Increased deep sleep in a medication-free,detoxified female offender with schizophrenia,alcoholism and a history of attempted homicide: Case report

Background  

Psychiatric sleep research has attempted to identify diagnostically sensitive and specific sleep patterns associated with particular disorders. Both schizophrenia and alcoholism are typically characterized by a severe sleep disturbance associated with decreased amounts of slow wave sleep, the physiologically significant, refreshing part of the sleep. Antisocial behaviour with severe aggression, on the contrary, has been reported to associate with increased deep sleep reflecting either specific brain pathology or a delay in the normal development of sleep patterns. The authors are not aware of previous sleep studies in patients with both schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder.     

A novel glycine site-specific N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist prevents activation of the NMDA/NO/CGMP pathway by ammonia

Intrastriatal administration of ammonium ions ("ammonia") via a microdialysis probe overactivates N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which results in cGMP accumulation in the microdialysates. Co-administration of a potent glycine site-specific NMDA receptor antagonist CGP 78608 ([(1S)-1-[[(7-bromo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2,3-dioxo-5-quinoxalinyl)methyl]amino]ethyl]phosphonate) significantly reduced (at 20 nM) or abolished (at 100 nM) ammonia-dependent cGMP synthesis. Since NMDA receptor activation is an important causative factor in ammonia neurotoxicity, the present results suggest the glycine site of the receptor to be a potential valuable target for protective intervention.     

Secondary prevention of coronary heart disease is disappointing among patients of working age

BACKGROUND: The risk factors underlying coronary heart disease (CHD) are well known. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors related to secondary prevention of working-age CHD patients. METHODS: CHD patients with (n = 139) and without (n = 203) myocardial infarction were selected from a postal questionnaire study (n = 21 101) of randomly selected Finns aged 20-54 years (HeSSup study). Four age- and sex-matched controls were chosen for every patient. RESULTS: CHD patients still smoke, are obese and suffer hangovers more frequently than the control population. CONCLUSION: The health care system has not succeeded in the secondary prevention of CHD.     

Perceived health as a predictor of early retirement

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between perceived health and early retirement. METHODS: A cohort of 1748 men aged 42 to 60 years from eastern Finland was followed from 1984 to 2000. At baseline, the participants had answered a questionnaire regarding their general (as measured by physician diagnoses) and perceived health status. Comprehensive pension records were obtained from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland and the Central Pension Security Institute. The risk of disability pensioning in various disease categories and nonillness-based early pensioning was analyzed using Cox regression modeling. RESULTS: Over 11 years, 855 (48.9%) men received a disability pension, and 331 (18.9%) received a nonillness-based early pension. Only 273 (15.6%) received an old age pension, without previous early pensioning. At the end of the follow-up, 289 (16.5%) were still working. After adjustment for potential confounders, men with poor perceived health at baseline had a relative risk of 2.37 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.79-3.13] for disability pensioning and the highest risk of disability was due to mental illness (RR 3.84, 95% CI 1.86-7.92), followed by musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular diseases. The relative risk of receiving a nonillness-based pension was 2.94 (95% CI 1.92-4.50) for this group. CONCLUSIONS: Self-assessed poor health is a strong predictor of early retirement due to mental disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, the risk of retirement on a nonillness-based pension is increased among those with poor perceived health.     

Flavonol and Flavone Intake and the Risk of Intermittent Claudication in Male Smokers

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between flavonol and flavone intake and the risk of intermittent claudication in male smokers. The study population consisted of participants of the Finnish alpha-Tocopherol, beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study, who were free of intermittent claudication at study entry. These 25,041 male smokers were 50-69 years old at baseline. Participants completed a validated dietary questionnaire at baseline. The occurrence of intermittent claudication was assessed by annual administration of the Rose questionnaire. During the median follow-up of 4.1 years, 2412 new cases of intermittent claudication were observed. Dietary intake of flavonols and flavones was inversely associated with the risk of intermittent claudication when adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors (relative risk, RR in the highest vs. lowest quintile of intake 0.86, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.75-0.98, p for trend 0.007). However, after further adjustment for intakes of vitamins C and E and total carotenoids, the association was attenuated (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.81-1.08, p for trend 0.12). The risk of intermittent claudication was lower among men in the highest quintile of vegetable consumption (RR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.69-0.89, p for trend 0.0001) and among wine drinkers (RR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.98). Adjustment for flavonol and flavone intake only marginally changed these associations. In conclusion, flavonol and flavone intake was not independently associated with the risk of intermittent claudication.     

Induced abortion in the Nordic countries: special emphasis on young women

BACKGROUND: To analyze the trends in legally induced abortions among women younger than 30 years in the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, since the liberalized abortion laws came into force. METHODS: Data stem from national registrations of vital events. Some have been published in the national vital statistics while others have been retrieved for this study. General and age-specific abortion rates are used to analyze the trends. Further, an index has been calculated by dividing the age-specific abortion rates by the Nordic average. RESULTS: The analysis reveals an overall reduction in the general abortion rates in the Nordic countries, apart from Iceland. The rates have been highest in Denmark and Sweden and lowest in Finland since the early 1980s. In the mid-1980s, the abortion rates increased among 15-19-year-old women in Sweden and among 20-24-year-old women in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, followed by a reduction. In Iceland the very low age-specific abortion rates for all age groups under 30 years at the beginning of the study period increased and Iceland had the highest rate for 15-19-year-old women in the late-1990s. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively low abortion rates in Finland demonstrate effective preventive efforts, although the recent increase challenges further studies on the relationship between abortion rates and counseling activities. The rise in abortion rates in Iceland indicate a need for improved sex education, contraceptive services and availability of contraceptive methods for young people.     

Functional characterization of the human FSH receptor with an inactivating Ala189Val mutation

An Ala189Val mutation of the human FSH receptor (FSHR) has been found to cause hypergonadotrophic ovarian failure with arrest of follicular maturation in women, and suppressed spermatogenesis in men. We have now characterized the molecular mechanisms of the receptor inactivation. Wild-type and mutant FSHR cDNAs were expressed in monkey kidney (COS-7) cells and murine granulosa tumour (KK-1) cells. Similar steady-state levels of FSHR mRNA were found in COS-7 and KK-1 cells transfected with both types of FSHR cDNA. Conspicuously, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy studies revealed that whereas the wild-type receptor could be readily detected on the plasma membrane, most of the mutated protein was intracellularly sequestered. Ligand binding studies confirmed the greatly reduced cell surface expression of the mutant FSHR. A low level of mutated receptors were expressed at the cell surface, as shown by ligand binding and cAMP response. The capacity of these receptors to evoke another second messenger response, that of inositol trisphosphate (IP3), was almost totally lost. This finding may be related to the clinical picture of the patients, i.e. blockade of follicular maturation. There is a highly conserved stretch of five amino acids (Ala-Phe-Asn-Gly-Thr) in the region of the mutation in all glycoprotein hormone receptors. We therefore created the same Ala to Val transition in the human LHR and studied its functional consequences. Similar functional alterations, i.e. intracellular sequestration and attenuated signal transduction, were found, as with mutated FSHR. Hence, this particular mutation in the conserved extracellular region of glycoprotein hormone receptors induces a conformational change that suppresses cell membrane targeting of the mutated receptor, probably through altered intracellular folding.     

Antioxidant defense mechanisms in human neutrophils

Neutrophils have a short half-life and high tendency to undergo apoptosis. One feature that may influence these characteristics is the antioxidant/oxidant balance of these cells. There are few studies on the levels of antioxidant enzymes in human neutrophils. We have analyzed by immunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded cells and from cytospin preparations the most important antioxidant proteins in human neutrophils, and compared their levels with those in blood monocytes. Neutrophils showed moderate to high catalase, weak to moderate extracellular superoxide dismutase, and weak copper zinc superoxide dismutase and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase immunoreactivities. There were no detectable levels of manganese superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin, and heme oxygenase 1. Some differences were observed between the samples prepared by embedding in paraffin or by cytospin. These results, in combination with a recent study from this laboratory, suggest that a prominent feature in neutrophils is their high catalase activity but lower level of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes. The differences in antioxidant profiles in neutrophils and monocytes may have important effects on the life span of human neutrophils, in both healthy and diseased tissues.     

Antibody response to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides in children with acute otitis media

BACKGROUND: To describe the antibody response to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides in children <2 years of age with pneumococcal acute otitis media (AOM) caused by serotypes 6A, 6B, 11A, 14, 19F or 23F. These serotypes were commonly found in both nasopharyngeal carriage and AOM in children of the study population in Finland. METHODS: Serum antibody concentrations to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides of types 6B, 11A, 14, 19F and 23F were measured by enzyme immunoassay in acute and convalescent sera from children with AOM. RESULTS: Responses (at least 2-fold increase of antibody concentration) were relatively infrequent and varied with both the age of the child and the serotype of the Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from the middle ear fluid. Children older than 12 months were more likely to have antibody responses than were younger children. Responses were seen only infrequently to types 6A, 6B or 19F (1 of 14, 1 of 9 and 2 of 25, respectively), more often to types 11A and 14 (2 of 8 and 3 of 8) and relatively frequently to type 23F (8 of 18). However, the convalescent antibody concentrations to type 23F were low and usually declined after the infection, whereas responders to 14 AOM had antibodies that persisted at a high concentration through the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The results emphasize the differences between Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in their immunogenicity and quantitative and qualitative differences of antibodies produced after infection.     

Inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: relation to p53 expression,clinicopathological data,and survival

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its relation to p53 expression, histologic differentiation, clinical data, and prognosis. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective survey. METHODS: Primary tumors for analyses were obtained from 118 patients diagnosed with SCC of the oropharynx or hypopharynx between 1975 and 1998 in eastern Finland. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate the expression of iNOS and p53. The expression pattern of iNOS was related to p53 expression, clinical data, and survival. RESULTS: High iNOS score was associated significantly with high nuclear p53 expression index (P = .006) and positive cytoplasmic p53 expression (P = .025). The score for iNOS expression was significantly lower in the largest (T4) tumors (P = .043). No association was seen between iNOS score and N or M class, tumor stage, or histologic differentiation. The score for iNOS expression was not related to overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The expressions of iNOS and p53 seem to be inter-related in pharyngeal SCC, although the causality remains to be clarified. The expression of iNOS shows no prognostic value in pharyngeal SCC.