuse chromatin areas. The correlation of the nucleosomic fibre/diffuse chromatin domain with the nuclear pore clusters is demonstrated, and its implications with a possible residual nuclear activity are discussed.

Inositide-specific phospholipase c beta1 gene deletion in the progression of myelodysplastic syndrome to acute myeloid leukemia.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is an adult hematological disease that evolves into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in about 30% of the cases. The availability of a highly specific probe moved us to perform in patients affected with MDS/AML, associated with normal karyotype, painting and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis aimed to check the inositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) beta1 gene, a player in the control of some checkpoints of the cell cycle. Here we present a preliminary observation in which FISH analysis disclosed in a small group of MDS/AML patients with normal karyotype the monoallelic deletion of the PI-PLCbeta1 gene. On the contrary, PI-PLC beta4, another gene coding for a signaling molecule, located on 20p12.3 at a distance as far as less than 1Mb from PI-PLCbeta1, is unaffected in MDS patients with the deletion of PI-PLC beta1 gene, hinting at an interstitial deletion. The MDS patients, bearing the deletion, rapidly evolved to AML. The data suggest the possible involvement of PI-PLCbeta1 in the progression of the disease and pave the way for a larger investigation aimed at identifying a possible high-risk group among MDS patients with a normal karyotype.

Molecular cytogenetics of chronic myeloid leukemia with atypical t(6;9) (p23;q34) translocation.

We report the molecular cytogenetic analysis of a case of Philadelphia (Ph)-negative, BCR-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) which appeared by conventional cytogenetics to have a t(6;9)(p23;q34) as the sole cytogenetic abnormality. Neither conventional nor pulse-field Southern blots detected any rearrangement of the DEK or CAN genes which are often fused in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(6;9)(p23;q34). However, rearrangements of both BCR and ABL genes were detected. The breakpoint in BCR was located in the major translocation cluster region between exons b1 and b3. ABL rearrangements were detected with an ABL exon 1B probe and with a probe located 5' of the entire ABL gene. Comigration between the rearranged fragments obtained with M-bcr-5' and ABL exon 1B probes was observed, implying that the entire ABL gene was fused to the 5' part of the BCR gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses using BCR and ABL probes showed that in 20% of metaphases BCR and ABL signals were present on one chromosome 6 at 6p23, whilst in 80% of metaphases BCR and ABL signals were identified on both copies of chromosome 6. Furthermore, FISH analysis with a whole-chromosome 22 paint demonstrated that chromosome 22 material was present on both copies of chromosome 6. These data indicate a complex Philadelphia translocation involving chromosome band 6p23 and duplication of the whole aberrant chromosome. The nature of the gene locus on 6p23, involved in this rearrangement, remains unknown. A similar translocation has been previously reported in a case of CML, which also lacked DEK and CAN gene rearrangements implying that abnormalities of 6p23 involving genes other than DEK may be a recurrent abnormality in CML.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in breast/ovarian cancer patients from central Italy.

We report on the screening of the entire BRCA1/BRCA2 coding sequence by SSCP, PTT, and direct sequencing in 68 Italian families with recurrent breast or ovarian cancer. For each investigated proband, the probability of being carrier of a BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation was evaluated using the BRCAPRO software. We detected BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations in 8 patients (11.7%). However, if considering only patients with a carrier probability >10%, the detection rate was 36.8%, confirming the usefulness of the BRCAPRO software. One change (BRCA1 4172insT) was a novel mutation not reported in BIC database.

Male infertility caused by a de novo partial deletion of the DAZ cluster on the Y chromosome.

Deletions in distal Yq interval 6 represent the cause of 10-15% of idiopathic severe male infertility and map to a region defined AZFc (azoospermia factor c). The testis-specific gene DAZ is considered a major AZFc candidate, and its deletion has been associated with a severe disruption in spermatogenesis. However, DAZ is actually a multicopy gene family consisting of seven clustered copies spanning about 1 megabase. Only deletions removing the entire DAZ gene cluster together with other genes have been reported in infertile males. Because no case of spermatogenic failure has been traced to intragenic deletions, point mutations, or even deletions not involving all the DAZ copies, the definitive proof for a requirement of DAZ for spermatogenesis is still debatable. Here we report the first case of a partial deletion of the DAZ cluster removing all but one of the copies. This deletion is present in a patient affected with severe oligozoospermia who had a testicular phenotype characterized by a great quantitative reduction of germ cells (severe hypospermatogenesis). The absence of this deletion in the fertile brother of the patient suggests that this de novo mutation indeed caused the spermatogenic failure.

Y-chromosomal DNA haplotype differences in control and infertile Italian subpopulations.

Y-chromosomal DNA haplotypes were determined in 74 infertile and 216 control Italian males using eight biallelic markers. A significant difference in haplotype frequency was found, but could be explained by the geographical origins of the samples. The Y chromosome is thus a sensitive marker for population substructuring and may be useful for determining whether two population samples come from a single population, for example in association studies.

Narrowing the Duane syndrome critical region at chromosome 8q13 down to 40 kb.

Duane syndrome (MIM 126800) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by primary strabismus and other ocular anomalies, associated with variable deficiency of binocular sight. We have recently identified a < 3 cM smallest region of deletion overlap (SRO) by comparing interstitial deletions at band 8q13 in two patients (one described by Vincent et al, 1994, and the other by Calabrese et al, 1998). Here we report on another patient with Duane syndrome carrying a reciprocal translation t(6;8)(q26;q13). FISH and PCR analyses using a YAC contig spanning the SRO narrowed the Duane region to a < 1 cM interval between markers SHGC37325 and W14901. In addition, the identification and mapping of two PAC clones flanking the translocation breakpoint, allowed us to further narrow the critical region to about 40 kb. As part of these mapping studies, we have also refined the map position of AMYB, a putative candidate gene, to 8q13, centromeric to Duane locus. AMYB is expressed in brain cortex and genital crests and has been previously mapped to 8q22.

Detection of an insertion deletion of region 8q13-q21.2 in a patient with Duane syndrome: implications for mapping and cloning a Duane gene.

Duane syndrome (MIM126800) is an autosomal dominant disease responsible for 1% of all strabismus cases and has been related to a 8q12-13 contiguous gene syndrome. We report on an insertion of chromosome region 8q13-q21.2 on to band 6q25 in a patient presenting with Duane syndrome, mental retardation, and other dysmorphisms. FISH analysis using chromosome 8 radiation hybrid LIA2L indicated a concurrent deletion within the 8q rearranged region. These results were corroborated by STR-PCR analysis and FISH using YAC contig WC8.8 disclosed a deletion in 8q13. Comparison of the two known patients with Duane syndrome associated with deletion of 8q identifies a small region of overlap (SRO) of < 3 cM extending from D8S533 and D8S1767 in which a Duane syndrome locus is assigned. In addition YAC analysis in our patient showed that 8q rearrangement was rather complex since 8q deletion and insertion occurred in two distinct segments separated by a region which maintained its location on 8q.

MK-954 (losartan potassium) exerts endothelial protective effects against reperfusion injury: evidence of an e-NOS mRNA overexpression after global ischemia.

BACKGROUND: the cardiac Renin-Angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the regulation of coronary flow and cardiac function and structure in normal and pathological conditions such as ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Angiotensin II type 1 (AT-1) receptor antagonist MK-954 (losartan potassium) on postischemic endothelial dysfunction and NOS mRNA expression (inducible nitric oxide synthase, iNOS; endothelial nitric oxide synthase, eNOS) in isolated working rat hearts. METHODS: isolated working rat hearts were subjected to 15 min global ischemia and 180 min reperfusion. MK-954 was added to perfusion buffer (a modified Krebs-Henseleit solution) at 1 microM concentration. We assessed functional parameters, creatin kinase (CK) release, heart weight changes, microvascular postischemic hyperpermeability (FITC-albumin extravasation) and morphological ultrastructural alterations. eNOS and iNOS mRNA levels were also detected by the means of multiplex RT-PCR technique using glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) gene as internal control; results were expressed as densitometric ratio. RESULTS: in Losartan-treated hearts we observed a significant reduction of postischemic contractile dysfunction, CK release and myocardial ultrastructural damage; postischemic FITC-albumin extravasation was significantly reduced respect to controls. Moreover, 1 microM Losartan produced a significant reduction of eNOS/G3PDH respect to untreated hearts submitted to I/R. Regarding iNOS/G3PDH ratio, no significant changes were detected in Losartan-treated hearts compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: our study revealed that Losartan treatment before ischemia, and during reperfusion, is able to reduce the reperfusion injury of the rat heart by reducing mechanical and microcirculatory dysfunction and necrotic cell death, ameliorating cardiac ultrastructure and endothelial protection, probably inducing eNOS over-expression and reducing post-ischemic hyperpermeability of coronary microcirculation.

FISH analysis in detecting 9p duplication (p22p24).

Authors report on a case of partial 9p duplication, involving the 9p22-9p24 region. This represents the second case of such duplication in which the breakpoints were precisely defined using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) with chromosome 9 specific painting and YAC DNA probes, localised onto 9p22-9p24 region. FISH analysis pinpointed chromosome breakpoints in dup(9)(p22p24) and excluded an insertion or a translocation from other chromosomes. The present report supports the segment 9p22-9p24 as the critical region for the observed phenotype of the duplication 9p syndrome.

Genotype-phenotype correlations and clinical diagnostic criteria in Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

We report on a clinical-genetic study of 16 Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) patients. Hemizygosity of 4p16.3 was detected by conventional prometaphase chromosome analysis (11 patients) or by molecular probes on apparently normal chromosomes (4 patients). One patient had normal chromosomes without a detectable molecular deletion within the WHS "critical region." In each deleted patient, the deletion was demonstrated to be terminal by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The proximal breakpoint of the rearrangement was established by prometaphase chromosome analysis in cases with a visible deletion. It was within the 4p16.1 band in six patients, apparently coincident with the distal half of this band in five patients. The extent of each of the four submicroscopic deletions was established by FISH analyses with a set of overlapping cosmid clones spanning the 4p16.3 region. We found ample variations in both the size of the deletions and the position of the respective breakpoints. The precise definition of the cytogenetic defect permitted an analysis of the genotype-phenotype correlations in WHS, leading to the proposal of a set of minimal diagnostic criteria, which in turn may facilitate the selection of critical patients in the search for the gene(s) responsible for this disorder. We observed that genotype-phenotype correlations in WHS mostly depend on the size of the deletion, a deletion of <3.5 Mb resulting in a mild phenotype, in which malformations are absent. The absence of a detectable molecular deletion is still consistent with a WHS diagnosis. Based on these observations a "minimal" WHS phenotype was inferred, the clinical manifestations of which are restricted to the typical facial appearance, mild mental and growth retardation, and congenital hypotonia.

FISH detection of mixed chimerism in 33 patients submitted to bone marrow transplantation.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and cytogenetic analysis were carried out in 33 transplanted patients suffering from different hematologic disease using probes for X and Y chromosomes and ABL and BCR genes. FISH showed that recipient cells were invariably present during post-transplant follow-up. Stable minimal residual disease was associated with clinical and hematologic remission, while a progressive increase of host cells was strictly related with disease relapse. Cytogenetic investigation on the same samples showed recipient cells only in few cases. It was concluded that FISH analysis is useful for: (1) characterizing cases in which standard cytogenetic analysis has failed; (2) detecting host cells in sex-mismatched transplanted patients; and (3) evaluating Ph-negative CML with the BCR/ABL rearrangement. The possibility of detecting chromosome rearrangements in interphase nuclei using FISH analysis improves diagnosis and prediction of disease evolution and prompts earlier therapeutic approaches.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for Fanconi anemia.

Five patients (age range 7-14 years) received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for Fanconi anemia (FA). All patients showed progressive pancytopenia associated with congenital malformations. Diagnosis was confirmed by studies of cellular hypersensitivity to the clastogenic effect of the DNA crosslinking agent diepoxybutane. The conditioning regimen consisted of low dose cyclophosphamide (5 mg/kg x 4) and fractionated total body irradiation (167 cGy x 3). For graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis one patient was given cyclosporin alone while the remaining four patients received a combination of cyclosporin and two doses of methotrexate. Marrow was given unmanipulated from HLA-identical siblings. All patients are alive 18-67 months after grafting with Karnofsky scores of 100% and normal hemopoiesis of donor origin. Modifications in transplant protocols such as those here described have resulted in a decreased risk of severe transplant-related complications. These results confirm that BMT is a curative therapy in FA patients and should be considered as a first choice treatment if an HLA-identical donor is available.