Atypical maternal behavior,maternal representations,and infant disorganized attachment

The data for 197 mother-infant pairs from two longitudinal studies were analyzed to assess relations between maternal attachment representations; atypical maternal behavior, coded with a new tool. Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE), and infant attachment. Both maternal and infant attachment were systematically related to atypical maternal behavior: mothers who were Unresolved on the Adult Attachment Interview and those whose infants were disorganized in the Strange Situation Procedure engaged in more atypical behaviors than those who were not Unresolved and whose infants showed organized patterns of attachment, respectively. Regression analyses indicated that when tested as a mediator, atypical maternal behavior as measured on the AMBIANCE did not reduce the association between maternal Unresolved status and infant disorganized attachment. This may, in part, reflect the fact that our low-risk sample did not include enough cases in the risk categories. These data provide preliminary empirical validation for the AMBIANCE and strengthen the evidence for links between atypical maternal behavior and disorganized attachment but indicate that in addition to maternal attachment representations, other factors must contribute to atypical maternal behavior.     

Implications of the World Health Organization study of mental illness in general health care for training primary care staff.

A substantial international study of mental disorders seen in primary care settings has shown that there are marked differences in prevalence between centres. Detection of mental disorders is better in centres using a 'personal' style of clinical service, and where there has been close collaboration between psychiatrists and general practitioners. However, even in the better centres, substantial numbers of mental disorders are missed and treatment often appears to be given regardless of diagnosis. It is argued that changes need to be made to the way in which both undergraduates and vocational trainees are taught about mental disorders, so that teaching emphasizes the psychological syndromes that general practitioners are likely to meet in their everyday work. Training packages need to be developed for primary care staff in the detection and management of mental disorders.     

The effects of orofacial sensory input on spontaneously occurring and apomorphine-induced rhythmical jaw movements in the anesthetized guinea pig

The effects of tonic mandibular loading (jaw depression) on spontaneously occurring and apomorphine (APO)-induced rhythmical jaw movements (RJMs) were examined in the anesthetized guinea pig. It was found that this type of perturbation significantly increased only the amplitude and burst duration of the masseter (jaw closer) EMG activity, whereas the frequency of RJMs was not changed. The data suggest that jaw closer muscle spindle or temporomandibular joint feedback does not strongly influence the activity of the neural networks responsible for determining the frequency of RJMs in the anesthetized guinea pig.     

Ramification of the portal vein at the porta hepatis in humans

The ramification of the portal vein at the porta hepatis was studied by anatomic dissection performed in 32 formalin fixed human livers. In all the specimens there were branches which ran towards the caudate lobe, arising from the portal vein and either from the left or the right portal branches. Tri-and quadrifurcation of the portal vein was observed. In 5 cases (16%) there were branches arising from left portal branch or portal vein and directed anteriorly to the quadrate lobe or to the region of the gall-bladder sulcus. These branches ranged from 1.0 to 6.0 mm in diameter. The portal caudate branches were divided into 3 groups.Group 1: Branches to the papillary process; 1 or 2 branches in 26 cases (82%), 3 or 5 branches in 3 cases (9%) and no branches in 3 cases (9%);     

核辐射对机体的影响

机体受到一定剂量核辐射后会出现多个器官结构和功能的改变.本文综述了机体受到低剂量核辐射后出现的免疫细胞数量和功能变化,包括淋巴细胞总数和部分亚群数量、淋巴细胞转化率、血清免疫球蛋白含量以及单核细胞功能等变化.同时还综述了核辐射对内分泌及遗传的影响.     

Ca2+ imaging of mouse neocortical interneurone dendrites: Ia-type K+ channels control action potential backpropagation

GABAergic interneurones are essential in cortical processing, yet the functional properties of their dendrites are still poorly understood. In this first study, we combined two-photon calcium imaging with whole-cell recording and anatomical reconstructions to examine the calcium dynamics during action potential (AP) backpropagation in three types of V1 supragranular interneurones: parvalbumin-positive fast spikers (FS), calretinin-positive irregular spikers (IS), and adapting cells (AD). Somatically generated APs actively backpropagated into the dendritic tree and evoked instantaneous calcium accumulations. Although voltage-gated calcium channels were expressed throughout the dendritic arbor, calcium signals during backpropagation of both single APs and AP trains were restricted to proximal dendrites. This spatial control of AP backpropagation was mediated by Ia-type potassium currents and could be mitigated by by previous synaptic activity. Further, we observed supralinear summation of calcium signals in synaptically activated dendritic compartments. Together, these findings indicate that in interneurons, dendritic AP propagation is synaptically regulated. We propose that interneurones have a perisomatic and a distal dendritic functional compartment, with different integrative functions.     

Significance of PBMC response of rheumatic fever patients and control individuals to immunodominant streptococcal M5 protein epitopes

β-hemolytic streptococcal infection in developing countries still causes thousands of cases of Rheumatic Fever (RF). Molecular mimicry between streptococcal M protein (strep M) and heart components has been proposed as the triggering factor leading to autoimmunity in individuals with genetic susceptibility, which is linked to different HLA-DR alleles in different populations. In our hands, RF was significantly associated to HLA-DR7/53. Previous work in our lab has shown that heart-infiltrating T cells that simultaneously recognize strep M and heart proteins. Further, such T cells predominantly recognized the 81-103 strep M5 epitope. In this work, we analysed the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 99 RF patients and 40 normal controls. Eighty-nine of the RF patients were HLA-typed. As among heart-infiltrating T cells, the 81-103 strep M5 protein epitope is the most frequently recognized epitope among RF PBMC (35.4%), against a 7.5% frequency of proliferation among normal controls (p=0.0018, chi square). However, the 81-103 epitope was as frequently recognized by HLA-DR7,53 positive as by negative individuals (45.2% vs 54.8%, respectively). Taken together, the results suggest that the 81-103 strep M5 epitope may be the immunodominant epitope, “promiscuously” recognized by T cells in a genetically diverse population. The demonstration that molecular mimicry is targeted to a discrete immunodominant “promiscuous” epitope in strep M5 may allow the development of a safe anti-streptococcal synthetic vaccine devoid of such epitopes.     

Postnatal development of hypoglossal motoneurons that innervate the hyoglossus and styloglossus muscles in rat

Postnatal development of hyoglossus and styloglossus motoneurons was studied in this investigation of the hypoglossal nucleus. Our findings show separate and distinct locations for hyoglossus and styloglossus motoneurons within the retrusor (dorsal) subdivision of the hypoglossal nucleus for all age groups. Hyoglossus and styloglossus motoneuron cross-sectional area reached their adult size at different times (by weeks 2 and 3, respectively). Cell roundness, as measured by form factor (measure of cell perimeter relative to its area), decreased with advancing postnatal age for both populations of motoneurons. Differences in the direction of the dendritic projection between hyoglossus and styloglossus motoneurons were found. Hyoglossus and styloglossus motoneuron development was compared to genioglossus motoneuron postnatal development.     

A potential role for beta- and gamma-crystallins in the vascular remodeling of the eye.

We demonstrate that expression of beta- and gamma-crystallins is associated with intraocular vessels during normal vascular development of the eye and also in the Nuc1 rat, a mutant in which the hyaloid vascular system fails to regress normally. Real-Time RT PCR, Western blot and metabolic labeling studies indicate an increased expression of beta- and gamma-crystallins in Nuc1 retina. The increased expression of crystallins was localized to the astrocytes surrounding the intraocular vessels. A similar pattern of crystallin expression was also observed in the retinal vessels during normal development. Cultured human astrocytes exposed to 3-nitropropionic acid, an established model of neuronal hypoxia, increased VEGF expression, as expected, but also increased expression of crystallins. Our data suggest that crystallins may function together with VEGF during vascular remodeling. Interestingly, in human PFV (persistent fetal vasculature) disease, where the hyaloid vasculature abnormally persists after birth, we show that astrocytes express both VEGF and crystallins.     

Serological heterogeneity of the IgM components of mixed (monoclonal IgM–polyclonal IgG) cryoglobulins

Mixed IgG–IgM cryoglobulins were isolated from the sera of seven patients with macroglobulinaemia or cryoglobulinaemia. The IgM components of all seven cryoproteins were monoclonal, containing κ light chains only, whereas the IgG components were polyclonal, containing both κ and λ light chains. Despite their apparent immunological homogeneity, the IgM components showed a wide range of antiglobulin activity. The data indicate that serological specificity may vary from one mixed cryoglobulin to another and that the monoclonal IgM components of different mixed cryoglobulins represent a heterologous group of antiglobulins.