Tobacco and leukocytosis

Six heavy smokers with leucocytosis are described. Except for leucocytosis, laboratory tests were normal. A strong tobacco-induced leucocyte response indicates an increased risk of developing arterial diseases and lung diseases.     

Sleep Deprivation in social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder

BACKGROUND: Sleep deprivation has been shown to improve depressive symptoms in some patients with major depressive disorder, but it has not been tested in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or social phobia (SP). METHODS: To determine if sleep deprivation altered anxiety or depressive symptoms in patients with GAD (n = 7) or SP (n = 8), we sleep deprived patients and normal controls (n = 18) for one night. RESULTS: On one measure of anxiety, GAD patients improved compared with controls, but there were otherwise no significant change differences between controls and SP or GAD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of benefit is consistent with previous findings that sleep deprivation provides no benefit to patients with other anxiety disorders. Sleep deprivation may be a biological intervention that distinguishes anxiety from affective disorders.     

Mechanism of Rab geranylgeranylation: formation of the catalytic ternary complex

Rab proteins are geranylgeranylated on one or two C-terminal cysteines by Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (RabGGTase). The reaction is dependent on a Rab-binding protein, termed Rab escort protein (REP). Here, we studied the role of REP in the geranylgeranylation reaction. We first characterized the interaction between REP and ungeranylgeranylated Rab using analytical ultracentrifugation and a fluorescence-based assay. We measured an equilibrium dissociation constant of 0.2 microM for the formation of a 1:1 REP-Rab complex and showed that this interaction relies mostly on ionic bonds and does not involve the two C-terminal cysteine residues. Second, we show that REP is required for recognition of Rab by RabGGTase and therefore that the REP-Rab complex is the true substrate for RabGGTase. Third, we show that free REP inhibits the geranylgeranylation reaction, suggesting that the complex is recognized by RabGGTase primarily via a REP-binding site. Our data suggest a model whereby REP behaves kinetically as an essential activator of the reaction.     

Pap smear screening in an urban STD clinic. Yield of screening and predictors of abnormalities

BACKGROUND: Pap smear screening studies in STD clinics have reported high rates of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL); however, there are limited data on levels of unsatisfactory smears of characteristics associated with cytologic abnormalities. GOAL: To assess the yield to Pap smear screening in an STD clinic and to evaluate the rates of and risk factors for atypia, low-grade SIL (LSIL), and high-grade SIL (HSIL). STUDY DESIGN: A chart review of the clinic records of women undergoing Pap smear screening between 1991 and 1994 was conducted. Results were assessed from two different screening protocols, the first using a Dacron swab to obtain the endocervical sample and the second using a cytobrush. RESULTS: Of 2034 Pap smears, 1313 (64.6%) were negative, 202 (9.9%) were unsatisfactory, 257 (12.6%) were atypical, 211 (10.4%) had LSIL, and 51 (2.5%) had HSIL. With the change to the cytobrush protocol, the rate of unsatisfactory smears decreased from 14.4% to 3% (p < 0.001), atypia increased from 10% to 16.7% (p < 0.001), and HSIL rose from 1.7% to 3.7% (p < 0.001). By multivariate analysis, atypia was associated with genital warts (odds ratio (OR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16-2.02); LSIL with younger age (p < 0.001, for trend), black race (OR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.08-2.10), genital warts (OR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.33-2.47), and an abnormal appearance of the cervix on examination (OR 2.49, 95% CI: 1.85-3.35); and HSIL with a previous abnormal Pap smear (OR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.08-2.10). Overall, abnormality rates were significantly higher in adolescents (35.5%) than older women (21.7%) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Obtaining satisfactory Pap smears among women undergoing screening in an STD clinic is feasible and cytologic abnormalities are common. These results continue to support the need for Pap smear screening in STD clinics, but the high rates in adolescents, a group in whom the natural history of cytologic abnormalities has not been well-defined, raise questions about the need to develop age-appropriate screening and management strategies.     

Expansion of transplanted hepatocytes during liver regeneration

A method for volume selective proton spectroscopy is presented based on a multiecho sequence with short refocusing interval tcp. It is demonstrated, that by appropriate choice of tcp on the order of 4-6 ms, signals from overlapping multiplets like the glutamine and glutamate (Glu/Gln) resonances in spectra of the human brain are considerably increased compared with a conventional PRESS volume selection scheme. Thus proton spectra from J-coupled multiplet signals can be acquired with TE on the order of 20-30 ms avoiding the baseline problems arising at shorter echo times due to broad resonances. This allows to selectively acquire spectra from substances with longer T2 without the confounding effects from J-coupling occurring in conventional volume selection techniques.