Grip force coordination during bimanual tasks in unilateral cerebral palsy

Aim The aim of the study was to investigate coordination of fingertip forces during an asymmetrical bimanual task in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). Method Twelve participants (six males, six females; mean age 14y 4mo, SD 3.3y; range 9–20y;) with unilateral CP (eight right‐sided, four left‐sided) and 15 age‐matched typically developing participants (five males, 10 females; mean age 14y 3mo, SD 2.9y; range 9–18y,) were included. Participants were instructed to hold custom‐made grip devices in each hand and place one device on top of the other. The grip force and load force were recorded simultaneously in both hands. Results Temporal coordination between the two hands was impaired in the participants with CP (compared with that in typically developing participants), that is they initiated the task by decreasing grip force in the releasing hand before increasing the force in the holding hand. The grip force increase in the holding hand was also smaller in participants with CP (involved hand/non‐dominant hand releasing, p<0.001; non‐involved hand/dominant hand releasing, p=0.007), indicating deficient scaling of force amplitude. The impairment was greater when participants with CP used their non‐involved hand as the holding hand. Interpretation Temporal coordination and scaling of fingertip forces were impaired in both hands in participants with CP. The non‐involved hand was strongly affected by activity in the involved hand, which may explain why children with unilateral CP prefer to use only one hand during tasks that are typically performed with both hands.     

Childhood emotional abuse and dissociation in patients with conversion symptoms

Aim:  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between reported childhood trauma and dissociation in patients who have a conversion symptom.
Method:  Thirty-two outpatients with a conversion symptom were evaluated using Dissociative Experiences Scale, Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory, Clinician-Administered Dissociative State Scale, and Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule.
Results:  A DSM-IV dissociative disorder was diagnosed in 46.9% of the patients. Conversion patients with a dissociative disorder had borderline personality disorder more frequently than those without a dissociative disorder. Among childhood trauma types, emotional abuse was the only significant predictor of dissociation in regression analysis. None of the childhood trauma types predicted borderline personality disorder criteria.
Conclusions:  Borderline personality disorder, dissociation and reports of childhood emotional abuse refer to a subgroup among patients with conversion symptom. Dissociation seems to be a mediator between childhood trauma and borderline phenomena among these patients.     

Gastroschisis with jejunal and colonic atresia,and isolated colonic atresia in dichorionic,diamniotic twins

Despite the increasing incidence of gastroschisis, the cause remains unknown. Genetic factors may contribute to bowel anomalies as demonstrated by cases of gastroschisis in twins and siblings, and other types of bowel anomalies in twins. Atresia of the colon represents one of the rarest causes of neonatal intestinal obstruction. We present the first case of dichorionic, diamniotic male twins in which there was gastroschisis with jejunal and colonic atresia in Twin A and isolated colonic atresia in Twin B.     

Blockade of dopamine d4 receptors attenuates reinstatement of extinguished nicotine-seeking behavior in rats

Since cloning of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), its role in the brain has remained unclear. It has been reported that polymorphism of the DRD4 gene in humans is associated with reactivity to cues related to tobacco smoking. However, the role of DRD4 in animal models of nicotine addiction has seldom been explored. In our study, male Long-Evans rats learned to intravenously self-administer nicotine under a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement. Effects of the selective DRD4 antagonist L-745,870 were evaluated on nicotine self-administration behavior and on reinstatement of extinguished nicotine-seeking behavior induced by nicotine-associated cues or by priming injections of nicotine. L-745,870 was also tested on reinstatement of extinguished food-seeking behavior as a control. In addition, the selective DRD4 agonist PD 168,077 was tested for its ability to reinstate extinguished nicotine-seeking behavior. Finally, L-745,870 was tested in Sprague Dawley rats trained to discriminate administration of 0.4?mg/kg nicotine from vehicle under an FR schedule of food delivery. L-745,870 significantly attenuated reinstatement of nicotine-seeking induced by both nicotine-associated cues and nicotine priming. In contrast, L-745,870 did not affect established nicotine self-administration behavior or reinstatement of food-seeking behavior induced by food cues or food priming. L-745,870 did not produce nicotine-like discriminative-stimulus effects and did not alter discriminative-stimulus effects of nicotine. PD 168,077 did not reinstate extinguished nicotine-seeking behavior. As DRD4 blockade by L-745,870 selectively attenuated both cue- and nicotine-induced reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior, without affecting cue- or food-induced reinstatement of food-seeking behavior, DRD4 antagonists are potential therapeutic agents against tobacco smoking relapse.     

Coenzyme Q10 modulates cognitive impairment against intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin in rats

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a peculiar lipophilic antioxidant, is an essential component of the mitochondrial electron-transport chain. It is involved in the manufacturing of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and has been linked with improving cognitive functions. The present study shows the neuroprotective effect of CoQ10 on cognitive impairments and oxidative damage in hippocampus and cerebral cortex of intracerebroventricular-streptozotocin (ICV-STZ) infused rats. Male Wistar rats (1-year old) were infused bilaterally with an ICV injection of STZ (1.5 mg/kg b.wt., in normal saline), while sham group received vehicle only. After 24 h, the rats were supplemented with CoQ10 (10 mg/kg b.wt. i.p.) for 3 weeks. The learning and memory tests were monitored 2 weeks after the lesioning. STZ-infused rats showed the loss of cognitive performance in Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests. Three weeks after the lesioning, the rats were sacrificed for estimating the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), protein carbonyl (PC), ATP and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Significant alteration in the markers of oxidative damage (TBARS, GSH, PC, GPx and GR) and a decline in the level of ATP were observed in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of ICV-STZ rat. A significant decrease in ChAT activity and a concomitant increase in AChE activity were observed in the hippocampus. However, supplementation with CoQ10 in STZ-infused rats reversed all the parameters significantly. Thus, the study demonstrates that CoQ10 may have a therapeutic importance in the treatment of Alzheimer's type dementia.     

Sporulation in mycobacteria

Mycobacteria owe their success as pathogens to their ability to persist for long periods within host cells in asymptomatic, latent forms before they opportunistically switch to the virulent state. The molecular mechanisms underlying the transition into dormancy and emergence from it are not clear. Here we show that old cultures of Mycobacterium marinum contained spores that, upon exposure to fresh medium, germinated into vegetative cells and reappeared again in stationary phase via endospore formation. They showed many of the usual characteristics of well-known endospores. Homologues of well-known sporulation genes of Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces coelicolor were detected in mycobacteria genomes, some of which were verified to be transcribed during appropriate life-cycle stages. We also provide data indicating that it is likely that old Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette–Guérin cultures form spores. Together, our data show sporulation as a lifestyle adapted by mycobacteria under stress and tempt us to suggest this as a possible mechanism for dormancy and/or persistent infection. If so, this might lead to new prophylactic strategies.     

Contrast arthrography in thumb polydactyly with variable morphological patterns.

Contrast arthrography was performed in 20 patients with duplicated thumbs where the interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, and carpometacarpal joints were involved. Three groups were apparent, those with no joint alteration, those with joint involvement and separate articular impressions, and those with abnormal duplex joints.     

Inhibition of platelet function by recombinant soluble ecto-ADPase/CD39.

Excessive platelet accumulation and recruitment, leading to vessel occlusion at sites of vascular injury, present major therapeutic challenges in cardiovascular medicine. Endothelial cell CD39, an ecto-enzyme with ADPase and ATPase activities, rapidly metabolizes ATP and ADP released from activated platelets, thereby abolishing recruitment. Therefore, a soluble form of CD39, retaining nucleotidase activities, would constitute a novel antithrombotic agent. We designed a recombinant, soluble form of human CD39, and isolated it from conditioned media from transiently transfected COS-1 cells and from stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Conditioned medium from CHO cells grown under serum-free conditions was subjected to anti-CD39 immunoaffinity column chromatography, yielding a single approximately 66-kD protein with ATPase and ADPase activities. Purified soluble CD39 blocked ADP-induced platelet aggregation in vitro, and inhibited collagen-induced platelet reactivity. Kinetic analyses indicated that, while soluble CD39 had a Km for ADP of 5.9 microM and for ATP of 2.1 microM, the specificity constant kcat/Km was the same for both substrates. Intravenously administered soluble CD39 remained active in mice for an extended period of time, with an elimination phase half-life of almost 2 d. The data indicate that soluble CD39 is a potential therapeutic agent for inhibition of platelet-mediated thrombotic diatheses.