Diagnostic criteria of autism and Asperger's syndrome: similarities and differences

The American Psychiatric Association's last version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; APA, 1994) identifies within pervasive developmental disorders five subgroups: (a) autistic disorder; (b) Rett's disorder; (c) childhood disintegrative disorder; (d) Asperger's disorder's and (e) pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. However, the diagnosis of the different sub-groups is difficult to establish, particularly between autistic disorder and Asperger's disorder. This article exposes the diagnostic criteria of autism and Asperger's syndrome in order to illustrate the similarities and differences between the two disorders.     

Close phenotypic and functional similarities between human and murine alphabeta T cells expressing invariant TCR alpha-chains

Several studies have demonstrated the existence of a murine NK1.1+ alphabeta T cell subset expressing V alpha14+ TCR alpha-chains with highly conserved invariant junctional sequences and able to secrete Th2 cytokines when exposed to CD1+ stimulator cells. In humans, alphabeta T cells carrying invariant V alpha24+ TCR alpha-chains highly homologous to those expressed by murine NK1.1 cells have been recently described. Here we show that these cells (referred to as V alpha24inv T cells) and murine NK1.1+ alphabeta T cells resemble each other in several ways. First, like their murine counterparts, T cells expressing high levels of V alpha24inv TCRs can be either CD4- CD8- double negative (DN) or CD4+, but they never express heterodimeric CD8 molecules. Second, most V alpha24inv T cells are brightly stained by NKRP1-specific mAb but not by mAb directed against other type II transmembrane proteins of the NK complex. Third, DN and particularly CD4+ V alpha24inv T cells are greatly enriched for IL-4 producers. The concomitant expression of highly conserved TCRs of a particular set of NK markers and of Th2 cytokines in human and murine alphabeta T cells suggests a coordinate acquisition of these phenotypic and functional properties. Furthermore, the relatively high frequency of human V alpha24inv T cells, which are presently shown to represent on average 1/500 PBL, and the high interindividual variations of the size of this cell subset under physiologic conditions go for a major role played by alphabeta T cells carrying invariant TCR in a large array of immune responses.     

More about similarities between Geriatric Depression and Well-Being Scales

The mechanisms of pathogenesis for both idiopathic Parkinson disease and non-arteritic anterior optic ischemic neuropathy are unknown. A study has shown that, in both diseases, there is a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal ulcers than in age- and sex-matched controls or than in the reported rates for the general population. It is proposed that gastric Helicobacter pylori infection may be a cause of both these diseases.     

Some similarities between processes at biological membranes and lipid bilayers

Several processes at biological membranes can be simulated by experiments with artificial lipid bilayer membranes. Three selected examples are discussed: The uncoupler induced proton permeability of lipid bilayers, the initiation of action potential like voltage responses in lipid membranes, and the reconstitution of active cation pumps across planar lipid bilayers or lipid vesicles.     

Behavioral pharmacological similarities between methylphenidate and cocaine in cocaine abusers.

Six human participants with recent histories of cocaine use were trained to discriminate 200 mg oral cocaine hydrochloride. A range of doses of oral cocaine (50–300 mg), methylphenidate (15–90 mg), triazolam (0.125–0.75 mg), and placebo were then tested to determine whether they shared discriminative–stimulus and participant-rated effects with 200 mg cocaine. Cocaine and methylphenidate dose-dependently increased cocaine-appropriate responding, produced prototypical stimulant-like participant-rated drug effects (e.g., increased participant ratings of Drug Liking), and increased heart rate and blood pressure. Triazolam produced low levels of cocaine-appropriate responding and impaired performance. Thus, consistent with previous studies, humans can reliably discriminate oral cocaine. Consistent with in vivo behavioral neuropharmacological data, the discriminative–stimulus, participant-rated, and physiological effects of oral cocaine and methylphenidate were similar. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A demonstration that the ratios between human pancreatic enzymes can change in 4 days

Electrophoretic studies of inactive ductal pancreatic secretions, collected on five successive days following operation, demonstrated up to 18 protein bands. Comparison of the densitometric scans on the first and fourth days was as follows: the patterns from different individuals appeared similar during the periods of slow secretion immediately following surgery, there were obvious changes in the proportions of the slower-moving enzymes between the first and fourth days; the most apparent alteration was in the trypsinogen 2 band which was markedly higher on the fourth as opposed to the first day, and during the 4th-6th days, the patterns for a given individual resembled one another, showing only minor changes among the 8-hour collections.     

Correlation between serious ovarian tumors and extra-ovarian peritoneal tumors of the same histology

The occurrence of serous peritoneal tumors (SPT) with the same histology as serous neoplasms arising within the ovary is explained by the common origin of the peritoneum and the ovaries from the coelomic epithelium. They occur alone or in combination with analogous tumors of the ovary and are often misinterpreted as metastatic ovarian carcinomas. Their histology shows considerable variations. As lesions with and without invasive properties may coexist, visible lesions should be resected and examined as completely as possible. The prognostic significance of some histological findings is still under study. It appears that besides invasion the grade of nuclear atypia is of importance. It is therefore possible that the use of cytometry provides new prognostic criteria, allowing the identification of high risk groups. This holds also for the malignant forms of SPT, which seem to have a similar prognosis to analogous tumors of the ovary. For this purpose, peritoneal cytology is of special value and constitutes an integral part of the investigations.     

Expression of regeneration-associated cytoskeletal proteins reveals differences and similarities between regenerating organs

The unique events which allow regeneration of an entire organ to occur are formation of a specialized wound epidermis and accumulation of progenitor cells (blastemal cells) at the amputated surface to form a blastema. In order to identify some of the molecular events underlying the early stages of the regenerative process which are either common to different systems or specific to one of them, we have investigated whether molecules which are induced in limb blastemas are also expressed in skin repair and during regeneration of other complex body structures (lower jaws, upper jaws, and tails). In addition, we have addressed the issue of the identity of progenitor cells during jaw development and regeneration by analyzing the expression of limb blastemal markers in the developing head and face. We have focused on cytoskeletal components, and particularly on the epidermal keratin NvKII, the simple epithelial keratins 8 and 18 and 22/18, because they are among the few molecules which have been shown to be associated with regeneration in the limb and may play significant roles in various developmental processes. Some important findings emerge from this study: 1) Expression of the epidermal keratin NvKII, unlike that of its mammalian homologue K6, is not simply induced in response to wounding, but is associated with regeneration of specific organs. In fact, NvKII is expressed in regenerating limbs and tails, but not in upper or in lower jaw regenerates, demonstrating the existence of molecular differences in the composition of the wound epidermis in these systems. This, together with the fact that NvKII mRNA is regulated by retinoic acid, which differentially affects patterning of limbs and jaws, argues for distinct inductive abilities of the wound epidermis in different organs. 2) In contrast to the differential expression of the epidermal keratin NvKII, the regeneration-associated cytoskeletal molecules identified in limb blastemal cells are expressed in a similar fashion in jaw and tail blastemas. Therefore, it appears that similar cellular events lead to the establishment of an actively proliferating population of progenitor cells from the stump of different organs. Finally, the mesenchyme of the facial rudiments, unlike that of developing limb buds, expresses simple epithelial keratins. Thus, it appears that mesenchymal progenitor cells of developing and regenerating jaws are alike in regard to their intermediate filament content, and this may be related to nerve-dependent growth control of progenitor cells in different developing and regenerating systems.     

Sequence similarities between the genes encoding the S.NgoI and HaeII restriction/modification systems

The DNA sequence encoding the S.NgoI restriction/modification (R/M) system was identified from a gene bank made from Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain WR302 by identifying recombinant plasmids that induced the reporter system in a methylase detection strain AP1-200-9 (Piekarowicz et al., 1991) and were resistant to digestion with NgoI. The DNA sequence was determined from one of these (pUCP30). M.NgoI is a protein of 315 aa with a predicted MW of 35296 Da and R.NgoI is a protein of 350 aa with a predicted MW of 40650 Da. The termination codon of M.NgoI overlapped the start codon of R.NgoI. The same strategy was used to clone the R/M system encoding HaeII from Haemophilus aegyptius strain ATCC 11116. The DNA sequence from one clone representing this class (pAP704) was determined. HaeII methylase is a protein of 318 aa with a predicted MW of 35669 Da and R.HaeII contains 352 aa with a predicted MW of 40800 Da. aa alignments between the two methylases indicated that they were 74.3% identical and 79% similar. DNA sequence alignments revealed 68% identity. An aa alignment between the two restriction enzymes indicated that they were 60% identical and 68% similar. DNA sequence alignments revealed 61% identity. The DNA sequences flanking these two systems were identified and used to determine the genomic organization of the two systems. The S.NgoI genes were found between two genes, one with high homology to GTP binding proteins of unknown function and one with homology to genes involved in tRNA synthetase synthesis. The HaeII R/M genes were located between two genes, mucF and mucE. The DNA sequence of the HaeII R/M system was compared to the genomic DNA sequence of H. influenzae Rd. Although the DNA sequences flanking the HaeII system were > 99% identical to contiguous DNA fragments found in the genome of H. influenzae Rd, no homology was seen with the DNA sequences encoding the HaeII R/M system, indicating that it is not found in this strain. Given the vast difference in the GC content of S.NgoI and HaeII, their apparent insertion into polycistronic operons, and their difference in codon usage when compared to the species from which they were isolated, the data suggest that these R/M systems originated in an organism other than Neisseria or Haemophilus.     

Mechanistic similarities between hydrogen and temperature effects on the ductile-to-brittle transition of a stainless steel

Charpy V-notched impact test studies on an Fe-Mn-Al austenitic stainless steel over a range of temperatures (293 K to 77 K) demonstrated that hydrogen charging promoted multiple crack initiation, reduced the energy absorbed by the material, and shifted the ductile-to-brittle transition curve to higher temperatures. These observations suggest that some stainless steels can exhibit changes in their ductile-to-brittle transition behavior in the presence of hydrogen. Further, the observation that embrittlement exists even at liquid nitrogen temperatures indicates that little or no localized rearrangement of hydrogen during the test is required or that relatively high strain rate effects on hydrogen embrittlement need not be necessarily attributed to enhanced transport of hydrogen atmospheres by mobile dislocations. The data presented in this paper are consistent with a model that predicts the lowering of interfacial strengths in the presence of an environment.     

Ultrastructural aspects of the interaction between Escherichia coli and cultured epithelial cells

Microorganisms from two Escherichia coli serotypes were allowed to interact with cultured epithelial cells and the interaction process was followed from 30 to 360 min. Destruction of the microvilli on the epithelial monolayers as well as of the cells themselves was observed only with 0111:H2 serotype.     

Lymphocytes and cells in malignant transformation: similarities and possible relationship between the two cell types

This paper points out some similarities between the behaviour and characteristics of lymphocytes and their transformation to lymphoblasts on one hand and malignant cells on the other. The areas of similarity are (1) anomalous communicating junction formation; (2) recruitment of neighbouring cells; (3) random antigen expression; (4) Fc synthesis; (5) stimulation by immune attack; (6) relation to a plasminogen activator, and (7) inhibition of stimulation by trypsin inhibitors. It is argued that, considering the anomalous membrane characteristics shown by lymphocytes and malignant cells and the list of similarities, carcinogenesis could represent a normal cell line infected with lymphocytic information. Two incidental ideas are presented based on the main idea. These concern lymphocytes but are related to malignant cells and their characteristics too. They are (1) a mechanism whereby generation of randomness in the variable region of Ig molecules could take place, and (2) a mechanism whereby the lymphocyte, in order to kill its target, could use the normal cell's propensity to form communicating intercellular junctions.     

Relationship between crown-gall plant tumors and the cell cycle

It is established that under conditions of the culture in vitro the greatest amount of crown-gall swellings on topinambur and carrot explants is formed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens inoculation 4 and 6 hrs after the tissue extraction and planting, which corresponds to the G1-phase of the 1st cellular cycle. In the inoculated tissue cells entrance to the S-phase is accelerated and the maximal number of labelled nuclei is found 10 hrs earlier.     

Ultrastructural observations of the human uterine smooth muscle cells during gestation

At term pregnancy, the myometrium consists of bundles of smooth muscle cells bound together by varying amounts of connective tissue. Each bundle contains both dark and light muscle cells. During uterine contractions it is believed that the smooth muscle cells become darker, decrease in volume, and exhibit changes in diameter. This is accompanied by widening of the interspaces and by a decrease in the areas of cellular contact. Between contractions, there are more light cells which become arranged closer to each other and exhibit large areas of interdigitation. The significance of these observations in the mechanism of uterine contraction and retraction is discussed. Cell believed to be modified smooth muscle cells occupy the myoendometrial junction and the decidua basalis. They are irregular in shape, poor in myofilament content, and rich in other cytoplasmic organelles and form a loosely arranged layer of cells between the myometrium and the trophoblast. The possible functional significance of these cells is also discussed.     

Phospholipids and calcification in human intracranial tumors

Specimens of different intracranial tumors as well as samples of normal brain have been studied for calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, phospholipids and glycosaminoglycans contents. Tumor tissue showed calcium and magnesium concentrations higher than normal tissue. Brain tumors exhibit a decreased phospholipid concentration than normal brain, and its ability to complex divalent cations (specially magnesium) appears impaired. The glycosaminoglycans contents show no correlation with the concentration of calcium but in cases of observable calcification (meningiomas) a preponderance of chondroitin sulfate was observed.     

To say it's not so doesn't prove that it isn't: Research on the detection of malingering: Reply to Bigler.

Research that directly examines clinicians' capacity to detect malingering creates doubt about their success in this endeavor and about confident self-appraisals of detective abilities. We argue that E. D. Bigler's (see record 1990-20116-001) counterassertions lack supportive evidence or conflict with research on such topics as clinicians' level of training and experience and their judgmental accuracy. We further note that lack of both base rate information and definitive outcome information compound doubts about clinicians' capacity to detect malingering. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)