A pilot study of lithium carbonate plus divalproex sodium for the continuation and maintenance treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder

PURPOSE OF STUDY: To assess whether selected periapical radiographs, taken according to High Yield Criteria, can reveal as much intra-osseous pathology as universal panoramic screening. POPULATION STUDIED: The records of 1101 RAF recruits enlisted in 1988-89, average age 19 years (range 16-26). METHODS: The clinical records and bitewing radiographs of the recruits were examined and the requirement for periapical radiographs determined according to high yield criteria. A template, cut out to simulate the area covered by a periapical bitewing radiograph, was placed over the suspect region on the panoramic film and any findings found within the template recorded. The entire dental panoramic tomograph was then examined on a masked screen under 2X magnification and any further findings recorded. FINDINGS: There was a considerable number of findings reported, including three large isolated radiolucent areas, 75 periradicular radiolucent areas, four probable cysts and 1187 unerupted mandibular third molars. However, when the clinical significance of these 'lesions' was assessed only those related to dental causes appeared to have significant clinical implications and the results indicated that these could have been detected by selective radiology. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the only pathology which occurs frequently enough to justify radiographic screening of the jaws in young adults is related to teeth. It seems probable that this type of pathology can be at least as well detected by selective periapical screening, using high yield criteria, as is possible by universal panoramic screening.     

Expression of the HGF/SF receptor, c-met, and its ligand in human colorectal cancers

To characterize the clinical features of childhood tuberculosis, we analyzed the symptoms, signs, and laboratory findings of the 89 children with tuberculosis admitted to the Yokohama City University Hospital from 1975 to 1994. Compared with the numbers of patients admitted from 1975 to 1979, those of patients of the past 5 years (from 1990 to 1994) were reduced by half. Of the 89 subjects, 56.2% were below 3 years of age and 24.7% were under 1 year of age. 51.7% had primary complex and 20.2% had serious tuberculosis (tuberculous meningitis 14.6%, miliary tuberculosis 3.4%, and bone and joint tuberculosis 2.2%). Tuberculous children below 3 years of age consisted of primary complex (60.0%) and serious tuberculosis (32.0%). The majority (86.0%) of tuberculous children below 3 years of age had not received BCG vaccination. In 55 (61.8%) of 89 subjects, the sources of tuberculosis were clarified. Of these subjects, 83.6% were infected in the family. The rate of BCG inocluation tended to decrease with decreasing age, especially that of children below 3 years of age was 14.0%. Of the 89 subjects, only 16.9% proved to be smear-positive. Taken together, in order to eliminate tuberculous children below 3 years of age, the following is necessary; (1) BCG inoculation in early infancy, (2) early diagnosis of index cases with adult tuberculosis, and (3) prompt and appropriate family contact examination.     

Effects of insect diapause and parasitization of a braconid, Bracon brevicornis Wesm. on the haemolymph of its host Sesamia cretica Led

Eight types of haemocytes were defined in the 6th instar larvae of the greater sugar cane borer Sesamia cretica Led, as follows prohaemocytes, plasmatocytes, granular cells, spindle cells, adipohaemocytes, oenocytoids, spherule cells and cystocytes. Total haemocyte counts (THCs) and differential counts (DHCs) were estimated for diapausing and non-diapausing larvae. During diapause, there was a significant reduction in the numbers of all haemocyte types. Upon termination of diapause, the haemocyte level increased. This reduction in the haemocyte level observed during diapause may be due to the decreased in the metabolic activity. Also, a decrease in the total haemocyte counts appeared after the parasitization of 6th instar S. cretica larvae by the 2nd larval instar of braconid ectoparasioid Bracon brevicornis Wesm. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as compared to the unparasitized ones. However, the DHCs in parasitized larvae showed an increase in the number of phagocytic cells (plasmatocytes, granular cells and spindle cells) and a remarkable decrease in the prohaemocyte counts was detected as compared to that of the unparasitized ones. Moreover, teratocytes appeared in the blood smears of paraitized S. cretica by B. brevicornis. They were round to oval, opaque and stain dark with Giemsa stain and ranged between 5-30 mu in diameter.     

CATH--a hierarchic classification of protein domain structures

BACKGROUND: Protein evolution gives rise to families of structurally related proteins, within which sequence identities can be extremely low. As a result, structure-based classifications can be effective at identifying unanticipated relationships in known structures and in optimal cases function can also be assigned. The ever increasing number of known protein structures is too large to classify all proteins manually, therefore, automatic methods are needed for fast evaluation of protein structures. RESULTS: We present a semi-automatic procedure for deriving a novel hierarchical classification of protein domain structures (CATH). The four main levels of our classification are protein class (C), architecture (A), topology (T) and homologous superfamily (H). Class is the simplest level, and it essentially describes the secondary structure composition of each domain. In contrast, architecture summarises the shape revealed by the orientations of the secondary structure units, such as barrels and sandwiches. At the topology level, sequential connectivity is considered, such that members of the same architecture might have quite different topologies. When structures belonging to the same T-level have suitably high similarities combined with similar functions, the proteins are assumed to be evolutionarily related and put into the same homologous superfamily. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the structural families generated by CATH reveals the prominent features of protein structure space. We find that nearly a third of the homologous superfamilies (H-levels) belong to ten major T-levels, which we call superfolds, and furthermore that nearly two-thirds of these H-levels cluster into nine simple architectures. A database of well-characterised protein structure families, such as CATH, will facilitate the assignment of structure-function/evolution relationships to both known and newly determined protein structures.