Putative glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic cells in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs of the rat

The "transmitter-specific" retrograde axonal tracer 3H-D-aspartate has been used to demonstrate neurons in the olfactory bulb which putatively utilize aspartate and/or glutamate as their neurotransmitter and which send an axon either to the piriform cortex or within the bulb itself. Injections of 3H-D-aspartate into layer I of the anterior piriform cortex, in the zone of termination of axons from the olfactory bulb, labeled only a few cells in the main olfactory bulb, located in the mitral and external plexiform layers. Although these cells resembled mitral and tufted cells, they tended to have smaller somata than other mitral or tufted cells and apparently form a distinct subpopulation of relay cells. In contrast, many of the mitral cells of the accessory olfactory bulb were labeled by the same injections of 3H-D-aspartate, probably as a result of involvement of the accessory olfactory tract or its bed nucleus in the injection site. Similar injections of the "nonspecific" tracer HRP into the anterior piriform cortex labeled most of the cells in the mitral cell layer of both the main and accessory olfactory bulbs, and some tufted cells in the external plexiform layer. It is concluded that only a small, distinct subpopulation of the mitral or tufted cells of the main olfactory bulb are aspartatergic and/or glutamatergic, while many (at least) of the mitral cells of the accessory olfactory bulb use the excitatory amino acids as transmitters. Injections of 3H-D-aspartate directly into the main olfactory bulb also failed to label the mitral and deeply situated tufted cells. However, a few cells were labeled in the periglomerular region, the superficial external plexiform layer, and the granule cell layer near the injection site. These labeled cells were smaller than mitral and tufted cells but generally larger than periglomerular or granule cells. They may represent a population of glutamatergic or aspartatergic short axon cells. In addition, small cells of an unknown type were labeled in the olfactory nerve layer following injections in the deepest part of the bulb. These cells do not correspond to any of the well characterized cell types of the olfactory bulb.     

Safety and Efficacy of ECT in Depressed Patients with Dementia: A Review of Clinical Experience

The authors review the results of electroconvulsive therpay (ECT) in 135 cases of depression occurring in conjunction with organic dementia, subcortical leukoencephalopathy without dementia, and depressive dementia (22 cases). Overall, 86% had a positive therapeutic response to ECT, whereas 21% experienced significant cognitive or memory side effects, virtually all of which were transient and reversible. Forty-nine percent of the patients with organic or depressive dementias experienced improvement in cognitive or memory function consequent to ECT.     

Comparative genomic hybridization of 49 primary retinoblastoma tumors identifies chromosomal regions associated with histopathology,progression, and patient outcome

Forty-nine primary retinoblastoma (Rb) tumors were analyzed by the use of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), and clinical/histological correlations were performed. Adverse histological factors were present in 13 patients. Chromosomal imbalance was a frequent phenomenon, seen in 96% of the tumors. Gain of 6p represented the most frequent event (69% of the tumors), whereas +1q was observed in 57%, confirming that these abnormalities are key secondary events in retinoblastoma tumor progression. Loss of 13q and 16 was significantly associated with tumors displaying adverse histo-prognostic factors, whereas -16q was significantly associated with tumors without adverse features. In three patients who developed an extra-ocular relapse, the tumors showed -13q and 2/3 had -5q, suggesting that these abnormalities may be associated with metastasis. Children >or= 36 months of age at enucleation tended to have more CGH abnormalities per tumor than children < 12 months (median numbers 11 vs. 3). In addition, +1q, +13q, -16, and -16q were more frequent in children with an older age at enucleation. Identical CGH changes were found in both tumors from one patient with bilateral tumors, suggesting a common origin. It is possible that tumors displaying loss of 13q and 5q indicate those patients who may suffer an adverse outcome and who would require alternative or more intensive therapy. CGH analysis on larger cohorts and in prospective clinical trials will be invaluable in determining whether a genetic classification of retinoblastoma represents a reliable measure of prognosis.     

DNA cloned from the ayw subtype of hepatitis B virus

DNA from the ayw subtype of hepatitis B virus (HBV) was ligated into the EcorI site of DNA from plasmid pBR322 and propagated in E coli chi 776. A plasmid with a 3200 base pair insert (pHBV-1) was isolated and the cloned HBV DNA was mapped with restriction endonucleases. Differences were found in restriction endonuclease cleavage sites for DNAs from HBV of subtype ayw and adr.     

Risk and protective factors for suicidal behavior in abused African American women

This study examined risk and protective factors that differentiate low-income, abused African American women (N = 200) who attempted suicide from those who had never made a suicide attempt. Results from multivariate analyses revealed that numerous and/or severe negative life events, a history of child maltreatment, high levels of psychological distress and depression, hopelessness about the future, and alcohol and drug problems were factors associated with attempter status. Protective factors associated with nonattempter status included hopefulness, self-efficacy, coping skills, social support, and effectiveness in obtaining material resources. Culturally competent intervention approaches for abused women should target increasing their protective factors and reducing their risk factors to decrease the likelihood that these women engage in suicidal behavior.     

Isolation of a variant of Candida albicans.

During the course of Candida albicans antigen production, a variant of this organism was encountered which did not produce hyphae at 37 degrees C. Presented here are some of the characteristics of this variant. It produces hyphae at 25 degrees C on cornmeal agar and synthetic medium plus N-acetylglucosamine and Tween 80. At 37 degrees C, it does not produce hyphae on these media, although C. albicans normally does produce hyphae under these circumstances. In liquid synthetic medium, this variant does not produce hyphae at 37 degrees C. The variant strain was analyzed for DNA, RNA, protein content, and particle size. After 50 to 70 h in balanced exponential-phase growth, particle size distribution was narrow, and there were no differences in the DNA, RNA, or protein content per particle in the two strains. When balanced exponential-phase cultures were brought into stationary phase, both strains contained the same amount of DNA per cell.