Convulsive Therapy in the Treatment of Mania: McLean Hospital 1973-1986

The authors completed a retrospective chart review of the records of all patients identified with diagnoses of mania and schizoaffective disorder, manic type, who underwent electroconvulsive therapy between the years 1973 and 1986 at McLean Hospital. Ten of 18 manic patients (56%) and 3 of 9 schizoaffective patients (33%) experienced meaningful clinical benefit. The authors report the correlation of treatment and patient factors with outcome and review the literature on the convulsive therapy of mania.     

Family management of schizophrenia: A comparison of behavioral and supportive family treatment

This paper reports a comparison of behavioral and supportive family treatment for family management of schizophrenia. The family project applied two psychoeducational approaches to a highly treatment resistant population of young adults afflicted with chronic mental illness. The study compares and contrasts the effects of behavioral and supportive family management programs on clinical outcomes. Clinical improvements were associated with both family interventions. Discussion is provided on the relevance of this work to the growing body of evidence concerning the efficacy of psychoeducational family intervention for the management of schizophrenia.     

Immunosuppressive properties of the Mycoplasma arthritidis T-cell mitogen in vivo: inhibition of proliferative responses to T-cell mitogens.

We have previously shown that Mycoplasma arthritidis produces a soluble T-cell mitogen (MAM) which is active for most mouse strains that express the alpha chain of the I-E molecule (E alpha) encoded within the murine major histocompatibility complex. The lymphocytes from mice injected intravenously with the MAM exhibited a marked decrease in their ability to respond in vitro to MAM, to phytohemagglutinin, or to concanavalin A T-cell mitogens. Suppression could only be induced in MAM-responsive mouse strains and was most marked 1 to 4 days postinjection. Splenic and node cells and, to a lesser extent, thymic cells from MAM-injected mice could inhibit the ability of lymphocytes from normal mice to respond to MAM and lectin mitogens. A minimum of 2.5 x 10(4) viable cells was required for significant transfer of suppression, and no major histocompatibility complex restrictions were seen. Unlike concanavalin A-induced suppressor cells, which consist of a CD4-, CD8+ T-cell subset, suppressor cells induced by MAM were due to a CD4+ CD8- subset. We hypothesize that MAM may play a role in M. arthritidis-mediated disease by both its inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties.     

Immunological interaction between allogeneic and xenogeneic rodent spleen cells in culture: stimulation of DNA synthesis

An early proliferative response measured by [³H] thymidine uptake occurred following mixing and culture in vitro of spleen cell suspensions derived from genetically unrelated rodents. This response reached a maximum value at 40–44 hr. When either component of the mixture in equivalent amounts was cultured alone, only a limited response occurred.

This marked stimulation of DNA synthesis occurred when spleen cells derived from LAF₁ mice and a pool of spleen cells from three non-inbred rats were mixed and cultured. No such response occurred in the mouse spleen cultures either in the absence of rat spleen cells, or in the presence of disrupted rat spleen cells. An equally marked response occurred when spleen cells from one rat were mixed and cultured either with C57BL10J or DBA/2J mouse spleen cells, or to a lesser extent with spleen cells from a second unrelated non-inbred rat. A similar marked response occurred with cells derived from C57BL10J and DBA/2J and from BALB/c and C3H/HeJ mice.

The existing data suggest that the response of these rodent spleen cells in the mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) test is dependent on certain genetic differences inherent in the two cell populations.

     

Adenovirus helper function activity of simian virus 40 T antigen mutants.

The SV40 large T antigen provides a helper function that permits human adenovirus yields in monkey cells to approach those obtained in human cells. The carboxy-terminus of large T antigen is involved in providing this activity. The ability of a large number of SV40 mutants affecting T antigen to enhance the growth of adenovirus type 2 in the CV-1 line of African green monkey kidney cells was examined. Mutation of those serines and threonines at the carboxy terminus which are normally phosphorylated had no effect on adenovirus helper function. A cytoplasmic T antigen was very effective in providing adenovirus helper function. Mutants that produce unstable T antigens provided helper function, but to a reduced degree. Finally, mutations in T antigen which permit it to interfere trans-dominantly with replication catalyzed by wildtype T antigen provided adenovirus helper function at wildtype levels.     

Clonal Diversity and Turnover of Streptococcus mitis bv. 1 on Shedding and Nonshedding Oral Surfaces of Human Infants during the First Year of Life

Streptococcus mitis bv. 1 is a pioneer colonizer of the human oral cavity. Studies of its population dynamics within parents and their infants and within neonates have shown extensive diversity within and between subjects. We examined the genetic diversity and clonal turnover of S. mitis bv. 1 isolated from the cheeks, tongue, and primary incisors of four infants from birth to 1 year of age. In addition, we compared the clonotypes of S. mitis bv. 1 isolated from their mothers' saliva collected in parallel to determine whether the mother was the origin of the clones colonizing her infant. Of 859 isolates obtained from the infants, 568 were unique clones. Each of the surfaces examined, whether shedding or nonshedding, displayed the same degree of diversity. Among the four infants it was rare to detect the same clone colonizing more than one surface at a given visit. There was little evidence for persistence of clones, but when clones were isolated on multiple visits they were not always found on the same surface. A similar degree of clonal diversity of S. mitis bv. 1 was observed in the mothers' saliva as in their infants' mouths. Clones common to both infant and mothers' saliva were found infrequently suggesting that this is not the origin of the infants' clones. It is unclear whether mucosal immunity exerts the environmental pressure driving the genetic diversity and clonal turnover of S. mitis bv. 1, which may be mechanisms employed by this bacterium to evade immune elimination.     

The onset of polymorphonuclear leucocyte membrane-stimulated metabolic activity.

The time course of polymorphonuclear leucocyte oxidative metabolism following membrane stimulation by four different agents was examined using the techniques of luminol- and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence. After addition of opsonized zymosan, phorbol myristate acetate or digitonin to polymorphonuclear leucocytes there was a lag period of between 35 and 55 sec before the onset of chemiluminiscence. In contrast, after addition of the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), the lag period before chemiluminescence was less than 19 sec. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was reduced by superoxide dismutase and almost abolished by sodium azide. The inhibitory effect of the latter was less marked when using FMLP. Lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence was inhibited by superoxide dismutase and enhanced by sodium azide. Cytochalasin B reduced zymosan and digitonin stimulated chemiluminescence but increased FMLP stimulated chemiluminescence. The results of the onset of polymorphonuclear leucocyte metabolic activity using other techniques.