Time-dependent post-imperative negative variation indicates adaptation and problem solving in migraine patients

According to the Seligman theory of learned helplessness, depression is caused by a repetitive experience of loss of control resulting in internal, stable and global attributional styles for negative events. In depressed patients and healthy controls experiencing such events, an increased amplitude of the post-imperative negative variation (PINV) has been described. The aim of the study was to investigate a possible correlation between migraine, depression, learned helplessness and PINV. 24 patients suffering from migraine without aura and 24 healthy controls were exposed to a situation of loss of control whilst the contingent negative variation (CNV) from C3, C4 and Cz were recorded. Before conducting the experiment, the subjects were asked to answer the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the German attributional style questionnaire (GASQ). Amplitudes of total CNV, early and late component and PINV were calculated in eight blocks of four recordings each. The results confirm findings of a pronounced PINV in situations of loss of control, though high amplitudes were not correlated with low values in the GASQ and therefore with learned helplessness. High PINV in migraine patients correlated with high scores in the BDI and the list of the complaints questionnaire. However, this was not the case in healthy controls. In this experimental situation, PINV in migraine patients can be interpreted as an expectancy potential in order to avoid failure and helplessness.     

All‐trans retinoic acid for treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Background/Aims: In vitro studies in the subgenomic hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicon system have identified all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) as a potential therapeutic against hepatitis C. Thus, the antiviral potential of this drug should be assessed in vivo. Methods: Twenty highly treatment experienced serotype 1 patients with non‐response to conventional or pegylated interferon‐α (Peg‐/IFN‐α) and ribavirin were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of monotherapy with ATRA (group A) or a combination of ATRA and PegIFN‐α2a (group B). HCV RNA was assessed by bDNA assay and if negative by highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction. Results: During treatment, five of 10 patients in group A had a drop of viraemia >1log, while in group B after 8 weeks five of 10 dropped >2log, and three of 10 cleared HCV RNA from serum. Viraemia relapsed after treatment cessation. ATRA was rather well tolerated, with transient headache, dry skin and mucosa representing the most common side effects. Conclusions: The viral load reduction under ATRA monotherapy, although limited and transient, supports the antiviral activity of ATRA. However, the rapid loss of HCV RNA in three of 10 previous non‐responders under ATRA and PegIFN‐α2a treatment demonstrates a strong additive or synergistic ATRA effect and calls for a controlled trial to assess the therapeutic potential of this drug.     

IMMUNOELECTRON MICROSCOPIC LOCALIZATION OF GROWTH FACTORS AND OTHER MARKERS IN HUMAN LONG－TERM BONE MARROW CULTURES

ＩＭＭＵＮＯＥＬＥＣＴＲＯＮＭＩＣＲＯＳＣＯＰＩＣＬＯＣＡＬＩＺＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＧＲＯＷＴＨＦＡＣＴＯＲＳＡＮＤＯＴＨＥＲＭＡＲＫＥＲＳＩＮＨＵＭＡＮＬＯＮＧ－ＴＥＲＭＢＯＮＥＭＡＲＲＯＷＣＵＬＴＵＲＥＳ￥ＬｉｕＪｉｅｗｅｎ；（刘杰文），ＷｙｎｔｅｒＥ...