Applying the Fisher score to identify Alzheimer's disease-related genes.

Biologists and scientists can use the data from Alzheimer's disease (AD) gene expression microarrays to mine AD disease-related genes. Because of disadvantages such as small sample sizes, high dimensionality, and a high level of noise, it is difficult to obtain accurate and meaningful biological information from gene expression profiles. In this paper, we present a novel approach for utilizing AD microarray data to identify the morbigenous genes. The Fisher score, a classical feature selection method, is utilized to evaluate the importance of each gene. Genes with a large between-classes variance and small within-class variance are selected as candidate morbigenous genes. The results using an AD dataset show that the proposed approach is effective for gene selection. Satisfactory accuracy can be achieved by using only a small number of selected genes.

FBW7 inhibits nucleus pulposus cells proliferation by downregulation of cyclin E in the intervertebral disc degeneration.

The article "FBW7 inhibits nucleus pulposus cells proliferation by downregulation of cyclin E in the intervertebral disc degeneration, by J.-W. Xu, J. Wang, K. Yang, S. Guo, C.-S. Feng, H.-Y. Chen, H.-P. Li, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24(2):508-516. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202001_20026. PMID: 32016952" has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

FBW7 inhibits nucleus pulposus cells proliferation by downregulation of cyclin E in the intervertebral disc degeneration.

OBJECTIVE: TF-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7), a component of SCF ubiquitin ligase complex, usually acts as a tumor suppressor because it has an ability in the inhibition of cell proliferation. Nevertheless, the role of FBW7 in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is not quite understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total protein and RNA were isolated from patients' disc tissues. WB was carried out to analyze the collagen II and FBW7 protein levels of different Pfirrmann grades disc degeneration. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to test the collagen II and FBW7 mRNA expression in these disc samples. NP cells were transfected with siRNA-FWB7 to downregulate the FBW7 expression. SiRNA-NC was used as the sham group. Cyclin E, E2F1, and E2F2 were analyzed with WB and RT-PCR. RESULTS: In this study, different kinds of degenerated disc tissues were analyzed, and it was found that FBW7 was overexpressed in much severe degeneration condition, which was also proved by the IL-1ß stimuli nucleus pulposus (NP) cells degeneration model in vitro. Interestingly, the results showed that FBW7 suppression could reverse the degeneration of NP cells. Furthermore, we found that FBW7 induced NP cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase of and inhibited cell proliferation by upregulating p27 expression in vitro. The overexpression of p27 resulted in the inhibition of cyclin E, which promotes cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our study uncovered that FBW7 played an essential inhibitory role in NP cells proliferation, providing new insights that FBW7 may be a potential strategy for IDD treatments.

Holographic design of a two-dimensional photonic crystal of square lattice with pincushion columns and large complete band gaps.

In holographic fabrication of photonic crystals the shape and size of the dielectric columns or particles ("atoms") are determined by the isointensity surfaces of the interference field. Therefore their photonic band gap (PBG) properties are closely related to their fabrication design. As an example, we have investigated the PBGs of a kind of holographically formed two-dimensional (2-D) square lattice with pincushion columns rotated by 45 degrees , and shown that this structure has complete PBGs in a wide range of dielectric contrast comparable to or even larger than those of the same lattice with square columns reported before. The optical design for making this structure is also given. This work may demonstrate the unique feature and advantages of photonic crystals made by holographic method and provide a guideline for their design and experimental fabrication.

An unusual case of hairy cell leukemia: death due to leukostasis and intracerebral hemorrhage.

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) was diagnosed in a 71-year-old Chinese man. His clinical presentation and the characteristics of the hairy cells were typical of classic HCL. However, extreme leukocytosis (195 to 323 x 10(9) cells/L) in peripheral blood was in striking contrast. This leukocytosis, which was much more pronounced than any of the reported cases of HCL with leukocytosis, was associated with leukostasis in the cerebral vasculature and was causally related to a massive intracerebral hemorrhage and death. This mode of death in HCL has not been reported previously.

Prevalence of hepatitis B in an adult psychiatric hospital.

The prevalence of hepatitis B infection among 697 patients in an adult psychiatric hospital was determined by testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and its antibody (anti-HBs). The test results were 0.86 per cent positive for HBsAG and 20 per cent positive for anti-HBs. This assessment of the prevalence of hepatitis B in a group of elderly long-term institutional patients may be used as a guide when hepatitis B vaccination is being considered for use in a psychiatric hospital. It is noteworthy that the elimination of overcrowding in psychiatric hospitals has contributed significantly to the decline of hepatitis B infection in recent years.

A modified screening procedure to detect pyruvate kinase deficiency.

Beutler's screening procedure was used to detect pyruvate kinase deficiency in the local population. In this test, hemolysate and the reagent mixture are incubated and then placed at a spot on filter paper to be examined for fluorescence. Complete nonfluorescence marks the reaction endpoint, and fluorescence beyond 30 minutes indicates pyruvate kinase deficiency. It was difficult to determine this endpoint due to uneven sedimentation of unhemolyzed red cells on the spot. In this modified technique, the leukocyte-depleted red cell suspension was frozen and thawed for complete red cell lysis before being used for the test. Using both techniques, 493 health individuals and 126 anemic patients were screened for pyruvate kinase deficiency. By the conventional technique, 3.7% remained fluorescent after 30 minutes, whereas by the modified technique, none were fluorescent after 30 minutes. Quantitative assay indicated that all samples had pyruvate kinase activity levels greater than the lower limit of the reference range. We also demonstrated that blood samples from individuals with thalassemia trait were primarily responsible for the aberrant results from the conventional screening procedure.

Juvenile chronic myeloid leukemia. A malignancy of S-100 protein-positive histiocytes.

Three cases of juvenile chronic myeloid leukemia (JCML) are reported. The patients were aged 3-4.5 years and presented with generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia, elevated white blood cell count with monocytosis, and high fetal hemoglobin level. Philadelphia chromosome was absent in two cases studied. The bone marrow showed myeloid hyperplasia with increased monocytoid cells and blasts. Biopsy or postmortem material available in two cases revealed malignant infiltration of lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lungs, intestines, and skin. The neoplastic cells ranged from cells with irregular nuclei possessing nuclear grooves to large blastic cells with round to lobulated nuclei and prominent nucleoli. They showed weak staining for acid phosphatase and nonspecific esterase and exhibited the immunophenotype EBM11+KiM1+KiM6+KiM8+CD4+HLADR+ S-100 protein+. The neoplastic cells of JCML therefore share features of dendritic cells and mononuclear phagocytes. The authors' findings show that JCML is a unique histiocytic malignancy in which S-100 protein is a useful marker.

Multilocular renal cyst.

A case of multilocular renal cyst histologically consistent with clear cell carcinoma is reported. This case is unusual in that the cyst had features indicative of a developmental malformation superimposed by a neoplasm. The controversy over the pathogenesis of multilocular cyst--neoplasm versus developmental anomaly--is unsettled. This case illustrates the possibility that multilocular cysts can be developmental defects which subsequently become the origin of neoplastic transformation of the dysgenetic tissue.

A variant of gelatinous transformation of marrow in leukemic patients post-chemotherapy.

A variant of gelatinous transformation of marrow was described in leukemic patients post-chemotherapy. This lesion was found in 8 out of 1833 post-chemotherapy bone marrows from 429 patients with leukemia. Histologically, this variant form was identical to the classical gelatinous transformation except for the absence of fat atrophy. In marrow smears, mucoid strands were seen between marrow particles and oriented along the direction of spread. In clot and trephine sections, an eosinophilic ground substance was widespread, filling out spaces around the fat cells, which occupied the normal proportion of marrow space. At high magnification, this ground substance appeared granular and fibrillary, a non-specific feature which could also be seen in fibrin clot commonly found in marrow sections. This eosinophilic ground substance, however, can be distinguished from fibrin clots by positive staining with Alcian Blue (pH 2.3) and inhibition of the staining after treatment with hyaluronidase. Clinically, in contrast to the classical form, this variant form of gelatinous transformation was acute in onset, transient, and associated with chemotherapy but not with cachexia.

An analysis of donor blood wastage due to outdating in a large teaching hospital.

We analyzed the pattern and rate of donor blood outdating in our hospital from 1986 to 1990. We found that there was a sharp drop in blood outdating since the implementation of the Type and Screen crossmatch protocol. The outdating rate was reduced from 11.5% to 1.3% for whole blood and from 4.9% to 0.4% for red cells. In absolute numbers, wastage of blood due to outdating was cut from 2,570 units in 1986-87 (a 2 yr period before Type and Screen) to only 227 units in 1988-89 (a 2 yr period after Type and Screen). We also found that the outdating rate varied among different blood groups (group 0 less than A = B less than AB), and the outdating of whole blood was consistently more than red cells throughout the study period. The results of our utilization review were conveyed to local hospitals and the blood supplier in an effort to preserved donor blood.

A survey of fresh frozen plasma use in a teaching hospital in Hong Kong.

In response to an acute shortage of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), a survey of its use was conducted in our hospital. The survey was designed to separate the use of FFP into "appropriate use" and "inappropriate use" categories. Whether the use of FFP in a case could be assigned to "appropriate use" category or not was decided by pre-set criteria based on the consensus statement published by the United States National Institute of Health (NIH). We found that during a 30-day period, out of 746 units of FFP used, only 65 (8.7%) could be considered inappropriate use. Most of the FFP (67.6%) was used for liver disease with bleeding and/or abnormal coagulation tests, and for disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. In the "inappropriate use" category (8.7%), the leading causes were plasmapheresis, and hepatobiliary disease with normal coagulation tests and no abnormal bleeding.

Evaluation of laboratory tests for lupus anticoagulant in a group of Chinese lupus patients.

The sera of 69 Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were tested for the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) by a panel of laboratory tests: Kaolin clotting time (KCT), dilute Russell viper venom time (DRVVT) and platelet neutralization procedure (PNP). The prevalence of LA varied among the 3 tests (10-19%), and was 10% when LA was considered present if either KCT or DRVVT and the PNP were positive. Concordance was fair between KCT and PNP, but was poor for DRVVT with either of the other 2 tests. Only 2 of our lupus patients had a history of thrombo-embolic disease, and neither were serologically positive for LA. The incidence of thrombo-embolic diseases and that of LA were both too low in this group of Chinese lupus patients for their association to be evaluated.

Erythrocyte creatine levels in hyperthyroidism.

The mechanism by which erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is decreased in hyperthyroidism is not known. One possible mechanism is premature aging of erythrocytes in the circulation. Since erythrocyte creatine has been shown to be a good marker of cell senescence, we determined this in hyperthyroid patients and control subjects to examine whether the decrease in MCV is related to senescence. Erythrocyte creatine levels were similar in both hyperthyroid patients and controls, suggesting that premature senescence of erythrocytes does not account for the lower MCV in hyperthyroidism.

Plasma cells with iron inclusions in two non-alcoholic Chinese women.

Plasma cells with iron granules are rare, especially among non-alcoholic individuals. We report two teetotaller Chinese women with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, whose bone marrow studies revealed plasma cells with inclusions morphologically compatible with iron granules. The iron nature of the granules was confirmed by elemental analysis. The clinical significance and the exact mechanism of formation of these iron inclusions in plasma cells remain unknown.

A morphologic variant of May-Hegglin anomaly in a Chinese girl.

An 8 yr old Chinese girl was investigated for easy bruising and mild thrombocytopenia. Platelet aggregation studies and coagulation tests were found to be normal. The giant platelets and Döhle-like cytoplasmic inclusions in granulocytes confirmed the diagnosis of May-Hegglin anomaly. The father's granulocytes also had Döhle-like inclusions and one paternal aunt had a history of bleeding tendency. Review of literature showed that such Döhle-like inclusions had always been described morphologically as crescentic or spindle-shaped. In this case, however, the shape was roundish, oval or poorly defined. Ultrastructurally, the classic description was electron-dense long rods and needles orientating along the long axis of the "spindle". In this case, the only electron-dense particles were dot-like with a haphazard arrangement.

Bone marrow findings in lupus patients with pancytopenia.

The marrow findings of 23 lupus patients with pancytopenia were reported. The most common findings were dyserythropoiesis and hypoplasia, both occurring in 9/23 (39%) of the cases. Neither feature was definitely related to cytotoxic drug therapy since most cases were treated by steroids only. Three of the hypoplastic marrows also showed gelatinous transformation, a condition characterized by disruption of marrow architecture, fat atrophy, and deposition of hyaluronic acid. Another common finding was lymphocytosis which occurred in 5/23 (22%) of the cases, 2 of which also had associated plasmacytosis. Two cases were associated with hyperplastic marrow, indicating peripheral destruction of blood cells and compensatory marrow hyperplasia. Reports in the literature on bone marrows in systemic lupus erythematosus are conflicting, describing mainly hypoplasia, vasculitis, plasmacytosis, red cell aplasia, and myelofibrosis. In our series, we found hypoplasia and lymphocytosis/plasmacytosis; in addition we described findings previously unreported: gelatinous transformation, dyserythropoiesis, and marrow hyperplasia.

Fibrinogen level in health and disease.

The plasma fibrinogen concentration of 47 healthy individuals was measured in order to determine the reference range for our laboratory, which was calculated to be 1.75-3.31 g/l. The plasma fibrinogen concentration of 44 hospital patients was also measured for comparison. These patients were selected because they were free from bleeding tendency and liver disease. The distribution of their fibrinogen levels was Gaussian, but more wide-based than the distribution of our normal controls. The mean fibrinogen value of the patient group was 3.60 g/l, significantly higher than that of the healthy group, which was 2.53 g/l. The reasons why the fibrinogen distribution graph of patients assumed such a pattern and the role of fibrinogen in health and disease are discussed.

Megakaryoblastic transformation of a myeloproliferative disorder.

A case of megakaryoblastic transformation of a myeloproliferative disorder presenting initially as chronic granulocytic leukaemia with an intermediate phase of essential thrombocythaemia in a Chinese woman of 65 years is reported. The diagnosis of megakaryoblastic crisis was based on morphological, cytochemical and immunocytochemical features present in blast cells in the blood, together with cytochemical and ultrastructural features of micromegakaryocytes and megakaryoblasts which were predominant in the marrow. A literature review showed newer refinements in diagnosis such as ultrastructural platelet peroxidase and additional immunologic techniques employing antisera against further platelet products. The response to treatment remains uniformly poor.

Immunoglobulin prophylaxis for viral hepatitis.

The indications and dosage of immunoglobulin prophylaxis for viral hepatitis types A and B are well defined. Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) is specific and effective for hepatitis B, but its value is offset by its high cost. Immune serum globulin (ISG) is primarily for hepatitis A, but it also has been found to be effective for hepatitis B and should be considered the choice from a cost-effective point of view. There is no specific immune globulin for hepatitis non-A, non-B, and the efficacy in using ISG has been undetermined. The prerequisite for a rational approach to immunoprophylaxis for viral hepatitis is laboratory determination of serological markers, which confirms the diagnosis of the precise hepatitis type of the index case. Serological testing of the contacts or potential contacts is indicated so that chronic carriers and those with active immunity should be exempted from passive immunization. The expense of laboratory tests is compromised by situations which require the costly HBIG and when the individual is inclined to repeated hepatitis exposure. Viral hepatitis remains a major public health hazard in spite of recent advances in its prevention. Another stride in future control of viral hepatitis will depend on the introduction of vaccines for all types of hepatitis and reliable laboratory tests for the detection of hepatitis non-A, non-B.