Correlation between apoptotic endothelial microparticles and serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein in healthy men

Inflammation has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis has been implicated in atherogenesis. The correlation between circulating concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and endothelial microparticles (EMPs) expressing an apoptotic (EMP31) or activation (EMP62E) phenotype in 20 middle-aged healthy men was investigated. IL-6 was significantly correlated with EMP31 (r = 0.6, p = 0.004), which persisted after adjusting for body mass index and CRP. CRP was significantly correlated with body mass index (r = 0.49, p = 0.02) but not with EMP31 or EMP62E. EC apoptosis is associated with IL-6 levels in men and might be partially responsible for the increased cardiovascular risk associated with subclinical inflammation.     

Contraception and health

Increasing contraceptive use in developing countries has cut the number of maternal deaths by 40% over the past 20 years, merely by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies. By preventing high-risk pregnancies, especially in women of high parities, and those that would have ended in unsafe abortion, increased contraceptive use has reduced the maternal mortality ratio--the risk of maternal death per 100,000 livebirths--by about 26% in little more than a decade. A further 30% of maternal deaths could be avoided by fulfilment of unmet need for contraception. The benefits of modern contraceptives to women's health, including non-contraceptive benefits of specific methods, outweigh the risks. Contraception can also improve perinatal outcomes and child survival, mainly by lengthening interpregnancy intervals. In developing countries, the risk of prematurity and low birthweight doubles when conception occurs within 6 months of a previous birth, and children born within 2 years of an elder sibling are 60% more likely to die in infancy than are those born more than 2 years after their sibling.     

Melanoma histopathology reporting: are we complying with the National Minimum Dataset?

BACKGROUND: The Royal College of Pathologists introduced the National Minimum Dataset (NMDS) for the histopathological reporting of cutaneous melanoma in February 2002. AIM: To determine if histological reporting of invasive primary cutaneous melanoma in the West Midlands region of the UK was compliant with the NMDS. METHODS: Reports were identified from March 2002 to March 2003 via the regional Cancer Intelligence Unit, and compared with the NMDS. If all items of the NMDS were adhered to, the report was considered compliant. If not compliant, the report was checked to see if it included selected clinical and staging parameters. RESULTS: 543 cases of invasive cutaneous melanoma were identified, but only 407 reports were analysed. 69/407 (17%) (95% CI 14% to 20%) reports were fully compliant with the NMDS. Of the non-complaint reports, 45/361 (12%) (95% CI 9% to 16%) reported all staging and clinically relevant parameters; 62/361 (17%) (95% CI 59% to 65%) reported all staging parameters. Breslow thickness was reported in all but one of the reports (99.7%), Clark's level was reported in 344/407 (85%), ulceration in 280/407 (69%), and microsatellites in 146/407 (36%). CONCLUSION: There was slow uptake of the NMDS in this region in the year following its introduction. Although major parameters required for staging were more consistently reported, ulceration and microsatellites were less frequently reported.     

Rapid acquisition of operant conditioning in 5-day-old rat pups: a new technique articulating suckling-related motor activity and milk reinforcement

Newborn rats are capable of obtaining milk by attaching to a surrogate nipple. During this procedure pups show a gradual increase in head and forelimb movements oriented towards the artificial device that are similar to those observed during nipple attachment. In the present study the probability of execution of these behaviors was analyzed as a function of their contingency with intraoral milk infusion using brief training procedures (15 min). Five-day-old pups were positioned in a smooth surface having access to a touch-sensitive sensor. Physical contact with the sensor activated an infusion pump which served to deliver intraoral milk reinforcement (Paired group). Yoked controls received the reinforcer when Paired neonates touched the sensor. Paired pups trained under a continuous reinforcement schedule emitted significantly more responses than Yoked controls following two (Experiment 1) or one training session (Experiment 2). These differences were also observed during an extinction session conducted immediately after training. The level of maternal deprivation before training (3 or 6 hr) or the volume of milk delivered (1.0 or 1.5 microl per pulse) did not affect acquisition or extinction performances. In addition, it was observed that the rate of responding of Paired pups during the early phase of the extinction session significantly predicted subsequent levels of acceptance of the reinforcer. These results indicate that the frequency of suckling-related behaviors can be rapidly modified by means of associative operant processes. The operant procedure here described represents an alternative tool for the ontogenetic analysis of self-administration or behavior processes of seeking.     

Commercial soft drinks: pH and in vitro dissolution of enamel

Most soft drinks are acidic in nature and exposure to these drinks may result in enamel erosion. This study sought to measure the pH of 20 commercial brands of soft drinks, the dissolution of enamel resulting from immersion in these drinks, and the influence of pH on enamel loss. Comparison of the erosive potential of cola versus non-cola drinks as well as regular sugared and diet versions of the same brands was undertaken. The pH was measured immediately after opening the soft drink can. Enamel slices obtained from freshly extracted teeth were immersed in the soft drinks and weighed at baseline and after 6, 24, and 48 hours of immersion. Non-cola drinks had significantly higher pH values than cola drinks but showed higher mean percent weight loss. By contrast, sugared versions of the cola and non-cola drinks showed significantly lower pH values and higher mean percent weight loss than their diet counterparts. The pH value of the soft drink did not have a significant influence on the mean percent weight loss (r = -0.28). Prolonged exposure to soft drinks can lead to significant enamel loss. Non-cola drinks are more erosive than cola drinks. Sugared versions of cola and non-cola drinks proved to be more erosive than their diet counterparts. The erosive potential of the soft drinks was not related to their pH value.     

Sinus of valsalva aneurysms involving both coronary ostia

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are a rare cause of angina or myocardial infarction. We describe a patient with unstable angina and massive unruptured aneurysms of both coronary sinuses causing severe distortion of both coronary ostia, to our knowledge not previously reported. This unusual patient underwent aortic valve replacement, ascending aortic repair, and coronary artery bypass. At 11-year follow-up, she had developed severe mitral stenosis and prosthetic aortic valve stenosis. Review of the literature reveals 30 reported cases of Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm complicated by coronary insufficiency or infarction, involving either the left (20 cases) or the right coronary sinus (10 cases). We emphasize the poor outcome of these patients, especially if treated conservatively. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The man who feels two hearts: the different pathways of interoception

Recent advances in neuroscience have provided new insights into the understanding of heart–brain interaction and communication. Cardiac information to the brain relies on two pathways, terminating in the insular cortex (IC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), along with the somatosensory cortex (S1-S2). Interoception relying on these neuroanatomical pathways has been shown to modulate social cognition. We report the case study of C.S., a patient with an ‘external heart’ (an extracorporeal left-univentricular cardiac assist device, LVAD). The patient was assessed with neural/behavioral measures of cardiac interoception complemented by neuropsychological and social cognition measures. The patient’s performance on the interoception task (heartbeat detection) seemed to be guided by signals from the artificial LVAD, which provides a somatosensory beat rather than by his endogenous heart. Cortical activity (HEP, heartbeat-evoked potential) was found decreased in comparison with normal volunteers, particularly during interoceptive states. The patient accurately performed several cognitive tasks, except for interoception-related social cognition domains (empathy, theory of mind and decision making). This evidence suggests an imbalance in the patient’s cardiac interoceptive pathways that enhances sensation driven by the artificial pump over that from the cardiac vagal-IC/ACC pathway. A patient with two hearts, one endogenous and one artificial, presents a unique opportunity to explore models of interoception and heart–brain interaction.