Effects of pramipexole on contraversive rotation and functional motor impairments in 1-methyl-4-phenyl1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine-induced chronic hemiparkinsonian monkeys

Rotational and functional motor behavioral changes were studied in five MPTP lesioned chronic hemiparkinsonian Macaca nemestrina monkeys after i.m. pramipexole, a predominant D2 subfamily agonist. Pramipexole induced contraversive rotations in a dose-dependent manner with an optimal dose of 56 microg/kg for approximately 2 to 4 hr after injection. Three different rating scales were used to determine drug-induced functional improvement. They included a monkey parkinsonism rating scale, volitional responses to fruit presentations, and number of hand movements that appeared volitional. A dose of 56 microg/kg of pramipexole produced functional improvements on hand disability, and on a parkinsonian rating scale for monkeys in a dose-dependent manner from 32 to 100 microg/kg. These doses produced an increase in significant hand movements in the affected (contralateral) as well as in the normal (ipsilateral) hand to the side of the brain lesion compared with 5% dextrose in water vehicle control. With a dose of 100 microg/kg, the therapeutic effects of pramipexole on hand movements were less than with 56 microg/kg, due to side effects such as scratching.     

Biology of chronic radiation effect on tissues and wound healing

Radiation therapy exerts both acute and chronic effects on normal tissue included within treatment fields. The physics of radiation therapy and treatment techniques to minimize deleterious effects of radiation are presented. Management of radiation-damaged skin is discussed. Radiation effect on tissue, wound healing, and tumorigenesis also are reviewed.     

Detection of anti-HIV-1 IgG antibodies in whole saliva by GACELISA and Western blot assays

The present study, based on 158 HIV seropositives and 167 HIV seronegatives, demonstrates that saliva collected with the Omni-SAL device and tested with GACELISA (an IgG antibody capture ELISA) is an effective non-invasive alternative to serum for anti-HIV IgG antibody screening. The study also shows that a conventional serum Western blot kit can be used, with slight modifications, for confirmatory testing of saliva specimens. Collecting saliva with the Omni-SAL device had a very good acceptance rate among Tanzanian subjects, and although this diagnostic method is not yet known by the general public, 65% of the study participants preferred to give saliva instead of blood for HIV testing.     

Local synthesis of immunoglobulins in neuropathies

It is essential to know how the immune system acts in different neurological diseases, some of them non very well known or of unknown etiology at all. It was applied Reiber and Felgenhauer's formula in 56 patients with different diseases. IgA, IgM, IgG and albumin were quantified in sera and cerebrospinal fluid by simple immunodiffusion. It was observed more frequent IgG local synthesis and IgA in this sample.     

Role of child and maternal processes in the psychological adjustment of children with sickle cell disease.

In this study, 64% of children aged 7–12 yrs with sickle cell disease were found to have a parent-reported behavior problem, and 50% met the criteria for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised (DSM-III-R) diagnosis based on a structured clinical interview of the child. Internalizing types of behavior problems and diagnoses were the most frequent. Support was provided for a transactional stress and coping model in delineating the processes associated with child adjustment. In particular, maternal anxiety accounted for 16–33% of the variance in mother-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, respectively, and child pain-coping strategies accounted for 21% of the variance in child-reported adjustment problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Finite element analysis of partly wrinkled reinforced prestressed membranes

Wrinkling is a well known phenomenon experimented by tension membranes in Civil Engineering applications. This paper will present an efficient numerical technique for the computational simulation of such wrinkles in a prestressed membrane. In particular, the relaxed energy approach (Pipkin in IMA J Appl Math 36:85–99, 1986) is particularized for prestressed membranes (Gil in Textile composites and inflatable structures, CIMNE, 2003) undergoing moderate strains. Wrinkling conditions in terms of the Euler-Lagrange finite deformation tensor along principal directions will be obtained. This will provide a framework to describe properly the initial instant when wrinkles start to be encountered in a prestressed Saint Venant–Kirchhoff hyperelastic membrane. Subsequently, a modified Helmholtz’s free energy functional will be introduced with the purpose of describing the modified constitutive behaviour of the continuum after the onset of wrinkling. Consistent derivations of the stress tensor as well as the constitutive tensor will de depicted. The results will be particularized for membranes and cables in a Finite Element discretization basis. Some numerical examples will prove the accuracy and robustness of the described algorithm.