Genetic susceptibility to tardive dyskinesia in chronic schizophrenia subjects: III. Lack of association of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms

Recent studies of the association between the metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 gene (GRM3) and schizophrenia have produced conflicting results, although GRM3 is a promising candidate gene. Fujii et al. found a single nuclear polymorphism (SNP) for within this gene, rs1468412 to have a positive association to schizophrenia in Japanese patients. To investigate this further, we genotyped 7 SNPs around GRM3 including rs1468412, in 752 Chinese patients with schizophrenia and 752 controls using Taqman technology. We did not detect any association between rs1468412 and schizophrenia, however we found differences in the allele frequency distribution of SNP rs2299225 (p=0.0297, odds ration [OR]=1.44, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.99) between cases and controls. Moreover, the overall frequency of haplotypes constructed from three SNPs including rs2299225 showed significant differences between cases and controls (p=0.0017). Our results partially support the previous studies in other ethnic groups and indicate that the GRM3 gene may play an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia in the Han Chinese.     

Effects of urinary incontinence: psychological well-being and distress in older community-dwelling women

Urinary incontinence (UI) has been related to lower quality of life. However, the research has generally been cross-sectional, and causal relationships have not been determined. This research was a secondary analysis of a 6-year longitudinal study of chronic illness and psychological well-being in older (mean age = 73 at Time 1), community-dwelling women (n = 103). Over time, women with UI reported significantly lower subjective health, purpose in life, affect balance, personal growth, positive relations with others, and self-esteem and higher scores for depression, compared to women without UI. Incontinence had broad effects on multiple domains of psychological well-being that persisted over time and need to be addressed by clinicians.     

Menstrual pattern and lipid profiles during use of medroxyprogesterone acetate and estradiol cypionate and NET-EN (200 mg) as contraceptive injections

The objectives of this study were to compare effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate 25 mg + estradiol cypionate 5 mg (Cyclofem) and norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN) upon the menstrual pattern and determine changes in lipoprotein parameters after 12 months of use. One-hundred females were included and 87 (45 with Cyclofem and 42 with NET-EN) women completing 12 months were evaluated. Menstrual changes were the leading complaint among users. At the end of 12 months, 20/45 (44.4%) and 18/41 (43.9%) Cyclofem and NET-EN users, respectively, had normal menstrual pattern. Irregular and infrequent bleeding were the two most important changes that occurred. The discontinuation rate at 12 months due to menstrual disturbances did not show any significant differences between the two preparations, but showed lower incidence compared to other studies. Total cholesterol, high-density, low-density and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased at 12 months in both groups and these changes were statistically significant.     

Logical-mathematical "ND" software development

In this article, we propose a mathematical analysis model for the generation of a proportional value of defining characteristics in nursing diagnoses. The study results are based on the logical-mathematical development of software specifically built for the generation of diagnosis hypotheses. The final calculation creates the sum of all defining characteristics found in each diagnosis, comparing it with the value of the V variable of the diagnosis, according to a mathematical rule that was set. It is concluded that the software needs to go through clinical validation in order to evaluate the pertinence of the rule proposed here.     

Evaluation of familial influences on the course and severity of schizophrenia among US and Indian cases

Abstract.Background: Prior studies suggest familial (possibly genetic) influences on the course of schizophrenia.Aims: The aim of this study was to compare familial influences on the course and severity of schizophrenia in two independent samples.Method: Thirteen selected measures were compared among affected sibling pairs (ASPs) from Pittsburgh, USA and New Delhi, India (48 US pairs, 53 Indian pairs). For each ASP proband, an unrelated patient was selected randomly from a suitable pool of cases ascertained in the same study (Sibpair proband—comparison case or S-C pairs). Correlations between these pairs were compared.Results: The correlations varied by item and by site. Significant correlations for longitudinal course and pattern of severity were noted among the ASPs from USA, but did not remain significant following corrections for multiple comparisons. Comparisons between the correlations for ASPs and the S-C pairs, used to estimate familial effects, yielded trends for the ASP correlations to be numerically larger than the S-C correlations in both samples. Separate cross-site comparisons revealed several significant differences with regard to several demographic and clinical variables. The possible impact of the cross-site variations on the observed ASP correlations is discussed.Conclusions: Though familial factors did not appear to have a significant impact on course/severity using this novel design, the suggestive trends need to be examined in larger samples.     

Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II binds to actin,phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and erythrocyte ghosts in a pH-dependent manner and undergoes coil-to-helix transitions in anionic micelles

The recombinant histidine-rich protein II (HRPII) from Plasmodium falciparum was shown to bind actin and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) in vitro in a pH-dependent manner, very similar to hisactophilin, an actin-binding protein from ameba. Binding of HRPII to actin and PIP(2) occurred at pH 6.0 and 6.5, but not above pH 7.0. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy confirmed that HRPII interacts with actin at pH below 7.0, as judged by the changes induced in the secondary structure of the HRPII/actin mixture. Further CD analysis demonstrated that HRPII adopts a predominantly alpha-helical conformation with anionic micelles of PIP(2) and SDS, but not with neutral micelles of phosphatidylcholine (PC), a feature that is common to many actin-binding proteins involved in cytoskeleton remodeling. Similarly to hisactophilin, a GFP-HRPII fusion protein shuttled from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of HeLa cells as the cellular pH was lowered from 8.0 to 6.0. HeLa cells transfected with the HRPII gene showed increased levels of histidine-rich proteins (HRPs) in the soluble cell fraction at pH 8.0. At pH 6.0, however, HRPs were detected mainly in the insoluble cell fraction. Interestingly, we found that HRPII binds to human erythrocyte membranes at pH 6.0 and 6.5 but not at pH above 7.0. Our results point to remarkable similarities between HRPII, hisactophilin, and actin-binding proteins. Possible roles of the HRPII during Plasmodium infection are discussed in the light of these findings.     

Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor,interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in children with celiac disease: response to treatment

OBJECTIVES: T-cell mediated immune response to dietary gluten and cytokines release are important for the enteropathy seen in celiac disease. We investigated the serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in celiac children before and after gluten exclusion. METHODS: Cytokine levels were determined using enzyme immunoassay in serum from 12 untreated celiac patients, 16 treated celiac patients on a gluten-free diet for at least two years, and from 26 control children. Eight of 12 untreated patients were also investigated at 6 and 12 months after gluten exclusion. Serum IgA antiendomysium antibodies were also assayed by indirect immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-6 levels were significantly increased in untreated celiac patients compared with treated and control children. There was no difference in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels between the groups. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels were the only ones significantly decreased at 12 months after gluten exclusion. However, soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-6 levels at 12 months were significantly higher compared with controls. Antiendomysium antibodies had a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and the titers decreased significantly after 12 months of gluten exclusion. A significant positive correlation was found between antiendomysium antibody titers with both soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-6 values. CONCLUSIONS: The serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor and interleukin-6 levels may be used as a noninvasive measure of celiac disease activity and response to treatment.     

Mammographic and clinical predictors of drainage patterns in breast lymphoscintigrams obtained during sentinel node procedures

PURPOSE: The authors' purpose was to explore the association between mammographic findings and drainage patterns on lymphoscintigrams obtained during sentinel node procedures for breast carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 1997 to March 2000, 132 patients with breast cancer who were included in a prospective mammography-pathology correlation and staging database were imaged 2 hours after perilesional injection of 1 mCi filtered (0. 22 microm) Tc-99m sulfur colloid (4 ml volume) before sentinel node procedures. RESULTS: Sixty-four percent of the scans showed axillary drainage only, 9% showed axillary and internal mammary drainage, and 4% revealed internal mammary drainage only. Twenty-three percent of scans showed no drainage. Of the patients who showed drainage, 17% showed drainage to the internal mammary basin, and 5% showed this exclusively. Internal mammary drainage was seen in 18% (10 of 57) of lateral, 21% (6 of 29) of medial, and 14% (1 of 7) of subareolar lesions (P = NS). No drainage was seen in 22% of patients with predominantly fatty mammographic parenchymal density (>50%) compared with only 8% of patients with predominantly dense (>50%) parenchyma (P < 0.05). Failure to show drainage was more common in women older than 50 years (P < 0.05). Axillary sentinel nodes were identified surgically in 73% of patients with negative scan findings. There was no significant association between scintigraphic drainage and mammographic soft tissue tumor size and appearance, histologic findings, or axillary node status. CONCLUSIONS: Dense mammographic parenchyma and age less than 50 years are associated with identification of lymphatic drainage on lymphoscintigrams performed before sentinel node procedures in 91% to 92% of patients. Internal mammary drainage, present in 18% of lateral and 21% of medial lesions, may direct therapy to include internal mammary lymph nodes.     

An evaluation of the integration of non-traditional learning tools into a community based breast and cervical cancer education program: The witness project of Buffalo

Background  

Breast and cervical cancer continue to represent major health challenges for African American women. among Caucasian women. The underlying reasons for this disparity are multifactorial and include lack of education and awareness of screening and early detection. Traditional educational methods have enjoyed varied success in the African American community and spawned development of novel educational approaches. Community based education programs employing a variety of educational models have been introduced. Successful programs must train and provide lay community members with the tools necessary to deliver strong educational programs.