Attachment loss with postmenopausal age and smoking

To determine whether postmenopausal bone loss and factors associated with osteoporosis affect tooth retention, we examined vertebral and proximal femoral (postcranial) bone mineral density in relation to tooth loss and attachment loss in a cross-sectional study of 135 postmenopausal women (age range 41-70 yr). Women had at least 10 teeth and no evidence of moderate or severe periodontal disease. Full-mouth attachment loss measurements were made using a pressure-sensitive probe, and bone density was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Attachment loss was correlated with tooth loss (number of remaining teeth, radiologically determined), but not with vertebral or proximal femur bone density. Multivariate analysis showed current smoking (p = 0.01), years since menopause (p = 0.02) and the interaction of age and current smoking (p < 0.01), to be statistically significant predictors of attachment loss in our study population.     

Relationship between dam's age at bull's birth and bull's genetic evaluation

After accounting for year of birth of bulls, younger dams produced superior sons. Bulls' PD, parent average, and pedigree index milk decreased with increasing age of dams at bull's birth. This appears to be due to decrease in maternal grandsire's PD milk and dam's Cow Index milk with increase in age of dam. Younger dams have an advantage of potentially higher genetic merit due to genetic trend but have less information included in their evaluations. Bull's latest parent average and pedigree index overestimated latest PD milk. This overestimation was not different with age of dam at bull's birth, suggesting that the bias in predicting bulls' PD from eventual evaluations of dams chosen at a younger age is not different than for dams chosen at a later age. Data were for 2826 bulls sampled by four AI organizations and born between 1965 and 1981. The increase in PD milk of bulls was about 27 kg/yr, but the trend was larger (45 kg/yr) during the last 5 yr. Inclusion of dam's age did not improve prediction of bull's PD milk. Maternal grandsire's PD milk was the primary variable associated with dam's age that accounted for lower bull's PD milk, mainly because older dams tended to have sires of lower genetic merit.     

A potential role for interleukin-15 in the regulation of human natural killer cell survival

Resting lymphocyte survival is dependent upon the expression of Bcl-2, yet the factors responsible for maintaining lymphocyte Bcl-2 protein expression in vivo are largely unknown. Natural killer (NK) cells are bone marrow-derived lymphocytes that constitutively express the beta and common gamma(c) subunits of the IL-2 receptor (R) as a heterodimer with intermediate affinity for IL-2. IL-15 also binds to IL-2Rbeta gamma(c) and is much more abundant in normal tissues than IL-2. Mice that lack the IL-2 gene have NK cells, whereas mice and humans that lack IL-2R gamma(c) do not have NK cells. Further, treatment of mice with an antibody directed against IL-2Rbeta results in a loss of the NK cell compartment. These data suggest that a cytokine other than IL-2, which binds to IL-2Rbeta gamma(c), is important for NK cell development and survival in vivo. In the current report, we show that the recently described IL-15R(alpha) subunit cooperates with IL-2Rbeta gamma(c) to transduce an intracellular signal at picomolar concentrations of IL-15. We demonstrate that resting human NK cells express IL-15R(alpha) mRNA and further, that picomolar amounts of IL-15 can sustain NK cell survival for up to 8 d in the absence of serum. NK cell survival was not sustained by other monocyte-derived factors (i.e., TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-10, IL-12) nor by cytokines known to use gamma(c) for signaling (i.e., IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL- 13). One mechanism by which IL-15 promotes NK cell survival may involve the maintenance of Bcl-2 protein expression. Considering these functional properties of IL-15 and the fact that it is produced by bone marrow stromal cells and activated monocytes, we propose that IL-15 may function as an NK cell survival factor in vivo.     

Risk factors for developing multiple sclerosis after childhood optic neuritis

We reviewed the records of all children (younger than 16 years of age) who presented with a diagnosis of optic neuritis (ON) identified through the comprehensive records-linkage system at the Mayo Clinic and identified 94 cases between 1950 and 1988 with a documented history of idiopathic ON. Detailed follow-up information was available on 79 patients, with a median length of follow-up of 19.4 years. Life-table analysis showed that 13% of the 79 patients with isolated ON had progressed to clinically or laboratory-supported definite multiple sclerosis (MS) by 10 years of follow-up, 19% by 20 years, 22% by 30 years, and 26% by 40 years. Gender, age, funduscopic findings, visual acuity, or family history of either ON or MS did not predict the development of MS. The presence of bilateral sequential or recurrent ON increased the risk of developing MS (p = 0.002; hazard ratio = 5.09), whereas the presence of infection within 2 weeks before the onset of ON decreased the risk of developing MS (p = 0.060; hazard ratio = 0.24). This study of childhood ON supports the lower risk of recurrence and progression to MS compared with adults.     

Closed humeral shaft fractures: a prospective evaluation of surgical treatment

OBJECTIVE: We tried to define the roles of the rigid dynamic compression plate (DCP) and the semi-rigid Ender nail (EN) in the treatment of closed humeral shaft fractures. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized clinical study was performed with detailed comparison parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-one closed humeral shaft fractures were treated. Randomly, 30 humeri were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with DCP and no bone grafting (BG), 29 were treated with the same procedure but with BG, and 32 were treated with closed reduction and internal fixation with Ender nails. The average follow-up period was 32 months (range, 13-54 months). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In the group with DCP without BG, the average blood loss was 270 mL, operation time was 92 minutes, hospital length of stay was 6.5 days, and union time was 12.5 weeks. In the group with DCP with BG, the average blood loss was 325 mL, operation time was 108 minutes, hospital length of stay was 6.9 days, and union time was 9.4 weeks. In the EN group, the average blood loss was 114 mL, operation time was 54 minutes, hospital length of stay was 5.6 days, and union time was 9.9 weeks. Analysis of variance and Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate the statistical significance. CONCLUSION: In our experience, for humeral shaft fractures fixed surgically, EN is better than DCP without BG. When DCP is chosen for the means of fixation, prophylactic BG is recommended, especially in cases with more comminution.     

Within-day variation of lipolytic activity in human milk

Milk was collected from six mothers during their 8th wk of lactation to determine the diurnal variation of bile salt-stimulated lipase and serum-stimulated lipase. On the day of collection, one breast was completely emptied at 0600, 1000, 1400, 1800, and 2000 h. Activities of bile-stimulated lipase and serum-stimulated lipase in the milk were determined. Activity of bile-stimulated lipase was constant throughout the day, whereas serum-stimulated lipase activity varied significantly with time. Both activities differed significantly in milk from different women. Time of collection must be considered when measuring activity of serum-stimulated lipase but is not a major variable when measuring activity of bile-stimulated lipase in human milk. These results may be helpful when designing future studies involving these enzymes.     

Monitoring the hybridization of the components of oligonucleotide mixtures to immobilized DNA via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Reported here is how the hybridization of individual components of oligonucleotide mixtures to solid-phase bound complementary strands can be monitored simultaneously by quantitative matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). Three oligonucleotides, a DNA heptamer, a DNA octamer and a DNA octamer with a terminal cholic acid appendage were used as the test mixture. Upon cooling in the presence of a complementary undecamer on controlled pore glass, depletion of the components from the solution was observed. The resulting hybridization curves show the same relative affinities as traditional UV melting curves with single components and their complement. Assays of the kind described here may be used to select high affinity binders from combinatorial libraries of modified antisense oligonucleotides.     

Myofascial wrap to treat intractable urinary incontinence in children

OBJECTIVES: The management of intractable urinary incontinence in the patient with cloacal or bladder exstrophy/epispadias, failed bladder neck plasty, or failed augmentation cystoplasty remains a surgical challenge. The myofascial wrap, a modification of the rectus fascial wrap, was developed to treat intractable urinary incontinence due to sphincteric incompetence in these problematic cases. A full-thickness, vascularized pedicle of anterior rectus sheath, rectus abdominis muscle, and posterior rector sheath is incorporated into a bladder neck wrap to provide support, mucosal coaptation, and active muscular tone. METHODS: Eight patients (5 females and 3 males) with total urinary incontinence due to sphincteric incompetence underwent the myofascial wrap. Urinary tract pathology included cloacal exstrophy (2), female epispadias (2), classic bladder exstrophy (1), male epispadias (1), myelomeningocele (1), and a pelvic tumor (1). The procedure is performed by harvesting a full-thickness strip of pedicled rectus muscle along with the anterior and posterior fascial sheaths. The strip is passed underneath and then over the bladder neck in a near 360 degrees wrap. The free end of the wrap is anchored into the pubic bone in an ipsilateral subperiosteal pouch. RESULTS: Six of the 8 patients are completely continent, and 2 patients void spontaneously without the need for catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: The myofascial wrap provides support, mucosal coaptation, and muscular tone to an incompetent sphincter and bladder neck. Favorable results in a very difficult population of pediatric patients warrant its continued use.