Diabetic polyneuropathy treatment by milgamma-100 preparation

Efficiency of Milgamma-100 preparation (100 mg of benfothiamine + 100 mg of pyridoxin) was studied in treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy in 14 patients with diabetes mellitus type II (1 dragee 3 times a day, within 6 weeks). After the course of treatment the intensity of pains was decreased according to visual analogous scale on the average from 8.2 to 2.3 scores, the indices of vibratory sensitivity improved significantly as well as the data of cardiovascular tests characterizing parasympathetic control of heart rhythm. Meanwhile latent periods of the evoked sympathetic potentials on arms and legs which were initially lengthened became significantly shorter. A clear-cut tendency was also found to increasing conduction rate for excitation through the motor nerves. The treatment resulted in the improvement of the condition in 93% of the cases. The conclusion was made about efficiency and safety of Milgamma-100 preparation application in therapy of patients with diabetic polyneuropathy.     

Investigation of the relationship between farrowing environment, sex steroid concentrations and maternal aggression in gilts

The involvement of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation sites in establishing the basal activity of cardiac L-type Ca2+ channels was studied in HEK 293 cells transiently cotransfected with mutants of the human cardiac alpha1 and accessory subunits. Systematic individual or combined elimination of high consensus protein kinase A (PKA) sites, by serine to alanine substitutions at the amino and carboxyl termini of the alpha1 subunit, resulted in Ca2+ channel currents indistinguishable from those of wild type channels. Dihydropyridine (DHP)-binding characteristics were also unaltered. To explore the possible involvement of nonconsensus sites, deletion mutants were used. Carboxyl-terminal truncations of the alpha1 subunit distal to residue 1597 resulted in increased channel expression and current amplitudes. Modulation of PKA activity in cells transfected with the wild type channel or any of the mutants did not alter Ca2+ channel functions suggesting that cardiac Ca2+ channels expressed in these cells behave, in terms of lack of PKA control, like Ca2+ channels of smooth muscle cells.     

Binding properties of SH3 peptide ligands identified from phage-displayed random peptide libraries

In this work the effects of parathion (a competitive acetylcholinesterase inhibitory agent) on the enzyme activity was studied by cytochemical methods in the kidney of rats; being the doses used not inhibitory of red blood cells acetylcholinesterase (subtoxic dose). Two groups of rats were used: control (CR) and parathion-treated (TR) groups, both submitted to a water deprivation period of 24 h. for induction of primary thirst. The treated-rats group received parathion i.p. at doses of 600 micrograms/100g body weight. For demonstration of acetylcholinesterase activity, renal tissue incubation was performed by the Karnovsky and Roots method with the Tsuji Larabi variation. The results of the five assays of incubation enable us to conclude that there exists a noticeable activity of acetylcholinesterase in the renal cortex of control rats, which is blocked by subtoxic doses of organophosphorus pesticide. We suggest that the natriuretic effect of parathion can be explained by this mechanism.     

Bolus or infusion teicoplanin for intravascular catheter associated infections in immunocompromised patients?

An unexpected low efficacy of teicoplanin in the treatment of coagulase negative staphylococcal (CNS) infections on a regional Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit led to a retrospective study. CNS infections treated with gylcopeptides in BMT patients with in-dwelling central venous lines between May 1990 and May 1995 were reviewed. Efficacy rates of 50% for teicoplanin compared with 80% for vancomycin despite comparable antibiotic susceptibility. Glycopeptides have bactericidal action which is time dependent. Teicoplanin was administered by bolus injection during the study period and it is suggested that this observed difference in efficacy is caused by the short duration of exposure of luminal bacteria.     

Automated visual field examination in children aged 5-8 years. Part II: Normative values

We determined normative values for the visual sensitivity threshold in 118 children aged 5-8 years, using automated static perimetry (Octopus 2000R, program 32). In addition, 17 normal adults were tested. The children first underwent a familiarization procedure. One week later, quantitative examination was performed according to a specially designed schedule divided into three phases. For each of the 76 points tested, mean thresholds and standard deviations were calculated as a function of age. In contrast to previous studies, sensitivity difference between adults and children over the central 30 degrees of the visual field emerged only for the youngest age groups (5- and 6-year olds). Both the response rate in false-negative trials, and values of a within-subject threshold variability index, suggested that 5- and 6-year-olds' higher thresholds were inflated by non physiological factors, such as vigilance and cognitive processes. For these ages, the data reported here should therefore be considered as an approximation of the upper level of the thresholds. In contrast, our results for 7- and 8 year-old children provided reliable normative values for light sensitivity across the visual field.     

Geographic variations in breast cancer mortality: do higher rates imply elevated incidence or poorer survival?

A 46-year-old women presented with an inoperable low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. Two doses of Depo-Lupron, 7.5 mg, and Megace, 160 mg/day, were given to control uterine bleeding and shrink the tumor mass. In 9 weeks, significant reduction in the tumor occurred allowing for surgical resection. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the mainstay for primary treatment. The role of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy is poorly defined. This is a case report of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy which may improve outcomes in patients with endometrial stromal sarcomas. Additional research is needed to define the exact role of these agents.     

The expression of murine B cell CD23, in vivo, is regulated by its ligand, IgE

CD23, the low-affinity IgE receptor, is believed to participate in immune responses by mediating antigen capture for presentation by B cells and by shedding fragments with immunomodulatory properties. The number of CD23 molecules on B cells is increased during allergic responses and infection with helminths. This can be attributed in part to regulation of CD23 expression by cytokines, including IL-4. In addition, there is evidence that CD23 can be induced on cultured B cells by its ligand, IgE. In the current study we use IgE-deficient (IgE-/-) mice to establish the effects of IgE on CD23 expression by B cells in vivo, in the absence of allergic or parasitic stimuli. The spleens of IgE-/- and wild-type mice contained similar proportions of CD23+ B lymphocytes. However, cells from IgE-/- mice were found to have nearly 3-fold less CD23 on their surface. The mutant B cells had a corresponding defect in their ability to bind IgE. CD23 could be normally induced on IgE-/- B cells after culture with IL-4 or CD40 ligand, indicating that these cells had no inherent defect in CD23 biosynthesis. CD23 expression and IgE-binding capacity were both restored when splenocytes from IgE-/- mice were cultured in the presence of IgE. IgE-induced up-regulation of CD23 could be elicited in vivo as well. In IgE-/- mice, i.v. infusion of IgE corrected CD23 expression to wild-type levels. Our results demonstrate that IgE directly participates in CD23 regulation in vivo. This positive feedback loop may constitute a mechanism for the amplification of ongoing allergic responses.     

Antecedents of pre-competition achievement goals in elite junior tennis players

The aim of this study was to integrate both dispositional and situational factors to examine their interactive ability to predict pre-competitive goal states of task and ego involvement in a sample of National junior tennis players. The Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (Chi and Duda, 1995) and a set of single-item assessments of match goal orientation represented the dispositional measures in the study. These were administered at home, away from the tennis environment. The situational antecedents of pre-match task and ego involvement were assessed by an 11-item Match Context Questionnaire, which was administered to the players (n = 119) within 1 h of their singles match start time at the National Junior Championships. The Match Context Questionnaire also measured the personal task- and ego-involved goal states of the player with respect to the upcoming singles match (i.e. 'state' goals). Factor analysis of this questionnaire revealed three situational factors which cumulatively accounted for 64.7% of variance in the match context: social/personal perceptions of ability; perceived state goal preference of significant others; and match value. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant main effects of the dispositional and situational factors on the different goal types. Specifically, perceptions of significant others, the achievement value of the match and perceptions of ability were the major predictors of task involvement. The pre-match intensity of ego involvement was predicted by ego orientation combining with perceptions of significant others and match value. These findings reinforce the need for researchers to consider the importance of both dispositional and situational variables when predicting goal involvement in competitive contexts.