DNA from archival Papanicolaou stained and unstained cytological smears was successfully isolated using a simple, rapid and inexpensive salting-out procedure. The quality of DNA was controlled by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of segments of the human P-globin, human P-actin and human papillomavirus LI genes. Only negligible differences in amplification efficiency were observed between DNA isolated from stained and unstained smears. The salting-out procedure is a more rapid method for the isolation of DNA than phenolchloroform extraction and may be used in instances where fresh or cryopreserved clinical specimens are not available. (J Clin Pathol: Mol Pathol 1995;48:M55-M56)

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and predictors of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and endoscopic therapy (ET) in the elective treatment of recurrent variceal hemorrhage. Methods. Seventy patients were treated with elective TIPS and fifty-six patients with ET. Median observation time was 46.28 months in the TIPS group and 42.31 months in the ET group. Results. 30 patients (42.8%) developed clinically evident portosystemic encephalopathy in TIPS group and 20 patients (35.6%) in ET group. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.542; χ 2 test). The incidence of new or worsening portosystemic encephalopathy was 24.3% in TIPS group and 10.7% in ET group. Multivariate analysis showed that ET treatment (P = 0.031), age of >65 years (P = 0.022), pre-existing HE (P = 0.045), and Child's class C (P = 0.051) values were independent predictors for the occurrence of HE. Conclusions. Procedure-related HE is a complication in a minority of patients treated with TIPS or ET. Patients with increased age, preexisting HE, and higher Child-Pugh score should be carefully observed after TIPS procedure because the risk of post-TIPS HE in these patients is higher.

Over a 12-month period, 3959 pregnant women were systematically tested with the Sabin-Feldman dye test in order to assess the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis in Slovenia. The results suggest that this is approximately 3/1000 live births. This relatively high incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis in Slovenia may make the costing of preventive screening programmes justifiable.

In the period from 1981 to 1994, serological screening for toxoplasmosis was carried out in 20,953 pregnant women in Slovenia. Seropositivity among pregnant women was found to have decreased from 52% in the 1980s to 37% in the recent period, 1991-94, while during the same period the incidence of suspected primary infections acquired in pregnancy rose from 0.33% to 0.75%. These latest figures ought to promote an informed debate on the possible need for obligatory serological screening of pregnant women in Slovenia for toxoplasmosis.

Background: The early detection of ovarian cancer is presently not effective, and it is crucial to establish biomarkers for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer to improve the survival of patients. Materials and methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) in combination with CA 125 or HE4 to serve as a potential diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer. In this study, a set of 198 serum samples consisting of 134 ovarian tumor patients and 64 healthy age-matched controls were analyzed. The TK1 protein levels in serum samples were determined using the AroCell TK 210 ELISA. Results: A combination of TK1 protein with CA 125 or HE4 showed better performance than either of them alone in the differentiation of early stage ovarian cancer from the healthy control group, but also a significantly better performance than the ROMA index. However, this was not observed using a TK1 activity test in combination with the other markers. Furthermore, the combination of TK1 protein and CA 125 or HE4 could differentiate early stage disease (stage I, II) more efficiently from advanced-stage (stage III, IV) disease (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The combination of TK1 protein with CA 125 or HE4 increased the potential of detecting ovarian cancer at early stages.