Neural plasticity in vivo: opioid sensitivity of memory develops gradually after a septal lesion

Neuronal plasticity can manifest itself in alterations in the sensitivity of memory to the effects of drugs. After the production of a brain lesion, the memory processing of a passive-avoidance task in mice gradually becomes sensitive to the effect of morphine, i.e., an improvement in retention performance is seen after 6 weeks, but not after 1 or 2 weeks. The results presented demonstrate that, even if they lead to no discernible changes in behaviour, plastic processes can still be detected by means of behavioural tests.     

Recognition and killing of tumour cells expressing heat shock protein 65 kD with immunotoxins containing saporin.

The expression of heat shock proteins (HSP) of the 65 kD family (groEL) has been observed by flow cytometry using murine monoclonal antibody (MoAb) anti-HSP 65 kD (ML30) on the surface of B (Daudi) or T (H9) lymphoma cells, on a monocyte cell line (U937) and also on a primary culture of a human pancreatic carcinoma (HPC). Moreover, the MoAb ML30 was coupled to Saporin 6, a ribosome-inactivating protein recovered from the seeds of Saponaria officinalis, to kill HSP-expressing cells with a specific immunotoxin. An indirect method using first MoAb ML30 and then anti-mouse IgG1 immunotoxin was also performed. With this method a human serum positive for HSP65-antibodies was tested using anti-human IgG1 or IgM immunotoxins. All cell lines were inhibited when preincubated with the specific immunotoxin directed to HSP65 (ML30 SO6), although H9 cells were susceptible to immunotoxin only after thermal stress. Daudi and HPC cells were inhibited both after long-term culture and when freshly explanted from SCID mice. Proliferation of the U937 monocytic cell line, that constitutively expresses high levels of HSP65 on the surface (as determined by flow cytometry), was completely inhibited (100% inhibition) by the ML30 SO6. However, not all tumour cells constitutively express high levels of surface HSP65, as determined by cytometric analysis. For this reason it was not always possible to obtain complete inhibition of cellular proliferation.     

Treatment of experimentally induced atherosclerosis in swine iliac arteries: A comparison of self-expanding and balloon-expanded stents

Atherosclerosis was induced in 20 Hanford miniature swine. Subsequently, one iliac artery lesion in each of 16 pigs was stented with either a self-expanding (8 pigs) or a balloon-expanded (8 pigs) stent. Immediately after stent placement, 4 animals in each group were taken off the atherogenic diet and continued on normal chow for the remainder of the study. Four months after stents were placed, atherosclerosis and the mural changes associated with the stent were more clearly evident in the arteries of the pigs continued on the atherogenic diet. These pigs also exhibited significantly more neointimal proliferation. In addition, the arteries containing the balloon-expanded stents showed more extensive and complex intimal changes when compared with arteries with self-expanding stents. Although both stent designs were equally effective in maintaining vascular patency, the balloon-expanded stent was more traumatic to the vessel wall which resulted in a significantly greater neointimal thickness.     

Role of Estrogens on Human Male Reproductive System

This review focuses on estrogen role on human male physiology. Biological estrogen actions on male reproductive system are summarized with particular regard to the effects of congenital estrogen deprivation in men. The effects of estrogen on spermatogenesis, hormonal secretion and gonadotropin feedback and on sexual behavior are discussed. It is remarked that the role of estrogens in male reproduction is a very recent acquisition in reproductive endocrinology, but it promises new future fields of research to be investigated as well as the possible disclosure of new strategies in clinical practice.     

Epilepsy and family expressed emotion: results of a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To verify the emotional components expressed by the relatives of adult patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy, and whether they are related to adjustment to the illness and the course of the illness over time. METHODS: We studied a consecutive sample of 43 outpatients suffering from epilepsy and 43 key relatives using the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI), with the expressed emotion (EE) of the relatives being rated at baseline (T0). EE refers to a construct representing some key aspects of interpersonal relationships: the relatives were assigned to the high-EE group if they scored 3 or more on the emotional over involvement (EOI) scale, or showed hostility, or made 6 or more critical comments. The patients were clinically evaluated at baseline and for 1 year of appropriate treatment by an epileptologist who was blinded to the EE ratings. They also completed STAI XI, STAI X2 and Beck's Depression Inventory at baseline. RESULTS: Twenty-six relatives (60%) were rated as showing a high degree of EE. In the 12-month follow-up study, high EE and high EOI were found to be associated with a significantly higher seizure frequency than that recorded for the patients living in low-EE households (p<0.05). The patients from households assessed as reflecting a high degree of criticism showed poor drug compliance (p<0.01), whereas those with relatives assessed as having a high degree of warmth showed better clinical and pharmacological compliance (p<0.01). High family criticism scores also correlated with higher study entry levels of depression (p<0.05) and trait and state anxiety (p<0.05) among the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings highlight the impact of particular components of the family emotional climate on the clinical course and psychological adjustment of patients with epilepsy.     

Myocardial protection in adult cardiac surgery: current options and future challenges

Current techniques of myocardial protection are evolving with the use of less conventional modalities of cardioplegia and have reduced the morbidity and mortality of cardiac operations. Blood cardioplegic solutions appear superior to cold cardioplegia in terms of myocardial protection and adjuncts as glutamate/aspartate enhancement, antioxidant supplementation, nitric oxide donors and maintenance of calcium homeostasis seem effective. In the near future, further experimental and clinical investigations about pharmacological preconditioning, sodium–hydrogen exchangers inhibition and gene therapy need to be addressed to well define their potential role in the improvement of current techniques of myocardial protection that are suboptimal in high-risk clinical settings.     

Magnetic resonance in the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms

Eighteen patients affected by intra-cranial aneurysms, with size ranging from 3 to 30 mm, were studied by means of MRI, CT, and angiography. MRI was performed using Spin-Echo (SE) sequences with different Repetition Times (TR) and Echo Times (TE), which allowed the characterization of the lesions in relation to the relaxation times. MRI could identify all the aneurysms. In 13 subjects the parent vessels could be seen. In 5 patients the aneurysms could be recognized only after angiography, due to their dimension (less than 4 mm). The "flow effects" and the presence of methemoglobin and hemosiderin in the thrombosed portion of the lumen allowed both the detection of flow abnormalities and the characterization of laminate intra-aneurysmal thrombosis. In conclusion, MRI appears to be a sensitive methodology in the detection of intracranial aneurysms, even more sensitive than CT and Angiography in characterizing this kind of lesions.     

Predominant and stable T cell responses to regions of myelin basic protein can be detected in individual patients with multiple sclerosis

T lymphocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) recognize multiple myelin basic protein (MBP) epitopes. This situation complicates the design of specific immunotherapies. We investigated to which extent the T cell response to MBP is heterogeneous in single subjects in terms of preferentially recognized regions of the molecule, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction, and stability over time. From each of nine patients with MS, a minimum of six MBP-specific T lymphocyte lines (TLL) were assayed for the proliferative response to a panel of overlapping peptides, encompassing the whole MBP. Predominant Tcell recognitions of distinct MBP regions were present in three patients, all HLA-DR2⁺, independently of the clinical features of their disease. Tcell reactivity was preferentially directed to residues 16-38 in one patient. In this case the response was also stable over time, during different phases of the disease. Predominant reactivity to residues 86-99 was detected in the two other DR2⁺ patients. In each of the patients with other HLA-DR haplotypes (DR2^?), as well as in three DR2⁺ non-MS donors, the Tcell response to MBP appeared to be considerably more heterogeneous. The HLA restriction element varied among TLL recognizing the same MBP region, even when raised from the same individual. The genomic HLA typing, performed on the DRB1 and DRB5 genes in the DR2⁺ subjects, showed no obvious correspondence between preferential responses to regions of MBP and HLA-DR2 subtypes. In this context, a simple, new method for the genomic typing of the HLA-DRB1 gene in individuals with the HLA-DR2 serological specificity is also described. We conclude that predominant and stable T cell responses to a single MBP region can be detected in some patients with MS. In these individuals, the MHC restriction of the T cell recognition of predominant regions appears to be variable. Polymorphisms of the HLA-DR2 gene products alone do not account for the selection of the dominant MBP Tcell epitope.     

Surface expressed heat-shock proteins by stressed or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected lymphoid cells represent the target for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

The expression of heat-shock proteins (HSP) of the 72,000 MW family by Daudi and H9 lymphoma cells has been investigated by flow cytometry. It has been found that both heat-stressed and chronically human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected lymphomas show an increased expression of heat-shock proteins (HSP). Moreover, murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) against 72,000 MW HSP was able to mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) using peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) as effector cells. All target cells used in these experiments were efficiently lysed in the presence of anti-HSP antibody suggesting a role of membrane HSP in the elimination of stressed or infected cells.