Diet and Parkinson's disease. II: A possible role for the past intake of specific nutrients. Results from a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire in a case-control study

In a case-control study, we compared the past dietary habits of 342 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients recruited from nine German clinics with those of 342 controls from the same neighborhood or region. Data were gathered with a structured interview and a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire. Nutrient intakes were calculated from the reported food intakes through linkage with the German Federal Food Code and analyzed using multivariate conditional logistic regression to control for total energy intake, educational status, and cigarette smoking. At the macronutrient level, patients reported higher carbohydrate intake than controls after adjustment for total energy intake, smoking, and educational status (OR = 2.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-6.07, for the highest versus lowest quartile, p trend = 0.02). This was reflected in higher monosaccharide and disaccharide intakes at the nutrient level. There was no difference between patients and controls in protein and fat intake after adjustment for energy intake. We found an inverse association between the intakes of beta-carotene (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.37-1.19, p trend = 0.06) and ascorbic acid (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.33-1.09, p trend = 0.04) by patients, although only the trend for ascorbic acid intake reached statistical significance. There was no difference between groups for alpha-tocopherol intake after adjustment for energy intake. We also found that patients reported a significantly lower intake of niacin than controls (OR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.07-0.33, p trend < 0.00005). Our results suggest that if antioxidants play a protective role in this disease, the amounts provided by diet alone are insufficient. Although the interpretation of the inverse association between niacin intake and PD is complicated by the high niacin content in coffee and alcoholic beverages, which were also inversely associated with PD in this study, the strength of this association and its biologic plausibility warrant further investigation.     

Effect of oestrogen receptor status and time on the intra-tumoural accumulation of tamoxifen and N-desmethyltamoxifen following short-term therapy in human primary breast cancer

Chronic in utero methamphetamine treatment, throughout gestation in rats, resulted in alterations in both behavior and brain monoamine function in the adult offspring. The higher dose of methamphetamine (10 mg/kg/b.i.d.) caused a significant decrease in square crossing and rearing in an open field, as well as a regional increase of serotonin and dopamine uptake sites. In contrast, the lower dose of in utero methamphetamine (2 mg/kg/b.i.d.) resulted in a significant decrease in regional densities of serotonin and dopamine uptake sites, and only decreased rearing behavior. Across treatment groups, there were significant correlations between open-field square crossing activity and the number of uptake sites in specific brain areas. Other measured behaviors, such as the neonate righting reflex and the adult Morris water maze performance, were unaffected by either in utero drug regimen. These results are discussed in terms of the known neurotoxicity of amphetamines and the ability of the immature nervous system to compensate for fetal exposure to methamphetamine.     

Clear cell differentiation in choroidal melanoma. COMS report no. 8. Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study Group

OBJECTIVE: To describe 2 enucleated eyes of patients enrolled in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study that contained primary choroidal melanoma with clear cell features. METHODS: During a 9-year period, 1493 eyes enucleated as part of the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study routinely processed for histologic examination were evaluated by the pathology review committee (H.E.G, D.M.A, and W.R.G). Two eyes with unusual variants of choroidal melanoma were identified and immunostained for S100 protein and HMB 45. Portions of the tumors were processed for electron microscopic examination. RESULTS: Results of electron microscopic examination of both tumors displayed malignant melanoma (mixed cell type with many malignant cells with clear cytoplasm). The cytoplasm of the clear cells stained with periodic acid-Schiff and failed to stain when pretreated with diastase. Results of immunohistochemical stains in both tumors were positive for S100 protein and HMB 45 in the tumor cells. Results of electron microscopic examination showed that the cytoplasm of the clear cells contained scattered glycogen granules, premelanosomes, and melanosomes. CONCLUSION: These cases represent a clear cell variant of malignant melanoma of the choroid. This tumor should not be confused with metastatic clear cell carcinoma to the choroid.     

The diagnostic and treatment characteristics of liver injuries in combined trauma

The results of diagnostics and treatment of the closed liver's injuries in 180 injured with combined trauma are analyzed. Was established, that the complexity of the diagnostics of the liver trauma and the heavy accompanying injuries, accomplishment of the diagnostic researches on the shock background, consciousness frustration, hemodynamics, breath, hypovolemia requires intensification of ultrasonic researches, computer tomography and laparoscopy, which reliability has made 91-95%. The injured with combined trauma and liver's injuries should be rendered the urgent specialized help. The volume of the operation on liver should be the most minimum, but reliable to stop hemorrhage. The surgical correction of other injuries of the abdominal and peritoneal cavities should be carried out. The operation is finished by cranial decompression trepanation and stabilization bone breaks of pelvis and extremities (under indications) as a preventive measure of shock, loss of blood and embolic complications.     

Assessment of ischaemia of the distal part of the gracilis muscle during transposition for anal dynamic graciloplasty

BACKGROUND: Dynamic graciloplasty is used to create a neosphincter in patients with intractable faecal incontinence. When mobilizing the distal gracilis muscle from the upper leg, the minor vascular pedicles have to be ligated. This can interfere with the vascular supply in this part of the muscle. METHODS: The arterial anatomy within the muscle was visualized by means of angiography of 11 postmortem specimens. To quantify potential acute ischaemia, blood flow in the distal gracilis muscle was measured in ten patients with laser Doppler flowmetry during mobilization of the muscle. RESULTS: Angiography showed that the main vascular pedicle and all minor pedicles drain into one and the same arterial system. After clamping of the minor vascular pedicles, blood flow (mean 25.8 (range 6.5-74.3) perfusion units) did not differ from values obtained before clamping (mean 25.4 (range 7.5-68.7) perfusion units). After a mean of 1.8 years, all muscles were vital. No correlation existed between the change in muscle blood flow and either squeeze pressure (r = -0.2) or functional outcome (r = 0.31). CONCLUSION: This study provides direct anatomical and physiological evidence of one arterial system within the gracilis muscle. It is therefore questionable whether ligation of the minor vascular pedicles is the bottleneck in human dynamic graciloplasty. An additional operation for vascular delay may be redundant. A prospective randomized clinical study should be performed to compare the functional outcome in patients with and without a delay procedure.     

A cognitive-motivational analysis of anxiety

Evidence of preattentive and attentional biases in anxiety is evaluated from a cognitive-motivational perspective. According to this analysis, vulnerability to anxiety stems mainly from a lower threshold for appraising threat, rather than a bias in the direction of attention deployment. Thus, relatively innocuous stimuli are evaluated as having higher subjective threat value by high than low trait anxious individuals, and it is further assumed that everyone orients to stimuli that are judged to be significantly threatening. This account is contrasted with other recent cognitive models of anxiety, and implications for the etiology, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders are discussed.