ABSTRACT
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used to assess medical patients. It has many uses in daily clinical practice, including improved diagnostic timeliness and accuracy, and providing information about a patient's prognosis and follow-up. It has been integrated into numerous specialities, but remains relatively undefined in internal medicine training programs. Ultrasonography is a useful tool in the standard clinical practice of internists in numerous clinical scenarios (Emergency Department, hospital ward, general and specific consultations, and home care). Although POCUS has been recently included in the European curriculum of internal medicine, there are differences between European internists in its use, ranging from not at all to well structured educational programs. The use of POCUS needs to be widespread in internal medicine departments, and to accomplish this we must encourage structured training. This document details the consensus-based recommendations by the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) Ultrasound working group. We establish POCUS core competencies and clinical settings for internists in a symptom-based approach. We also propose training requirements, providing a framework for training programs at a national level.
Subject(s)
Internal Medicine , Point-of-Care Systems , Curriculum , Humans , Internal Medicine/education , Point-of-Care Testing , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), prior to pregnancy termination (pre-termination CVS), is suggested as a tool for forensic paternity testing. Unlike the abortion material, which consists of ruptured tissues of fetal and maternal origin, extra-embryonic membranes obtained through CVS can provide an uncontaminated source of fetal tissue for genotyping. We discuss the possibility of confined placental mosaicism (CPM) and its implications on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based analyses of short tandem repeats (STRs) and the D1S80 loci.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Legal , Chorionic Villi Sampling , Paternity , Rape , Adolescent , Alleles , Child Abuse, Sexual , DNA/analysis , Female , Genotype , HLA-DQ Antigens/analysis , Humans , Male , Minisatellite Repeats/genetics , Polymerase Chain Reaction , PregnancyABSTRACT
Several modifications have been made to a system of simultaneous phenotyping of EAP, EsD, PGM and ADA in bloodstains by isoelectric focusing, which improved the results of the system. An increase in the thickness of the gel improved the resolution of the isozymes' bands, especially PGM and EAP, and diminished the effect of overloading. By increasing the width of the gel it was possible to increase the number of samples applied to the gel. By coating one of the glass plates, used in the preparation of the gels, with a hydrophobic solution, separation of the plate from the gel was greatly facilitated. Finally, the system was found to be very useful as a rapid screening method prior to DNA testing.
Subject(s)
Blood Stains , Forensic Medicine/methods , Isoelectric Focusing/methods , Humans , Isoenzymes/analysis , PhenotypeABSTRACT
A method is described for phenotyping haptoglobin by horizontal electrophoresis on a small polyacrylamide gradient gel. This method employs the same apparatus used in the separation of many red cell enzyme phenotypes and thereby eliminates the necessity for specialized vertical electrophoresis equipment.
Subject(s)
Blood Stains , Haptoglobins/genetics , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/methods , Humans , PhenotypeABSTRACT
Hunting gazelle is an offense according to Israeli law. When comparative isoelectric focusing was performed on bloodstains made from gazelle, goat, sheep, and cow blood, the pattern obtained from gazelle hemoglobin differed from those of the other animals tested. The use of this difference in hemoglobin pattern is suggested as a means to identify gazelle blood in hunting offense cases.
Subject(s)
Antelopes/blood , Artiodactyla/blood , Blood Stains , Crime , Hemoglobins/analysis , Animals , Blood Protein Electrophoresis , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
A Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit is a well known device used by several countries, including Israel. Sexual offence cases containing kits and additional exhibits are brought to the Forensic Biology Laboratory of the Israeli Police. For the purpose of this work, the kits and the exhibits were evaluated for their value as evidence. It was found that the additional exhibits had some advantage over the kit. On the other hand, the kit had its own advantage and therefore a proper forensic case should include the kit and the additional exhibits.
Subject(s)
Forensic Medicine/instrumentation , Sex Offenses , Forensic Medicine/methods , Israel , Reagent Kits, DiagnosticABSTRACT
The addition of negroid phenotypes to the already heterogeneous population of Israel caused us to reuse the enzymes G6PD and PGD which are known to have a better discrimination power in a negroid population than in caucasians. We have developed a system for combined phenotyping of G6PD and PGD. This system answers the requirements of the above enzymes and results in a negroid population than in caucasians. We have developed a system for combined phenotype-amount of sample and reagents needed and time spent.
Subject(s)
Black People , Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase/genetics , Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase/genetics , Electrophoresis , Humans , PhenotypeABSTRACT
HLA-A and -B antigens were detected on fresh and dried peripheral blood lymphocytes by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intact cells fixed to plates with glutaraldehyde were used as antigen and anti-HLA alloantisera as a source of antibodies. Determination of HLA antigens by the ELISA technique was comparable with the complement-dependent cytotoxicity test. The relative stability of HLA antigens as shown in this report and the extensive polymorphism of the HLA system make the ELISA technique a promising tool for the analysis of HLA antigens on non-living cells including, for example, medicolegal investigation of blood stains.
Subject(s)
HLA Antigens/analysis , Histocompatibility Testing/methods , Lymphocytes/immunology , Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , HLA Antigens/genetics , Humans , Lymphocytes/classification , Polymorphism, GeneticABSTRACT
Marine bdellovibrios show a specific requirement for K, Ca, and Mg. Potassium is essential for high velocity and seems to be necessary for attachment of the free bdellovibrios. Calcium and magnesium are necessary for attachment and penetration. Magnesium also plays a role in maintaining the integrity of the bdelloplast. The adaptation of these bdellovibrios to the marine environment is manifested by their stringent cation requirements.
ABSTRACT
Marine bdellovibrio isolates from the Israeli littoral of the Mediterranean Sea were screened and characterized in terms of host range, temperature and salinity ranges, cation requirement, mutation frequency, and G + C% mole content. Ten types of isolates were distinguished on the basis of these parameters.
