L'impact des sympt?mes somatiques dans l'évaluation de la dépression chez une population gériatrique.

Studied the relationship among age, physical health status, and psychic and somatic symptoms of depression among elderly adults. Human Ss: 318 male and female Canadian older adults (aged 65–102 yrs). Information on sociodemographic factors and health status was obtained using the Older American Research Scale, French version, by R. Lefran?ois et al (1988). A French version by P. Bourque and D. Beaudette (1982) of the Beck Depression Inventory was also used. The results were evaluated according to each S's sex, age, institutionalized residence status, and health status. Statistical tests were used. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Glucose homeostasis during spontaneous labor in normal human pregnancy

Using stable isotope, glucose turnover was measured in six normal pregnant women during the various stages of labor; during the latent (A1) and active (A2) phases of cervical dilatation, during fetal expulsion (B), and during placental expulsion (C). These data were compared to measurements made in five postpartum women. Pancreatic hormones and cortisol were also measured. In four other normal women undergoing spontaneous labor, catecholamines and free fatty acids were measured. Plasma glucose increased throughout labor from 4.0 +/- 0.2 (A1) to 5.5 +/- 0.5 mmol/L (C) (P < 0.01), compared to 4.7 +/- 0.1 in the postpartum women. Glucose utilization and production were increased throughout labor at 33.4 +/- 3.1 and 32.8 +/- 3.1 mumol/kg min, respectively, compared to 8.2 +/- 0.9 in postpartum women. Glucose metabolic clearance was also increased to 7.5 +/- 0.8 mL/kg.min compared to that in nonpregnant women (1.8 +/- 0.3). Plasma insulin remained at 59 +/- 5 pmol/L during stages A1, A2, and B, but increased to 115 +/- 15 pmol/L during stage C. Plasma glucagon was increased throughout labor at 127 +/- 7 pg/mL, compared to 90 +/- 4 pg/mL in control postpartum women. Plasma cortisol increased during labor from 921 +/- 136 to 2018 +/- 160 nmol/L, compared to 645 +/- 355 during the postpartum period. Epinephrine and norepinephrine also increased during labor from 218 +/- 132 pmol/L and 1.09 +/- 0.16 nmol/L to 1119 +/- 158 and 3.61 +/- 1.04, respectively. It is concluded that labor is associated with a marked increase in glucose utilization and production. These findings suggest that muscle contraction (uterus and skeletal) independent of insulin is a major regulator of glucose utilization during labor. Furthermore, the increase in hepatic glucose production could be favored by an increase in glucagon, catecholamines, and cortisol.     

Effect of lysoplatelet-activating factor on human sperm fertilizing ability

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the penetration rates in the hamster zona-free oocyte sperm penetration assay (SPA) after exposure of spermatozoa to lysoplatelet-activating factor (LPAF) and lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC). DESIGN: Washed human spermatozoa were exposed to 100 microM of LPAF or LPC, followed by the assessment of their fertilizing ability using the SPA. The percentage of penetration, the sperm binding in the SPA, the percentage of motile spermatozoa, and the acrosome reaction rates were quantified. SETTING: Private research and university laboratories. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Fresh and frozen semen samples from fertile donors with proven fertility were used as well as fresh semen from infertile patients attending a fertility clinic. All the infertile patients had abnormal semen analysis. INTERVENTIONS: Human spermatozoa were incubated for 90 minutes in the presence or absence of LPAF or LPC at 100 microM with 0.3% albumin in Ham's F-10 (GIBCO, Dorval, Quebec, Canada), and their fertilizing ability was evaluated using the SPA. The effect of these lysophospholipids on the percentage of acrosome reaction was evaluated with a fluorescent microscopy technique. RESULTS: The penetration rates of the SPA in male factor increased significantly from 3% +/- 6% with controls to 19% +/- 9% and 34% +/- 22% after incubation with LPC and LPAF, respectively. Sperm-oocyte binding was not significantly increased in this group. Sperm penetration assay penetration rates were also increased in fertile cryopreserved spermatozoa with LPC and LPAF. In this group, the acrosome reaction was significantly increased from 2% +/- 1% in controls to 10% +/- 6% and 8% +/- 3% after incubation with LPC and LPAF, respectively. CONCLUSION: Lysoplatelet-activating factor and LPC independently increased the penetration rate of spermatozoa and the percentage of acrosome reaction. Lysophosphatidylcholine and LPAF may be beneficial in the treatment of spermatozoa with male factor infertility and may increase fertilization rates in IVF.     

Organized cell swimming motions in Bacillus subtilis colonies: patterns of short-lived whirls and jets

The swimming motions of cells within Bacillus subtilis colonies, as well as the associated fluid flows, were analyzed from video films produced during colony growth and expansion on wet agar surfaces. Individual cells in very wet dense populations moved at rates between 76 and 116 microm/s. Swimming cells were organized into patterns of whirls, each approximately 1,000 microm2, and jets of about 95 by 12 microm. Whirls and jets were short-lived, lasting only about 0.25 s. Patterns within given areas constantly repeated with a periodicity of approximately 1 s. Whirls of a given direction became disorganized and then re-formed, usually into whirls moving in the opposite direction. Pattern elements were also organized with respect to one another in the colony. Neighboring whirls usually turned in opposite directions. This correlation decreased as a function of distance between whirls. Fluid flows associated with whirls and jets were measured by observing the movement of marker latex spheres added to colonies. The average velocity of markers traveling in whirls was 19 microm/s, whereas those traveling in jets moved at 27 microm/s. The paths followed by markers were aligned with the direction of cell motion, suggesting that cells create flows moving with them into whirls and along jets. When colonies became dry, swimming motions ceased except in regions close to the periphery and in isolated islands where cells traveled in slow whirls at about 4 microm/s. The addition of water resulted in immediate though transient rapid swimming (> 80 microm/s) in characteristic whirl and jet patterns. The rate of swimming decreased to 13 microm/s within 2 min, however, as the water diffused into the agar. Organized swimming patterns were nevertheless preserved throughout this period. These findings show that cell swimming in colonies is highly organized.     

Embryonic resistance to tumour necrosis factor-alpha mediated cytotoxicity: novel mechanism underlying maternal immunological tolerance to the fetal allograft

The cytokine tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) has been postulated to play an essential role in the cytotoxic activity of cell-mediated immunity against allogenic or tumour cells invading the host. Several tumour cell lines, however, are resistant to TNF mediated cytotoxicity and respond paradoxically by cellular proliferation and by autocrine secretion of TNF alpha. In view of the metastatic character of the mammalian embryo, the aim of this study was to assess the potential of murine embryos to secrete TNF alpha in vitro, to express TNF receptors and to resist TNF alpha mediated cytotoxicity during their in-vitro development to the blastocyst stage. The potential of human embryos to secrete TNF alpha in vitro until the blastocyst stage was also investigated. From a total of 11 human embryos, which were allowed to proceed to blastocyst formation, seven secreted TNF alpha in the range of 2-117 pg/ml/24 h. A total of 123 C57BL/6J mouse embryos were studied of which 55% secreted TNF alpha in the range of 1.25-3.95 mg/ml/24 h. The presence of high levels of exogenous TNF alpha (10-300 IU) was not detrimental to the in-vitro development of murine embryos. Using immunohistochemical techniques, we were not able to detect the presence of type I or II TNF receptors on the surface of murine embryos. Our findings suggest that human and C57BL/6J murine embryos have the potential to secrete TNF alpha in vitro during the developmental stages leading to blastocyst formation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)