Antilymphocyte autoantibody in lethal mouse malaria and its suppression by non-lethal malaria

Mice infected with lethal P. berghei or P. yoelii malaria develop anti-lymphocyte autoantibodies less than a week after infection. The autoantibodies are IgM, T-dependent and cytotoxic to a subpopulation of non-T lymphocytes at 37 degrees C in the presence of mouse or guinea-pig complement. Non-lethal P. yoelii and P. chabaudi do not induce these autoantibodies. X-irradiated P. berghei parasites induce autoantibodies in normal mice but not in mice infected with non-lethal P. yoelii suggesting an active suppressor mechanism in the non-lethal infection.     

Reduced atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations in premenstrual syndrome

Summary. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay technique in 23 women, 11 women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and 12 comparable asymptomatic women. The asymptomatic women showed no change in ANP concentration during the menstrual cycle. In the PMS group ANP levels showed a significant fall in the midluteal phase compared to levels in the follicular phase. Throughout the cycle ANP concentrations were lower in the PMS group than in the comparison group. This difference was statistically significant in the early, mid and late luteal phases of the cycle. The lower ANP concentration in the PMS group in the luteal phases may indicate either a lower plasma volume or a decrease in the total body sodium content or both. These findings are contrary to those expected.     

FREE AND BOUND TRYPTOPHAN IN HUMAN PLASMA DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD

Abstract. The concentration of tryptophan and the degree of binding of the amino acid to protein were examined in human plasma during the perinatal period. Both total and unbound (free) tryptophan were higher in cord vein plasma than in the maternal circulation, the concentration gradient being approximately 1: 2. The proportion of the total plasma tryptophan concentration that was not bound to protein was less in cord vein plasma than in the maternal circulation. After birth the proportion in infant plasma fell significantly. Both total and free tryptophan fell during the first 24 hours of postnatal life. Total tryptophan returned to the cord vein plasma level 6–8 days after birth whilst free tryptophan failed to increase during the period of the observations. In premature infants total and free tryptophan also declined in concentration 12–24 hours after birth, suggesting the phenomenon to be related to birth rather than to gestational age. Phenylalanine remained unchanged whilst tyrosine increased in concentration during the first 80 hours of postnatal life. Thus, the availability of tryptophan to the tissues appears to decline during the immediate postnatal period and the results suggest that the requirement for tryptophan during this time may exceed the supply from standard artifical milk preparations.     

Computer Imaging versus Conventional Esthetic Consultation: A Prospective Clinical Study

Computer imaging can be helpful in demonstrating to patients the potential outcome of esthetic dental procedures. The current clinical study assesses the effectiveness of computer imaging by comparing the reactions of patient and dentist to conventional consultations versus the use of computer imaging. The responses from 35 subjects show that computer imaging consultations are more effective in helping patients decide to accept treatment. Patient satisfaction was higher (93.75%) with computer consultations than with conventional methods (83.3%). Computer imaging consultations were easier to conduct but significantly ( p < .05) more time consuming.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This experiment confirms the role of computer imaging as an effective aid in esthetic dentistry consultations and treatment planning. Imaging facilitates communication between patient and practitioner and provides a more realistic view of anticipated treatment outcomes.     

Debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation and sulphamethazine N-acetylation in patients with schizophrenia and major depression

Debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation and sulphamethazine N -acetylation phenotypes were determined in 115 Czech drug-free in-patients with schizophrenia ( n =64) or major depressive disorder ( n =51). These data were compared with a control group of 321 healthy volunteers from the North-East German area of Greifswald. The distribution of debrisoquine hydroxylator phenotypes was almost identical in patients and healthy controls. Thus, there were 8.7% (95% CI 5.4–12.0%) of poor metabolizers (PM) among patients while 8.7% (95% CI 3.6–13.8%) PM among the control group. The prevalences of PM amongst patients with chronic schizophrenia and major depression were 10.9% (95% CI 4.5–21.3%) and 5.9 % (95% CI 1.24–16.3%), respectively (χ² schizophrenics vs control=0.315, NS; χ² depressive patients vs control=0.450, NS). However, within the group of EM patients there was a significant ( P <0.01) shift towards higher debrisoquine metabolic ratios, reflecting a lower hydroxylation capacity in EM patients compared with EM healthy controls. The proportion of slow acetylators (SA) was 60.0% (95% CI 51.0–68.9%) in the entire group of psychiatric patients and 57.5% (95% CI 52.1–62.9%) in the control group (χ² all patients vs control=0.195, NS). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of the SA phenotype between controls and schizophrenics or patients with major depression. Although the results of this modest study were negative, the presence of subtle differences in the metabolic capacity between psychiatric patients and a healthy population cannot be ruled out.     

MASSAGE THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MYOGENIC TMD: A PILOT STUDY

Introduction:

The Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is greatly prevalent in the population and can be associated with bruxism. This disorder produces several signs and symptoms. Among them, pain is one of the most important because it reduces life quality and productivity of people who have such disorder. The aim of this research was to study if massage causes pain relief and/or electromyographic (EMG) changes.

Materials and methods:

The subjects were chosen by a questionnaire and divided into 2 different groups. Their ages varied from 19 to 22 years. The experimental group consisted of 6 TMD patients, who were submitted to the massage treatment and 4 EMG-sessions (the 1^st EMG-session occurred before the treatment and the others in the 1^st, 15^th and 30^th days after the treatment). The control group consisted of 6 TMD patients, who were submitted to the same 4 EMG-sessions. While EMG activity was recorded, subjects were asked to keep mandibular rest position (MRP) and to perform maximal voluntary clenching (MVC). The treatment consisted of 15 massage-sessions on face and neck and in application of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for measuring pain level. The massage sessions had 30 minutes of duration and were performed daily. The EMG data were processed to obtain the Root Mean Square (RMS), which were normalized by MVC.

Results:

It was demonstrated that (1) RMS-MRP of the right masseter in experimental group at the 1^st EMG-session was higher than at the 2^nd EMG-session and (2) statistically significant reduction was found for VAS values after massage session.

Conclusion:

Unfortunately the sample is insufficient to draw any conclusions, therefore, more studies regarding the use of massage in the management of myogenic TMD are necessary.     

Influence of treatment with immunosuppressive drugs in mice chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

Latent Trypanosoma cruzi infection may be reactivated in immunosuppressed individuals, with unusual clinical patterns, such as meningoencephalitis, pseudo neoplastic lesions in the central nervous system, and myocarditis with numerous parasites in the heart muscle. To investigate this problem 68 Swiss mice chronically infected with different strains of T. cruzi were treated with different combinations of immunosuppressive drugs (azathioprine, cyclosporine and betamethasone), in such a way as to imitate the situation during post transplantation treatment. Mortality varied from 6 to 25% in treated mice. There were no deaths in untreated controls. Normal mice have been submitted to the same schedules of immunosuppression as controls of treatment and no deaths were registered during treatment. Chronically infected mice showed significant elevation of total number of leukocytes and lymphocytes in comparison with intact controls; a significant decrease in blood leukocytes and lymphocytes occurred post-treatment in two of the treated experimental groups. Exacerbation of myocarditis and myositis and a high incidence of brain lesions, with focal necrosis, granulomatous lesions and glial proliferation even in the absence of parasites were present in immunosuppressed mice but not in infected controls. Although differing in some aspects from Chagas' disease in immunosuppressed humans, the murine model did show some features that resembled it, especially the peculiar pattern of central nervous system involvement.