Polypeptide composition of normal and neoplastic human breast tissues and cells analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Summary The protein populations of epithelial cells cultured from two neoplastic and five non-neoplastic human breast tissues were resolved and displayed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silverstaining. With a computer-based image analysis system, we identified eight polypeptides which are present in both of the neoplastic cell lines, but absent from all five of the cultures of non-neoplastic breast cells. The eight polypeptides are not unique to cells cultured from neoplastic breast, because they are also found in cells cultured from non-breast tissues, both neoplastic and non-neoplastic. Two of the eight polypeptides ( M_r 25,000/pI 4.4 and M_r 31,000/pI 5.5) are present in the patterns of whole tissue samples from infiltrating ductal carcinomas and absent in most normal breast tissue.     

Immunomodulation by cryosurgery in malignant melanoma

Cryosurgery is a well-known, established method for the local destruction of tumor tissue by freezing. The assumption that, in addition to a physical and blood vascular phase, an immunological phase exists, has been discussed by many authors and tested using animal models. These results can only be transferred to humans in a limited sense. During the last year, we initiated a randomized study "Cryosurgery versus Conventional Surgery", whereby the peripheral blood and the normal skin from the areas surrounding the resection were compared. We were able to demonstrate in the peripheral blood of 8 cryosurgery patients a postoperative increase in the total and helper T-cells, HLA-DR-positive cells, and the ratio helper/suppressor T-cells in comparison to preoperative values. In the 8 patients treated with conventional surgery, these parameters decreased slightly or remained the same. The differences were highly significant (p = 0.001) to significant (p = 0.01). The results from the first 16 are patients studied presented and discussed here.     

Quantitative measurement of cortical surface features in localization-related temporal lobe epilepsy

Differences in cortical surface features between healthy controls (n = 48) and patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 46), ages 14-59, were characterized by means of advanced quantitative MRI processing techniques. Cortical surface features of interest included gyral and sulcal curvature, cortical depth, and total cortical surface area. Epilepsy patients and controls differed on measures of gyrification; the abnormalities generalized despite the focal nature of the primary epileptic process. Changes in cortical surface features were associated with increasing chronological age in both groups. Abnormalities in gyrification were associated with cognitive performance and with other morphometric measurements (e.g., surface cerebral spinal fluid). These findings are related to the literature regarding morphometric changes associated with temporal lobe epilepsy and normal aging.     

The Effects of Feedback Sensory Modality, Feedback Information Content, and Sex on Short-Term Biofeedback Training of Three Responses

In three factorial experiments, auditory vs visual vs tactile feedback, analog feedback vs analog feedback which was anchored, and sex, were varied to assess the effects of these variables on performance in short-term biofeedback training of heart rate reduction, hand temperature increase, and forehead muscle tension reduction. A total of 108 subjects served in the study. Moderate but reliable changes were found during the course of the training session for all three physiological responses. The ability to reduce heart rate in a single training session did not appear to be a function of any of the variables manipulated in this study, but rather could be attributed to adaptation. In both muscle tension and temperature training, however, there were significant interactions between sex and sensory modality of the feedback stimulus and, in the case of muscle tension training, between information content of the feedback signal and sex. The overall pattern of results indicated that performance during biofeedback training is a complicated function of sex and the type of signal used to provide feedback, and that this function is not constant across physiological response systems.     

Chemiluminescent and flow cytometric analysis of gamma interferon preincubation on neonatal and adult rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) has multiple immunomodulating effects and has been postulated as a possible immunopotentiating agent for the prevention or treatment of neonatal infections. This report describes the effect of rat recombinant IFN-gamma on the oxidative burst activity and CD11b expression of neonatal and adult rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). Oxidative burst activity was assessed by chemiluminescence and dihydrorhodamine flow cytometry. Neonatal PMNL exhibited significantly less oxidative burst activity than did adult PMNL. IFN-gamma mildly enhanced the chemiluminescence response of PMNL from both the rat pups and adults, but this effect was not statistically significant when analyzed by a multivariate model of repeated-measures analysis of variance for both chemiluminescence and dihydrorhodamine flow cytometry. CD11b expression was also not significantly enhanced by IFN-gamma.     

Depression, APOE genotype and subjective memory impairment: a cross-sectional study in an African-Caribbean population

BACKGROUND: Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is common in older populations but its aetiology and clinical significance is uncertain. Depression has been reported to be strongly associated with SMI. Associations with objective cognitive impairment are less clear cut. Other factors suggested to be associated with SMI include poor physical health and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele. Studies of SMI have been predominantly confined to white Caucasian populations. METHOD: A community study was carried out in a UK African-Caribbean population aged 55-75, sampled from primary care lists. Twenty-three per cent were classified with SMI. Depression was defined using the 10-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Other aetiological factors investigated were education, objective cognitive function, APOE genotype, disablement and vascular disease/risk. The principal analysis was restricted to 243 participants scoring > 20 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (85%). A second analysis included all 290 participants. RESULTS: Depression, self-reported physical impairment and APOE epsilon4 were associated with SMI. The association between SMI and physical impairment was not explained by depression, vascular disease/risk, or disability/handicap. The association between epsilon4 and SMI increased as MMSE scores decreased and was particularly strong in those with depression. The epsilon4 allele was present in 69% (95% CI 41-89%) of those with depression and SMI compared with 28% (20-36%) of those with neither. CONCLUSIONS: Depression may not be a sufficient explanation for subjective memory complaints. Memory complaints in the presence of depression are associated with high prevalence of epsilon4 and therefore, presumably, a raised risk of subsequent dementia.     

Autoimmunity and inflammation due to a gain-of-function mutation in phospholipase C gamma 2 that specifically increases external Ca2+ entry

The identification of specific genetic loci that contribute to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases has proved difficult due to the contribution of multiple interacting genes, the inherent genetic heterogeneity present in human populations, and a lack of new mouse mutants. By using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis to discover new immune regulators, we identified a point mutation in the murine phospholipase Cg2 (Plcg2) gene that leads to severe spontaneous inflammation and autoimmunity. The disease is composed of an autoimmune component mediated by autoantibody immune complexes and B and T cell independent inflammation. The underlying mechanism is a gain-of-function mutation in Plcg2, which leads to hyperreactive external calcium entry in B cells and expansion of innate inflammatory cells. This mutant identifies Plcg2 as a key regulator in an autoimmune and inflammatory disease mediated by B cells and non-B, non-T haematopoietic cells and emphasizes that by distinct genetic modulation, a single point mutation can lead to a complex immunological phenotype.     

Antibody responses to the herpes simplex virus type 2 glycoprotein G in sera of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in Slovakia.

Thirty sera of human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) and 37 sera of HIV-negative (HIV-) individuals in Slovakia were tested for the presence of antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein G (gG). A notable difference between the prevalence of HSV-2-specific antibodies in HIV+ and that in HIV- individuals was found (37% vs. 11%) confirming and extending previous reports that HSV-2 infection is an important risk factor for HIV transmission. Efforts toward the detection of HSV-2 infection and its therapy by anti-HSV drugs should be considered an important factor in decreasing the risk of contracting and spreading of HIV in Slovakia.