New Insights into Immune-Mediated Mechanisms in Parkinson’s Disease

The immune system has been increasingly recognized as a major contributor in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The double-edged nature of the immune system poses a problem in harnessing immunomodulatory therapies to prevent and slow the progression of this debilitating disease. To tackle this conundrum, understanding the mechanisms underlying immune-mediated neuronal death will aid in the identification of neuroprotective strategies to preserve dopaminergic neurons. Specific innate and adaptive immune mediators may directly or indirectly induce dopaminergic neuronal death. Genetic factors, the gut-brain axis and the recent identification of PD-specific T cells may provide novel mechanistic insights on PD pathogenesis. Future studies to address the gaps in the identification of autoantibodies, variability in immunophenotyping studies and the contribution of gut dysbiosis to PD may eventually provide new therapeutic targets for PD.     

Induction of ovulation in rabbits by pure urinary luteinizing hormone

In 18-week-old nulliparous rabbit does, ovulation was induced with 50 IU of pure urinary luteinizing hormone (LH; LH group), or 50 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG; HCG group), in order to determine the effect of these treatments on 17 beta-oestradiol and progesterone concentrations, and on oocyte and embryo quality. Luteinizing follicles, recovered oocytes, progesterone concentration and grade 5 embryos were significantly reduced when pure urinary LH was used. Statistically significant correlations were found: (i) between oestradiol concentration and number of degenerated oocytes in both groups (positive); (ii) between oestradiol concentration and grade 1 and 2 embryos (negative), and grade 5 embryos (positive) in the HCG group; (iii) between progesterone concentration and metaphase II oocytes (negative), and between progesterone and grade 5 embryos (positive), in the HCG group; and (iv) between progesterone and oestradiol concentrations (negative) in the LH group. It seems that the oestradiol to progesterone ratio improves during the early luteal phase when ovulation is induced with LH, and that oestradiol and progesterone concentrations could play a role in determining oocyte and embryo quality.     

Imaging of dopamine transporters in humans with technetium-99m TRODAT-1

Technetium-99m TRODAT-1, a tropane derivative, has shown promise as a tracer for the imaging of dopamine transporters in preliminary studies in rats and baboons. The present report concerns the first study of the use of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 for the same purpose in humans. The specific uptake of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 in dopamine transporter sites located in the basal ganglia area was confirmed: the best contrast between the basal ganglia and the occipital area, which is devoid of dopamine transporters, was achieved at 120-140 min following injection. The development of a 99mTc-based agent bypasses the need for cyclotron-produced radionuclides, which will be of benefit for routine clinical studies.     

An intrinsically stable antibody scFv fragment can tolerate the loss of both disulfide bonds and fold correctly

Several observations indicate that a low lipoprotein lipase (LPL)/hepatic lipase (HL) ratio clusters with clinical and laboratory features of atherosclerosis. Antihypertensive treatment can unfavourably interfere with lipid metabolism, counteracting the beneficial effects of lowering blood pressure. We have evaluated the effects of the Ca2+ channel antagonist nitrendipine on tissue LPL and HL in the normal rat. At the dose of 40 mg/day administered intragastrically, a 5-day nitrendipine treatment induced a significant decrease in HL activity in the liver, in comparison to control animals: 656 +/-82 mU/g tissue vs. 814+/-38 mU/g 3 h after the last administration; 640+/-70 mU/g vs. 893+/-101 mU/g 8 h after administration. LPL activity in heart was increased by active treatment: 2542+/-298 vs. 2115+/-244 mU/g in controls 3 h after administration, P < 0.05. At variance, LPL mass, measured 8 h after administration, was decreased in heart of treated rats: 2.38+/-0.4 microg/g tissue vs. 3.88+/-0.3 microg/g in controls. The ratio between heparin-releasable and residual LPL in heart was unaffected by the drug. No changes were observed in LPL activity and mass in soleus muscle or in periepididymal adipose tissue. Our results indicate that nitrendipine, at the dose used, induces changes in lipolytic enzymes of rat tissues that could be beneficial in relation to atherosclerosis. These data encourage further investigations in humans, at the usual therapeutical doses.     

Subject variables and performance on the Halstead Neuropsychological Test Battery: A multivariate analysis.

Administered the Halstead Neuropsychological Test Battery for Adults (HNTB) to 288 15–52 yr old (mean WAIS IQ 84) Ss with seizure disorder and examined age, sex, SES, handedness, and educational level as predictor variables. MANOVA showed considerable variability in the magnitude and nature of the relationship between predictor variables and measures of the HNTB. It is suggested that the influence of subject variables (especially sex) should be considered in the clinical-decision process involving neuropsychological evaluations so that adjusted cutoff scores and norms used are appropriate. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Insufficient understanding of second tumors after childhood neoplasms in Switzerland

Second malignancy after childhood neoplasms is a well-known complication. However, frequency differs considerably according to the types of primary neoplasm and the specifics of therapy. Ten patients with a second malignancy after being cured of the primary tumor are described. There were 2 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, one with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and one with breast cancer after Hodgkin's disease. Two patients with heritable retinoblastoma developed osteosarcomas in the irradiation field after a latent period of 7 and 14 years respectively. There was another osteosarcoma in a Wilms' tumor survivor. One patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed a secondary AML 10 years after achieving initial remission, and a meningioma was diagnosed in another patient with cured acute lymphoblastic leukemia. One patient died of peritoneal sarcomatosis of unknown origin 20 years after the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. All patients received radiotherapy for the primary neoplasms. Secondary neoplasms in other patients were probably missed because they occurred in adulthood when the patients were transferred to other medical centres. It is impossible to trace these patients because central registration of patients with neoplasms is lacking. It is therefore important to establish a central cancer registry for the whole of Switzerland. Second malignancy after childhood cancer is not a rare event and requires long-term follow-up of patients with neoplasms.     

The value of different sources of information in evaluating psychiatric disorders in adolescence--a comparison of parental judgment and self-assessment by adolescents

Data from the national representative epidemiologic survey (PAK-KID-study) assessed by the German versions of Achenbach'S Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report of N = 1757 parents and their children aged 11 to 18 years are compared by using the corresponding Cross-Informant-Scales. On all problem scales adolescents report more problems than parents. For some scales the differences between girls and their parents are higher than between boys and their parents (social withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxious/depressed, attention problems, internalizing and total score). Averaged Pearson correlations of the eight subscales are in a moderate rage (r < 0.50). For all problem scales an agreement of 30% in the area of high problems (> PR95) is found. If one informant scores above PR95 the Relative Risk of the other one scoring in this range too is significantly higher than one for nearly all scales.