The role of macrophages in demyelination

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). In particular in the CsA-induced chronic relapsing form (CREAE), pronounced demyelination occurs, in temporal association with relapses. It is still a matter of discussion which cell type ultimately is responsible for the actual process of demyelination. Macrophages, cytotoxic T lymphocytes and also astrocytes are possible candidates. In this short overview, the role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of EAE is discussed. It is shown that in particular, newly recruited macrophages play a crucial role in the generation of clinical signs. Possible mechanisms by which macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases are presented.     

The telephone survey: a methodological strategy for obtaining information

Studies have shown that students and the general population have little knowledge about nursing schools and the nursing profession. This study investigates the extent to which a sample of the population of Brazil is aware of the existence of nursing schools, and how they have obtained this information. Data were collected by telephone interviews. The sample consisted of 326 subjects whose telephone numbers were taken from the telephone book. Analysis showed that 73% of the subjects were aware of the existence of two nursing schools in the city; however, 65.03% did not know the names of these schools. Direct communication with friends and family, as well as indirect communication by television and advertising, were the sources of information mentioned by those questioned.     

Establishing a cancer center data bank and biorepository for multidisciplinary research.

The establishment of a biorepository with linkage to clinical and epidemiologic data will provide an invaluable resource for cancer research, including studies of cancer etiology, progression, and prognosis, as well as development of biomarkers for early detection. Developing an infrastructure for a biorepository linked to clinical, pathologic, and epidemiologic data requires significant efforts in strategic planning for efficient means to ascertain, identify, and consent participants, as well as guidelines for blood collection, processing, and storage while maintaining participant privacy rights. In this report, we present an approach to developing a Data Bank and Biorepository at our own institution, with discussion of elements to be considered when establishing such a bank.     

Giving patients an audiotape of their GP consultation: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Providing patients with an audiotape of their medical consultation has been a relatively common practice in oncology clinics for some years. However, broader generalisability of the technique has yet to be examined. AIMS: To investigate the efficacy of providing patients with an audiotape of their consultation in a general practice setting. DESIGN OF STUDY: Randomised controlled trial: 95 experimental participants, 85 controls. SETTING: Routine surgeries run by two general practitioners (GPs) in two different health centres. METHOD: All patients attending GP appointments were eligible for inclusion. Patients were followed up by telephone 7-10 days later. RESULTS: More than half (61%) of the patients who received a tape listened to it. Among listeners, 64% rated the tape useful or very useful; 24% noticed information not heard in the consultation. Half of listeners (46%) said that their understanding of the consultation improved after listening to the tape. Half of the listeners (48%) shared the tape with others, of whom 71% found sharing helpful or very helpful. However, 21% of those who shared the information with others found this unhelpful or very unhelpful, suggesting that patients may need to be briefed on the potential risks of sharing. At follow-up a week later, it emerged that being given a tape had no effect on adherence with GPs' advice, nor on anxiety about conditions. CONCLUSION: Providing patients with an audiotape of their GP consultation was positively rated by many patients. Although there were no detectable clinical effects at follow-up, the technique merits further evaluation in general practice.     

A performance curve for assessing change in Percentage of Consonants Correct Revised (PCC-R).

PURPOSE: Interpreting the rapidly changing speech skills of young children recovering from neurological injury is difficult because developmental expectations are generally available only at relatively lengthy intervals (e.g., 6 or 12 months). In this research note, the authors describe the process of generating a Percentage of Consonants Correct-Revised (PCC-R; L. D. Shriberg, D. Austin, B. A. Lewis, J. L. McSweeny, & D. L. Wilson, 1997a) performance curve and illustrate some of its applications for assessing change in performance over time. METHOD: The authors compiled mean PCC-R scores from 16 samples of typically developing children (18-172 months) and used curve fitting to test more than 11,000 statistical models of monthly growth in PCC-R. They selected a parsimonious and developmentally plausible model with R(2) = .9839 (p < .0005) and used it to generate the PCC-R, standard deviation, and standard error expected at each monthly age. RESULTS: The PCC-R performance curve distinguished among 65 children (37-57 months of age) diagnosed independently with normal or disordered speech with a high degree of success. More important, the PCC-R performance curve can be used to identify the points at which children (18-172 months) recovering from neurological injury achieve normal-range consonant production. CONCLUSION: The curve-fitting approach holds promise as a means of interpreting temporal variations in speech production at a finer grain than existing normative data currently allow.     

Construction and validation of a Parkinson's disease mutation genotyping array for the Parkin gene.

Parkin mutations account for the majority of familial and sporadic early onset Parkinson's disease (EOPD) cases with a known genetic association. More than 100 mutations have been described in the Parkin gene that includes homozygous, compound heterozygous, and single heterozygous mutations. We have designed a Parkin mutation genotyping array (gene chip) that includes published Parkin sequence variants and allows their simultaneous detection. The chip was validated by screening 85 PD cases and 47 controls previously tested for Parkin mutations. Similar genotyping microarrays have been developed for other genetically heterogeneous diseases including age-related macular degeneration. Here, we show the utility of a genotyping array for Parkinson's disease by analysis of 60 subjects from the Genetic Epidemiology of Parkinson Disease (GEPD) study that includes 15 early-onset PD case probands and 45 relatives.