Computerized axial tomo-epidurographic and radiographic documentation of unilateral epidural analgesia

A 23-year-old primigravid patient who received epidural analgesia for pain of labour presented with persistent, apparently irremediable, unilateral analgesia. Computerized axial tomo-epidurography demonstrated absence of circumferential spread due to lateral placement of the catheter. Transforaminal escape of contrast medium into the paravertebral area had occurred and anterior and posterior midline partitioning of the epidural space was obvious. All the usual measures to promote contralateral analgesia, except re-insertion of the catheter, had been tried without success.     

Effect of a CCR5 inhibitor on viral loads in macaques dual-infected with R5 and X4 primate immunodeficiency viruses

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) fusion with its target cells is initiated by sequential interactions between its envelope glycoprotein, CD4, and a co-receptor, usually CCR5 or CXCR4. Small molecules that bind to CCR5 and prevent its use by R5 HIV-1 strains are now being developed clinically as antiviral drugs. To test whether a block to CCR5 promotes the replication of viruses that enter cells via CXCR4 and are associated with accelerated disease progression, we administered a small molecule CCR5 inhibitor, CMPD 167, to three macaques dual-infected with both R5 (SIVmac251) and X4 (SHIV-89.6P) viruses. CMPD 167 caused a rapid and substantial (on average, 50-fold) suppression of R5 virus replication in each animal. In two of the animals, but not in the third, a rapid, transient, 8- to 15-fold increase in the amount of plasma X4 virus occurred. In neither animal was the increase in X4 viral load sustained throughout therapy, however. These observations may have relevance for the development of CCR5 inhibitors for treatment of HIV-1 infection of humans.     

Diagnosis of cypress pollen allergy: in vivo and in vitro standardization of a Juniperus ashei pollen extract

BACKGROUND: Cypress pollen allergy is a major cause of rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma in the Mediterranean area. The nonstandardized cypress allergen extracts currently available for the diagnosis of cypress allergy have a low level of activity. The search for an active material has led to the selection of Juniperus ashei (Ja) pollen because of its very high cross-reactivity with cypress extracts and its superior allergenic activity. The aim of this study was to characterize in vitro and calibrate in vivo an in-house reference extract (IHRS) of J. ashei pollen and determine the specificity and sensitivity of a standardized Ja extract for the prick test diagnosis of cypress allergy. METHODS: Juniperus ashei pollen extract was analysed by 2-D electrophoresis. The IHRS Ja extract was calibrated by skin prick testing in 28 cypress-allergic patients. The sensitivity and specificity of cypress allergy diagnosis using a standardized Ja extract was studied by skin prick test in 42 cypress-allergic patients and 53 nonallergic patients. Jun a 1 content of the IHRS was determined by a monoclonal antibody-based electrophoretic technique. RESULTS: The Jun a 1 content of the 100 IR/ml Ja IHRS extract was 180 microg/ml. For in vivo diagnosis of cypress allergy, Ja pollen extract demonstrated a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 100%, a negative predictive value of 96%, and a positive predictive value of 100%. CONCLUSION: Standardized Ja pollen extract is therefore a very appropriate tool for the in vivo diagnosis of cypress pollen allergy and good candidate for specific immunotherapy.     

Catecholaminergic neurons in the brain-stem and sleep apnea in SIDS victims

Background: Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is a specific marker for catecholaminergic neurones. Some reports have demonstrated a decrease of TH in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) compared with controls. To further investigate this, the correlation between TH and sleep apnea was investigated here. Materials and methods: Among 27,000 infants studied prospectively to characterize their sleep–wake behavior, 38 infants died under 6 months of age. They included 26 cases of SIDS. All the infants had been recorded during one night in a pediatric sleep laboratory some 3–12 weeks before death. The frequency and the duration of sleep apnea were analyzed. The brain-stem material was collected and subjected to immunohistochemical studies for TH. The density of TH-immunoreactive neurons was measured in the nucleus hypoglossus, nervus vagus dorsalis, solitary and ambiguus and the ventrolateral medulla (VLM) in the medulla oblongata. Correlation analyses were carried out between the density of TH-immunoreactive neurons and the data from the sleep apnea studies. Results: There was no SIDS specific correlation between TH-immunoreactive neurons in the nucleus hypoglossus, nervus vagus dorsalis, solitary and ambiguus and the ventrolateral medulla in the medulla oblongata and the frequency and duration of sleep apnea. Conclusions: No significant association between the pathological data and the physiological data refers to TH-positive neurons in the medulla oblongata in SIDS victims.     

Mouse Sperm Rosette: Assembling During Epididymal Transit,in vitro Disassemble,and Oligosaccharide Participation in the Linkage Material

In many mammals, sperm associations had been observed, but not in the mouse. In this work, mouse sperm rosettes are morphologically described inside the epididymis and during its dissolution in a culture medium. Also characterized are the saccharides present in the linking material. Sperm association and other epididymal actions are supported by sperm during epididymal transit and are verified at the caudal region, suggesting a relation between epididymal transit and sperm maturation. In drops of epididymal content obtained from distal (cauda), but not from proximal (caput and corpus) regions; dissolved in culture medium, rosettes appear to be 10 to 15 motile sperm joined by their heads. After 3 min, sperm progressively detach, disassembling the rosette. These structures are studied by several techniques, including optic, electronic (scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy), and video microscopy. At the ultrastructural level, a dense network of electron‐dense material was observed between sperm heads, joining them. Based on previous works in rat, several lectins were used to characterize the type of saccharides present in this linking material. To avoid the contact between sperm and epididymal fluid from distal region—that probably exerts an influence on sperm association—a ligature was placed between caput and corpus. This epididymal content isolated from caput did not display any rosettes after 28 days. Anat Rec, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Correlation between the Ki-67 antigen in the brainstem and physiological data on sleep apnea in SIDS victims

Background: The Ki-67 antigen appears in all human proliferating cells during late G1, S, M and G2 phases of the cell cycle, but is consistently absent in the G_o phase (noncycling) cells. The correlation between Ki-67 in the brainstem and sleep apnea in victims of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was investigated to elucidate cell kinetics in the brainstem of this condition, which is still the main cause of postneonatal infant death. Materials and methods: Twenty-six cases of SIDS occurred among 38 infants dying under 6 months of age in a cohort of 27,000 infants studied prospectively to characterize their sleep–wake behavior. All the infants had been recorded during one night in a pediatric sleep laboratory some 3–12 weeks before death. The frequency and duration of sleep apnea were analyzed. At autopsy, brainstem material was collected and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 was carried out. The density of Ki-67-positive neurons was measured semiquantitatively. Correlation analyses were carried out between the density of Ki-67-positive neurons and the data on sleep apnea. Results: Except in two cases in SIDS victims and in one control, the detection of Ki-67 was negative. No correlation analysis between the Ki-67 and of sleep apnea was found. Conclusions: There were no abnormal cell kinetics detected by the demonstration of Ki-67 antigen in the brainstems of SIDS victims.     

Sex differences in estradiol-induced progestin receptor immunoreactivity in the guinea pig preoptic area and hypothalamus

Progesterone exerts on the central nervous system a number of effects, some of which are estrogen dependent mostly in the preoptic area and the mediobasal hypothalamus. In these regions, an immunocytochemical study was used to evaluate differences in progesterone receptor (PR) immunoreactivity between the male and the female guinea pig in response to 10 μg/day estradiol benzoate (EB) for 5 consecutive days. Compared to EB-treated females, EB-treated males showed a slightly lower number of PR-immunoreactive cells in the preoptic area whereas PR-immunoreactivity appeared in more cells in the anterior part of the ventrolateral nucleus. The numbers of PR-immunoreactive cells in the arcuate nucleus did not differ significantly between males and females. These results show that regionally localized sex differences exist in the induced PR system after 5 days exposure to EB.