Gender-specific effect of maternal deprivation on anxiety and corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA expression in rats

The long-term behavioral and neurochemical effects of 24h maternal separation were assessed in rats of both genders. Maternal deprivation was applied at the age of 9 days, whereas consequences were assessed 3 months later. Deprived rats (irrespective of gender) showed a considerable growth retardation that disappeared till adulthood. The plus-maze performance of control and deprived males did not differ under normal conditions, but deprived males showed more anxiety when the test was applied shortly after stress exposure. CRH mRNA expression in the amygdala, but not in the hypothalamus, was more intense in deprived as compared with control males. Deprived females were not affected. These data suggest that (i) the maternal deprivation induced changes are larger in males than in females, (ii) maternal deprivation induces a latent behavioral disposition towards anxiety that is precipitated by acute stressors, and (iii) the changes noticed in amygdalar CRH expression may serve as mechanisms for the behavioral changes noticed.     

Breastfeeding and childhood asthma: a six-year population-based cohort study

Background  

The question of the protective effect of breastfeeding on development of asthma has raised substantial interest, but the scientific evidence of the optimal duration of breastfeeding is controversial.     

Head insulation and heat loss in the newborn

The thermal balance of 13 term infants was measured in a closed-circuit metabolism chamber. Each was studied naked, then with a gamgee-lined hat, and finally with a 'cummerbund' made of a similar material and of similar dimensions. At 27 degrees C the oxygen consumption of the 'hatted' babies was only 85% and the total heat loss 75% of the values measured with the infants naked. The cummerbund offered no detectable benefit. An additional 10 infants were studied while wearing a tubegauze hat at environmental temperatures of 28.5 (+/- 0.5) degrees C. This type of hat gave no measurable thermal protection. It is concluded that a substantial reduction of thermal stress in adverse environments can be achieved simply and clearly by adequately covering the vault of the skull.     

Functional intestinal obstruction due to deficiency of argyrophil neurones in the myenteric plexus. Familial syndrome presenting with short small bowel, malrotation, and pyloric hypertrophy

In 3 infants functional intestinal obstruction, associated with a short small intestine, malrotation, and pyloric hypertrophy, was shown to be due to failure of development of the argyrophil myenteric plexus, with the absence of ongoing peristalsis. 4 infants with similar clinical features have been described previously, and there is evidence for an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance of this syndrome.     

Pet sensitivities in asthmatic children

A history of pet contact and/or apparent clinical sensitivity was obtained in 65 (55%) of 118 unselected asthmatic children. These 65 children were skin tested and their sera examined for specific IgE using the radioallergosorbent test. Those children who had apparent clinical sensitivities had larger skin test reactions and were more likely to have positive specific IgE results than those without apparent sensitivities. Positive skin tests were very common (80%), but the larger the skin test reaction (weal diameter greater than 4 mm diameter) the more likely was there to be a positive history or a positive specific IgE result. Hence a large skin test reaction can provide a helpful pointer to animal allergy of clinical importance. Commercially available animal extracts have limitations for diagnostic tests. A questionnaire survey of 150 day schools emphasized the potential opportunities for contact with animal allergens at school.     

Avulsion of the posteromedial tibial plateau by the semimembranosus tendon: diagnosis with MR imaging

Two sports-related knee injuries resulted in small fractures at the posteromedial corner of the tibial plateau. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated findings consistent with an avulsion injury at the semimembranosus insertion, as well as a similar pattern of internal derangement in both cases.     

Muscarinic M1 and M3 receptors are present and increase intracellular calcium in adult rat anterior pituitary gland

Physiological and biochemical evidence indicates the existence of functional muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the anterior pituitary. The selectivity of these receptors has been characterised by studying the binding of [³H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ([³H]QNB) and [³H]diphenyl-acetoxy-N-methyl-piperidine ([³H]4-DAMP) in membrane preparation of male rat anterior pituitary at 25°C. Competition experiments with receptor selective muscarinic antagonists were used to characterise specific selective muscarinic receptor binding. Both [³H]QNB and [³H]4-DAMP bound to anterior pituitary membranes at low concentrations, binding was saturable and was potently displaced by 4-DAMP (M₁, M₃ subtypes selective antagonist) > atropine (general) > pirenzepine (M₁). Methoctramine (M₂) didn’t antagonise the [³H]QNB binding efficiently. Acetylcholine and carbachol increased the intracellular Ca²⁺ level in 62% and 65% of cultured rat anterior pituitary cells in a dose-dependent manner, and this effect was prevented by pirenzepine. Based on these results we suggest that both M₁ and M₃ muscarinic receptors are present and active in the majority of cells in the rat anterior pituitary gland, but their physiological role in the adult rat remains to be examined.