Sex differences in zonulin in affective disorders and associations with current mood symptoms.

INTRODUCTION: The bidirectional connection between the brain and the gut within psychiatric entities has gained increasing scientific attention over the last years. As a regulator of intestinal permeability, zonulin acts as a key player on the interface of this interplay. Like several psychiatric disorders, intestinal permeability was associated with inflammation in previous findings. METHODS: In this study we explored differences in zonulin serum levels in currently depressed (n = 55) versus currently euthymic (n = 37) individuals with an affective disorder. Further, we explored sex differences and possible influences on zonulin and affective symptoms like medication, age, body mass index, and smoking status. RESULTS: Serum zonulin was significantly higher in females than in men independent from affective status (z = -2.412, p = .016). More specifically, females in the euthymic subgroup had higher zonulin levels than euthymic men (z = -2.114, p = .035). There was no difference in zonulin serum levels in individuals taking or not taking a specific psychopharmacotherapy. We found no correlation between zonulin serum levels and depression severity. DISCUSSION: Increased serum zonulin levels as a proxy for increased intestinal permeability in women may indicate a state of elevated susceptibility for depression-inducing stimuli.

[The modern professional image of the urologist]. / Das moderne Berufsbild der Urologen.

The field of urology is in the process of transition: as a result of continuing advances in surgical methods, the change from open to endoscopic and laparoscopic operations to the point of robotic-assisted surgical procedures, urological operations are being revolutionized. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for urology of the future. The author outlines the coming perspectives in our discipline.

Enrichment of fetal nucleated red blood cells from the maternal circulation for prenatal diagnosis: experiences with triple density gradient and MACS based on more than 600 cases.

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to obtain statistically relevant data about the efficiency of our method for the isolation of fetal nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) from the maternal circulation. METHODS: More than 600 samples were investigated using a triple density gradient followed by magnetic separation of anti-CD71-labeled cells, and yields and purities of recovered NRBCs were determined. RESULTS: The enrichment effectivity as well as the morphological condition of cells was reproducibly good, if blood samples were enriched within 48 h after sampling. The efficacy was independent of various methodological parameters and our technique was superior to other magnetic cell-sorting techniques. Mean yields and purities of NRBCs increased with increasing gestational age, ranging from 100 to 1,000 cells per 40-ml blood sample and from 0.1 to 1%, respectively, from the 6th week of gestation to term. In pregnancies with preeclampsia NRBCs were increased by a factor of 10. CONCLUSION: Our enrichment technique proved to be optimized with respect to various methodological parameters, which were compared in the present study, and it is efficient and reproducible for the enrichment of NRBCs from the maternal circulation in all three gestational trimesters.

Detection of fetal trisomies 21 and 18 from maternal blood using triple gradient and magnetic cell sorting.

PROBLEM: The need for an inexpensive and reproducible technique for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis by fetal cell isolation from maternal blood. METHOD: For enrichment of fetal cells we used a combination of triple density gradient and magnetic sorting (MACS) of (anti-CD71) transferrin receptor antibody labeled cells followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome-specific DNA probes for detection of fetal aneuploidies. We identified 15 cases of fetal trisomy (five cases with a trisomy 18 and ten cases with a trisomy 21) with subsequent chromosome-specific FISH. RESULTS: We found in all of the aneuploid pregnancies that the percentage of cells with three hybridization signals did not overlap with those of normal controls independent from gestational ages and previous invasive procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Our new approach for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis has proven to be reliable in this first series.

Critical examination of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of positive IgM antibodies against toxoplasma in newborns.

The Toxonostika IgM test, which has been examined in this study, is a modified antibody capture test (7). Evaluation with sera from newborns revealed that, like in the ELISA tested in 1988, doubtful or false positive results were obtained in 10% of the cases (6). Therefore, a positive toxoplasmosis IgM result in newborn sera should always be retested with another test system.