Insomnia Symptom Severity Modulates The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Attentional Biases to Emotional Information

The present study evaluated the effect of experimental sleep deprivation on attentional biases to emotional information among a sample of 40 healthy, young adults. Participants were randomized into either a total sleep deprivation (i.e., 28 consecutive hours awake) or sleep control (i.e., 8-h sleep opportunity) condition. Participants also completed a modified version of the Dot Probe Task to assess attentional biases to positive and negative information and the insomnia severity index (ISI) to assess current insomnia symptom severity. While controlling for ISI scores, acute sleep deprivation was not associated with a greater bias to negative stimuli. In contrast, sleep deprivation predicted a significantly reduced bias to positive stimuli, but only among participants with relative low ISI scores. The present findings suggest that young adults with low levels of insomnia symptoms are particularly susceptible to the effects of sleep deprivation; such that acute sleep loss can reduce their natural tendencies to attend to positive information in the environment.     

Sunitinib induces PTEN expression and inhibits PDGFR signaling and migration of medulloblastoma cells

We previously showed that inhibition of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) blocks the survival and migration of medulloblastoma cells. Identification of in vitro PDGFR-targeting pharmacologic agents that are suitable for preclinical testing in medulloblastoma models in vivo will be critical for efficiently translating these agents to clinical investigation in children with medulloblastoma. In this study, we investigated whether the multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib, effectively inhibits PDGFR signaling required for medulloblastoma cell migration. Daoy and D556 human medulloblastoma cells pre-treated for 1 h with 0.2 μM sunitinib demonstrated induction of PTEN expression and significant inhibition of PDGFR signaling activity and transactivation of EGFR, in a RAS-independent manner, in response to PDGF-BB stimulation. Sunitinib pre-treatment markedly reduced medulloblastoma cell migration in response to both PDGF-BB and 10% serum at 4 and 24 h after treatment. Pre-treatment with sunitinib for 1 h also resulted in detachment and decreased viability of D556, but not Daoy, cells and only after 48 h following treatment. However, sunitinib did not induce apoptosis in either cell line at any time point, indicating that the anti-migratory effects of sunitinib were not due to impeding cell survival. Sunitinib similarly inhibited PDGFR signaling and migration of primary murine Smo/Smo medulloblastoma cells, suggesting that the Smo/Smo mouse is an appropriate model for preclinical testing of sunitinib. These results indicate that sunitinib may be an important pharmacologic agent for the treatment of invasive medulloblastoma, particularly given evidence of its ability to cross the blood–brain barrier to target tumor cells, and thus warrants further in vivo testing for confirmation of efficacy.     

Consonant production in children receiving a multichannel cochlear implant

Consonant production was investigated in 29 children participating in the federal Food and Drug Administration's clinical trials of the Nucleus WSP-III cochlear implant. Speech samples were collected preimplant and 1 year postimplant. A significantly greater number of children produced stop, nasal, fricative, and glide consonants postimplant. Voiced stop consonants were used by more children than the voiceless cognates; however, voiceless fricatives were used more than voiced fricatives. Visible places of articulation were used more frequently than less visible places of articulation. Comparisons to Smith's data (J Speech Hear Res 1975;18:795-811) revealed qualitative similarities but postimplant, quantitative differences were observed. Post hoc analyses of the data revealed some sounds were influenced more by an implant than other sounds and suggest the role of an implant upon spontaneous speech is complex.     

Gestational age-related inhibition of placental hCG, alpha hCG and steroid hormone release in vitro by a GnRH antagonist

Human placental tissues have been shown to contain gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-(GnRH)-like activity. Thus, the effect of a potent GnRH antagonist (N-Ac-Pro1,D-p-Cl-Phe2,D-Nal(2)3,6-GnRH, obtained from Syntex Laboratories) on placental hormonal release was studied. Explant cultures of placentae of 6 to 15 weeks' gestation were studied. This GnRH antagonist did not inhibit the alpha human chorionic gonadotrophin (alpha hCG), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), oestrone or oestradiol release from the six- and nine-week placental cultures, but greatly suppressed the release of these hormones in the placental cultures from 13- and 15-week gestations. Synthetic GnRH partially reversed the action of this antagonist on the hormonal releases in the 15-week placental cultures. These data demonstrate a gestational age-related action of this antagonist on placental hormonal release. Thus, a role for the endogenous GnRH-like activity of the placenta in the control of placental hormonogenesis is indicated.     

Temporal integration of tone glides by children with auditory-memory and reading problems

Temporal auditory integration for short-duration, frequency-varying signals was examined in children with deficits in auditory memory and reading. Signals were similar to those previously used: a fixed-frequency tone, a tone glide rising in frequency, and a tone glide falling in frequency. No significant differences were found between the Experimental and Control groups' thresholds as a function of signal class (i.e., fixed-frequency or tone glide) or duration. In addition, a significant asymmetry in the thresholds of short-duration rising and falling tone glides was found for both groups. Falling tone glides were detected at higher intensities than were rising tone glides. Data from this study indicated this particular group of children with auditory memory and reading problems was able to detect simple and complex short-duration signals in a manner similar to normal children.     

Multidetector spiral high-resolution computed tomography of the lungs: distribution of findings on coronal image reconstructions

The aim of this pictorial essay is to illustrate the distribution of normal findings and various lung diseases on coronal reconstructions as compared with cross-sectional high-resolution CT images. The volumetric CT images were obtained at 120 kVp, 200 mA/rotation, pitch 6:1, and a high-spatial-frequency reconstruction algorithm. The scans were performed using 2.5-mm collimation and reconstructed at 1.25-mm intervals. Coronal reconstructions were obtained at 2.5-mm slice thickness and 2.5-mm intervals. The pictorial includes images of normal anatomy, emphysema, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, sarcoidosis, bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary edema, tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus pneumonia, bronchiectasis, and panbronchiolitis.     

Effects of gentamicin,lipopolysaccharide, and contrast media on immortalized proximal tubular cells

Aminoglycosides are widely used in the treatment of gram-negative bacterial infections. Gentamicin (GE) acts mainly in proximal tubular cells, where it is uptake via organic anion transport system and it induces a high incidence of nephrotoxicity, which is characterized by tubular necrosis [5] leading to acute renal failure in 10 to 50% of patients. Gram-negative bacteria has lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which is an endotoxin that cause renal damage. [1] Moreover, many patients are undergone exams using radiologic contrast, which is a risk factor to induce a hemodynamic change in the kidney and to develop acute renal failure. [6] Intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i is involved in renal cellular injury [7,3] and maybe mediate the effects provoked by these drugs. This study was performed to evaluate necrosis, apoptosis, and intracellular calcium levels ([Ca2+]i) in LLC-PK1 (epithelial cell line from pig kidney) induced by GE associated with LPS and a low-osmolality media, Hexabrix (HE).