Pituitary glycoprotein hormone a-subunit secretion by cirrhotic patients

Secretion of the a-subunit of pituitary glycoprotein hormones usually follows the secretion of intact gonadotropins and is increased in gonadal failure and decreased in isolated gonadotropin deficiency. The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of the a-subunit in the serum of patients with cirrhosis of the liver and to compare the results obtained for eugonadal cirrhotic patients with those obtained for cirrhotic patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Forty-seven of 63 patients with cirrhosis (74.6%) presented hypogonadism (which was central in 45 cases and primary in 2), 7 were eugonadal, and 9 women were in normal menopause. The serum a-subunit was measured by the fluorimetric method using monoclonal antibodies. Cross-reactivity with LH, TSH, FSH and hCG was 6.5, 1.2, 4.3 and 1.1%, respectively, with an intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 5% and an interassay CV of 5%, and sensitivity limit of 4 ng/l. The serum a-subunit concentration ranged from 36 to 6253 ng/l, with a median of 273 ng/l. The median was 251 ng/l for patients with central hypogonadism and 198 ng/l for eugonadal patients. The correlation between the a-subunit and basal LH levels was significant both in the total sample (r = 0.48, P<0.01) and in the cirrhotic patients with central hypogonadism (r = 0.33, P = 0.02). Among men with central hypogonadism there was a negative correlation between a-subunit levels and total testosterone levels (r = 0.54, P<0.01) as well as free testosterone levels (r = -0.53, P<0.01). In conclusion, although the a-subunit levels are correlated with LH levels, at present they cannot be used as markers for hypogonadism in patients with cirrhosis of the liver.A01Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto AlegreUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Características biológicas de Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus mantidos em novilhas naïve da raça Angus.

SIEPE

Drug‐Induced Differential Gene Expression Analysis on Nanoliter Droplet Microarrays: Enabling Tool for Functional Precision Oncology

Drug-induced differential gene expression analysis (DGEA) is essential for uncovering the molecular basis of cell phenotypic changes and understanding individual tumor responses to anticancer drugs. Performing high throughput DGEA is challenging due to the high cost and labor-intensive multi-step sample preparation protocols. In particular, performing drug-induced DGEA on cancer cells derived from patient biopsies is even more challenging due to the scarcity of available cells. A novel, miniaturized, nanoliter-scale method for drug-induced DGEA is introduced, enabling high-throughput and parallel analysis of patient-derived cell drug responses, overcoming the limitations and laborious nature of traditional protocols. The method is based on the Droplet Microarray (DMA), a microscope glass slide with hydrophilic spots on a superhydrophobic background, facilitating droplet formation for cell testing. DMA allows microscopy-based phenotypic analysis, cDNA extraction, and DGEA. The procedure includes cell lysis for mRNA isolation and cDNA conversion followed by droplet pooling for qPCR analysis. In this study, the drug-induced DGEA protocol on the DMA platform is demonstrated using patient-derived chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. This methodology is critical for DGEA with limited cell numbers and promise for applications in functional precision oncology. This method enables molecular profiling of patient-derived samples after drug treatment, crucial for understanding individual tumor responses to anticancer drugs

LGBTIQ+ migration, accommodation, and mental health in the UK:A critical psychological perspective on the death-worlds and the living dead in detention centres

While migration and queer studies are respected and well-established, their intersection as an interdisciplinary alliance deserves further research. This paper is part of the critical psychology project ‘Queering migration, migrating queer studies’ to discuss and address primarily the main challenges LGBTIQ+ migrants face around accommodation and mental health in detention in the UK context. Given the recent anti-immigration bill passed in July 2023 by the British parliament and the escalating difficulties to obtain asylum in this hostile environment, the paper reviews academic literature published between 2017 and 2023 on services LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers have received or have had access to in the UK. It critically reflects on what accommodation means within detention and removal centres and how the latter affects mental health and service provision questions for the LGBTIQ+ community. Bringing to the fore Achille Mbembe’s conceptual framework of necropolitics in dialogue with Frantz Fanon’s psychosocial analytics of racism, this paper shows how LGBTIQ+ migration walks in between Foucauldian biopolitics and necropolitics as an emerging discourse. By mobilising a case study, the paper focuses first on why necropolitics is a useful framework to shed light, expose and resist existing hegemonies on LGBTIQ+ migration issues, particularly in the UK, and second, shows how ‘deathworlds’, and the living dead can be observed in the lives of LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers coming from Global South and detained in the UK. Nevertheless, we also understand the role of queerness in challenging misconceptions and resisting hegemonies in detention centres, which is a task for critical psychologist

LGBTIQ+ migration, accommodation, and mental health in the UK: A critical psychological perspective on the death-worlds and the living dead in detention centres

While migration and queer studies are respected and well-established, their intersection as an interdisciplinary alliance deserves further research. This paper is part of the critical psychology project ‘Queering migration, migrating queer studies’ to discuss and address primarily the main challenges LGBTIQ+ migrants face around accommodation and mental health in detention in the UK context. Given the recent anti-immigration bill passed in July 2023 by the British parliament and the escalating difficulties to obtain asylum in this hostile environment, the paper reviews academic literature published between 2017 and 2023 on services LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers have received or have had access to in the UK. It critically reflects on what accommodation means within detention and removal centres and how the latter affects mental health and service provision questions for the LGBTIQ+ community.Bringing to the fore Achille Mbembe’s conceptual framework of necropolitics in dialogue with Frantz Fanon’s psychosocial analytics of racism, this paper shows how LGBTIQ+ migration walks in between Foucauldian biopolitics and necropolitics as an emerging discourse. By mobilising a case study, the paper focuses first on why necropolitics is a useful framework to shed light, expose and resist existing hegemonies on LGBTIQ+ migration issues, particularly in the UK, and second, shows how ‘deathworlds’, and the living dead can be observed in the lives of LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers coming from Global South and detained in the UK. Nevertheless, we also understand the role of queerness in challenging misconceptions and resisting hegemonies in detention centres, which is a task for critical psychologist

Pituitary glycoprotein hormone a-subunit secretion by cirrhotic patients

Secretion of the <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit of pituitary glycoprotein hormones usually follows the secretion of intact gonadotropins and is increased in gonadal failure and decreased in isolated gonadotropin deficiency. The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of the <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit in the serum of patients with cirrhosis of the liver and to compare the results obtained for eugonadal cirrhotic patients with those obtained for cirrhotic patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Forty-seven of 63 patients with cirrhosis (74.6%) presented hypogonadism (which was central in 45 cases and primary in 2), 7 were eugonadal, and 9 women were in normal menopause. The serum <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit was measured by the fluorimetric method using monoclonal antibodies. Cross-reactivity with LH, TSH, FSH and hCG was 6.5, 1.2, 4.3 and 1.1%, respectively, with an intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 5% and an interassay CV of 5%, and sensitivity limit of 4 ng/l. The serum <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit concentration ranged from 36 to 6253 ng/l, with a median of 273 ng/l. The median was 251 ng/l for patients with central hypogonadism and 198 ng/l for eugonadal patients. The correlation between the <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit and basal LH levels was significant both in the total sample (r = 0.48, P&lt;0.01) and in the cirrhotic patients with central hypogonadism (r = 0.33, P = 0.02). Among men with central hypogonadism there was a negative correlation between <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit levels and total testosterone levels (r = 0.54, P&lt;0.01) as well as free testosterone levels (r = -0.53, P&lt;0.01). In conclusion, although the <FONT FACE="Symbol">a</font>-subunit levels are correlated with LH levels, at present they cannot be used as markers for hypogonadism in patients with cirrhosis of the liver