Pregnancy outcome after treatment with the ergot derivative, cabergoline

The goal of this article is to assess the reproductive safety of cabergoline, a new ergot derivative proposed in hyperprolactinemic disorders. Investigated in different animal species, the drug showed no teratogenic or embryotoxic effects on rabbits. Considering the dose envisaged for humans, large safety margins exist. Our sample consists of 226 pregnancies occuring in 205 women. Follow-up is available for 204. There were 24 miscarriages and three abortions induced because of major malformations (one Down syndrome in a 42-year-old woman, one limb-body wall complex, one hydrocephalus). Two of the 148 single liveborn infants had significant malformations: one megaureter, one scaphocephaly. This series shows no increase in miscarriage rate, a distribution of birthweights and sex ratio within the expected range, and no increased rate of congenital malformations. Follow-up of babies, limited to 107 cases, thus far indicates normal physical and mental development.     

Magnetically induced currents in the canine heart: a finite elementstudy

A moderately detailed three-dimensional (3-D) finite element model of the conductive anatomy of a canine thorax was used to determine the fields and currents induced by a time-varying magnetic field that has been shown to cause irregular heart beats in canines. The 3-D finite element model of the canine thorax was constructed from CT scans and includes seven isotropic tissue conductivities and the anisotropic conductivity of skeletal muscle. The authors use this model to estimate the stimulation threshold associated with stimulation of the heart by the time-varying magnetic field of a figure-eight coil. Variants of the thoracic model were also constructed to examine the sensitivity of model results to variations in model size, shape, and conductive inhomogeneity and anisotropy. The authors' results show that myocardial fields were only mildly sensitive to thoracic size. However, model shape and conductive inhomogeneity and anisotropy substantially influenced the magnitude and distribution of myocardial fields and currents. The authors' results suggest that an induced peak field magnitude of ≈1 V/cm is required to stimulate the heart with the magnetic excitation simulated in this study     

Standard weight for height curves in achondroplasia

Standard curves developed for the general population cannot be used to assess the growth of an individual who has a condition that results in disproportionate short stature. For this reason, efforts have been made to develop growth curves specific for several of the chondrodysplasias. However, data concerning weight for height have been largely lacking, although they may be of particular importance for conditions such as achondroplasia, where there is some consensus that an increased prevalence of obesity is a particular problem. In this paper we provide standard weight for height curves for males and females with achondroplasia, and discuss the use of several indices which have been applied to the assessment of body fat in the general population.     

The fluctuating phenotype of the lymphohematopoietic stem cell with cell cycle transit

When damaged by hydrogen peroxide, peripheral blood lymphocytes undergo cell death by apoptosis in the absence of internucleosomal DNA cleavage, while, in the same cells, other apoptosis-inducing treatments bring DNA cleavage to completion. However, the formation of internucleosomal DNA fragments is readily obtained if cells are pretreated with a divalent metal chelator, TPEN, at micromolar concentrations. Since the coadministration of equimolar zinc concentrations abrogates the formation of the ladder, a zinc-inhibitable endonucleolytic activity is accounted for the effect. Most notably, subtraction of zinc ions does not increase the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis, but rather results in a rescue from death.     

CD40lbase: a database of CD40L gene mutations causing X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome

X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (X-HIM) is an immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the gene encoding the CD40 ligand (CD40L). A database (CD40Lbase) of CD40L mutations has now been established, and the resultant information, together with other mutations reported elsewhere in the literature, is presented here.     

A cross-cultural study of animal fears

The present study represents a cross-cultural study of animal fears in which subjects from seven Western and Asian countries were asked to rate their fear of a range of familiar animals. Factor analyses of these ratings in all samples revealed a coherent three factor solution in which animals fell into a fear-irrelevant, fear-relevant (fierce) or disgust-relevant category. The core group of animals making up the disgust-relevant category were similar across cultures. Some views on how a universal disgust-relevant category of feared animals may have developed are discussed.     

Microcircuitry and function of the inferior olive

The inferior olive, which provides the climbing fibers to Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex, has been implicated in various functions, such as learning and timing of movements, and comparing intended with achieved movements. For example, climbing-fiber activity could transmit error signals during eye-blink conditioning or adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, or it could carry motor command signals beating on the rhythm of the oscillating and synchronous firing of ensembles of olivary neurons, or both. In this review, we approach the controversial issue of olivocerebellar function from the perspective of the unique organization of the microcircuitry of the olivary neuropil. The characteristic glomeruli are formed by a core of long dendritic or axonal spines, each of which is innervated by both an inhibitory terminal derived from the hindbrain and an excitatory terminal derived from either an ascending or descending input. The dendritic spines, which originate from dendrites with varicosities carrying dendritic lamellar bodies, are coupled by gap junctions. By drawing a comparison with a computational model by Segev and Rall,which might be applicable to the typical olivary spine with its unique morphological features and combined excitatory and inhibitory input, we propose that the microcircuitry of the inferior olive is capable of functioning both in motor learning and motor timing, but does not directly compare intended with achieved movements.     

Study of the action of tamoxifen on the mammary gland epithelium of premenopausal patients by lysosome quantification

Tamoxifen is an antiestrogen drug widely utilized for the adjuvant hormonal treatment of breast carcinoma. Its use in the primary prophylaxis of this disease is currently being proposed. Although the drug has few side effects, its precise action on breast tissue that has not undergone neoplastic transformation has not been fully elucidated. This prospective, randomized study assessed the estrogen activity of tamoxifen on the mammary gland epithelium of premenopausal patients using a quantitative analysis of mammary epithelium lysosome identified by the cytochemical technique of GOMORI for acid phosphatase and by light microscopy. Tamoxifen significantly increased the number of lysosomes only during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. We concluded that the early effect of the drug on normal mammary tissue is synergistic with the effect of estrogen during the premenopausal period.     

One-stage surgery with a nonsubmerged implant system

Although nonsubmerged implant surgery can reduce patient trauma and costs by eliminating the uncovering procedure, one-piece implants cannot be shortened for esthetic results. However, a new implant design that comes preattached on a multipurpose collar is used for insertion, nonsubmerged healing, and as an abutment base. For submucosal margins, the collar can be replaced by an esthetic abutment that connects directly to the implant. Surface treatments include midsections roughened by hydroxyapatite or titanium plasma spray coatings, with smoother, acid-etched necks and self-tapping apical ends. Screw-retained, friction-fit abutments offer prosthodontic stability and uniformity, despite the submucosal implant type.