A developmental study of novH gene expression in human central nervous system

The expression pattern of the human nephroblastoma overexpressed (novH) gene in the fetal human central nervous system was examined by in situ hybridization using digoxigenin-labeled novH-specific riboprobes. In the spinal cord, the nov-expressing neurons were first detected both in the ventral region at 16 weeks of gestation (G16W) and in the dorsal region at G38W. In the medulla, nov-expressing neurons were detected in the principal nucleus of the inferior olive, the hypoglossal nucleus and the dorsal motor nucleus of vagus at G16W. Nov-positive neurons were detected at G28W in the nucleus of the spinal tract of the trigeminal and cuneate nucleus, and at G38W in the abducens nucleus of pons, the red nucleus and the substantia nigra of the midbrain, the ventral posterolateral and the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. A strong labeling was also detected in the striatum of the cerebrum and the cerebral cortex of the parietal lobe. These data established that novH is mainly expressed in somato-motor neurons in the lower central nervous system at early developmental stages and in the higher central nervous system at later stages, suggesting that nov may play an important role in neuronal differentiation.     

CD86 (B7-2), but not CD80 (B7-1), expression in the epidermis of transgenic mice enhances the immunogenicity of primary cutaneous Candida albicans infections

Transgenic (Tg) mice whose epidermal keratinocytes constitutively overexpress either B7-1 (CD80) or B7-2 (CD86) exhibited exaggerated cutaneous delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) to haptens compared to non-Tg mice. To determine whether enhanced DTH in these Tg mice is seen in response to cutaneous fungal infections, a primary infection with Candida albicans was established by inoculating this organism on the occluded skin of Tg and non-Tg mice. These infections resolved 7 days after removal of occlusive dressing in all three groups of mice, without evidence of exaggerated inflammation in either the Tg or non-Tg mice. Only B7-2 Tg mice developed enhanced Th1-lymphocyte-mediated immune responses to C. albicans antigens after resolving this infection: enhanced footpad swelling in response to intradermal C. albicans antigens, enhanced production of mRNA encoding Th1 lymphokines in draining lymph nodes, and increased gamma interferon secreted into culture supernatants by lymph node T lymphocytes stimulated with Candida antigens in vitro. Lastly, Western blotting of sera from mice that had resolved this fungal infection indicated that only B7-2 Tg mice recognized a wide range of Candida-associated antigens. These data suggest that these two costimulatory molecules, when expressed by keratinocytes, do not deliver identical signals to C. albicans antigen-reactive Th1 lymphocytes. The enhanced immune response in B7-2 Tg mice to a cutaneous C. albicans infection demonstrates the importance of antigen presentation and costimulation in immune reactivity to fungi. Furthermore, B7-2 Tg mice may be useful in identification of protective Candida antigens.     

IT 9302, a synthetic interleukin-10 agonist, diminishes acute lung injury in rabbits with acute necrotizing pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Proinflammatory cytokines (eg, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha, interleukin [IL]-1 and Il- 8) are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and its systemic complications. Recently, IL-10 has emerged as a major anti-inflammatory cytokine, inhibiting the secretion and activities of inflammatory cytokines. Further, a protective effect of IL-10 has recently been shown in experimental acute pancreatitis. The purpose of this study was to test the potential role of a newly developed IL-10 agonist, IT 9302, in a model of ANP in rabbits. METHODS: ANP was induced in 18 rabbits by retrograde injection of 5% chenodeoxycholic acid in the pancreatic duct, followed by duct ligation. The rabbits were allocated to pretreatment with intravenous physiologic saline solution or IT 9302 (200 micrograms/kg) 30 minutes before the induction of ANP. RESULTS: Injection of IT 9302 resulted in a significant reduction in the blood levels of TNF-alpha and IL-8 from 3 to 6 hours. IT 9302 also reduced the amount of ascitic fluid and significantly inhibited neutrophil infiltration and margination, as well as the number of CD11b- and CD18-positive cells in the lung tissues. By contrast, the local pancreatic necrosis, as well as the biochemical changes such as serum amylase, lipase, and calcium, was sever and similar in both groups. Survival was improved significantly after treatment with IT 9302. CONCLUSIONS: As expected, IT 9302 cannot change the degree of ANP induced by 5% bile acid but does reduce mortality rates and the development of acute lung injury, probably through the inhibition of circulating levels of TNF-alpha, IL-8, and the expression of the adhesion molecule complex CD11b/CD18.     

A multicenter study to improve emergency medicine residents' recognition of intracranial emergencies on computed tomography

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Cranial computed tomography (CT) has assumed a critical role in the practice of emergency medicine for the evaluation of intracranial emergencies. Several recent studies have documented a deficiency in the emergency physician's ability to interpret these studies. The purpose of this study was to quantify the baseline ability of emergency medicine residents to interpret cranial CTs, and to test a novel method of cranial CT interpretation designed for the emergency physician in training. METHODS: A standardized pretest was administered to assess baseline ability to interpret CT scans. A standardized posttest was given 3 months after the course. Each test consisted of 12 CT scans with a short accompanying history. All scans were validated by 3 expert reviewers for difficulty and diagnosis. A 2-hour course based on the mnemonic "Blood Can Be Very Bad" was then administered. "Blood" reminds the examiner to search for blood, "Can" prompts the examiner to identify 4 key cisterns, "Be" denotes the need to examine the brain, "Very" prompts a review of the 4 ventricles, and finally "Bad" reminds the examiner to evaluate the bones of the cranium. RESULTS: Eighty-three residents at 5 institutions were initially examined. The mean percentage correct before the course was 60% (95% confidence interval [CI] 58%-64%) on the standardized pretest. At retesting 3 months after the course, the accuracy rate increased to 78% (n=61, 95% CI 75%-81%, P<.001 paired t test). CONCLUSION: Emergency medicine residents are deficient in their ability to interpret cranial CT scans. A novel educational course was demonstrated to significantly improve this ability.     

Binding of alpha-synuclein to brain vesicles is abolished by familial Parkinson's disease mutation

The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. First, two missense mutations A30P and A53T cause inheritable early onset Parkinson's disease in some families. Secondly, alpha-synuclein is present in Lewy bodies of affected nerve cells in the predominant sporadic type of Parkinson's disease as well as in dementia with Lewy bodies. We demonstrate in the rat optic system that a portion of alpha-synuclein is carried by the vesicle-moving fast component of axonal transport and that it binds to rat brain vesicles through its amino-terminal repeat region. We find alpha-synuclein with the A30P mutation of familial Parkinson's disease devoid of vesicle-binding activity and propose that mutant alpha-synuclein may accumulate, leading to assembly into Lewy body filaments.     

The Fc gammaRIIIA-158F allele is a risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE: To study whether the Fc gammaRIIIA-158V/F polymorphism, which affects IgG binding affinity, is a risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: We genotyped a group of 70 Caucasian SLE patients for all known Fc gammaR polymorphisms. Of this group, 45 patients (64%) had nephritis. In 35 patients, this diagnosis was confirmed by renal biopsy. RESULTS: In the total group of 70 SLE patients, the frequency of the Fc gammaRIIIA-158F allele was 0.74, versus 0.57 in healthy controls (P = 0.003). The genotype distribution of the Fc gammaRIIIA-158V/F polymorphism was also significantly different from that of the control population (P = 0.004). The distribution of the other Fc gammaR polymorphisms--Fc gammaRIIA-131R/H, Fc gammaRIIIB-NA(1,2), and Fc gammaRIIIA-48L/R/H--was similar in SLE patients and controls. CONCLUSION: In our group of SLE patients, only the distribution of the alleles of the Fc gammaRIIIA-158V/F polymorphism was significantly different from that in the control group. This might indicate that macrophage expression of the Fc gammaRIIIA-158F isoform is involved in the disturbed clearance of immune complexes in patients with SLE.     

Severity of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease affects list learning using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)

Impairment in list learning is considered a primary symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet there are no published reports examining the relationship between list learning and severity of cognitive impairment. We gave nine-item and 16-item versions of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT; Delis et al., 1987), a standardized shopping list assessment of memory, to 24 AD patients (mean age = 76.2 +/- 8.1; mean years of education = 13.8 +/- 2.4), who were stratified into four groups based on MMSE scores (mean = 16.0 +/- 5.6). ANOVAs revealed severity effects for total list learning (p < 0.001), the first trial (p < 0.001), the last trial (p < 0.001) and short- and long-delay recall measures. Most of these differences seemed due to floor effects. For example, the modal number of words recalled after a delay was 0 by subjects with MMSE scores below 21. Severity of cognitive impairment was associated with the proportion of intrusions such that the most severely demented subjects gave almost entirely intrusion responses. Surprisingly, list length did not significantly affect any of the free recall measures. Our results suggest that list learning and recall seem to be lost relatively early in AD. Measures of list recall like the CVLT may not be useful in tracking severity of cognitive impairment over time.     

Physical and genetic map of the Pasteurella multocida A:1 chromosome

A physical and genetic map of the Pasteurella multocida A:1 genome was generated by using the restriction enzymes ApaI, CeuI, and NotI. The positions of 23 restriction sites and 32 genes, including 5 rrn operons, were localized on the 2.35-Mbp single circular chromosome. This report presents the first genetic and physical map for this genus.     

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.     

The Minnesota Infant Development Inventory in the developmental screening of high-risk infants at eight months.

Compared the results of a parent-completed questionnaire, the Minnesota Infant Development Inventory (MIDI), with Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BS) for 86 high-risk 8-mo-olds. Categorization of Ss as delayed or not delayed on 5 subscales of the MIDI showed good overall agreement with BS findings. Categorization of Ss based on their lowest MIDI subscale score yielded good sensitivity in detecting delay and fair specificity in identifying normal development. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the Gross Motor scale score was the strongest predictor of performance on BS items. Results suggest the potential utility of the MIDI as a screening tool in follow-up programs monitoring the development of high-risk infants. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)