Pituitary volume in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To our knowledge, however, no prior study has measured pituitary gland volume in OCD. METHODS: Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies were conducted in 31 psychotropic drug-na?ve children (10 boys, 21 girls) aged 8-17 years and 31 case-matched healthy comparison subjects. RESULTS: Pituitary volume was significantly smaller in patients with OCD as compared with healthy control subjects (11% smaller). Smaller pituitary volume in patients with OCD was associated with increased compulsive but not obsessive symptom severity. Boys with OCD had smaller pituitary gland volumes compared with control boys (20% smaller). No significant differences in pituitary volume were observed between girls with OCD and control girls. Boys with OCD had significantly smaller pituitary volumes than girls with OCD (31% smaller), whereas control boys also had smaller pituitary gland volumes compared with control girls (21% smaller). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide new evidence of reduced pituitary volume in pediatric OCD that seems to be more prominent in male patients. The observed alterations in pituitary volume are consistent with neuroendocrine studies that have reported abnormalities in the LHPA axis in OCD.     

The combination of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulates bone repair in adult Yucatan miniature pigs

The combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and platelet-derived growth factor-BB has previously been shown to stimulate healing of soft tissue wounds and the formation of bone and ligament around teeth. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I individually and in combination on the healing of osseous wounds. Four standardized cortical wounds were created in each tibia of 11 adult Yucatan miniature pigs. The wounds in one tibia per animal were treated with either purified recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, or both in a methylcellulose gel. The wounds in each contralateral tibia received placebo gel alone. Coded serial sections of each wound were evaluated by computer-aided histomorphometry 21 days after surgery. The area and perimeter of the newly formed mineralized callus, the thickness of the total callus, and the percentage of mineralized tissue within the callus were significantly increased compared with the values of matched controls only in wounds treated with a combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and platelet-derived growth factor-BB. No significant differences in the measured parameters of callus formation were found in wounds treated with either insulin-like growth factor-I or platelet-derived growth factor-BB alone. Cartilage was present only in sites treated with insulin-like growth factor-I alone. These results suggest that the combination of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulates bone formation in wounds in long bones of adult animals and that these growth factors act via different pathways during the repair process.     

Porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminata. Report of a case with abnormal DNA ploidy in lesional epidermis.

BACKGROUND--Porokeratosis is believed to be a premalignant condition of the skin. Recent flow cytometric studies showing DNA aneuploidy in the epidermis of some types of porokeratosis support this conclusion. We describe a patient with porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminata in whom abnormal DNA ploidy was found in lesional epidermis with the use of flow cytometry. OBSERVATIONS--DNA flow cytometry of lesional epidermis from the back showed two populations of cells, one with diploid and the other with aneuploid DNA content and DNA index of 1.1 (hyperdiploid). The coefficient of variation of the diploid and aneuploid peaks was 2.1% and 4.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS--Porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminata, like other forms of porokeratosis, exhibits abnormal DNA ploidy in lesional epidermis. This finding underscores the premalignant nature of this and other forms of porokeratosis.     

Actions of the phorbol ester, PMA, on ATP-induced fluctuations in cytoplasmic calcium in single isolated bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Agonist-evoked rises in [Ca2+]i were recorded from single bovine aortic endothelial cells in the middle of confluent monolayers by dual-wavelength microspectrofluorimetry. Low doses of ATP (1-5 microM) induced a transient rise in [Ca2+]i followed by a maintained plateau phase upon which were superimposed irregular fluctuations in [Ca2+]i. The mechanism underlying these fluctuations is not known. Addition of the phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), to single cells displaying ATP-induced fluctuations reduced the amplitude and frequency of these fluctuations but the maintained plateau phase was unaffected. Elevation of intracellular cAMP by activation of adenylate cyclase with forskolin, or application of dibutyryl cAMP did not affect the ATP-induced fluctuations. These results suggest a possible role for the diacylglycerol limb of the phosphoinositide hydrolysis pathway, via activation of protein kinase C, but not cAMP, in the mechanism responsible for generating ATP-induced fluctuations in [Ca2+]i.     

The effect of pH on the in vitro colony forming ability of transitional cell carcinoma cells treated with various chemotherapeutic agents: implications for in vivo therapy.

Extracellular pH may affect the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy agents. In an attempt to maximize the conditions for chemotherapy treatment of transitional cell carcinoma we tested the effect of pH on sensitivity of MGH-U3 transitional cell carcinoma cell line to thiotepa, doxorubicin, and mitomycin c in vitro. The toxicity of each agent tested varied with pH. There was no variation in cell growth in response to pH alone. The cytotoxic activity of thiotepa was markedly enhanced when cells were treated with a diluent pH of 5.5. Significant differences were also observed after treatment with doxorubicin and mitomycin c with a diluent pH of 7.0. This in vitro assay may be useful for clinical application of pH modulation during intravesical chemotherapy.     

FFT-based digital tactile vocoder system for real-time use

A microprocessor-based real-time digital vibrotactile vocoder system has been developed to train the deaf and for artificial hearing research. The system is composed of a microcomputer module with a digital signal processor interface units and an attenuator/driver circuit. Live or digitised (stored or synthetic) speech is presented to the skin spectrally through a belt housing eight or 16 vibrators. Speech is processed in real time using a fast Fourier transform. The system is also capable of presenting any arbitrary spatiotemporal pattern on the skin for artificial hearing experiments. A preliminary experiment with a deaf subject indicates that the system is potentially an effective device for artificial hearing.