Alveolar lavage fluid (ALF) of normal volunteer subjects: cytologic, immunocytochemical, and biochemical reference values

AbstractObjective: Pooled bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the return of lavage, contains both bronchial and alveolar material which differ from each other. Artifacts may be created by filtering, centrifuging and washing cells before cytopreparation. This study presents reference values of healthy volunteers for the alveolar sample, ALF, cytopreparation being performed without filtration or centrifugation.Methods: Eighteen healthy, non-smoking volunteers underwent a standard bronchoalveolar lavage using 10 aliquots of 20 ml of saline. Excluding the return of the first and second aliquots, the rest were pooled and examined cytologically, immunocytochemically and biochemically. The mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence limits were calculated for the following variables: amount of return, estimated content of epithelial lining fluid (ELF), total and differential cell counts on filter and cytocentrifuge (CCF) preparations, computed cell counts per unit volume of ALF, distribution of lymphocyte subgroups CD3 + CD2, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD25 and CD57, and the ratio of CD4 to CD8, the amounts of lymphocytes in the same subgroups per volume of ALF, and the concentrations of total protein, albumin, immunoglobulins A, G and M, hyaluronic acid, eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide (PCP) and β2-microglobulin in ALF and in ELF, as well as the ratios of the concentrations of the solutes in ALF to the same in serum.Results: The 95% confidence limits of means for the most important variables were as follows: estimated ELF content 0·42–0·74%; total cells in ALF 76·6–143·0 × 1061−1; distribution of inflammatory cells on filter and CCF slides: macrophages 74·9–83·6 and 81·4–90·1%, lymphocytes 13·1–22·5 and 8·1–16·4%, and neutrophils 1·0–4·1 and 0·7–2·7%, respectively; distribution of lymphocyte subsets: CD3 + CD2 85·6–90·6%, CD4 44·3–53·1%, CD8 26·9–35·8%; concentration of solutes in ALF: total protein 44·8–61·3 mg l−1, albumin 15·4–22·2 mg l−1, IgA 1·8–3.4 mg l−1, IgG 3·1–6·1 mg l−1, IgM 0·05–0·26 mg l−1, hyaluronic acid 8·8–11·1 μg l−1, ECP 0·19–0·77 μg l−1, PCP 0·005–0·058 μg l−1, β2-microglobulin 62·2–81·5 μg l−1.Conclusions: Our results show that excluding the bronchial sample from ALF of volunteer subjects and omitting filtering and washing before cytopreparation produces cytologic, immunocytochemical and biochemical reference values with reasonable 95% confidence limits to be used in clinical settings

Birch (Betula pendula Roth.) responses to high UV-B radiation

Responses of European silver birch seedlings to highly enhanced levels of UV-B radiation (14.4 or 22.5 kJ m–2 d–1 UV-BBE) were studied in a glasshouse experiment. Visible symptoms, membrane lipid composition, secondary metabolites, mRNA levels of chalcone synthase (Chs), localisation of Chs mRNA and leaf structure were analysed. Interveinal chlorosis and asymmetric leaves were induced by UV-B. A significant UV-B -induced increase in 18:2 fatty acid of both glycolipids and phospholipids was detected. UV-B dependent increase in accumulation of a quercetin-3-glycoside and three other compounds, as well as a transient increase in Chs mRNA levels are indicative of induced biosynthesis of flavonoids. In situ experiments showed that mRNA of Chs was mainly found in the upper mesophyll and vascular bundle tissues. Structural observations showed injuries caused by high irradiances. At the light microscopy level there was first a reduction in palisade parenchyma and later a more dense structure of spongy parenchyma cells. Electron microscopy demonstrated an increase in vacuolar membrane whorls and dark bodies, occurrence of lipid material and darkened chloroplast stroma in mesophyll cells. However, results also indicated that Betula pendula is capable of inducing defence reactions such as biosynthesis of flavonoids even at very high UV-B radiation

The snow must go on: Ground ice encasement, snow compaction and absence of snow differently cause soil hypoxia, CO2 accumulation and tree seedling damage in boreal forest

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The Political Economy of Natural Resource Use: Lessons for Fisheries Reform

This report discusses key lessons drawn from reform experience in the wider natural resource sector that might inform successful reform in fisheries. This report is a compilation of 12 papers prepared by acknowledged international experts in the fields of fisheries and wider natural resource reform which were reviewed at a workshop convened by the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in May 2009.The report forms an important initial input into an ongoing enquiry into the political economy of fisheries reform initiated by the World Bank in partnership with the Partnership for African Fisheries (a United Kingdom Department for International Development funded program of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD))

Re-evaluation of diagnostic parameters is crucial for obtaining accurate data on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: The FinnishIPF registry is a prospective, longitudinal national registry study on the epidemiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It was designed to describe the characteristics, management and prognosis of prevalent and incident IPF patients. The study was initiated in 2012. Methods: We present here results limited to five university hospitals. Patients with IPF were screened from hospital registries using ICD-10 diagnosis codes J84.1 and J84.9. All patients who gave informed consent were included and evaluated using novel diagnostic criteria. Point prevalence on the 31st of December in 2012 was calculated using the reported population in each university hospital city as the denominator. Results: Patients with ICD-10 codes J84.1 and J84.9 yielded a heterogeneous group - on the basis of patient records assessed by pulmonologists only 20-30 % of the cases were IPF. After clinical, radiological and histological re-evaluation 111 of 123 (90 %) of patients fulfilled the clinical criteria of IPF. The estimated prevalence of IPF was 8.6 cases/100 000. 60.4 % were men. Forty four percent of the patients were never-smokers. At diagnosis, the patients' mean age was 73.5 years and mean FVC was 80.4 % and DLCO 57.3 % of predicted. Conclusions: Our results suggest that hospital registries are inaccurate for epidemiological studies unless patients are carefully re-evaluated. IPF is diagnosed in Finland at a stage when lung function is still quite well preserved. Smoking in patients with IPF was less common than in previous reports.Peer reviewe

Work factors and psychological distress in nurses' aides: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nurses' aides (assistant nurses), the main providers of practical patient care in many countries, are doing both emotional and heavy physical work, and are exposed to frequent social encounters in their job. There is scarce knowledge, though, of how working conditions are related to psychological distress in this occupational group. The aim of this study was to identify work factors that predict the level of psychological distress in nurses' aides.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The sample of this prospective study comprised 5076 Norwegian nurses' aides, not on leave when they completed a mailed questionnaire in 1999. Of these, 4076 (80.3 %) completed a second questionnaire 15 months later. A wide spectrum of physical, psychological, social, and organisational work factors were measured at baseline. Psychological distress (anxiety and depression) was assessed at baseline and follow-up by the SCL-5, a short version of Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In a linear regression model of the level of psychological distress at follow-up, with baseline level of psychological distress, work factors, and background factors as independent variables, work factors explained 2 % and baseline psychological distress explained 34 % of the variance. Exposures to role conflicts, exposures to threats and violence, working in apartment units for the aged, and changes in the work situation between baseline and follow-up that were reported to result in less support and encouragement were positively associated with the level of psychological distress. Working in psychiatric departments, and changes in the work situation between baseline and follow-up that gave lower work pace were negatively associated with psychological distress.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study suggests that work factors explain only a modest part of the psychological distress in nurses' aides. Exposures to role conflicts and threats and violence at work may contribute to psychological distress in nurses' aides. It is important that protective measures against violent patients are implemented, and that occupational health officers offer victims of violence appropriate support or therapy. It is also important that health service organisations focus on reducing role conflicts, and that leaders listen to and consider the views of the staff.</p

Working conditions as predictors of retirement intentions and exit from paid employment: a 10-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

This work was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Medical Research Council as part of the Lifelong Health and Well-Being (LLHW) initiative (grant number ES/L002892/1)

The interplay of matrix metalloproteinase-8, transforming growth factor-beta 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor-C cooperatively contributes to the aggressiveness of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) has oncosuppressive properties in various cancers. We attempted to assess MMP-8 function in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). Methods: MMP-8 overexpressing OTSCC cells were used to study the effect of MMP-8 on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and gene and protein expression. Moreover, MMP-8 functions were assessed in the orthotopic mouse tongue cancer model and by immunohistochemistry in patient samples. Results: MMP-8 reduced the invasion and migration of OTSCC cells and decreased the expression of MMP-1, cathepsin-K and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). VEGF-C was induced by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) in control cells, but not in MMP-8 overexpressing cells. In human OTSCC samples, low MMP-8 in combination with high VEGF-C was an independent predictor of poor cancer-specific survival. TGF-beta 1 treatment also restored the migration of MMP-8 overexpressing cells to the level of control cells. In mouse tongue cancer, MMP-8 did not inhibit metastasis, possibly because it was eliminated in the peripheral carcinoma cells. Conclusions: The suppressive effects of MMP-8 in OTSCC may be mediated through interference of TGF-beta 1 and VEGF-C function and altered proteinase expression. Together, low MMP-8 and high VEGF-C expression have strong independent prognostic value in OTSCC.Peer reviewe