Lack of association between polymorphic variations in the alpha 3 subunit GABA receptor gene (GABRA3) and suicide attempts

This is the first case-control study exploring the association between suicide attempts and the polymorphic variations of the alpha 3 subunit gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor gene (GABRA3) located in chromosome X. In a Spanish general hospital, 184 suicide attempters (127 women and 57 men) and 275 control blood donors (109 women and 166 men) were recruited. The four frequent variants (A1, A2, A3 and A4) of GABRA3 were studied. There were no significant differences in the total or by-gender frequencies of the four alleles. In females, there were no significant differences in the genotypes. This study can rule out even small size effects in the total sample and suggests a lack of association between GABRA3 polymorphism and suicide attempt, in the Spanish population.     

Antioxidant effects of taurine, vitamin C, and vitamin E on oxidative damage in hippocampus caused by the administration of 3-nitropropionic acid in rats

The administration of 3-nitropropionic acid increases reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidant defense mechanisms buffer these ROS converting them into non-damaging compounds. Taurine and vitamins C and E are antioxidants that play a role in the defense against cellular damage. This study examines the antioxidant effect of taurine, vitamin C, and vitamin E on acute hippocampal damage caused by 3-NP. Animals treated with 3-NP increased lipid peroxidation levels and astrocytic damage in the hippocampus. Administration of taurine, vitamin C, and vitamin E partially protected from oxidative damage, indicate that while all substances had antioxidant effects, only taurine showed morphological protection in surviving cells.     

Solitary fibrous tumor of the thyroid with capsular invasion

This report describes the clinical and pathologic findings of a peculiar case of solitary fibrous tumor of the thyroid gland that showed capsular invasion. After four and a half years of follow-up, neither local recurrence nor metastasis has developed.     

Prevalence of anti-human respiratory syncytial virus antibodies over three consecutive years in a healthy adult population

The titers of anti-human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) antibodies have been measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a cohort of healthy adult volunteers over 3 consecutive years. Significant increases in the level of these antibodies were detected in a small percentage of individuals (3-3.3%), when paired serum samples taken from two consecutive seasons were compared. In these cases, a significant increase was generally noted in the level of antibodies directed against either the F or the G glycoproteins, and in the level of neutralizing antibodies. However, no correlation was found between the level of binding and neutralizing antibodies, when samples representative of the population under study were analyzed. These results indicate some level of infection by HRSV in the adult population. The implications of these results for the epidemiology of HRSV are discussed.     

Immunosuppressive activity of capsaicinoids: capsiate derived from sweet peppers inhibits NF-kappaB activation and is a potent antiinflammatory compound in vivo

Capsiate and its dihydroderivatives are the major capsaicinoids of sweet pepper. These new capsaicinoids do not activate the vanilloid receptor type 1 (VR1) but they share with capsaicin (CPS)some biological activities mediated in a VR1-independent fashion. In this study we show that CPS and nordihydrocapsiate (CPT) inhibit early and late events in T cell activation, including CD69, CD25 and ICAM-1 cell surface expression, progression to the S phase of the cell cycle and proliferation in response to TCR and CD28 co-engagement. Moreover, both CPS and CPT inhibit NF-kappaB activation in response to different agents including TNF-alpha. CPS itself does not affect the DNA-binding ability of NF-kappaB but it prevents IkappaB kinase activation and IkappaBalpha degradation in a dose-dependent manner, without inhibiting the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases, p38, extracellular regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase. Moreover, intraperitoneal pretreatment with CPT prevented mice from lethal septic shock induced by lipopolysaccharide. In a second model of inflammation CPT pretreatment greatly reduced the extensive damage in the glandular epithelium observed in the bowel of DSS-treated mice. Taken together, these results suggest that CPT and related synthetic analogues target specific pathways involved in inflammation, and hold considerable potential for dietary health benefits as well as for pharmaceutical development.     

Portal vein thrombosis: an emergency solution for blood flow in liver transplantation

Recipient portal vein thrombosis in liver transplantation is a contingency that increases surgical difficulty as well as patient morbidity and mortality. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate a surgical technique for reconstruction of portal blood flow in emergency situations of portal vein thrombosis with inadequate blood flow and a poor vascular bed for re-vascularization.     

Functional sequelae of tuberculous pleurisy in patients correctly treated

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To assess the functional sequelae (FS) of patients with tuberculous pleurisy (TP), to analyze the influence of different factors in the occurrence of these FS, and, finally, to evaluate the relationship between the FS and roentgenographic sequelae. DESIGN: An observational, retrospective study. SETTING: A community teaching hospital in Alicante, Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From April 1986 to July 2000, all patients with a firmly established diagnosis of TP, who had been functionally studied at the end of follow-up, were included in the study. A diagnosis of TP was considered to be definitive when the presence of granuloma on a pleural biopsy specimen was demonstrated or when a culture was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pleural fluid (PF) or tissue. The general characteristics of the study population and PF were compared in patients with or without restrictive FS (ie, FVC or TLC < 80%), looking for risk factors for developing this complication. RESULTS: Eighty-one of 150 patients who had been treated for TP were eligible for the study. At the end of follow-up, eight patients (10%) had a restrictive FS. These patients had a lower PF lactate dehydrogenase concentration (p < 0.001), a higher PF concentration of cholesterol (p < 0.03) and triglycerides (p < 0.03), and a higher percentage of lymphocytes (p < 0.04). A weak correlation was found between the FVC and the intensity of radiographic pleural thickening (r = - 0.298; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The FS in patients with TP is restrictive in type, infrequent, and usually mild. A higher PF lipid content or a more chronic inflammatory pleural reaction at diagnosis appear to be risk factors for developing a FS. The correlation between FS and roentgenographic sequelae is poor.     

A pilot study on a gene-hormone interaction in female suicide attempts

Abstract. This one-year naturalistic study included all suicide attempters in a catchment area. In the first published set of analyses, an association between menses and suicide attempts was replicated. According to the polymorphism of the serotonin transporter promoter area, the subjects can be classified as S individuals (s/s or s/l) or L individuals (l/l). In the second published set of analyses, L females appeared protected from suicide attempts since they were underrepresented among female (and not male) attempters. This new, unpublished third set of analyses tested for an interaction between the same polymorphism and low hormonal activity (during menses and menopause). In fertile female attempters, the proportion of L women in the menses (41%, 7/17) was significantly higher than expected in the population (15.5 %) and almost significantly higher than in S female attempters (22%,19/87). L females were also overrepresented in postmenopausal attempters. Despite sample size limitations, this gene-hormone interaction needs to be further investigated in female suicide attempters.     

Heparin and low molecular weight heparin decrease nitric oxide production by human polymorphonuclear cells.

BACKGROUND: Heparin and heparin derivatives with low anticoagulant activity exhibit a wide spectrum of biological functions affecting adhesion, activation and trafficking of leukocytes. METHODS: We investigated the in vitro effect of heparin and a low molecular weight heparin derivative (LMWH) on nitric oxide (NO) production by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). RESULTS: N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)-stimulated NO production was significantly decreased by heparin at doses of 0.5 and 5 micrograms/mL, while LMWH was only effective at doses of 50 and 200 micrograms/mL by means of a mechanism not related to NO synthase (NOS) activity. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that heparin and LMWH derivatives may offer therapeutic benefit for inflammatory diseases where NO plays a protagonic role.