HLA, Gm, and Km polymorphisms and immunity to infectious diseases in South Amerinds

Isolated South Amerinds, a population at very high risk from infectious disease, mount good immune responses to pneumococcal polysaccharides, viral antigens and other immunogens. No unusual immunoglobulin allotype or HLA antigen, which might explain the high risk from infectious disease, was found among them. Responses are examined in relation to the immunogenetic markers that are most prevalent. Amerinds with Gm 1,2,17,21 responded less well than persons without this haplotype to 10 of 12 pneumococcal polysaccharides, and those who were homozygous at the HLA class I loci responded less well to viral antigens. However, these differences are not strong and there are few such findings relative to the number of possibilities examined. The most distinctive immunogenetic characteristic of these populations is their low level of polymorphism at all tested loci. Their susceptibility to infectious agents can be attributed to this genetic uniformity and a consequent ability of pathogens to adapt to the population.     

European multicentre experience with modular device (Medtronic Aneurx) for the endoluminal repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms

A double-blind study of the tryptophan depletion (TD) challenge was performed on a sample consisting of 20 patients with a major depressive disorder in clinical remission after citalopram treatment. TD was induced by the intake of 43 g of an amino acid mixture containing the five large neutral amino acids. The control group received the same mixture, to which 2.3 g tryptophan had been added. Five of the 12 challenged patients showed a worsening of depressive symptoms during the day of the test. In contrast, there was no mood alteration in the eight control patients. Baseline cortisol levels were significantly higher in responders to TD compared to those in non-responders and controls. Platelet serotonin-receptor function and plasma prolactin levels were correlated. There was a significant positive correlation in the baseline data between rated mood state and plasma cortisol and a significant inverse correlation between related mood state and plasma tryptophan concentration. Thus low mood appeared to be associated with low serotonin precursor availability as well as with high cortisol levels.     

Vertebral osteomyelitis due to salmonellae: report of two cases and review

A static or kinetic visual disturbance affects subjects' ability to estimate the direction of the gravitational vertical. This kind of error is increased by a head roll inclination. In two experiments, we combined head orientation with a static (Experiment 1: tilted frame) versus kinetic (Experiment 2: rotating disk) visual disturbance. The results showed that with a static visual disturbance, the increase of errors in the inclined head condition was mainly the consequence of a postural head effect like an Aubert effect. On the contrary, with a kinetic visual disturbance, it appears that the disk effect increases with head inclination. However, individual errors observed with the head inclined in front of a stationary disk were systematically correlated with the errors triggered by the same head inclination in front of a rotating disk. These observations confirm that the head axis spatial reference plays an important role in orientation perception, whatever the head position and the kind of visual display.     

Evidence for balancing of KM, but not GM, alleles by heterotic advantage in South Amerinds

Two KM alleles occur in 1075 South Amerinds of 14 tribes in approximately balanced and uniform frequency. However, the number of heterozygotes is 12.7% greater than expected by frequency analysis and 16.5% greater by segregation analysis. This excess is evident in children 0-4 years of age and may reflect either prenatal or early childhood selection. The frequencies of GM haplotypes were different, and quite uniformly so, in diverse tribes. Most GM heterozygotes can only be distinguished from GM 1,2,17 21 homozygotes by DNA or family relationship. No deficit of GM homozygotes was observed in 119 children in whom heterozygosis was determined by family. Thus, the KM polymorphism, like HLA, may be maintained by preferential survival of heterozygotes, but GM probably depends on another mechanism.     

Directed expression of the growth-associated protein B-50/GAP-43 to olfactory neurons in transgenic mice results in changes in axon morphology and extraglomerular fiber growth

B-50/GAP-43, a neural growth-associated phosphoprotein, is thought to play a role in neuronal plasticity and nerve fiber formation since it is expressed at high levels in developing and regenerating neurons and in growth cones. Using a construct containing the coding sequence of B-50/GAP-43 under the control of regulatory elements of the olfactory marker protein (OMP) gene, transgenic mice were generated to study the effect of directed expression of B-50/GAP-43 in a class of neurons that does not normally express B-50/GAP-43, namely, mature OMP-positive olfactory neurons. Olfactory neurons have a limited lifespan and are replaced throughout adulthood by new neurons that migrate into the upper compartment of the epithelium following their formation from stem cells in the basal portion of this neuroepithelium. Thus, the primary olfactory pathway is exquisitely suited to examine a role of B-50/GAP-43 in neuronal migration, lifespan, and nerve fiber growth. We find that B-50/GAP-43 expression in adult olfactory neurons results in numerous primary olfactory axons with enlarged endings preferentially located at the rim of individual glomeruli. Furthermore, ectopic olfactory nerve fibers in between the juxtaglomerular neurons or in close approximation to blood vessels were frequently observed. This suggests that expression of B-50/GAP-43 in mature olfactory neurons alters their response to signals in the bulb. Other parameters examined, that is, migration and lifespan of olfactory neurons are normal in B-50/GAP-43 transgenic mice. These observations provide direct in vivo evidence for a role of B-50/GAP-43 in nerve fiber formation and in the determination of the morphology of axons.     

Membrane proteins in human skin tumors

The microsomal, mitochondrial, and nuclear fractions of cutaneous tumors have been investigated. Cutaneous tumors were homogenized and microsomal, mitochondrial, and nuclear fractions were purified. The membrane proteins were solubilized with sodium duodecyl sulfate (SDS). The membrane lipids were removed and membrane proteins were solubilized again in a small volume of SDS solution and chromatographed in SDS-acrylamide slab-gel. The plates were stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue to show protein bands. The preliminary results show that the electrophoretic profiles of microsomal proteins are characteristic of some tumors.     

Relative activation of milk lipoprotein lipase by serum of cows fed varying amounts of fat

A routine laboratory assay to evaluate relative concentrations of lipoprotein lipase activator (apo C-II) in cow serum was developed. The assay was linear for at least 120 min after an initial, unexplained, lag ime of 13 to 15 min. Half-maximal activation was in the range of 1 to 2% serum in the assay. Inhibition of activation was indicated at high amounts (10%) of serum. Activation from plasma was half that from serum, presumably caused by an increase in substrate Km in the presence of heparin. Use of glyceryl tri[9,10-3H] oleate yielded excessively high blanks; [2-3H] glyceryl triolein is suggested for routine assay. Relative amounts of activator were not different between dry and lactating cows fed "conventional" diets. Activator concentration increased linearly with increasing dietary fat and was related to concentration of total lipid in plasma. The assay may provide a useful adjunct in studies on lipoprotein metabolism.     

The assessment of neuroleptogenic extrapyramidal syndroms in psychopharmacological research (author's transl)

Methodological questions of clinical observation and classification of drug-induced extrapyramidal symptomatology are discussed. In our experimental approach we examined two groups of 20 acute schizophrenic patients each. The patients were treated for 4 weeks under double-blind conditions with the butyrophenone derivative Haloperidol and with the benzoxazepine derivative Loxapin respectively. The extrapyramidal disturbances appearing under these medications were studied. The patients were examined by means of the EPS-scale by Simpson and Angus weekly, before, during and after this treatment as well as under a subsequent therapy with a longacting neuroleptic. Extrapyramidal disturbances appearing between these fixed rating times were noted in a check list. According to a classification propased by Chien and Di-Mascio the symptomatology of extrapyramidal disturbances under neuroleptic therapy can be divided into "permanent neuroleptic manifestations" on the one hand and "paroxysmal neurodysleptic manifestations" on the other. While Haloperidol caused more distinct symptoms of permanent neuroleptic manifestations, acute neurodysleptic reactions appeared more frequently under Loxapin therapy.