Recent life events and suicide: a case-control study in Tallinn and Frankfurt

The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in the disposition and frequency of recent life events preceding suicide in two cities with different socio-political backgrounds: Tallinn in Estonia and Frankfurt/Main in Germany. The information about 156 suicidents in Tallinn and 163 suicidents in Frankfurt was compiled using the psychological autopsy technique [Shneidman, E. S. (1981). The psychological autopsy. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 11, 325-340; Jacobs, D., & Klein-Benheim, M. (1995). The psychological autopsy: A useful tool for determining proximate causation in suicide cases. Bulletin of American Academy of Psychiatry Law, 23(2), 165-182]. General population controls were matched by age and sex. The occurrence of recent life events was similar among suicidents in Tallinn (81%) and Frankfurt (77%). However, in both sites only male suicides had higher risk of occurrence of any life event than controls (Tallinn: OR'=1.9; 95% CI=1.1-3.7; Frankfurt: OR'=2.0; 95% CI=1.0-4.1) and the mean number of life events was significantly higher among male suicidents in Tallinn in comparison with controls. This may indicate that males are more sensitive to the rapid changes in a society undergoing transition. It seems that it is not the number of life events, but rather their meaning and disposition that creates the risk of suicide. Family discord (weighted OR=4.5; 95% CI=2.5-8.1), loss of job (weighted OR=2.6; 95% CI=1.0-6.4) and financial deterioration (weighted OR=2.2; 95% CI=1.3-3.8) were more prevalent among suicides in Tallinn in comparison with those in Frankfurt. The most significant differences between suicides and controls were family discord, separation and loss of job in Tallinn and somatic illness in Frankfurt. These differences between the two societies, post-Soviet Estonia and Germany, could be explained by the different positions of Estonia and Germany on the survival/self-expression dimensions recorded by the World Value Survey. People in Estonia tend to emphasize economic and physical security above all other goals, and feel threatened by the changes taking place in society. In Germany, good health is considered a necessity for a consumer and self-expressive style of life, and poor health is perceived as a serious threat to the quality of life in a post-materialistic value system.     

Analysis of the fecal microbiota of irritable bowel syndrome patients and healthy controls with real-time PCR

OBJECTIVE: The gut microbiota may contribute to the onset and maintenance of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this study, the microbiotas of patients suffering from IBS were compared with a control group devoid of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. METHODS: Fecal microbiota of patients (n = 27) fulfilling the Rome II criteria for IBS was compared with age- and gender-matched control subjects (n = 22). Fecal samples were obtained at 3 months intervals. Total bacterial DNA was analyzed by 20 quantitative real-time PCR assays covering approximately 300 bacterial species. RESULTS: Extensive individual variation was observed in the GI microbiota among both the IBS- and control groups. Sorting of the IBS patients according to the symptom subtypes (diarrhea, constipation, and alternating predominant type) revealed that lower amounts of Lactobacillus spp. were present in the samples of diarrhea predominant IBS patients whereas constipation predominant IBS patients carried increased amounts of Veillonella spp. Average results from three fecal samples suggested differences in the Clostridium coccoides subgroup and Bifidobacterium catenulatum group between IBS patients (n = 21) and controls (n = 15). Of the intestinal pathogens earlier associated with IBS, no indications of Helicobacter spp. or Clostridium difficile were found whereas one case of Campylobacter jejuni was identified by sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: With these real-time PCR assays, quantitative alterations in the GI microbiota of IBS patients were found. Increasing microbial DNA sequence information will further allow designing of new real-time PCR assays for a more extensive analysis of intestinal microbes in IBS.     

Nitric oxide synthases are associated with bronchial dysplasia

Recent studies suggest that reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS) are highly associated with the pathogenesis of cigarette smoke related lung diseases but their role in the malignant conversion of bronchial epithelium is unclear. The immunohistochemical expression of inducible, endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthases (iNOS, eNOS and nNOS) and nitrotyrosine as a biomarker of oxidative/nitrosative stress was evaluated in 79 cases including 13 non-smokers, 20 smokers without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 22 with COPD and 24 with metaplasia-dysplasia-sequence of the bronchial epithelium. Normal lung of non-smokers was mainly negative for nitrotyrosine, while it was higher in the alveolar macrophages of cigarette smokers and COPD than in non-smokers (p=0.025, p<0.001), and in the alveolar epithelium of smokers and COPD than in non-smokers (p=0.049). There were no major differences in the nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity between the metaplastic/dysplastic lesions and bronchial epithelium of cigarette smokers. Inducible NOS and nNOS were mainly non-detectable or weak in the normal looking bronchial epithelium of smokers and COPD, whereas metaplasia and dysplasia showed positivity for iNOS (22/24) and nNOS (14/24) in the majority of cases. Strong immunoreactivity for iNOS and nNOS was also found more often in dysplastic than metaplastic (p=0.011 and p=0.049, respectively) specimens. Thus, smoking can cause protein nitration also in normal lung. Prominent iNOS and nNOS immunoreactivity in the metaplasia-dysplasia-lesions suggests a divergent role of NOSs in lung carcinogenesis.     

A multicellular spheroid-based drug sensitivity test by scanning electrochemical microscopy

The respiratory activity of a multicellular spheroid was non-invasively monitored by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to investigate the anticancer drug sensitivity. The effects of the three anticancer drugs, cisplatin (CDDP), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and paclitaxel (TXL), were continuously evaluated based on respiratory activity for 5 days. The drug sensitivities obtained by SECM were higher compared to those evaluated by the spheroid volume and conformed to those evaluated by a conventional colorimetric assay. Our results show that the SECM-based assay directly correlates with the number of viable cells within the spheroid, whereas the spheroid volume does not necessarily correlate with the number of viable cells. Furthermore, the results obtained by spheroid culture (3-D) were compared to those of cells cultured in a flask (2-D) and within a collagen gel (3-D). The drug sensitivity of cells cultured in 2-D is more pronounced than that of the cells cultured in 3-D. Since the cellular proliferation status in a 3-D culture is similar to that in vivo, the drug sensitivity test performed in the spheroid culture will give meaningful results that can be extended to an in vivo application. A SECM-based assay is perfectly suitable to directly evaluate the drug sensitivity of the spheroid.     

Effect of a multispecies probiotic supplement on quantity of irritable bowel syndrome-related intestinal microbial phylotypes

Background  

Probiotics can alleviate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), possibly by stabilizing the intestinal microbiota. Our aim was to determine whether IBS-associated bacterial alterations were reduced during multispecies probiotic intervention consisting of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, L. rhamnosus Lc705, Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS and Bifidobacterium breve Bb99. The intervention has previously been shown to successfully alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms of IBS.     

Orthopox virus infections in Eurasian wild rodents

The genus Orthopoxvirus includes variola (smallpox) virus and zoonotic cowpox virus (CPXV). All orthopoxviruses (OPV) are serologically cross-reactive and cross-protective, and after the cessation of smallpox vaccination, CPXV and other OPV infections represent an emerging threat to human health. In this respect CPXV, with its reservoir in asymptomatically infected wild rodents, is of special importance. In Europe, clinical cowpox has been diagnosed in both humans and animals. The main objective of this study was to elucidate the prevalence of OPV infections in wild rodents in different parts of Eurasia and to compare the performance of three real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods in detecting OPV DNA in wildlife samples. We investigated 962 wild rodents from Northern Europe (Finland), Central Europe (Germany), and Northern Asia (Siberia, Russia) for the presence of OPV antibodies. According to a CPXV antigen-based immunofluorescence assay, animals from 13 of the 17 locations (76%) showed antibodies. Mean seroprevalence was 33% in Finland (variation between locations 0%-69%), 32% in Germany (0%-43%), and 3.2% (0%-15%) in Siberia. We further screened tissue samples from 513 of the rodents for OPV DNA using up to three real-time PCRs. Three rodents from two German and one Finnish location were OPV DNA positive. The amplicons were 96% to 100% identical to available CPXV sequences. Further, we demonstrated OPV infections as far east as the Baikal region and occurring in hamster and two other rodent species, ones previously unnoticed as possible reservoir hosts. Based on serological and PCR findings, Eurasian wild rodents are frequently but nonpersistently infected with OPVs. Results from three real-time PCR methods were highly concordant. This study extends the geographic range and wildlife species diversity in which OPV (or CPXV) viruses are naturally circulating.     

The Occurrence of Pneumonia Diagnosis Among Neurosurgical Patients: The Definition Matters

Background  

Diagnosis of pneumonia in the hospital setting is a challenge due to the absence of a generally accepted pneumonia definition.     

Lithium chloride reduces orthodontically induced root resorption and affects tooth root movement in rats

Objective:To investigate the influence of lithium chloride (LiCl) on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), orthodontically induced root resorption (OIRR), and bone morphometry.Materials and Methods:Ten-week-old female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 32) were divided into four groups based on the concentration of LiCl administered daily per kilogram body weight: 0 (control group), 0.32, 0.64, and 1.28 mM/kg body weight. The maxillary left first molars were moved mesially by a 10 cN coil spring for 14 days. Micro-computed tomography, scanning electron microscope, and scanning laser microscope images were taken to measure the amount of OTM, the volume of OIRR, and bone morphometry.Results:OIRR clearly decreased depending on the amount of LiCl administered, although OTM moderately decreased. The tooth inclined mesially and the root apex moved distally in the control and 0.32 mM groups. On the other hand, the tooth inclination angle became smaller and the root apex moved mesially in the 0.64 and 1.28 mM groups. In bone morphometry, the cortical bone mineral content and bone volume increased because of LiCl administration, and the trabecular bone measurements decreased. OIRR negatively correlated to the cortical bone measurements, and the amount of OTM significantly correlated to the cortical bone morphometry.Conclusions:In rats, LiCl reduced OIRR, which induced mesial movement of the tooth root apex. OIRR positively correlated to cortical bone morphometry.