Extensive Aberrant Mongolian Spot

A 9-month-old male infant had generalized diffuse blue-gray pigmentation over most of his body, sparing the scalp, face, neck, palms, soles, periumbilical area, genital area, and nipples. Within the lesion, there were several conspicuous macules of considerably darker hue. Histologic examination revealed numerous dermal melanocytes. By 16 months of age, the child's blue-gray pigmentation had decreased substantially.     

PAF antagonistic activity of 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid glucose ester fromGentiana scabra

In order to find out anti-platelet activating factor (PAF) from natural resources, Korean medicinal plants used for the treatments of peripheral circulation disorders were tested for their possible protective effects on PAF-induced anaphylactic shock. From the above screening, the methanol extract ofGentiana scabra showed a potent antagonistic activity against PAF. Water suspension of the extract was partitioned with CH₂Cl₂ and EtOAc, successively. The EtOAc fraction which showed the highest activity was chromatographed on silica gel to yield 6 fractions. From the fraction which showed higher PAF-antagonistic activity than the other fractions, compound1 was isolated by recrystallization. On the basis of spectral data, compound1 was identified as 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid glucose ester. The compound prevented the mice from the PAF-induced death at a dose of 300 μg/mouse.     

Dietary restriction: effects of short-term fasting on protein uptake and cell death/proliferation in the rat liver

Dietary restriction (DR) is known to prolong life in laboratory animals. Intermittent (alternate-day) fasting or short-term repeated fasting has also been reported to increase the life span of animals. In the present study, we investigated the changes or induction of abnormalities of protein metabolism in rats during fasting, and measured asialoglycoprotein uptake and cell death/proliferation in the liver of rats receiving fasting and refeeding. In the results, liver weight decreased significantly after 48 h of fasting and increased during the refeeding period, returning to the pre-fasting level by 12 h of refeeding. Cell death, determined by single stranded DNA (ssDNA) staining method, increased during the fasting period, and returned to the pre-fasting level during the refeeding period. Cell proliferation, determined using antibodies (Ab) against proliferating cell nuclear antigen, decreased during the fasting period, and increased during the refeeding period. Changes in cell death and cell proliferation were inversely related. However, there was no significant difference in asialoglycoprotein uptake by the whole liver between the ad libitum (AL)-fed rats and 48 h fasted rats. Thus, neither the changes in liver weight nor cell death/proliferation affected asialoglycoprotein uptake on a living body. These results suggest that episodes of 48 h fasting do not induce protein metabolism abnormalities in the liver.     

Is one assessment enough? Patterns of helping alliance development and outcome

Early therapeutic alliance is usually measured by the rating of a single session (between the third and the fifth sessions). However, there is a strong argument in favor of viewing early alliance as a developing process. This study examined the relationship between patient's rating of the helping alliance (HAq) at each session and therapy outcome. This comparison was repeated using patterns of alliance over the course of treatment. Patterns of therapeutic alliance development were detected by clustering ratings of a sample of N = 70 outpatients across four sessions of very brief psychotherapeutic intervention. Cluster analysis revealed two main patterns (shapes) of alliance development: (i) stable alliance, and (ii) linear growth pattern. These patterns are more predictive of symptom improvement and social adjustment than single ratings, whereas single ratings measuring the strength of alliance are more correlated with patient's satisfaction. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of porcine pepsin as a milk clotting enzyme

An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of porcine pepsin in milk‐clotting enzyme preparations has been developed. The assay is capable of detecting porcine pepsin in the range 1 μgto 1 mg ml^‐1 without enhancement or modification. The specificity of the technique was studied by inhibition assay. Slight cross‐reactions with bovine rennet and Mucor miehei rennet occurred at high concentrations (1.0 mg ml^‐1). The ELISA used in this investigation appears to provide a quick, sensitive and specific method for the detection of porcine pepsin and has potential applications in the dairy industry.     

The effect of alphaMSH analogues on rat bones

Melanocortin is the downstream mediator of leptin signaling and absence of leptin signaling in ob/ob and db/db mice revealed the enhancement of bone formation through the central regulation. While alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alphaMSH) inhibits the secretion of interleukin-1alpha and tumor necrosis factor-alpha from the inflammatory cells, alphaMSH can also enhance clonal expansion of pro B cells linked to stimulation of osteoclastogenesis. Therefore, we tested the effect of melanocortin on bones. alphaMSH analogues [(6)His]alphaMSH-ND and [(6)Asn]alphaMSH-ND were synthesized and the radio-ligand receptor binding- and cyclic AMP generating activity were analyzed in China Hamster Ovary cell line over- expressing melanocortin receptors. The EC(50) of [(6)His]alphaMSH-ND measured from melanocortin-1, 3, 4 and 5 receptors were 0.008 +/- 0.0045, 1.523 +/- 0.707, 0.780 +/- 0.405, and 250.320 +/- 42.234 nM, respectively, and the EC(50) of [(6)Asn]alphaMSH-ND were 16.8 +/- 6.94, 271.8 +/- 21.95, 8.0 +/- 1.21, and 1132.5 +/- 635.46 nM, respectively. Four weeks after the subcutaneous injection of the analogues, the body weights in the [(6)His]alphaMSH-ND and the [(6)Asn]alphaMSH-ND treated groups (346.0 +/- 20.63 g vs. 350.0 +/- 13.57 g) were lower than that of the vehicle treated group (375.8 +/- 17.31 g, p < 0.05). There was no difference in the total femoral BMD measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry among the three groups. Among the three groups, there were no differences in the total numbers of crystal violet positive- or alkaline phosphatase positive colonies, in the expression of Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa-B ligand on the tibia and the total number of multinucleated osteoclast-like cells differentiated from primary cultured bone marrow cells. From the above results, no evidence of bone gain or loss was found after treatment of the alphaMSH analogues peripherally.     

The Turner syndrome research registry: Creating equipoise between investigators and participants

To address knowledge gaps about Turner syndrome (TS) associated disease mechanisms, the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States created the Turner Syndrome Research Registry (TSRR), a patient‐powered registry for girls and women with TS. More than 600 participants, parents or guardians completed a 33‐item foundational survey that included questions about demographics, medical conditions, psychological conditions, sexuality, hormonal therapy, patient and provider knowledge about TS, and patient satisfaction. The TSRR platform is engineered to allow individuals living with rare conditions and investigators to work side‐by‐side. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept, architecture, and currently available content of the TSRR, in anticipation of inviting proposals to utilize registry resources.     

Effect of Alkyl Groups of Latent Cationic Catalysts on Cure and Dynamic Mechanical Behaviors of Epoxy Resins

Summary: The latent thermal cationic initiators, benzyl‐2,5‐dimethylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BDPH) and benzyl‐2‐ethylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BEPH), were synthesized to investigate the effect of substituted alkyl groups on cure and dynamic mechanical behaviors of difunctional epoxy system. The cure temperature and activation energy of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)/BDPH were higher than those of the DGEBA/BEPH, resulting from the steric hindrance of the substituted groups. The cross‐linking density of the DGEBA/BDPH was higher than that of the DGEBA/BEPH, whereas the T_g's of both specimens are similar. This may be explained by the free volume and the intermolecular hydrogen bonding induced by the hydrogen of the substituted methyl groups. Consequently, the position and number of the substituted groups of the latent thermal initiator were very important in the control of the latent thermal and dynamic mechanical behaviors of the epoxy resin.

Dynamic DSC curves of DGEBA cured by each initiator.     

Assault injury rates,social capital,and fear of neighborhood crime

This study develops an explanatory framework for fear of neighborhood crime based on respondents' social context and local rates of assault injuries. Rates of assault injuries within zip codes are based on hospital discharge records. We find that only four variables have a significant unique contribution to fear of crime: respondent's sex, perceptions of neighborhood social capital, and the rates of struck by/against assault injuries for the 10–24 and 50+ age groups. We also find that the perception of neighborhood social capital moderates the impact of assault injury rates on fear of crime; those who perceive a high level of neighborhood social capital exhibit less sensitivity to assault injury rates. We include a map of assault injury rates and fear of crime by ZIP Code and describe the community context related to our results. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 483–498, 2007.