Tinnitus: etiology and management

Tinnitus is the perceived sensation of sound in the absence of acoustic stimulation. Individuals who suffer from it are commonly between the ages of 40 and 80 years. Tinnitus is often classified as objective or subjective, yet the pathophysiologic cause is still unknown. Subjective tinnitus is largely identified with hearing loss. Management of tinnitus is based on an individual approach; there is no single treatment or regimen for it.     

ATP inhibition and rectification of a Ca2+-activated anion channel in sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle

We describe ATP-dependent inhibition of the 75-105-pS (in 250 mM Cl-) anion channel (SCl) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of rabbit skeletal muscle. In addition to activation by Ca2+ and voltage, inhibition by ATP provides a further mechanism for regulating SCl channel activity in vivo. Inhibition by the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog 5'-adenylylimidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP) ruled out a phosphorylation mechanism. Cytoplasmic ATP (approximately 1 mM) inhibited only when Cl- flowed from cytoplasm to lumen, regardless of membrane voltage. Flux in the opposite direction was not inhibited by 9 mM ATP. Thus ATP causes true, current rectification in SCl channels. Inhibition by cytoplasmic ATP was also voltage dependent, having a K(I) of 0.4-1 mM at -40 mV (Hill coefficient approximately 2), which increased at more negative potentials. Luminal ATP inhibited with a K(I) of approximately 2 mM at +40 mV, and showed no block at negative voltages. Hidden Markov model analysis revealed that ATP inhibition 1) reduced mean open times without altering the maximum channel amplitude, 2) was mediated by a novel, single, voltage-independent closed state (approximately 1 ms), and 3) was much less potent on lower conductance substates than the higher conductance states. Therefore, the SCl channel is unlikely to pass Cl- from cytoplasm to SR lumen in vivo, and balance electrogenic Ca2+ uptake as previously suggested. Possible roles for the SCl channel in the transport of other anions are discussed.     

The impact of genetic markers on selection

Genetic marker technologies, such as marker-assisted selection, parentage identification, and gene introgression can be applied to livestock selection programs. Highly saturated genetic maps are now available for cattle, swine, and sheep to provide the genetic framework for developing MAS programs. These programs rely on three phases for commercialization of the technology: the detection phase, in which quantitative trait loci are located and their effects on the phenotype measured; the evaluation phase, in which the markers are evaluated in commercial populations; and the implementation phase, in which markers are combined with phenotypic and pedigree information in genetic evaluation for predicting the genetic merit of individuals within the population. Predicting the economic impact of genetic technologies is a complex process that requires quantitative prediction and economic analysis. Evaluating the impact of these benefits across an industry can be achieved through a process in which gains from implementation of a genetic technology are assessed at the individual, enterprise, and industry levels. A pattern of annual benefits and costs can be predicted using gene flows that can be evaluated by conventional economic analysis.     

Concomitant treatment with mild hyperthermia, cisplatin and low dose-rate irradiation in human ovarian cancer cells sensitive and resistant to cisplatin

Hyperthermia has been shown to be an effective radiation sensitizer. Cisplatin has also been shown to cause radiosensitization. In part, the sensitization is through the inhibition of repair of radiation damage. In this study we have set out to combine low dose-rate irradiation (during which extensive repair occurs) with both cisplatin and hyperthermia to maximize the radiation sensitizing effect. Two human ovarian carcinoma cell lines, one parental (A2780S) and the other a cisplatin resistant derivative (A2780CP) cell line were used in these experiments. Long duration hyperthermia at 40 degrees C was combined with low concentrations of cisplatin (0.5-3 microg/ml) and low dose-rate irradiation (LDRI). The responses to the individual treatments showed that there was cross resistance in the two cell lines for cisplatin and radiation, but for hyperthermia the opposite effect was found. When all treatments were given concurrently the response was greater than the calculated response of all three individual treatments, indicating a synergistic interaction. The effect was greater in the cisplatin resistant cell line. The combination of mild hyperthermia, low dose cisplatin and LDRI are a good combination for potential clinical application. In addition, this could be a good approach to deal with cisplatin resistance.     

Molecular typing of Borrelia burgdorferi from Lyme disease patients by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis

Ninety-three Borrelia burgdorferi isolates obtained from erythema migrans lesions or blood of Lyme disease patients in Westchester County, N.Y., between 1991 and 1994 were characterized by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the 16S-23S rRNA gene spacer. All isolates could be classified into three distinct RFLP types. Among the 82 skin biopsy isolates studied, 21 (25.6%) were type 1, 37 (45.1%) were type 2, and 21 (25.6%) were type 3. Three (3.7%) cultures contained a mixture of two isolates with distinct RFLP types. The 11 isolates cultured from blood showed a similar predominance of RFLP type 2 (6 of 11; 54.5%) relative to types 1 (2 of 11; 18.2%) and 3 (3 of 11; 27.3%). For one patient both skin and blood isolates were cultured, and RFLP analysis revealed that these isolates differed from one another. This study demonstrates that there is genotypic heterogeneity in B. burgdorferi strains infecting Lyme disease patients, and this typing approach may allow differentiation of isolates with various degrees of pathogenic potential.     

Dysgraphia in children: lasting psychomotor deficiency or transient developmental delay?

A longitudinal design was applied to differentiate between normal variations of psychomotor development and lasting handwriting deficiency (dysgraphia). Sixteen primary school children were tested with writing tasks that were recorded on a computer-monitored'XY tablet. These tasks represented different modules of the handwriting model of Van Galen (1991). Dependent variables were spatial errors, movement time, movement dysfluencies, trajectory length, stroke curvature, and the degree of neuromotor noise in the movement velocity profiles. The latter variable was measured by means of Power Spectral Density Analysis of the movement velocity signal, which revealed that movements of poor writers were substantially more noisy than those of proficient writers, with a noise peak in the region of neuromotor tremor. At the same time, the poor writers were less accurate. It was concluded that control of spatial accuracy rather than allograph retrieval or size control is the discriminating feature in dysgraphic children. Moreover, poor writers do not catch up with their peers within the 1 year time span tested.