Subgingival microbial profile of Papillon-Lefèvre patients assessed by DNA-probes

The prevalence of 18 selected bacterial species was assessed by means of "checkerboard" DNA-DNA hybridisation in a group of 12 Saudi-Arabian adolescents with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome. A total of 36 tooth sites were investigated. The patients exhibited severe periodontal disease with deep pockets. All 12 patients harboured the putative bacterial pathogens P. intermedia, F. nucleatum, P. micros and S. intermedius while T. denticola, B. forsythus, P. nigrescens, E. corrodens, S. noxia and C. rectus were recovered from 11 patients. P. gingivalis was recovered from 9 patients and 18 sites while corresponding figures for A. actinomycetemcomitans were 8 and 19, respectively. A number of the investigated species (B. forsythus, T. denticola, P. intermedia, C rectus) reached high levels (> or =10(6) cells) in more than 1/2 of the patients. On the other hand, bacteria such as A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis were infrequently encountered at high levels in these subgingival samples. In conclusion, the analysis failed to demonstrate a PLS-specific profile of the subgingival infection, since the bacterial composition of the sampled sites closely resembled that characterising deep pockets in adult periodontitis patients.     

Screening for colorectal cancer in Catalonia. Results of a population survey

This CT study was designed to assess brain morphology in agoraphobia. 21 patients and 21 normal control subjects matched in age and sex were investigated. Frontal and parietooccipital cortex, temporal cortex, lateral ventricles and third ventricle were evaluated by qualitative assessment on a 3-point scale (normal, questionable, abnormal). Patients showed significant bilateral enlargement of prefrontal cortical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces (p < .05). The rating "abnormal" was given to none (0%) of the normal controls, but to 6 (28.6%) of the patients in the left hemisphere, and to 4 patients (19%) in the right hemisphere, respectively. No qualitative differences were seen in the temporal cortex, lateral ventricles and third ventricle. These findings support the hypothesis that alterations in brain morphology are involved in the etiology of agoraphobia. The lack of a correlation between CSF enlargement and duration of illness suggests that prefrontal CSF enlargement is a neurobiological vulnerability marker in agoraphobia.     

Dietary factors influence the recovery rates of Helicobacter pylori in a BALB/cA mouse model

We have identified a number of type I and type II keratins in the zebrafish Danio rerio by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, complementary keratin blot-binding assay and immunoblotting. These keratins range from 56 kDa to 46 kDa in molecular mass and from pH 6.6 to pH 5.2 in isoelectric point. Type II zebrafish keratins exhibit significantly higher molecular masses (56-52 kDa) compared with the type I keratins (50-48 kDa), but the isoelectric points show no significant difference between the two keratin subclasses (type II: pH 6.0-5.5; type I: pH 6.1-5.2). According to their occurrence in various zebrafish tissues, the identified keratins can be classified into "E" (epidermal) and "S" (simple epithelial) proteins. A panel of monoclonal anti-keratin antibodies has been used for immunoblotting of zebrafish cytoskeletal preparations and immunofluorescence microscopy of frozen tissue sections. These antibodies have revealed differential cytoplasmic expression of keratins; this not only includes epithelia, but also a variety of mesenchymally derived cells and tissues. Thus, previously detected fundamental differences in keratin expression patterns between higher vertebrates and a salmonid, the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, also apply between vertebrates and the zebrafish, a cyprinid. However, in spite of notable similarities, trout and zebrafish keratins differ from each other in many details. The present data provide a firm basis from which the application of keratins as cell differentiation markers in the well-established genetic model organism, the zebrafish, can be developed.     

Effects of a startling acoustic stimulus on reaction time in different parkinsonian syndromes

BACKGROUND: The functional assessment of the startle circuit is usually done by analyzing the acoustic startle response (ASR). However, a startling acoustic stimulus (SAS) also induces changes in the excitability of neural structures that can be demonstrated by studying the SAS-induced change in the behavior of certain neurophysiologic responses. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects induced by an SAS on voluntary reaction time in patients with parkinsonian syndromes (StartReact effect) and to compare the results with those obtained in a group of age-matched healthy volunteers. METHODS: Twelve patients with idiopathic PD (IPD), seven patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), seven patients with multisystem atrophy (MSA), and seven healthy age-matched control volunteers performed a simple visual reaction time task and received SAS together with the "go" signal in random trials. RESULTS: Baseline reaction time was significantly slower in PSP patients than in control subjects and MSA patients. The SAS induced a significant shortening of the reaction time in control subjects and in patients with IPD and MSA, but not in patients with PSP. The percentage of reaction time shortening with regard to the baseline values also differed significantly between PSP patients and the other groups of subjects. The StartReact effect was consistent throughout the experiment and showed reduced habituation with repeated testing. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with an abnormal function of the startle circuit in patients with PSP and agree with previous studies using the ASR. The reduced habituation of the StartReact effect favors its clinical applicability in the assessment of differences between patients with parkinsonian syndromes.     

Rotational Spectra of the Isotopic Species of Chloroform: Experimental and Ab Initio Structures

The millimeter-wave spectra of three different samples of chloroform (CHCl3, CDCl3, and 13CHCl3) have been measured between 145 and 470 GHz which corresponds to J values between 22 and 70. We report accurate rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for the ground vibrational states of 11 isotopic species. The experimental ro, rs, rIepsilon, rrhom, and rz structures have been determined using the determined rotational constants. The structure has also been calculated ab initio at the SCF, MP2, RQCISD, and B3LYP levels using triple zeta polarized basis sets. The experimental results are found in excellent agreement with the ab initio predictions. An approximate equilibrium structure has been obtained by combining the experimental results and the ab initio calculations: re(C-H) = 1.080 (2) ?, re(C-Cl) = 1.760 (2) ?, and anglee(HCCl) = 108.23 (2) degrees. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.     

NK cells can recognize different forms of class I MHC

NK recognition and lysis of targets are mediated by activation receptor(s) whose effects may be over-ridden by inhibitory receptors recognizing class I MHC on the target. Incubation of normal lymphoblasts with a peptide that can bind to their class I MHC renders them sensitive to lysis by syngeneic NK cells. By binding to class I MHC, the peptide alters or masks the target structure recognized by an inhibitory NK receptor(s). This target structure is most likely an "empty" dimer of class I heavy chain and beta2m as opposed to a "full" class I trimer formed by binding of specific peptide that is recognized by CTL.     

IS231A transposition: conservative versus replicative pathway

OBJECTIVE:To explore the attitudes and experiences of abused women to identify characteristics that helped or hindered abuse disclosure to clinicians and to determine how women viewed potential interventions to improve detection and treatment in a medical setting. DESIGN: Focus group data conducted and analyzed with qualitative methodology. SETTING: Three community-based mental health centers and one women's shelter. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-one women in group therapy for domestic violence. MAIN RESULTS: Eighteen (86%) of the 21 women had seen their "regular doctor" in the prior year; only 1 in 3 had discussed the abuse with the clinician. The major discussion themes were medical problems that were exacerbated with abuse, lack of ability to access medical care due to abuser interference, emotional attitudes about abuse that acted as barriers to disclosure, clinician characteristics that helped or hindered disclosure, and treatment experiences and preferences. Women described how their medical problems began or worsened during the abusive period. one in three women described how abusers blocked them from receiving medical care. Women reported intense shame about the abuse and described their self-denial of abuse. Women stated they were inclined to discuss abuse if they felt the clinician was perceived to be caring, was easy to talk to, had a protective manner, or if the clinician offered a follow-up visit. There was no consistent clinician gender preference among the women. One in four women had received psychotropic medication for problems associated with abuse. Many feared addiction, or a loss of alertness, increasing their risk for more abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Many abused women experience worsening health and seek medical care; most do not volunteer a history of violence even to their regular clinicians. Many of the barriers to disclosure of abuse could be overcome by a physician's knowledge of the link between abuse and medical illness, an understanding of the women's emotions about abuse, and her treatment preferences.     

Urinary stress incontinence. Comparison of the Raz technique and the Bologna technique. Analysis of a series of 188 patients

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate and compare the perioperative morbidity and the long-term results of the Raz colposuspension and the Bologna operation for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women. STUDY DESIGN: Data of 188 women who underwent either a Bologna operation (group 1) or a Raz colposuspension (group 2) for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence between January 1, 1987 and December 1, 1995 were analysed retrospectively regarding history, preoperative evaluation, associated surgical procedures, complications and cure and failure rate. POPULATION AND METHODS: 80 patients were treated with the Bologna operation and 108 with the Raz colposuspension. Patients with prior anti-incontinence surgery, and patients with a preoperative diagnosis of urge incontinence were excluded from the study. Success was defined both subjectively (complete absence of complaint of stress urinary incontinence) and objectively (no evidence of loss of urine on cough provocation during physical examination). Survival curves were generated in each group for time to event data: "time to recurrent stress incontinence" and compared by the logrank test. A multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional hazards regression model was performed to indentify possible outcome predictors. RESULTS: The success rate of group 1 was significantly higher than that of group 2 (p = 0.00001). The median of success was 51 months in group 1 and 21 months in group 2 (p = 0.00001). The incidence of intraoperative complications in each group (inadvertent cystostomy, hemorrhage) did not differ. The multivariate analyses using the Cox regression model showed that the most highly correlated variable with the surgical cure rate was the type of surgical anti-incontinence procedure adopted: Bologna or Raz (p = 0.00001) CONCLUSION: In our hands, the Bologna operation has a higher cure rate than the Raz colposuspension. For us, when treating patients with stress urinary incontinence by the vaginal route, the Bologna operation is indicated when sufficient anterior vaginal tissue is available to create vaginal bands.