Latent class analysis of temperance board registrations in Swedish male-male twin pairs born 1902 to 1949: searching for subtypes of alcoholism

BACKGROUND: Alcoholism is clinically heterogeneous. We have attempted to identify and validate subtypes of broadly defined alcoholism. METHODS: Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to data on the number, age at onset and reasons for temperance board registration (TBR) in all male-male twin pairs of known zygosity born in Sweden from 1902-1949. RESULTS: Of the five classes identified, two were relatively common: single-cause registrant-drunk (SCR-D); and early-onset multiple-cause registrant (EO-MCR). In contrast to the SCR-D class, the EO-MCR class was characterized by: (i) earlier age at first TBR; (ii) higher number of TBRs; (iii) TBRs for drunk driving and alcohol-related crimes; (iv) much higher risk for alcohol-related imprisonment and hospitalization; (v) higher levels of neuroticism and novelty-seeking; and (vi) much greater risk for TBR in co-twins. In twin pairs concordant for TBR, concordance for LCA-derived class assignment far exceeded chance expectation, more so in monozygotic than in dizygotic pairs. CONCLUSIONS: Alcoholism is aetiologically as well as clinically heterogeneous. The two most common subtypes identified in these analyses bear substantial but imperfect resemblance to previously proposed typologies.     

Expression profile of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD106) in inflammatory foci using rhenium-188 labelled monoclonal antibody in mice

Laparoscopic or retroperitoneoscopic interventions such as nephrectomy or tumor nephrectomy call for the removal of large quantities of tissue, which can no longer be extracted via the relatively confined lumen of a cannula. For this purpose, a variety of organ retrieval systems have been designed and are commercially available with the aim of safe tissue retrieval. This paper summarizes the results of an experimental and clinical comparison of the most important organ entrapment systems suitable for endoscopic nephrectomy. The LapSacs was the first organ bag especially designed for laparoscopic nephrectomy. Despite various new modifications of this entrapment system, it still represents one of the best alternatives and has been used worldwide with success. However, because of its simplicity, it requires a certain laparoscopic expertise and involves a learning curve. Newly developed retrieval systems (i.e., LapBag, Extraction Bag, Endo-Catch) offer some advantages regarding the handling of the bag, which may be particularly useful during retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy with a restricted working space. Retrieval systems (i.e., Endobag, Endopouch) with low resistance to tearing forces or permeability to tumor cells or bacteria (i.e., Espiner Bag) cannot be recommended for endoscopic nephrectomy.     

Acute renal failure syndromes in human immunodeficiency virus infection

Two major groups of renal complications in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease are a spectrum of disorders that result in potentially reversible acute renal failure, primarily acute tubular necrosis (ATN), and HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), predominantly focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Fluid-electrolyte and acid-base derangements frequently encountered in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are major risk factors for the development of acute renal failure (ARF). HIVAN is an unusual form of poorly responsive glomerular disease characterized by nephrotic syndrome, FSGS, and a rapid fulminant progression to ESRD. ARF syndromes encountered in HIV patients are diverse in nature; many are similar to that in non-HIV subjects, whereas some are more common and unique. In general, HIV disease patients with ARF are younger and much sicker. Although ATN secondary to ischemic and toxic injuries is the commonest ARF syndrome, urinary obstruction is a rare cause of severe renal failure. In many AIDS patients afflicted with complicated infections and multi-organ failure, ATN is a terminal event, whereas in others treated aggressively, ARF is associated with good prognosis. In our large comparative study of severe ARF, recovery of renal function and mortality were determined by patient's general hemodynamic status, and not by the presence or absence of HIV infection. The prognosis of hemolytic uremic and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura syndromes often observed in HIV patients is much worse than in non-HIV patients. The syndrome of crystalluria-induced ARF is common, and protease inhibitor induced disease is confined to HIV patients.     

The neuronal cytoskeleton is at risk after mild and moderate brain injury

Recent studies have described alterations in cytoskeletal proteins such as microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) and neurofilament (NF) resulting from moderate and severe experimental brain injury; however, few have investigated the consequences of mild injury, which is associated clinically and experimentally with cognitive dysfunction and neuronal damage. To contrast cytoskeletal changes within 7 days following mild injury with those following moderate injury, we subjected anesthetized, adult rats to mild (1.1-1.3 atm) or moderate (2.3-2.5 atm) lateral fluid percussion brain injury or sham injury. Rats were sacrificed at 6 h (n=4 mild; n=4 moderate; n=2 sham), 24 h (n=4 mild; n=4 moderate; n=1 sham), or 7 days (n=5 mild; n=4 moderate; n=1 sham) following injury, and immunohistochemistry was performed for MAP-2 and NF. Both mild and moderate injury produced notable cytoskeletal changes in multiple brain regions; however, mild injury generally resulted in a lesser degree of MAP-2 and NF loss over a smaller spatial extent. When compared to moderately injured animals, animals subjected to mild injury showed substantially delayed MAP-2 and NF alterations within the cortex and hippocampal dentate gyrus and no evidence of MAP-2 loss in the hippocampal CA3 region. While mild and moderate injury resulted for the most part in similar patterns of axonal injury, tissue tears in the fimbria and loss of NF immunoreactivity in regions containing injured axons were only observed following moderate injury. Elucidating the effects of modulating injury severity may yield insight into the mechanisms involved in traumatic damage to the cytoskeleton and guide future treatment strategies.     

Survival of infectious Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in seawater and eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in the Chesapeake Bay

Oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum placed in artificial seawater at salinities of 10, 20, and 30 ppt at 10 degrees C and at 10 ppt at 20 degrees C were infectious after 12 weeks. Those placed in seawater at 20 ppt and 30 ppt at 20 degrees C were infectious for 8 and 4 weeks, respectively. These findings suggested that oocysts could survive in estuarine waters long enough to be removed by filter feeders such as oysters. Thereafter, 30 Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, were collected with a dredge or with hand tongs at each of six sites within Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in May and June and in August and September of 1997. Hemocytes and gill washings from all oysters were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts by immunofluorescence microscopy utilizing a commercially available kit containing fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated monoclonal antibodies. Giardia was not detected by this method from any of the 360 oysters examined. Presumptive identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts was made in either hemocytes or gill washings of oysters from all six sites both times that surveys were conducted. In addition, during August and September, for each of the six sites, hemocytes from the 30 oysters were pooled and gill washings from the oysters were pooled. Each pool was delivered by gastric intubation to a litter of neonatal mice to produce a bioassay for oocyst infectivity. Intestinal tissue from two of three mice that received gill washings from oysters collected at a site near a large cattle farm and shoreline homes with septic tanks was positive for developmental stages of C. parvum. These findings demonstrate for the first time that oysters in natural waters harbor infectious C. parvum oocysts and can serve as mechanical vectors of this pathogen.     

Identification of a novel enteric Helicobacter species in a kitten with severe diarrhea

A previously undescribed Helicobacter sp. was recovered from a cat with severe diarrhea. Based upon the absence of any other identifiable cause of diarrhea, this helicobacter may be involved in the development of the disease signs. The organism could not be cultured but was described on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and morphology and appeared to be a new species, with Helicobacter canis being the most genetically similar species. The presence of a diarrhea-inducing helicobacter in a companion animal may pose a risk of zoonosis.     

Effects of zinc deficiency on endogenous antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in glomerular cells of normal and five-sixths nephrectomized rats

We evaluated the effects of zinc deficiency on the activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in rat glomerular cells (GCs). Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 48) were fed a zinc-deficient diet and deionized distilled water for 1 week to induce zinc deficiency. Half of the rats (zinc-deficient group) continued on this diet for 4 weeks, and the other half (zinc-replete group) were maintained on the same diet but with zinc-supplemented water (150 mg/Lzinc sulfate solution). Half of each group underwent five-sixths nephrectomy, while the other half underwent a sham operation. Another 12 normal rats (controls) were fed standard rat chow (containing 23.4% protein and 70 ppm zinc) and drank deionized distilled water. The zinc-deficient rats, including sham and five-sixths nephrectomized rats, showed severe growth retardation and poor appetite. Their mean plasma zinc concentrations were half that of normal control rats, but their plasma copper concentration was significantly higher than that of the control rats. Zinc supplementation corrected the abnormality of plasma zinc and copper concentrations and the loss of body weight in zinc-deficient rats. Zinc-deficient rats exhibited lower renal creatinine clearance and higher GC-malondialdehyde (GC-MDA) than zinc-replete rats. The remnant kidney of all five-sixths nephrectomized rats, including zinc-deficient and zinc-replete rats, showed a compensatory elevation in renal creatinine clearance and increased GC-MDA concentrations. Zinc concentrations in the renal cortex were decreased in zinc-deficient rats and the activities of GC-superoxide dismutase and GC-glutathione peroxidase were increased, while zinc-replete rats exhibited normal activities of GC-superoxide dismutase and GC-glutathione peroxidase. We suggest that zinc deficiency enhances the formation of reactive oxygen species but does not affect the activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes in glomerular cells.     

Gender comparisons of the mechanomyographic responses to maximal concentric and eccentric isokinetic muscle actions

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a gender difference in the velocity-related patterns of mechanomyographic (MMG) responses to maximal isokinetic concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) muscle actions. METHODS: Adult males (N = 15) and females (N = 16) performed maximal CON and ECC muscle actions of the leg extensors on a calibrated Cybex 6000 dynamometer at velocities of 30, 90, and 150 degrees.s-1. MMG was detected by a piezoelectric crystal contact sensor placed over the vastus lateralis muscle. RESULTS: The results indicated that there were decreases in CON peak torque (PT) across velocities, while ECC PT remained constant with increasing velocity for both genders. MMG amplitude increased significantly (P < 0.05) with velocity in both the males and females for CON and ECC muscle actions. There was a gender difference in the velocity-related patterns of MMG responses to maximal isokinetic CON muscle actions; however, there was no gender difference in the pattern of ECC MMG responses. CONCLUSIONS: The gender difference in CON MMG responses may be attributed to the greater percent decline in CON PT across velocity for the females than the males. In addition, the males displayed greater CON and ECC MMG amplitudes at all muscle action velocities than the females, possibly because of gender differences in muscle mass and/or thickness of the adipose tissue layer.     

Immunohistological localization of the MrkD adhesin in the type 3 fimbriae of Klebsiella pneumoniae

The adhesive minor protein MrkD of the type 3 fimbria of Klebsiella pneumoniae was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with an N-terminal polyhistidine tail. Polyclonal antibodies raised against MrkD specifically recognized the MrkD peptide in Western blots of fimbrial preparations. Immunoelectron microscopic analyses showed that the anti-MrkD immunoglobulins bound to the tip of the plasmid-encoded variant of the type 3 fimbria of K. pneumoniae, whereas no binding to the chromosomally encoded MrkD-deficient type 3 fimbrial variant of K. pneumoniae was detected. Immunoglobulins from an antiserum raised against purified type 3 fimbrial filaments bound laterally to both type 3 fimbrial variants. The anti-MrkD antibodies also bound to the tip of a papG deletion derivative of the E. coli P fimbria complemented with mrkD, indicating that MrkD structurally complements a PapG mutation in the P fimbria of E. coli.