Effects of maternal exercise on fetal activity in late gestation

Sixty malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas originating in the upper aerodigestive tract have been analyzed for their cytologic type, immunophenotype and association with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The majority of these tumors were B-cell lymphomas of blastic cytology (78%) with the exception of lymphomas in the parotid gland. Large B-cell lymphomas were the most frequent encountered in the sinonasal region and Waldeyer's ring. Twelve lymphomas were of T- or T/NK (natural killer)-cell lineage. They were in the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses (4), the tonsil (5), and the oral cavity (3). Epstein-Barr sequences were detected in five angiocentric T/NK-lymphomas, one peripheral T-cell lymphoma, one lymphoma of lymphomatoid granulomatosis type, one large B-cell lymphoma, and in a lymphoroliferative disorder in an HIV-positive patient. These results suggest that EBV is not involved in lymphomagenesis of B-cell tumors, but is associated with angiocentric T/NK-cell lymphoma in the upper aerodigestive tract.     

Acamprosate and alcohol: I. Effects on alcohol intake following alcohol deprivation in the rat

Acamprosate (calcium-acetyl homotaurinate) is a new compound in the treatment of alcoholism. Its efficacy has been proven in several clinical trials and registration is now pending in most European countries. The basic mechanisms by which acamprosate elicits its anti-craving action, thereby leading to reduced relapse rates, is not known at the moment. In the present study we describe a rat model of long-term alcohol-drinking which mimics relapse behavior in human alcoholics. The effect of acamprosate was studied in this model. Wistar rats had a free choice between water and alcohol solutions of different concentrations (5, 10, 20% v/v). After two months of continuous alcohol access, rats were deprived of alcohol for three days. Following this deprivation phase, all alcohol solutions were presented again. This procedure was repeated monthly for the following six months. The rats consumed 3.5 +/- 0.3 g/kg alcohol a day. After alcohol deprivation, alcohol intake rose to 5.2 +/- 0.3 g/kg per day resulting in blood alcohol levels of 30 +/- 6 mg/dl. Interestingly, the addition of quinine to the alcohol solutions or the additional presentation of a 5% sucrose solution did not affect the alcohol-deprivation effect after eight months of this intermittent alcohol exposure. However, when acamprosate (50-200 mg/kg i.p.) was administered twice daily, alcohol-drinking following an alcohol-deprivation phase was decreased dose dependently. Given at the highest dose alcohol intake even dropped significantly below baseline drinking. Together, these results show that acamprosate effectively diminishes the alcohol-deprivation effect. Furthermore, the described model seems to be a suitable animal model to screen compounds for their anti-relapse properties and subsequently for their anti-craving action.     

Doppler ultrasound method for detecting human fetal breathing in utero

An audible Doppler ultrasound method for detecting human fetal breathing movements in utero has been developed. The frequencies synchronous with fetal breathing movements probably originate from the lung rather than the chest wall. This method is much cheaper and simpler than the ultrasound A-scan method and is suitable for screening large numbers of people.     

Effects of amino acids on alcohol intake in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

The concentration-dependent effects of several PCB, PCDD, and PCDF congeners and several commercial PCB preparations as antiestrogens were determined in the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah)-responsive MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines. The inhibition of the 17 beta-estradiol-induced secretion of the 52-kDa protein (procathepsin D) was measured using a combination of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, double-staining of the protein bands with ISS ProBlue and silver stain, and quantitation by densitometric analysis. For the PCBs, the order of antiestrogenic potency was 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl > 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl approximately 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl > 2,3,3',4,4',5'-hexa, 2,3,3',4,4'- and 2,3,4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl > Aroclors 1221, 1232, 1248, 1254, and 1260 were inactive as antiestrogens at the highest concentrations used in this study (10(-6) M). For the PCDDs and PCDFs, the order of antiestrogenic potency was 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin > 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran > 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran > 1,2,3,7,9-pentachlorodibenzofuran > 1,3,6,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran. With few exceptions, the order of potency for all these congeners and mixtures paralleled their relative activities as agonists for other Ah receptor-mediated responses and their competitive binding affinities for the Ah receptor. The results of this study support the role for the Ah receptor in mediating the inhibition of the 17 beta-estradiol-induced secretion of the 52-kDa protein in MCF-7 cells and also points out the utility of this technique as a bioassay for this class of compounds.     

Effect of ethyl alcohol on maternal and fetal acid-base balance and cardiovascular status in chronic sheep preparations

Thirteen chronically catheterized pregnant sheep were given intravenous infusions of 10 per cent ethyl alcohol in 5 per cent dextrose solution (15 mg/kg over two hours). Samples of blood from maternal femoral artery, uterine vein, and fetal brachiocephalic artery were drawn at hourly intervals before, during and after the infusions. Plasma was analyzed for alcohol concentration, protein concentration, haematocrit, PCO2 and pH. Maternal and fetal arterial blood pressures were monitored continuously. There were no significant differences between maternal and fetal arterial blood alcohol levels at any sampling interval nor was there any difference in elimination constants. Alcohol infusion did not produce any significant change in plasma protein concentration, haematocrit, PCO2 and pH, and mean arterial blood pressure in either mother or fetus. However, both maternal and fetal heart rate increased significantly following alcohol infusion.     

Effects of in utero alcohol exposure on B-cell development in the murine fetal liver

Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of the leading causes of birth defects in this country. Children exposed to alcohol in utero suffer from growth and mental retardation, physical abnormalities, and immune dysfunction. Previous work from this laboratory demonstrated that B lymphopoiesis is delayed in mice exposed to alcohol in utero. The deficit in B-cell development was apparent shortly after birth and extended to well after weaning. Because lymphopoiesis begins in the fetal liver, the current study was done to determine if fetal B-cell development was affected as well by in utero exposure to alcohol. We now show that the effects of in utero alcohol exposure on B lymphopoiesis do not become apparent until late in gestation. Flow cytometry was used to enumerate several intermediates in the B-cell developmental pathway. These phenotypic analyses showed that before day 17 of gestation, B-lineage intermediates developed normally when compared with control animals. However, between days 17 and 18 of gestation, an abnormality in the population dynamics of B-lineage intermediates became apparent in the fetal liver of alcohol-exposed mice. Early intermediates in the B-cell developmental pathway were present in normal numbers; however, the more mature progenitors as well as B cells were decreased in number by gestational day 18. These data suggest that in utero alcohol exposure disrupts the ability of B-lineage intermediates to progress along the developmental pathway to maturity, thereby leaving the animal immunocompromised at birth.     

Mental illness in adults with fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol effects

PURPOSE: To investigate the aerobic and anaerobic microbiology of dacryocystitis. METHOD: Retrospective review of the 62 clinical and microbiologic records collected between 1980 and 1990. RESULTS: Aerobic or facultative bacteria were recovered in 32 cases (52%), anaerobic bacteria only in 20 cases (32%), mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in seven cases (11%), and fungi in three cases (5%). A total of 94 organisms (1.5 per specimen), which included 56 aerobic or facultative anaerobic organisms, 35 anaerobic organisms, and three fungi, were recovered. The predominant aerobic and facultative bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (15 isolates), Staphylococcus epidermidis (13 isolates), and Pseudomonas species (seven isolates). The most frequently recovered anaerobes were Peptostreptococcus species (13 isolates), Propionibacterium species (12 isolates), Prevotella species (four isolates), and Fusobacterium species (three isolates). The predominant fungus was Candida albicans (two isolates). Polymicrobial infection was present in 28 cases (45%). CONCLUSION: These data highlight the potential importance of anaerobic bacteria in dacryocystitis.     

Effects of buthionine sulfoximine on the outcome of the in utero administration of alcohol on fetal development

The adverse effects of the maternal consumption of alcohol on the fetus have been recognized for centuries. Fetal alcohol syndrome is characterized by pre- and postnatal growth retardation, mental retardation, behavioral deficits, and facial deformities. Despite numerous animal studies, the biochemical mechanism(s) by which alcohol produces teratogenic effects on the developing fetus are not well understood. Several studies have shown that administration of alcohol to adult rats produces a decrease in hepatic levels of glutathione (GSH). In utero administration of alcohol has also been shown to produce a decrease in GSH levels, as well as prenatal growth retardation and intrauterine death. In an effort to determine if GSH may have a vital role in protecting the fetus against the teratogenic effects of alcohol, buthionine (SR)-sulfoximine (BSO) was used to deplete GSH levels in the mother and fetus. Timed pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were placed on a liquid BioServ diet containing either 0%, 11%, 23%, 29%, 31%, 33%, or 35% ethanol-derived calories, with or without BSO (888 mg/kg/24 hr), starting on day 1 of pregnancy. Another set of mothers were fed lab chow and water as a control group for the liquid diet. The mothers were maintained on the diet until gestation day 21 when they were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital and the pups delivered by cesarean section. The offspring were counted, weighed, killed, and the brain and liver weighed. The effects of BSO on the alcohol dose-response curves (body weights, brain weights, and litter number) were then determined to ascertain if a depletion in GSH potentiated the effects of alcohol. In utero administration of BSO, aside from the depletion of GSH in the liver and brain in the developing fetus, produced a shift to the left in the alcohol dose-response curve.     

Effects of alcohol and behavior contingencies on human aggression.

Determined the mediating effects of alcohol and behavior contingencies on aggression in male social drinkers. 72 18–35 yr old Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 groups in a 3?×?2 factorial design. To control for alcohol and expectation effects, one third of the Ss received alcoholic beverages, one third received placebo drinks, and another third was not administered any beverages. Aggression was assessed by the intensity and duration of shocks administered to a bogus partner in a modification of the Buss aggression procedure. Half of the Ss were exposed to aversive contingencies correlated with their aggressive responses, and half received random aversive contingencies. The inebriated Ss were significantly more aggressive than the sober Ss. The former Ss displayed an equally aggressive pattern under both contingency conditions, whereas the nonintoxicated Ss displayed a differential response pattern affected by the contingency type. These findings are attributed to the disrupting effect of alcohol on information processing and to the mediating effect of contingencies on the nonintoxicated individuals' aggressive behavior. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of calcitriol on proliferation and differentiation of human fetal jejunum

This study was conducted in order to determine the influence of variation in the occlusal contacts on electromyographic (EMG) cervical activity in 20 patients with myogenic cranio-cervical-mandibular dysfunction. EMG recordings during maximal voluntary clenching were performed by placing surface electrodes on the left sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles in the following conditions: intercuspal position; edge to edge left laterotrusive contacts (ipsilateral); edge to edge right laterotrusive contacts (contralateral); edge to edge protrusive contacts; and retrusive occlusal contacts. A significant higher EMG activity was recorded in both muscles during maximal voluntary clenching in retrusive occlusal contact position, whereas no significant differences in EMG activity were observed between intercuspal position, ipsilateral, contralateral and protrusive contact positions. The EMG pattern observed suggests that a more frequent intensity and duration of tooth clenching in retrusive occlusal contact position could result in more clinical symptomatology in these cervical muscles in patients with myogenic cranio-cervical-mandibular dysfunction.     

Short-term effects of maternal alcohol consumption on lactational performance

Previous research demonstrated that breast-feeding infants consumed significantly less milk during the immediate hours after their mothers consumed an acute dose of alcohol when compared with a nonalcoholic beverage. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal alcohol consumption decreases the amount of milk available to the infant and alters milk composition in the short term. To this aim, 22 lactating women were tested on 2 days separated by 1 week; the women reported that they drank very little during pregnancy, but significantly increased alcohol intake during lactation. Each woman drank a 0.3 g/kg dose of alcohol in orange juice on one testing day and orange juice alone on the other; the order was counterbalanced. Immediately before drinking the beverage (baseline) and 2 hr after (postconsumption), women expressed their milk by using an electric breast pump until no milk had been secreted from either breast for 5 min. Although there was no difference in the energy content of the milk, maternal alcohol consumption slightly, but significantly, reduced the amount of milk produced by the lactating mother. These findings underscore the importance of determining whether and when infants compensate for the reductions in intake experienced at the breast following maternal alcohol consumption and how such changes impact on mother-infant interaction.     

Measurement of fetal cells in the maternal circulation

There is evidence that the quantitation of fetal-maternal hemorrhage may be useful in reducing some of the RhoGAM failures in preventing Rh sensitization. The Betke-Kleihauer technique is a well-established method that has been used to estimate the amount of transplacental hemorrhage. Recently, a kit (Fetaldex) has become available for use in the detection and quantitation of fetal-maternal hemorrhage. Using control blood smears, we compared the results of the Fetaldex kit with those results obtained by the Betke-Kleihauer technique. The data indicate that the Fetaldex method is as accurate as the Betke-Kleihauer technique in detecting and measuring fetal red cells in the maternal circulation.     

Preliminary characterization of a placental factor inhibiting breathing in fetal sheep

Previous studies have revealed a placental extract that inhibits breathing in fetal sheep. In the present study of 29 chronically instrumented sheep at 132+/-1 days of gestation, infusion of the 1-10 kDa extract inhibited breathing in 76% of the experiments whereas Krebs' solution inhibited it in 24%. It retained this activity after 6 months of freezing, after lyophilization, and upon lowering the pH during purification from 8.0 to 4.0, but it inhibited breathing in only 35% when the pH was lowered to 2.0. A significant dose-dependent effect was observed from a 16-fold dilution to a 4-fold concentration. Treatment of the extract with proteinase K or boiling reduced the activity to 30% or 26% inhibition, respectively. The activity was not adsorbed to an ion-exchange column at pH 7.0 or 8.0, but it was at pH 9.0 and it eluted with increasing NaCl concentrations. On a polyacrylamide gel the activity was eluted at a K(av) of 0.66 (82% inhibition), corresponding to between 2.5 and 4.5 kDa. These findings suggest that a peptide produced by the placenta, with a molecular mass between 2.5 and 4.5 kDa, inhibits fetal breathing.