SNAP-25 deficit and hippocampal connectivity in schizophrenia

Regional abnormalities of brain connectivity may be an important substrate for the expression of schizophrenia, a severe form of mental illness. Brain imaging and postmortem morphometric studies indicate hippocampal structure is abnormal in schizophrenia. To study molecular components of hippocampal connectivity the presynaptic proteins SNAP-25 and synaptophysin were assayed in postmortem samples. Immunocytochemical studies indicated reduced SNAP-25 immunoreactivity in schizophrenia compared to controls, particularly in the terminal fields of entorhinal cortex projections. Although there were no overall changes in synaptophysin immunoreactivity, in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus synaptophysin immunoreactivity was increased in schizophrenia. These results indicate that disconnection of a subset of hippocampal circuitry from the entorhinal cortex, as well as intrinsic changes in hippocampal connectivity, may contribute to the mechanism of illness in schizophrenia.      

Epidemiologic background and long-term course of disease in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected blood donors identified before routine laboratory screening. Transfusion Safety Study Group

BACKGROUND: The long-term course of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-related disease among seropositive blood donors has not been described. The enrollment and epidemiologic background of HIV-1- infected donors in the Transfusion Safety Study and their immunologic and clinical progression are described. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Through the testing of approximately 200,000 sera from donations made in late 1984 and early 1985, 146 anti-HIV-1-positive donors and 151 uninfected matched donors were enrolled. These two cohorts were followed with 6-month interval histories and laboratory testing. RESULTS: Seropositive donors detected before the institution of routine anti-HIV-1 screening disproportionately were first-time donors and men with exclusively male sexual contacts. The actuarial probability of a person's developing AIDS within 7 years after donation was 40 percent; the probability of a person's dying of AIDS was 28 percent. AIDS developed more often when the donor was p24 antigen-positive at donation. Over a 3-year period, significant decreases occurred in CD4+, CD2+CD26+, CD4+CD29+, and CD20+CD21+ counts, but not in CD8+ subsets, CD20+, or CD14+. CONCLUSION: The high proportions of first-time donations and exclusively homosexual men among seropositive donors suggest that test-seeking may have contributed to the high HIV-1 prevalence in the repository. Implementation of alternative test sites when routine donor screening began in 1985 may have averted many high- risk donations. The disease course in HIV-1-infected donors had the same wide spectrum of immunologic and clinical manifestations as were reported for other cohorts.     

Dependence of wave front refraction on pupil size due to the presence of higher order aberrations

PURPOSE: Propagation of light through the optical pathway within the eye can lead to a deformation of the wave front that might affect objective but also subjective refraction depending on pupil size. The aim of this study was to investigate the change in wave front refraction that is calculated on the basis of second order Zernike polynomials when varying the pupil size from 6 mm to 3 mm. The change was correlated with the amount of fourth and sixth order spherical aberration and fourth and sixth order astigmatism. METHODS: Wave front aberrations were measured in 130 eyes by means of a Tscherning wave front sensor at a pupil size of 6 mm. Wave front aberrations in terms of Zernike coefficients up to sixth order were approximated for 6 mm and 3 mm pupil size. The wave front refraction was calculated based on the second order Zernike coefficients for both pupil diameters. Resulting differences in wave front refraction (sphere or cylinder) due to the change in pupil size were correlated with the initial higher order aberrations determined for the 6.0 mm pupil by means of a linear regression (Spearman rank correlation coefficient). RESULTS: The correlation between the change in sphere and cylinder on one hand and the spherical aberration and higher order astigmatism on the other hand was found to be highly significant (p<0.001), with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.96 for sphere and R = 0.85 for cylinder. CONCLUSIONS: Calculating the wave front refraction on the basis of second order Zernike polynomials is plagued with the influence of the higher order aberration preexisting in the individual eye. This is one reason why this method does not represent precisely enough subjective refraction. Other methods that calculate the refraction based on wave front measurement independent from the pupil size should be established in the ophthalmic community.     

胃酸抑制剂不会增加老年患者术后肺炎的发病风险

本研究在于确定胃酸抑制剂是否会增加选择性手术患者术后发生肺炎的风险。 此项人群前瞻性队列研究于1992年4月1日-2008年3月31日在加拿大开展。年龄大于65岁已确定进行选择性手术的患者入组。将本年度在手术前服用过两种或以上胃酸抑制剂的患者以及术前90天内服用过至少一种胃酸抑制剂的患者入试验组,     

Administration of hydrogen sulfide via extracorporeal membrane lung ventilation in sheep with partial cardiopulmonary bypass perfusion: a proof of concept study on metabolic and vasomotor effects

Introduction  

Although inhalation of 80 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) reduces metabolism in mice, doses higher than 200 ppm of H₂S were required to depress metabolism in rats. We therefore hypothesized that higher concentrations of H₂S are required to reduce metabolism in larger mammals and humans. To avoid the potential pulmonary toxicity of H₂S inhalation at high concentrations, we investigated whether administering H₂S via ventilation of an extracorporeal membrane lung (ECML) would provide means to manipulate the metabolic rate in sheep.     

Respiratory symptoms in preterm infants: burden of disease in the first year of life

Objective

While respiratory symptoms in the first year of life are relatively well described for term infants, data for preterm infants are scarce. We aimed to describe the burden of respiratory disease in a group of preterm infants with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and to assess the association of respiratory symptoms with perinatal, genetic and environmental risk factors.

Methods

Single centre birth cohort study: prospective recording of perinatal risk factors and retrospective assessment of respiratory symptoms during the first year of life by standardised questionnaires. Main outcome measures: Cough and wheeze (common symptoms), re-hospitalisation and need for inhalation therapy (severe outcomes). Patients: 126 preterms (median gestational age 28.7 weeks; 78 with, 48 without BPD) hospitalised at the University Children''s Hospital of Bern, Switzerland 1999-2006.

Results

Cough occurred in 80%, wheeze in 44%, rehospitalisation in 25% and long term inhalation therapy in wheezers in 13% of the preterm infants. Using logistic regression, the main risk factor for common symptoms was frequent contact with other children. Severe outcomes were associated with maximal peak inspiratory pressure, arterial cord blood pH, APGAR and CRIB-Score.

Conclusions

Cough in preterm infants is as common as in term infants, whereas wheeze, inhalation therapy and re-hospitalisations occur more often. Severe outcomes are associated with perinatal risk factors. Preterm infants who did not qualify for BPD according to latest guidelines also showed a significant burden of respiratory disease in the first year of life.     

Are there three types of Helicobacter pylori gastritis?

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