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At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Amino acid patterns in schizophrenia: some new findings.

Blood concentrations of various amino acids were measured in schizophrenic patients and control subjects. Significantly higher blood concentrations of glycine, glutamate, and serine were found in the schizophrenic patients. Glycine was abnormally elevated in subjects with paranoid or undifferentiated schizophrenia, but not in disorganized patients. Since glutamate, glycine, and serine play a complex role in the regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are important in the control of normal cognitive processes, we hypothesized that the elevated levels of these amino acids might disrupt the normal functioning of NMDA receptors and might be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗

Finding new genes in the nervous system by cDNA analysis.

There are several methods to isolate cDNAs that do not require prior biochemical characterization of their protein products, including isolation of new members of particular protein families based on sequences of known members, selection of specific clones by differential screening, and shotgun analysis of a particular cDNA population. This third approach will produce a huge catalogue of cDNA sequences and anatomical data that will be useful to investigators with diverse interests. Recent methodological advances allow cDNAs to be isolated and sequenced rapidly. These methods, coupled with fast and reliable techniques for in situ hybridization histochemistry, should permit cDNA catalogues to be assembled efficiently.

Animals↗

New findings on the microbial flora associated with adult periodontitis.

The predominant microbial flora associated with adult periodontitis was investigated in 21 patients aged 20-40 years. Microorganisms from samples of subgingival plaque were cultured on selective and non-selective media under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Ten species or groups out of a total of 31 were found to comprise the predominant cultivable flora: diphtheroids, Porphyromonas asaccharolytica, coagulase-negative staphylococci, 'Streptococcus milleri'-group, Bacteroides ureolyticus, Capnocytophaga ochracea, the Prevotella veroralis/buccalis complex, P. intermedia, P. oralis and unidentified Prevotella spp. Two species previously reported at periodontitis sites, namely P. gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, were not isolated, whereas Prevotella species accounted for the majority of isolates in this investigation. The large proportion of non-pigmented Prevotella species, P. asaccharolytica and B. ureolyticus that were found have not generally been reported previously. The role of these microorganisms and also coagulase-negative staphylococci, diphtheroids and the 'Streptococcus milleri'-group requires further investigation in adult periodontitis.

Adult↗

Use of the dexamethasone suppression test in an inpatient setting: a replication and new findings.

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was administered to 131 depressed and 109 nondepressed psychiatric inpatients. The depressed patients were categorized according to DSM-III as minor depression, major depression without melancholia, and major depression with melancholia and/or with psychotic features. The nondepressed patients were stratified over several DSM-III subcategories. DST nonsuppression was nonspecific for major depression: the mean post-dexamethasone cortisol value and the number of nonsuppressors were not significantly different between the major depressives and the nondepressed psychiatric controls. Within the depressive sample the DST was a significant (p less than 0.01) discriminator between major and minor depression. Postdexamethasone plasma greater than or equal to 3.5 micrograms/dl at 0800h was the most sensitive (39%) and specific (94%) criterion; cortisol values at 1600h and 2300h showed no significant discriminating power for major vs. minor depression. The diagnostic utility of the DST thus appears to be limited to confirming the diagnosis of major depression, once the clinical diagnosis of depression is made. There was no significant influence of age or gender on postdexamethasone cortisol values.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗

Pre- and post-synaptic cholinergic dysfunction in aged rodent brain regions: new findings and an interpretative review.

Age-related impairment of dynamic aspects of central cholinergic neurotransmission has been indicated by many studies of aged rodents, but the regional distribution of cholinergic deficits and the relative contribution of presynaptic hypofunction and reduced acetylcholine release, loss of synaptic integrity or loss of muscarinic receptors remains unclear. This study therefore compared choline acetyltransferase activity (as a structural marker) and sodium-dependent high affinity choline uptake (which reflects both ongoing cholinergic neuronal activity and structural integrity) in the hippocampus, cortex and straitum of male C57BL mice at 3-4, 10-12 or 28-32 months of age. To evaluate the relationship of changes in muscarinic receptors to presynaptic alterations, binding of the antagonist 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate was compared in membranes prepared from each of these brain regions. High affinity choline uptake was significantly reduced in all three brain regions by 28-32 months of age. This trend was already evident by 10-12 months of age, especially in hippocampus and cortex. By contrast, choline acetyltransferase activity was unchanged in striatum and actually increased in hippocampus and cortex of aged mice. Muscarinic binding was reduced significantly only in striatum and this effect was significant by 10-12 months of age. This decrease in antagonist binding was accompanied by a small but significant reduction in the relative proportion of high affinity agonist sites as defined by carbachol displacement. The impairment of high affinity choline uptake in the absence of a parallel reduction of choline acetyltransferase activity suggests a decline of ongoing cholinergic activity rather than loss of terminal integrity as the basis of presynaptic deficits in aging. This functional decline may be exacerbated by reduction of muscarinic receptors in striatum. Despite considerable literature support for the hypothesis that cholinergic mechanisms are impaired with age, several controversies leave important issues unresolved. Therefore, the present results are discussed in the context of a critical review with emphasis on dynamic properties of presynaptic function which require analysis in experimental animal models. The impact of normal aging on brain cholinergic systems is distinguished from the neurodegenerative changes in Alzheimer disease in that presynaptic function is compromised with a relative preservation of the integrity of innervation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aging↗

Hereditary angioedema: new findings concerning symptoms, affected organs, and course.

PURPOSE: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) due to C1 inhibitor deficiency is clinically characterized by relapsing skin swellings, abdominal pain attacks, and life-threatening upper airway obstruction. Our aim was to examine a temporal and spatial pattern of the edema episodes by evaluating the long-term course of hereditary angioedema in order to establish a specific swelling pattern. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data were generated from 221 patients with C1 inhibitor deficiency by asking them about symptoms they experienced during their edema episodes. Documentation was accomplished through the use of standardized questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 131110 edema episodes were observed. Clinical symptoms started at a mean age of 11.2 (SD 7.7) years. During the following cumulative 5736 years, only 370 (6.5%) symptom-free years occurred. Skin swellings, including extremity, facial, genital, and trunk swellings, and abdominal attacks occurred in 97.4% of all edema episodes of the disease. The other episodes were laryngeal edema (0.9%); edema of the soft palate (0.6%); tongue swellings (0.3%); headache episodes (0.7%); episodes affecting urinary bladder (0.3%), chest (0.2%), muscles (0.4%), joints (0.1%), kidneys (0.1%), and esophagus (0.05%), and were partly combined with other edema episodes. The per-patient analysis and the per-episode analysis revealed markedly discrepant results. On average, women had a more severe course of the disease than men. Patients with early onset of clinical symptoms were affected more severely than those with late onset. CONCLUSION: The described swelling pattern is specific for HAE and allows a tentative diagnosis based on clinical symptoms and the course of the disease.

Adolescent↗

Enteroviruses: new findings on the role of enteroviruses in type 1 diabetes.

Common enterovirus infections appear to initiate or facilitate the pathogenetic processes leading to type 1 diabetes, and sometimes also precipitate the clinical disease. It is not known in detail how enterovirus infections bring about the loss of insulin-producing beta-cells, a phenomenon characteristic of the disease. Recent results from studies on pancreases from human autopsies and cultured human islets support the idea that during systemic enterovirus infections, the virus may reach pancreatic islets and cause direct beta-cell damage. Although individual enteroviruses (EV) exhibited differences in their beta-cell tropism in the cultured human islets, all serotypes studied contained highly destructive strains. The final confirmation on the role of enteroviruses in type 1 diabetes can only be obtained from intervention studies. If the association holds true then it would be possible to reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes by preventing enterovirus infections with a multivalent enterovirus vaccine that could be given to children soon after birth.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1↗

A fast and robust 19F NMR-based method for finding new HIV-1 protease inhibitors.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which encodes, among other indispensable enzymes, an aspartic protease that is essential for viral maturation and replication. Numerous inhibitors of the protease have been developed. However, the eventual resistance of HIV-1 to these drugs implies a continuous battle to develop new inhibitors. Proposed herein is a robust, fast, and reliable method employing (19)F NMR for the evaluation of the inhibitory activity of new compounds against HIV-1 protease.

Binding Sites↗

Who controls the crowd? New findings and old questions about the intestinal microflora.

It is probably one of the most complex tasks to understand the mutual relationship between members of the microbial community in the gut and their interaction with the host. Although many animals including humans can live without gut flora, it is beneficial for the growth and protection of the host against pathogens. On the other hand, clinical and experimental intestinal inflammatory reactions have been attributed to immune recognition of the intestinal microflora. This review discusses recent and old findings on function and immunological relevance of the endogenous microflora.

Animals↗

Duodenal stenosis, a new finding on congenital rubella syndrome: case description and literature review.

Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) continues to represent a public healthcare problem although an effective vaccination program. Gastrointestinal involvement is rather infrequent and the association of CRS with duodenal stenosis has been never reported. In this study a case of CRS with duodenal diaphragm is reported and the gastrointestinal diseases described in association with CRS are reviewed. A 10-month-old child affected by CRS with congenital hearth disease, perceptive deafness and microcephaly, was admitted because of vomiting and failure to thrive. An upper endoscopy demonstrated dilated proximal duodenum and a perforated diaphragm in the second segment of the duodenum. Endoscopic membranectomy was therefore performed. Two months later the patient was submitted to a further endoscopic evaluation that showed a partial diaphragm persistence and a second excision was performed. Follow-up one year after the first treatment showed good clinical conditions, reasonable physical growth and disappearance of vomiting. In conclusion we report the first case of CRS in association with duodenal stenosis. Duodenal stenosis in the absence of other intestinal localizations may be due to rubella capacity of infecting only small numbers of fetal cells but we cannot exclude that the duodenal stenosis in our patient be only a casual association.

Constriction, Pathologic↗

Inactive enzyme-homologues find new function in regulatory processes.

Although the catalytic center of an enzyme is usually highly conserved, there have been a few reports of proteins with substitutions at essential catalytic positions, which convert the enzyme into a catalytically inactive form. Here, we report a large-scale analysis of substitutions at enzymes' catalytic sites in order to gain insight into the function and evolution of inactive enzyme-homologues. Our analysis revealed that inactive enzyme-homologues are not an exception only found in single enzyme families, but that they are represented in a large variety of enzyme families and conserved among metazoan species. Even though they have lost their catalytic activity, they have adopted new functions and are now mainly involved in regulatory processes, as shown by several case studies. This modification of existing modules is an efficient mechanism to evolve new functions. The invention of inactive enzyme-homologues in metazoa has thereby led to an enhancement of complexity of regulatory networks.

Enzymes↗

New findings regarding the significance of pavement skid resistance for road safety on Swiss freeways.

INTRODUCTION: The significance of the influence of poor pavement skid resistance values on accident frequency in wet pavement conditions has been the object of many studies over several years. The various investigations have produced very diverse findings. Only seldom, however, has detailed consideration been given to the central question of whether pavement skid resistance is a decisive parameter in the occurrence of local accident "black spots." Until now, the focus has been more on describing a relationship between pavement skid resistance and accident frequency. METHOD AND RESULTS: In the course of the network-wide survey of the states of pavements and of accident occurrence on Switzerland's freeways from 1999 to 2003, it emerged that a relationship with inadequate pavement skid resistance was provable for only a small proportion of accident black spots. These findings were used to frame a guideline for authorities and highway operators about how to treat skid resistance when assessing pavements and accident occurrence on freeways.

Accident Prevention↗