Identification, characterization, and functional role of phosphodiesterase type IV in cerebral vessels: effects of selective phosphodiesterase inhibitors

Research on families of people with severe mental illness has identified significant caregiving burden. Although professional interventions generally assume that families have a major role in the client's progress, the focus of the consumer movement on recovery through empowerment, peer supports, and consumer-run services may have important, as yet unquantified, effects. Keeping in mind the functional heterogeneity of individuals with mental illness, it is suggested that consumer emphasis on autonomy may provide the major relief for family burden.     

Adolescent personality factors in self-ratings and peer nominations and their prediction of peer acceptance and peer rejection

In this study, the robustness of the Big Five personality factors in adolescents' self-ratings and peer nominations was investigated. Data were obtained on 2,001 adolescents attending secondary school (885 girls; 1,116 boys; M age = 14.5 years). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the self-ratings confirmed the Big Five personality factors. In contrast, exploratory analysis on the peer nominations revealed five different factors: Aggression-Inattentiveness, Achievement-Withdrawal, Self-Confidence, Sociability, and Emotionality-Nervousness. It is suggested that peers evaluate group members not in terms of their personality but in terms of their group reputation. Peer evaluations contributed substantially to the prediction of peer acceptance and rejection; the Big Five personality factors based on self-ratings did not.     

Expression of oligodendrocytic mRNAs in glial tumors: changes associated with tumor grade and extent of neoplastic infiltration

We examined the expression of glial- and neuronal-specific mRNAs within human gliomas using in situ hybridization. We found that low-grade astrocytomas contained a high number of proteolipid protein (PLP) mRNA-positive cells and that the number of PLP-stained cells decreased markedly with increasing tumor grade. Interestingly, the ratio of PLP mRNA-stained cells:myelin basic protein (MBP) mRNA-stained cells in normal white matter and low-grade astrocytoma was about 2:1 but approached 1:1 with increasing tumor grade. This parameter appeared to be a good indicator of tumor infiltration in astrocytomas, so we tested this in the analysis of other gliomas. Unlike astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas were found consistently to contain few PLP mRNA- or MBP mRNA-expressing cells. In contrast, gemistocytic astrocytomas, typically highly invasive tumors, contained high numbers of PLP-positive cells and a ratio of PLP mRNA:MBP mRNA-stained cells of about 1.5:1, similar to low-grade astrocytomas. Nonradioactive in situ hybridization also enabled the morphological identification of specific cells. For example, gemistocytic astrocytes, which were found to be strongly vimentin mRNA positive, contained little glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA and did not stain for PLP or MBP mRNAs. Neuronal mRNAs, such as neurofilament 68, were observed in small numbers of entrapped neurons within gliomas but were uninformative with respect to predicting tumor grade. Our results suggest that oligodendrocytes survive low-grade tumor infiltration and that glial tumor cells, unlike cell lines derived from them, do not express oligodendrocyte or neuronal mRNAs. In addition, the expression of mRNAs for the two major myelin protein genes, PLP and MBP, could be used to predict the grade and extent of tumor infiltration in astrocytomas.     

Rotational atherectomy (Rotablator) for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

BACKGROUND: The use of Rotablator in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty attempts to reduce the atheromatous plaque abrading it and fragmenting the parietal calcium of the artery. AIM: To report our experience with the use of Rotablator. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Rotational atherectomy was performed in 189 patients aged 60.8 +/- 11 years (154 men). The clinical indication for the procedure was chronic angina in 22%, unstable angina in 44%, myocardial infarction in 21%, silent angina in 7% and re-stenosis in 6%. One hundred seventy seven patients were followed for a mean of 15.9 +/- 6.3 months. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty six stenoses in 215 coronary arteries were treated with a 98.7% angiographic success rate. One patient had a Q infarction and no patient died or required emergency surgery. Fourteen patients had rises in CK MB enzymes (non Q infarction). Three patients had a pseudoaneurism and three had bleedings that required transfusion. Of the followed patients, 33 had a clinically suspected re-stenosis, that was angiographically confirmed in 23. Cardiac mortality was 2.3%. Seventy nine percent of patients had an evolution without angina or coronary events. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with the use of Rotablator had a high immediate success rate and a low incidence of complications. The clinical evolution of patients has been favorable with a low incidence of mortality and ischemic events.     

Risk assessment on the carcinogenic potential of hybridoma cell DNA: implications for residual contaminating cellular DNA in biological products

Fifty people (25 at risk for an eating disorder, 25 controls) performed a simple reaction-time (SRT) task and a negative-priming (NP) task. The two groups did not differ on the SRT task. For the NP task, the controls displayed the NP effect (responses on critical trials were slower than responses on control trials). At-risk participants, however, revealed no such NP effect. Although the pattern of NP performance in the at-risk participants may indicate that they as a group had deficiencies in their ability to inhibit irrelevant information, it is also possible that issues related to obsessionality, perfectionism, and restraint in the at-risk group affected the results.     

Management of the buried penis in adults

PURPOSE: Buried penis, most commonly seen in children, is particularly debilitating in adults, resulting in the inability to void standing and it affects vaginal penetration. The pathophysiology, including scar contracture of the distal soft tissue and skin envelope with concurrent descent of the abdominal fat pad, represents a surgical challenge. We developed a management algorithm to evaluate and treat adults with buried penis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1, 1994 to May 1, 1996, 7 patients 23 to 66 years old presented with buried penis. Diabetes mellitus, a common co-morbid condition, was present in 5 patients, and 5 of 7 were morbidly obese. RESULTS: Surgical correction was performed in 5 patients with excellent results in 3. Resection of scar contracture was sufficient to provide adequate length and none required release of the suspensory ligament. Panniculectomy was performed in 1 patient. One man requiring a graft to achieve adequate penile coverage required reoperation. This patient had undergone a previous attempted repair with extensive contracture. All patients regained potency postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: With appropriate planning and adherence to basic reconstructive surgical principles, correction of the buried penis can yield a high success rate.