Analysis of C-850T and G-308A polymorphisms of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene in Maya-Mestizo women with preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether polymorphisms in the TNF-alpha promoter gene are associated with preeclampsia. METHODS: 105 women with preeclampsia and 200 controls were genotyped for the G-308A and C-850T polymorphisms by RFLP. Differences in allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies between groups were assessed. RESULTS: The genotypic and allelic distribution of both polymorphisms was similar between groups. Moreover, the estimated overall pair of loci haplotype frequencies did not differ significantly. CONCLUSION: We did not find any association between these polymorphisms and the risk for preeclampsia. However, we found that both the genotypic and allelic distribution in our population differed from those reported in other populations.     

Differential Activation of the Periaqueductal Gray by Mild Anxiogenic Stress at Different Stages of the Estrous Cycle in Female Rats

The effect of acute exposure to mild anxiogenic stress on cutaneous nociceptive threshold was investigated in female Wistar rats at different stages of the estrous cycle. Baseline tail flick latencies did not change significantly during the cycle. However after brief exposure to vibration stress (4 Hz for 5 min), rats in late diestrus, but not at other cycle stages, developed a hyperalgesia (decrease in tail flick latency). Animals in late diestrus revealed a more than fivefold increase in the density of Fos-like immunoreactive nuclei in the dorsolateral, lateral, and ventrolateral columns in the caudal half of the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). There was no change in the density of Fos-like immunoreactive nuclei in the PAG in rats in estrus and early diestrus, although rats in proestrus showed a smaller (50%) but significant increase. Rats undergoing withdrawal from a progesterone dosing regimen (5 mg/kg i.p. twice daily for 6 days) designed to mimic the fall in progesterone that occurs naturally during late diestrus, exhibited a stress-induced hyperalgesia that was similar to animals in late diestrus and a significant increase in Fos-positive cells in the PAG. We suggest that falling levels of progesterone during late diestrus may be a predisposing factor for the development of stress-induced hyperalgesia, which is linked to differential activation of descending pain control circuits in the PAG. Similar changes in women, when progesterone levels fall during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, may contribute to the development of premenstrual symptoms that include increased anxiety and hyperalgesia.     

Properties and purification of a colony-stimulating factor of granulocytes and macrophages produced by mouse spleen cells

Mouse splenocytes are induced by pokeweed mitogen to secrete a factor that stimulates mouse hemopoetic (spelling per Nomina Histologica in the Nomina Anatomica, 5th edition, 1983, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore) progenitor cells to undergo proliferation and differentiation into granulocytes and macrophages in a semi-solid culture system. The granulocyte and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was purified with a four-step procedure that includes ultrafiltration, chromatography on DEAE-agarose, Sephacryl S-200, and chromatofocusing gel. The isoelectric point (pI) of 4.2 of the GM-CSF was determined by analytical isoelectrofocusing gel electrophoresis. The sensitivity of the biological activity of GM-CSF to digestion by trypsin and neuraminidase suggests that GM-CSF is a glycoprotein with its sugar moieties at the active site. The GM-CSF is also sensitive to heat denaturation at 60°C or higher suggesting that a three-dimensional conformation is required for its biological activity. The molecular w eight of GM-CSF is approximately 57,000 Daltons as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate.     

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and glutathione S-transferase P1 A313G are associated with a reduced risk of preeclampsia in Maya-Mestizo women

Preeclampsia, a common complication of pregnancy, is characterized by elevated blood pressure and proteinuria developing after 20 weeks' gestational age. Susceptibility to this syndrome is believed to have a genetic component. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) A313G polymorphisms are associated with preeclampsia in Maya-Mestizo women. A case-control study was performed, in which 125 preeclamptic patients and 274 healthy controls were genotyped for the MTHFR C677T and GSTP1 A313G polymorphisms by real-time PCR allelic discrimination. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared using the chi2 tests. The MTHFR 677T allele and the 677TT genotype were significantly more frequent in the controls, suggesting an association with a decreased risk of preeclampsia (p = 0.017 and p = 0.007, respectively). Similarly, GSTP1 313GG/GC genotypes and the G allele were more frequent in controls, showing a significant association with reduced risk of preeclampsia (p = 0.008 and p = 0.013, respectively). Our results suggest, for the first time, that the MTHFR 677T and GSTP1 313G polymorphisms confer a significantly decreased risk of developing preeclampsia in the Mexican Maya-Mestizo population.     

Addressing Urinary Incontinence with Educational Continence-Care Competencies

This article is a report of a task force formed from a discussion group hosted by the American Nurses Association on theAHCPR Guidelines on Urinary Incontinence. The need to standardize content related to bladder incontinence to be used in curriculums was identified as an initial step in implementing the guidelines. A task force was formed to develop educational competencies to be used by schools in identifying content that should be addressed at various levels of preparation. Although special training is needed when continence care is a significant part of a nurse's practice, it is expected that by using the educational competencies, schools will produce graduates at the basic level able to provide beginning continence care and graduate nurses able to address advanced incontinence problems.     

Age of first cancer diagnosis and survival in Bloom syndrome

PurposeThis study aimed to describe the spectrum of cancers observed in Bloom Syndrome and the observed survival and age of first cancer diagnosis in Bloom syndrome as these are not well-defined.MethodsData from the Bloom Syndrome Registry (BSR) was used for this study. Cancer history, ages of first cancer diagnosis, and ages of death were compiled from the BSR and analyzed.ResultsAmong the 290 individuals in the BSR, 155 (53%) participants developed 251 malignant neoplasms; 100 (65%) were diagnosed with 1 malignancy, whereas the remaining 55 (35%) developed multiple malignancies. Of the 251 neoplasms, 83 (33%) were hematologic and 168 (67%) were solid tumors. Hematologic malignancies (leukemia and lymphoma) were more common than any of the solid tumors. The most commonly observed solid tumors were colorectal, breast, and oropharyngeal. The cumulative incidence of any malignancy by age 40 was 83%. The median survival for all participants in the BSR was 36.2 years. There were no significant differences in time to first cancer diagnosis or survival by genotype among the study participants.ConclusionWe describe the spectrum of cancers observed in Bloom syndrome and the observed survival and age of first cancer diagnosis in Bloom syndrome. We also highlight the significant differences in survival and age of diagnosis seen among different tumor types and genotypes.