Rationally and empirically derived dimensions of children's symptomatology: expert ratings and confirmatory factor analyses of the CBCL

Expert ratings and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop an alternative system for scoring the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. M. Achenbach, 1991) to measure specific dimensions corresponding to current conceptualizations of child symptomatology. Data were from a nonclinic and 2 independent clinic samples. Subscales measuring Anxiety, Attention Problems/Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems, Depression, Oppositional Defiant, Social Problems/Immaturity, and Somatization were created. Logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency and discrimination of the new and original approaches to scoring the CBCL. Some of the new subscales demonstrated better sensitivity, positive predictive power, and discriminant validity than the original CBCL subscales; however, subscales from both approaches demonstrated low sensitivity. Results support the use of the new subscales for specific research purposes.     

Prevalence of human T-Cell lymphotropie virus infections in Germany

The extent of human T-cell lymphotropic retorvirus HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections in the general population in central Europe has not been investigated fully. Two hundred forty-eight thousand blood donors from southern Germany were examined serologically for antibodies to the human lymphotropic retroviruses HTLV-I and HTLV-II: 0.021% were confirmed postive and 0.056% were “indeterminate”. A limited number of seropositives and “indeterminate” samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR): the seropositives were confirmed as positive and 43% of the “indeterminate” samples were PCR-positive. The range of 0.021% HTLV-positives in 248,000 donors, i.e. about two in 10,000 individuals, mirrors closely the published data for the United States. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Regulation of cytokine synthesis in cardiac surgery: Role of extracorporeal circuit and humoral mediators <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Objective and design: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) impairs monocyte and neutrophil proliferation, cytokine synthesis, and antigen presentation. This study compares in vivo data with results from an extracorporeal circulation (ECC) model, distinguishing direct effects on cytokine synthesis from regulatory mechanisms. Patients and methods: Whole blood from 18 patients prior to, during and after CPB was stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 levels were measured. Additionally, blood from 4 volunteers was circulated in an ECC model. Cytokine levels were measured before and during mock ECC. Results: LPS-induced cytokine synthesis was reduced after CPB (TNF-α: 11 %; IL-6: 29 %; IL-8: 48 % of preoperative values, all p < 0.001). In mock ECC, cytokine production (except IL-8) was suppressed: TNF-α production was lowest 60 min after starting ECC, IL-6 synthesis was lowest at 90 min (33 % and 15 % vs. pre-ECC levels; both p < 0.001). Patient sera contained cytokine-inhibitory activity after CPB, an activity not found in mock ECC. Conclusions: (1) In patients, CPB induces early transient LPS hyporesponsiveness; (2) blood contact with foreign surfaces induces LPS hyporesponsiveness; (3) serum cytokineinhibitory activities are released after CPB, but not in mock ECC. Impaired leukocyte function may explain increased susceptibility to infections after CPB. Received 16 September 2006; accepted without revision by K. Visvanathan 18 October 2006     

Localization of corticotropin-releasing activity in the rat hypothalamus

Hypothalamic nuclei were removed from frozen sections of rat brain and examined for their corticotropin-releasing activity. The highest concentration was measured in the median eminence. In addition there was significantly more activity detected in the nuclei paraventricularis, supraopticus, suprachiasmaticus and arcuatus than in the other nuclei.     

Molecular study of frequency of mosaicism in neurofibromatosis 2 patients with bilateral vestibular schwannomas

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is a severe autosomal dominant disorder that predisposes to multiple tumours of the nervous system. About half of all patients are founders with clinically unaffected parents. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which mosaicism is present in NF2 founders. A total of 233 NF2 founders with bilateral vestibular schwannomas (BVS) were screened by exon scanning. NF2 mutations were detected in the blood samples of 122 patients (52%). In 10 of the 122 cases, the ratio of mutant to normal alleles was obviously less than 1, suggesting mosaicism. Tumour specimens were available from 35 of the 111 subjects in whom no mutation could be detected in blood specimens. Mutational analysis by exon scanning detected typical NF2 mutations in 21 of the 35 tumours. In nine subjects, the alterations found in tumours could be confirmed to be the constitutional mutation based on finding of identical mutations in pathologically and/or anatomically distinct second tumours. In six other subjects with only a single tumour available, allelic loss of the NF2 gene was found in addition to the mutation in each tumour, suggesting that either the mutation or the deletion of the NF2 gene is probably the constitutional genetic alteration. Our results suggest that failure to find constitutional mutations in blood specimen from these 15 patients was not because of the limitation of the applied screening technique, but the lack of the mutations in their leucocytes, best explained by mosaicism. Extrapolating the rate (15/35 = 43%) of mosaicism in these 35 cases to the 111 NF2 founders with no constitutional NF2 mutations found in their blood, we inferred 48 mosaic subjects (111 x 0.429). Adding the 10 mosaic cases detected directly in blood specimens, we estimate the rate of mosaicism to be 24.8% (58/233) in our cohort of 233 NF2 founders with bilateral vestibular schwannomas.     

Further analysis of ATP-mediated activation of K+ channels in renal epitheloid Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells

ATP activates K⁺ channels by increasing intracellular calcium activity in Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The present study has been performed to test for the involvement of G-proteins and of protein kinase C in the intracellular transmission of these effects. To this end, the effect of ATP on intracellular calcium and K⁺ channel activity has been studied in cells pretreated with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) and/or pertussis toxin. The ATP-induced increase of intracellular calcium is not significantly affected by pretreatment with pertussis toxin, is significantly blunted by pretreatment with TPA and is abolished by pretreatment with both pertussis toxin and the phorbol ester. The ATP activation of K⁺ channels is similarly blunted by pretreatment with TPA, but is not abolished by pretreatment with both the phorbol ester and pertussis toxin. Furthermore, the ATP-induced hyperpolarization is not abolished in cells pretreated with both pertussis toxin and TPA. In those cells, ATP may activate K⁺ channels by calcium-independent mechanisms or lead to localized increases of intracellular calcium sufficient to activate the K⁺ channels but escaping detection with fura-2 fluorescence.     

Prevention of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by treatment with polyethylene glycol-conjugated type II collagen; distinct tolerogenic property of the conjugated collagen from the native one

Administration of a soluble protein into animals prior to challenge immunization induces immunological tolerance which is specific for the protein. In addition, chemical modification of proteins with polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been reported to convert the immunogenic proteins to become tolerogenic. However, differences in tolerogenic properties between PEG-modified proteins and the native counterparts have never been analysed. The ability of PEG-conjugated type II collagen (PEG-CII) to attenuate CIA, an animal model for rheumatoid arthritis, was compared with the native unconjugated CII. Groups of DBA/1 J mice were treated weekly with i.p. injections with PEG-CII, native CII, or vehicle alone for 3 weeks, before they were challenged with CII in adjuvants. The induction of tolerance was confirmed in both PEG-CII- and CII-pretreated mice when suppression of lymph node T cell proliferation in response to CII was noted. The degrees of suppression of T cell proliferation were comparable between the two pretreated groups. However, induction of arthritis and production of IgG anti-CII antibody were more markedly suppressed in PEG-CII-pretreated mice than in native CII-pretreated mice, although the severity of arthritis and antibody levels in the latter group were also lower than in control mice. IgG2a and IgG2b antibody levels were equally suppressed in the two pretreated groups, whereas the IgG1 level was significantly lower in the PEG-CII-pretreated group than in the native CII-pretreated group. The results provide the first evidence that attachment of PEG to CII renders the protein more tolerogenic.     

Veränderungen der Haemolymphe ausgewachsener Ephestia-Raupen nach Infektion mit Mattesia dispora

Zusammenfassung Nach Infektion mit der Schizogregarine Mattesia dispora zeigt die Haemolymphe ausgewachsener Ephestia-Raupen charakteristische Veränderungen. Während der beiden Schizogonien wird das Muster der ninhydrinpositiven Substanzen um einen Fleck, während Gamogonie und Sporogonie um einen weiteren Fleck unbekannter Natur vermehrt. Beide Substanzen konnten in keinen Zusammenhang mit einer Immunantwort des befallenen Organismus gebracht werden. Die Haemolymphe infizierter und nichtinfizierter Ephestia-Raupen weist den gleichen Lysozymspiegel auf. Der Aminosäurespiegel der Haemolymphe ändert sich nicht durch die Infektion. Mit zunehmender Schwere des Infektionszustandes findet eine sukzessive Hemmung der Haemolymphprotein-Synthese statt. Dies spricht für den Fettkörper als Ort der Synthese.

---

Alteration of hemolymph of mature larvae of Ephestia infected with Mattesia dispora

Summary The hemolymph of mature larvae of Ephestia kühniella infected with the schizogregarine Mattesia dispora is characteristically altered. During the two schizogonies the pattern of ninhydrinepositive substances is augmented by one spot while during gamogony and sporogony it is further augmented by another spot. It is not clear whether these substances are related immunologically to the infected state. The level of lysozyme activity and of amino acids in the hemolymph remains constant. With increasing injury the synthesis of hemolymph proteins is gradually inhibitied. This evidently indicates that the fat body is the site of synthesis.

---

---

Mit Unterstützung üer Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft. Herrn Ralph Jacob danke ich für seine Mithilfe bei den Versuchen.     

Characterization of a monoclonal anti-Bw4 antibody (Tü109): Evidence for similar epitopes on the Bw4 and Bw6 antigens

The production and serologic, as well as immunochemical properties of a cytotoxic murine IgG monoclonal antibody (Tü109) that precipitates HLA-class I molecules, are described. In the microcytotoxicity assay Tü109 supernatant was demonstrated on a panel of 424 HLA-ABC, -DR, -DQ, -MT typed normal Caucasian blood donors to define an epitope on HLA-B locus molecules in great association with the supertypic specificity Bw4. Reactivity of supernatant showed MHC linked inheritance of the Tü109 determinant and discriminated the HLA-Bw4/Bw6 associated HLA-B locus split antigens. Weak or lack of binding on lymphocytes from some HLA-Bw4 heterozygous individuals, particularly typing for HLA-Bw44, appeared to be due to qualitative and/or quantitative variations of HLA-B locus molecules on the cell surface. With Tü109 ascites fluid, however, extra-reactivity on all HLA-Bw6⁺ cells was demonstrated. Preferential binding of supernatant to HLA-Bw4, but reactivity of ascites fluid with HLA-Bw6⁺ molecules in addition, was furthermore confirmed by IEF analysis of antigens immunoprecipitated with Tü109 from cell lysates. Thus the antibody may help to analyze the evolutionary relationship of the diallelic specificities Bw4 and Bw6.