Monitoring of brain spiking activity and autoantibodies to N-terminus domain of GluR1 subunit of AMPA receptors in blood serum of rats with cobalt-induced epilepsy

We have monitored EEG spontaneous spiking activity and analyzed serum from rats with cobalt-induced epilepsy for the presence of autoreactive antibodies to alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) glutamate receptor subunits. The presence and the level of autoantibodies were assessed using immunoblot and ELISA with synthetic peptide specific to the N-terminus domain of the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor. Rats with cobalt-induced epilepsy exhibited strong GluR1 immunoreactivity at the end of the first week after surgery compared with vehicle-treated rats. We showed that GluR1 autoantibodies in blood serum of rats with cobalt-induced epilepsy preceded the spiking activity maximum in the EEG. Levels of autoantibodies to GluR1 detected in blood of these rats remained elevated when EEG spiking activity was significantly reduced and seizures disappeared. The EEG monitoring of spiking activity showed a correlation with accumulation of GluR1 autoantibodies in blood serum of rats with cobalt-induced epilepsy.     

Increased p-homocysteine--a risk factor for thrombosis

In the healthy population P-homocysteine increases with age and the level is higher in men aged 30-60 years as compared to women of the same age group. Most often, elevated P-homocysteine is caused by genetic defects, vitamin deficiency (folic acid, B6- and B12-vitamin) or renal failure. Based on retrospective as well as prospective studies, it can be concluded that elevated P-homocysteine is a risk factor for arterial as well as venous thrombosis. Severely elevated P-homocysteine is capable of causing premature arteriosclerosis, whereas slightly elevated levels may also be involved. A slightly positive correlation has been found between P-homocysteine on one hand, and smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol on the other, whereas physical activity is slightly negatively correlated to P-homocysteine. Altered function of endothelial cells and coagulation has been demonstrated in relation to elevated P-homocysteine, but the pathogenetic mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Usually, an elevated P-homocysteine is normalised by folic acid supplementation, although additional treatment with vitamin B6 may be required. Presumably, the risk of thrombosis is thereby reduced, but future controlled studies may reveal whether this holds true.     

Identification of a series of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolinyl-benzamides with potential anticonvulsant activity

A series of N-(tetrahydroisoquinolinyl)-2-methoxybenzamides was identified by high-throughput screening at the novel SB-204269 binding site. SAR studies have provided compounds 4 and 14 with high affinity and good anticonvulsant activity in animal models.     

Attitude of general practitioners to the importance of gender and diet in disease prevention

MOLECULAR CYTOGENETICS: New fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques have been developed using fluorescent non-radioactive DNA probes. FISH: Based on the complementary of nucleotides FISH enables visualization and localization of a DNA fragment on chromosomes by hybridizing the complementary DNA sequence, the probe. Many types of tissues can be analyzed, for example hematopoietic cells in blood or bone marrow, amniotic cells, trophoblasts, fibroblasts, gamete or tumoral cells. APPLICATIONS: Molecular cytogenetics can be used to characterize chromosome anomalies in many fields of cytogenetics (constitutional studies, prenatal diagnosis, hematology, oncology).     

DIAS-NIDDM--a model-based decision support system for insulin dose adjustment in insulin-treated subjects with NIDDM

The effects of using two methods (item mean and person mean) for replacing missing data in Likert scales were studied. The results showed that both methods were good representations of the original data when both the number of respondents with missing data and the number of items missing were 20% or less. As the numbers of missing items and of respondents with missing data increased for the person mean substitution method, a spurious increase in the inter-item correlations (and, therefore, reliability) for the sale was produced. The item mean substitution reduced the reliability estimates of the scale. These results suggest caution in the use of the person mean substitution method as the numbers of missing items and respondents increase.     

P2阶拉丁方与P2阶二次、双重和立体幻方

讨论用同一种模式的P^2(P为奇素数)阶正交拉丁方为数理座标，构造P^2阶二次、双重和立体三种不同幻方的方法，用该方法构造出了当P=3，5时的二次、双重幻方及P=3时的立体幻方，以实例形式给出了部分构造结果。