Early response to venlafaxine antidepressant correlates with lower ACTH levels prior to pharmacological treatment

A link between stressful life events and development or exacerbation of depression has been established via a large body of evidence. An alteration in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in depression has also been associated with an increase in cortisol secretion. As arginine-vasopressin (AVP) plays an important role in the activation of HPA axis during stress, the present study investigated ACTH and cortisol secretory response induced by an AVP-related with the clinical response to venlafaxine treatment, which offers a dual antidepressant action. Depressive patients with no other psychiatric pathology were evaluated with 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) in order to follow-up the response to venlafaxine. After 1 wk of treatment, 60% of patients reduced their initial HAM-D score to at least 25%; this group was classified as early responders. The other group (40%) started to reduce significantly their HAM-D score after 3 wk of treatment and was classified as late responders. After 6 wk of treatment both groups have reduced HAM-D score to at least 25% of the baseline score. Prior to the pharmacological treatment, both early and late responders showed salivary cortisol rhythm and urinary free cortisol (UFC) in 24-h similar to healthy subjects. However, we did observe differences in basal ACTH secretion, showing that the late responder group had higher basal ACTH than both early responders and controls. The ddAVP challenge promoted a robust secretion of ACTH only in late responders, suggesting a different sensitivity of pituitary vasopressin receptor. The differences in clinical response to venlafaxine among depressive patients seem to be related to endocrinological parameters.     

Self-Rating of Poor Health: A Comparison of Cuban Elders in Havana and Miami

This study examined the prevalence of self-reported ‘poor health’ among Cuban elders in Havana (n = 1,183) and Miami (n = 288) and explored the roles of chronic conditions and functional disability in their self-reports. A logistic regression model of reported poor health was estimated for each group, testing both independent and interactive effects of chronic conditions and functional disability. Despite differences in sociodemographic characteristics and disease/disability profiles between Cuban elders in the two cities, an equal proportion of each group (13%) reported poor health. Financial strain and functional disability were common predictors of self-reported poor health across the groups. Gender and chronic conditions were significant only in the Havana sample, among whom the likelihood of reporting poor health increased with female gender and the presence of chronic conditions. In the Havana sample, not only did chronic conditions have an independent effect, but also its interaction with functional disability was significant. The overall results suggest a particular role of chronic conditions in determining subjective health among elders in Havana. Findings are discussed in a sociocultural context.     

Terminal deletion of the chromosome 7(q36-qter) in an infant with sacral agenesis and anterior myelomeningocele

We report on a new patient with a 7q terminal deletion. The 18-month-old boy had metal retardation, microcephaly, a distinctive face, bilateral coloboma, café-au-lait spot on the abdomen, and sacral agenesis. The high resolution GTG bands (550-850 bands), currently used in our laboratory, showed a 7q terminal deletion, which was also confirmed with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The homeobox HLXB9 gene, localized at 7q36 has been demonstrated to be involved in sacral agenesis; in fact patients with 7q terminal deletions frequently have this malformation. We could not perform molecular studies in this patient to confirm the HLXB9 haploinsufficiency, but we postulate that he carried it.     

Isolation and characterization of 18 microsatellite markers for the brown-throated three-toed sloth, Bradypus variegatus

The brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) is an extremely sedentary arboreal mammal found in many Neotropical forests. Because of its low dispersal potential and ease in capture, it has the potential to serve as a model species to investigate the effects of land cover change in the Neotropics on gene flow and population connectivity. To better understand aspects of B. variegatus biology, such as mating system and dispersal rates, we isolated and characterized 18 polymorphic microsatellite markers. Markers were tested using 32 B. variegatus individuals sampled from a site in northeastern Costa Rica. Each locus contained between three and 12 alleles, while mean expected and observed heterozygosity were equal to 0.72. No loci deviated from Hardy?CWeinberg equilibrium, and one locus was significantly linked to two others. These markers have sufficient polymorphism to identify individuals and assign parentage, and can further be used to investigate dispersal rates, mating structure, and other aspects of three-toed sloth ecology.     

Urokinase Plasminogen Activator System in Synovial Fibroblasts from Osteoarthritis Patients: Modulation by Inflammatory Mediators and Neuropeptides

Plasminogen activators are specific proteolytic enzymes implicated in a variety of basic biological processes. The expression of the urokinase plasminogen activator system components is increased in some human diseases, including osteoarthritis. We sought to study the effect of two components of the inflamed synovial microenvironment on this system, IL-1β and fibronectin fragments, elucidating whether corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) neuropeptides modulate it, and analyzing the physiological consequences in joint destruction by measuring matrix metalloproteinases-9 and metalloproteinases-13 levels in osteoarthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes. We showed that IL-1β and fibronectin fragments stimulated urokinase system contributing to the perpetuation of the destructive cascade in joint. VIP modulated, even at constitutive level, this system, also counteracting the effect of both inflammatory stimuli. However, CRF seemed to be ineffective in controlling the production of these proteinases. Moreover, VIP was able to reduce the constitutive expression of matrix metalloproteinase-13 and the levels of both matrix metalloproteinases after stimulation with the pro-inflammatory stimuli. Our results suggest that the presence of early and later inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1β and fibronectin fragments, increases the urokinase system and the matrix metalloproteinases levels. Whereas CRF did not affect this system, VIP counteracts these actions supporting its therapeutic potential for the treatment of osteoarthritis.