Performance of children on symptom validity tests: TOMM, MSVT, and FIT

Symptom validity testing is a major topic in the field of neuropsychological research, but until now, few studies focus on effort testing in children. Three symptom validity tests (SVTs), the Medical Symptom Validity Test, the Test of Memory Malingering, and the Fifteen Item Test plus several standard neuropsychological tests were administered to 73 German-language school children from 6 to 11 years.Participants were either instructed to give full effort or to follow a malingering scenario. It could be demonstrated that, except for one child, all participants with a basic reading level of grade 2 were able to pass all administered SVTs according to established cutoffs for poor effort (i.e., earned a score higher than the cutoff). For the experimental malingerers, however, it was fairly difficult to act according to the scenario throughout the session. While they scored worse in the neuropsychological tests, all but one of them failed at least one SVT. The results support the use of SVTs in childhood age. More elaborate experimental designs and studies with bona-fide patients and suspected malingerers are needed in order to evaluate both the appropriateness of available effort tests and the capabilities of children to fake poor performance.     

Mitochondrial aspartate glutamate carrier (citrin) deficiency as the cause of adult-onset type II citrullinemia (CTLN2) and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis (NICCD)

 By using homozygosity mapping and positional cloning, we have shown that adult-onset type II citrullinemia (CTLN2) is caused by mutations of the SLC25A13 gene, which is localized on chromosome 7q21.3 and encodes a mitochondrial solute carrier protein named citrin. So far, we have reported nine mutations, most of which cause loss of citrin, and we have established several methods for DNA diagnosis. These methods have shown that more than 90% of the patients diagnosed as suffering from CTLN2 by enzymatic analysis carry SLC25A13 mutations in both alleles, indicating that CTLN2 is caused by citrin deficiency. Furthermore, by using the same DNA diagnosis methods, we discovered that 70 neonates or infants suffering from a particular type of neonatal hepatitis carry the same SLC25A13 mutations. Since the symptoms of the neonates are different from those of the more severe CTLN2 and usually ameliorate without special treatment, we designated the neonatal disease neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis caused by citrin deficiency (NICCD). We conclude that citrin deficiency causes NICCD in neonates and CTLN2 in adults through the additional effects of genetic or environmental modifiers. Since the function of citrin, together with that of an isoform, aralar, was found to be as a mitochondrial aspartate glutamate carrier, the various symptoms of NICCD and CTLN2 may be understood as caused by defective aspartate export from the mitochondria to the cytosol and defects in the malate aspartate shuttle. It is, however, still difficult to understand the cause of the hepatic deficiency of argininosuccinate synthetase protein in CTLN2. Received: March 20, 2002 / Accepted: March 28, 2002     

Specific immunotherapy prevents increased levels of allergen-specific IL-4- and IL-13-producing cells during pollen season

BACKGROUND: Specific allergen immunotherapy (SIT) is effective for treatment of IgE-mediated diseases: however, the mechanisms of action still remain unclear. Earlier, we showed that IL-4 and IL-13 are produced in response to specific allergens. The aim of this study was to investigate whether these cytokine responses were affected by allergen SIT, and, furthermore, to evaluate the effect of SIT on allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 levels. METHODS: Blood samples from pollen-sensitized individuals were collected before the pollen season (before treatment) and during the pollen season (after SIT or placebo treatment). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were activated in vitro with allergens and the numbers of IL-4-, IL-13-, IL-10-, and IFN-gamma-producing cells were determined by ELISPOT. Serum levels of allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 were measured by RAST and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: The numbers of IL-4- and IL-13-producing cells were shown to be increased in the placebo group during the pollen season, an increment which was absent in patients receiving allergen SIT. We found an increase in allergen-specific IgG4 in the SIT-treated individuals, but not in the placebo group. Both groups displayed elevated specific IgE levels during the pollen season. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data show a downregulation of IL-4- and IL-13-producing cells in peripheral blood after SIT, suggesting induction of nonresponsiveness/tolerance or a redistribution of these cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SIT acts on antibody production by increasing the specific IgG4 levels.     

Model building on the basis of Dutch cervical cancer screening data

A mass screening programme for cervical cancer is in progress in three pilot regions in The Netherlands. All women living in these regions aged 35-53 are invited to undergo screening at three-year intervals. The MISCAN simulation model was developed for the analysis and optimization of screening programmes. In this paper the model-based approach to evaluation is first outlined and then illustrated by analysing data from the first two screening rounds in the pilot regions. This analysis resulted in a rather restricted range of data-compatible assumptions for the mean duration of preclinical disease (14-19 yr) and the frequency of spontaneous regression of preinvasive lesions (45-65%), as well as a rather wide sensitivity range for the Pap smear (50-90%). These preliminary findings are compared with those of a previous MISCAN analysis of cervical cancer screening in British Columbia. On the basis of an assumed 18-yr duration, 50% regression and 70% sensitivity, a number of screening policies relating to the same age ranges but with different intervals are compared. Both the analysis and the policy comparisons are preliminary, but the findings are nevertheless reasonable and consistent with those of previous studies. A more complete MISCAN-based analysis of the Dutch screening programme and subsequent optimization of screening policies will be possible when further results become available and a cost-effectiveness analysis procedure has been incorporated into the MISCAN programme.     

Immunoregulatory properties of IL-13 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease; comparison with IL-4 and IL-10

Activated monocytes with increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines play a major role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Immunoregulatory cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10 can effectively suppress the proinflammatory response of activated monocytes. IL-13 is a recently described antiinflammatory agent in vitro. The aim of our study was to determine the in vitro immunosuppressive capacity of IL-13, IL-4 and IL-10 in patients with IBD. Peripheral blood monocytes were isolated from 27 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 27 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 16 healthy controls. Cells were stimulated with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) after treatment with IL-13, IL-4 and IL-10, and secretion of IL-1β, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6 was assessed using sandwich ELISA systems. Peripheral blood monocytes secreted significantly increased amounts of TNF-α and IL-6 under stimulation with PWM in patients with CD, while UC patients showed significantly elevated levels of IL-1β. The antiinflammatory cytokines IL-13, IL-4 and IL-10 were all capable of inhibiting monocyte secretion of IL-1β in a dose-dependent manner. With regard to IL-13 and IL-4, there was no significant suppression of TNF-α and IL-6 in patients with active IBD. By contrast, IL-10 was able to down-regulate all proinflammatory cytokines in active IBD as well as in controls. Proinflammatory cytokines from patients with inactive IBD could be significantly down-regulated by all three immunoregulatory cytokines. The inhibitory effect of IL-13 on TNF-α and IL-6 production in differentiated macrophages was diminished in IBD patients, as well as in controls. In disease controls we also observed a reduced inhibition of TNF-α and IL-6 after treatment with IL-13. In conclusion, the antiinflammatory activity of IL-13 is partially reduced in patients with active IBD. The hyporesponsiveness of activated and differentiated monocytes to IL-13 and IL-4 does not seem to be a disease-specific phenomenon.     

The categorical and dimensional models of endogenous depression

We calculated a Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) endogenous score for 257 depressed inpatients based on the number of endogenous criteria present. The distribution of RDC endogenous scores was unimodal. There was no association between endogenous scores and results of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test, or morbid risk for depression in the patients' first-degree relatives. The morbid risk for a family history of alcoholism tended to decrease with increasing endogenous scores, although a consistent steady decline was not observed. The results suggest that the RDC criteria do not fit either the categorical or dimensional model of endogenous classification. Potential sources of difficulty with the RDC endogenous criteria are discussed.     

IL-13对小鼠哮喘模型气道黏蛋白基因Muc5ac及Bcl-2、Bax表达的作用

目的研究白细胞介素-13(IL-13)处理小鼠支气管哮喘(哮喘)模型前后肺组织黏蛋白基因Muc5ac、凋亡相关蛋白Bcl-2和Bax表达的作用,探讨气道黏液过度分泌的机制.方法45只雄性BALB/c小鼠随机分为对照组、哮喘组和IL-13组,每组15只.用逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)方法和免疫组化法分别检测Muc5acmRNA、Muc5ac蛋白、Bcl-2蛋白以及Bax蛋白在肺组织的表达.结果哮喘组和对照组肺组织Muc5acmRNA分别为(0.1552±0.0057)和(0.0633±0.0013),Muc5ac蛋白分别为(0.8849±0.0257)和(0.1166±0.0064),两组比较差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01);IL-13组肺组织Muc5acmRNA和蛋白分别为(0.2807±0.0027)和(1.6138±0.0483),与哮喘组、对照组比较差异也均有统计学意义(P均<0.01).与对照组Bcl-2蛋白(0.3279±0.0136)、Bax蛋白(1.7284±0.0263)相比,哮喘组分别增加和降低(分别为0.8383±0.0310和0.8987±0.0106),两组差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.01);IL-13处理后可分别促进Bcl-2和Bax蛋白增加和降低(分别为1.6934±0.0229和0.3522±0.0152),其和哮喘组的差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.01);哮喘组和IL-13组小鼠肺组织Muc5acmRNA、蛋白表达与Bcl-2蛋白表达均呈直线正相关(P均<0.05),而与Bax蛋白表达则均呈直线负相关(P均<0.05).结论IL-13是引起哮喘气道黏液过度分泌的重要细胞因子,它可能通过改变Bcl-2和Bax的表达导致了上述病变.     

子宫畸形患者HOXA13基因同源结构域分析

目的探讨中国子宫畸形患者中HOXA13基因同源结构域是否存在突变及其相关性分析。方法国外文献报道手-足-生殖器综合征（hand-foot-genital syndrome,HFGS）患者中发现HOXA13基因2号外显子同源结构域存在点突变,而此综合征的女性患者部分症状表现为子宫畸形,因此对58例中国子宫畸形患者和54例正常对照者进行HOXA13基因同源结构域检测,PCR扩增目的片断后自动化测序分析基因2号外显子同源结构域区域。结果HOXA13基因同源结构域直接自动化测序分析结果显示,在患者和对照者中均没有突变发生。结论中国妇女子宫畸形的发生可能与HOXA13基因同源结构域突变无关。