Norethisterone treatment to control timing of the IVF cycle

The use of norethisterone to control the timing of the precedingmenstrual cycle and in consequence the timing of the in-vitrofertilization (IVF) cycle has been evaluated in a therapeuticIVF programme in which oocyte recovery was limited to 2 dayseach week. A consecutive series of 181 cycles after norethisteroneand 29 untreated controls were compared. Menstruation occurred2– 3 days after norethisterone as planned in 82% of patientsoverall and in 87% of patients whose menstrual cycle lengthvaried by no more than 2 days about the median. Norethisteronetreatment did not significantly affect the outcome of IVF treatmentcompared with the controls in respect to cycles abandoned (12versus 0%, respectively), peak follicular diameter (mean 18.1mm versus 18.3 mm 48 h before laparoscopy), oocyte recoveryrate (4.6 versus 4.5 per patient), oocyte morphology (63% versus52% mature), or fertilization rate (72 versus 65% of matureoocytes). Clinical pregnancies were too few for comparison (rates27 versus 9% per laparoscopy) but the overall rate (23%) indicatedeffectiveness of the methods. Prior norethisterone treatmentappears to be an effective and useful means of controlling thetiming of the oocyte recovery in IVF treatment.     

Assessment of short-term visual memory in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients

This study provides normative data on 270 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients using the Bender Recall technique as a measure of short-term visual memory. In addition, the authors present normative data on another immediate recall technique using the Coding section of the WISC-R. These findings are examined in light of age differences and IQ scores. Detailed instructions for administering the Coding Recall technique are presented.     

Comparison of rapid,automated ribotyping and DNA macrorestriction analysis of Burkholderia pseudomallei

An automated ribotyping device (RiboPrinter) was used to determine the ribotypes of a collection of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates. In a preliminary evaluation with the restriction enzymes BamHI and EcoRI, the protocol with EcoRI was more discriminating. The reproducibilities of the ribotypes obtained with EcoRI (EcoRI ribotypes) were determined by testing three levels of bacterial loads. The performance of the manufacturer's software was assessed by comparing the machine-optimized ribotypes with the type determined from the original gel image analyzed with Bionumerics software. The library of B. pseudomallei EcoRI ribotypes was then compared with the ribotypes obtained by DNA macrorestriction analysis of XbaI digests by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The typeability of B. pseudomallei by EcoRI ribotyping was 100%, and the discrimination index was 0.94. The slightly greater discrimination provided by DNA macrorestriction analysis (0.96) was achieved at the expense of a significantly longer processing time of 6 days, although the method was only half the cost of automated ribotyping. Typeability by macrorestriction analysis was lower (97%) unless a thiourea step was added to neutralize the action of Tris-dependent endonucleases. The digital record of B. pseudomallei isolates analyzed thus far provides a useful resource for future epidemiological studies and will help shorten the response time in the event of a further melioidosis outbreak or the deliberate release of B. pseudomallei as a biohazard.     

Elastin point mutations cause an obstructive vascular disease, supravalvular aortic stenosis

Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is an inherited obstructive vascular disease that affects the aorta, carotid, coronary and pulmonary arteries. Previous molecular genetic data have led to the hypothesis that SVAS results from mutations in the elastin gene, ELN. In these studies, the disease phenotype was linked to gross DNA rearrangements (35 and 85 kb deletions and a translocation) in three SVAS families. However, gross rearrangements of ELN have not been identified in most cases of autosomal dominant SVAS. To define the spectrum of ELN mutations responsible for this disorder, we refined the genomic structure of human ELN and used this information in mutational analyses. ELN point mutations co-segregate with the disease in four familial cases and are associated with SVAS in three sporadic cases. Two of the mutations are nonsense, one is a single base pair deletion and four are splice site mutations. In one sporadic case, the mutation arose de novo. These data demonstrate that point mutations of ELN cause autosomal dominant SVAS.      

Virulence of protein A-deficient and alpha-toxin-deficient mutants of Staphylococcus aureus isolated by allele replacement.

The gene coding for protein A (spa) of Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4 has been inactivated by substituting part of the spa coding sequence for a DNA fragment specifying resistance to ethidium bromide. The in vitro-constructed spa::EtBrr substitution mutation was introduced into the S. aureus chromosome by recombinational allele replacement. Southern blot hybridization showed that the in vitro-constructed mutation was present in the chromosomal spa locus. We have previously reported the inactivation of the alpha-toxin gene (hly) by allele replacement with an in vitro-constructed hly::Emr (erythromycin resistance) mutation (M. O'Reilly, J.C.S. de Azavedo, S. Kennedy, and T.J. Foster, Microb. Pathogen. 1:125-138, 1986). A double Spa- Hly- mutant was constructed by transduction. The virulence of Spa- and Hly- mutants was tested by experimental infection of mice. When subcutaneous injections were given, Hly- mutants formed a flat, darkened lesion, whereas Hly+ strains caused a raised, cream lesion. Alpha-toxin was shown to be a major factor in forming subcutaneous lesions and in causing the death of mice injected intraperitoneally. Spa- mutants were slightly less virulent than their Spa+ counterparts, which suggests that protein A is also a virulence factor of S. aureus.     

Genetic studies on murine susceptibility to herpes simplex keratitis

We studied the influence of lgh-linked genes on the development of keratopathy after corneal inoculation with herpes simplex virus (HSV). Using congenic strains of mice, we found that the lgh-1 gene locus, or genes closely linked to it, influence the clinical expression of HSV infection. Mice with the lgh-1e or lgh-1d allotype routinely developed severe keratopathy after HSV corneal inoculation, whereas congenic strains with lgh-1a or lgh-1b allotype were less susceptible. Cell-mediated immune responses to HSV also differed between susceptible and resistant murine strains. We interpret our results to imply a genetic influence on cell-mediated, acquired immune responses to HSV infection.     

Correlates of body image dissatisfaction among overweight women seeking weight loss

Predictors of body image dissatisfaction (BID) among obese people are poorly understood. In 79 obese women seeking weight reduction, associations with BID of self-esteem, youth teasing, adult teasing, and internalization of sociocultural appearance standards (ISAS) were studied. Analyses revealed that only self-esteem, adult teasing, and ISAS predicted BID. Results highlight the importance of adulthood self-esteem and interpersonal-cultural context--rather than childhood experiences--in predicting adulthood BID.