The human amygdala is sensitive to the valence of pictures and sounds irrespective of arousal: an fMRI study

With the advent of studies showing that amygdala responses are not limited to fear-related or highly unpleasant stimuli, studies began to focus on stimulus valence and stimulus-related arousal as predictors of amygdala activity. Recent studies in the chemosensory domain found amygdala activity to increase with the intensity of negative and positive chemosensory stimuli. This has led to the proposal that amygdala activity might be an indicator of emotional arousal, at least in the chemosensory domain. The present study investigated amygdala activity in response to visual and auditory stimuli. By selecting stimuli based on individual valence and arousal ratings, we were able to dissociate stimulus valence and stimulus-related arousal, both on the verbal and the peripheral physiological level. We found that the amygdala was sensitive to stimulus valence even when arousal was controlled for, and that increased amygdala activity was better explained by valence than by arousal. The proposed difference in the relation between amygdala activity and stimulus-related arousal between the chemosensory and the audiovisual domain is discussed in terms of the amygdala''s embedding within these sensory systems and the processes by which emotional meaning is derived.     

Mitochondrial DNA damage in lymphocytes: a role in immunosenescence?

An age-related increase of DNA damage/mutation has been previously reported in human lymphocytes. The high copy number and mutation rate make the mtDNA genome an ideal candidate for assessing damage and to act as a potential biomarker of ageing. In the present study, two assays were developed to evaluate the level of mtDNA(4977) and the accumulation of point mutations with age. A competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodology incorporating three primers was used to detect and quantify the levels of mtDNA(4977) and a novel heteroduplex reference strand conformational analysis (RSCA) technique was used to analyse the accumulation of point mutations. The assays were applied to an in vitro model of T cell ageing and ex vivo DNA samples from an elderly cohort of subjects and a younger control group. The mtDNA(4977) was detected in all the DNA samples examined but only a very low concentration was observed and no age-related increase or accumulation was observed. No accumulation of point mutations was identified using RSCA within the T cell clones as they were aged or the ex vivo lymphocytes from the elderly cohort. A higher level of variation was observed within the ex vivo DNA samples, verifying the high resolution of RSCA and its ability to identify different mtDNA species, although no correlation with age was observed. The low level of mtDNA damage observed with respect to the ex vivo lymphocyte DNA samples within this study may be due in part to the high turnover of blood cells/mtDNA, which may inhibit the accumulation of genetically abnormal mtDNA that may play a role in immunosenescence. A similar explanation may also apply to the in vitro model of T cell ageing if the vast majority of the cells are replicating rather than entering senescence.     

Diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum infection by spot hybridization assay: specificity, sensitivity, and field applicability

The spot hybridization assay for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum reported here uses as probe a repetitive DNA sequence from this species and exhibits a high degree of species specificity. Isolates from African, Asian, and South American patients were positive in the assay and gametocytes could be detected at the same level of parasitaemia as asexual parasites. An RNA probe containing the same repetitive sequence as the DNA probe has a detection limit of 1 parasite per 10⁶ red blood cells. Comparison of the results of the assay with those obtained by microscopic examination of blood films indicated that the assay was more sensitive than microscopy if the blood films were examined for only 10 minutes; however, 40 minutes'' examination by microscopy was slightly more sensitive than the assay.     

Estimated glomerular filtration rate in stable older kidney transplant recipients—are present algorithms valid? A national cross‐sectional cohort study

Several equations have been developed for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but none were developed based on data from elderly kidney transplant recipients (KTR). The primary aim of this study was to evaluate different creatinine‐based equations in stable elderly KTR. A national cross‐sectional study was performed using data from 263 consecutive kidney transplant recipients 60 years or older who performed a routine GFR measurement one year after engraftment. GFR was measured by iohexol clearance calculation based on two samples. eGFR was calculated from a range of different creatinine‐based equations using information obtained at the time of GFR measurement. Bias, precision, and accuracy were evaluated for each equation. All equations apart from Nankivell had accuracy (P30) > 80%. The BIS1, FAS, LMR_CR, and Cockcroft & Gault equations in recipients older than 70 years and the FAS, LMR_CR, and MDRD in recipients 60–69 years old had nonsignificant bias. The CKD‐EPI had significant bias in both groups. If one should choose a single equation for follow‐up of individual CKD progression in all recipients ≥ 60 years, the FAS or LMR_CR equations are probably the best alternatives.     

Bariatric surgery reduces fasting total fatty acids and increases n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in morbidly obese individuals

Background: Obesity is a global pandemic leading to increased mortality and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Bariatric surgery is an established treatment of obesity leading to weight loss and reduction of mortality. To further elucidate how bariatric surgery improves metabolic control, we explored the fatty acid (FA) profiles in morbidly obese subjects treated with lifestyle intervention and subsequent bariatric surgery.

Methods: The intervention group consisted of 34 morbidly obese patients scheduled for bariatric surgery and the control group of 17 non-obese patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic procedures. The intervention group had to undergo lifestyle changes preoperatively. Fasting blood samples were drawn at admission, after lifestyle intervention and 1 year after bariatric surgery.

Results: At admission, the morbidly obese patients had significantly higher levels of monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs) and lower levels of n-6 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) and n-3 PUFAs than healthy controls (all p-values <.05). In the intervention group, there was a significantly lower level of total FAs after lifestyle intervention, and from admission to 1 year after surgical intervention (both, p?<?.05), primarily reflecting a lower proportion of saturated FAs (SFAs). Following bariatric surgery, but not after lifestyle changes, there was an increase in the proportion of n-3 PUFA (p?<?.05) reaching levels not significantly different from healthy controls.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a reduced proportion of the proposed anti-atherogenic n-3 PUFAs characterizes morbidly obese individuals, and that this FA profile is reversed by bariatric surgery, but not by lifestyle intervention.     

KAMEDO report no. 85: collapse of building during wedding reception in Jerusalem, 2001

What is now known as the "Versailles Disaster" began as a wedding celebration in Jerusalem on 24 May 2001. The reception was held in the third floor banqueting hall of a hotel, the floor of which subsequently collapsed, crashing through the second and first floors of the building. Four hundred people fell with the floor, and 310 injured people were evacuated using the scoop-and-run principle. The total number of dead was 23, which was less than might have been expected. Israel's on-site disaster management system of giving control to the first paramedic on the scene appeared to work well; however, the other emergency services did not act in coordination with the paramedics. The hospitals managed patients efficiently and social workers were mobilized quickly to assist people experiencing psychological trauma.     

Determination of CYP2D6 gene copy number by pyrosequencing

BACKGROUND: Identification of CYP2D6 alleles *5 (deletion of the whole CYP2D6 gene) and *2xN (gene duplication) is very important because they are associated with decreased or increased metabolism of many drugs. The most commonly used method for analysis of these alleles is, however, considered to be laborious and unreliable. METHODS: We developed a method to determine the copy number of the CYP2D6*5 and CYP2D6*2xN alleles by use of Pyrosequencing technology. A single set of PCR and sequencing primers was used to coamplify and sequence a region in the CYP2D6 gene and the equivalent region in the CYP2D8P pseudogene, and relative quantification between these fragments was performed. The CYP2D8P-specific Pyrosequencing peak heights were used as references for the CYP2D6-specific peak heights. RESULTS: Analysis of 200 pregenotyped samples showed that this approach reliably resolved 0-4 genome copies of the CYP2D6 gene. In 15 of these samples, the peak pattern from one analyzed position was unexpected but could be solved by conclusive results from a second position. The method was verified on 270 other samples, of which 267 gave results that corresponded to the expected genotype. One of the samples could not be interpreted. The reproducibility of the method was high. CONCLUSIONS: CYP2D6 gene copy determination by Pyrosequencing is a reliable and rapid alternative to other methods. The use of an internal CYP2D8P control as well as generation of a sequence context ensures a robust method and hence facilitates method validation.     

Impact of age on risk of complications after gastric bypass: A cohort study from the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry (SOReg)

Background

An increasing number of older patients undergo bariatric surgery.