The state of DNA methylation in the promoter and exon 1 regions of the human gene for the interleukin-2 receptor {alpha} chain (IL-2R{alpha}) in various cell types

The gene for the human interleukin-2 receptor     

'This isn't very typical I'm afraid': observing community care complaints procedures

The new complaints procedures which local authority social services departments have been required to introduce represent an important mechanism for managing the change of culture associated with recent community care reforms. They also represent a new genre in mechanisms of redress for welfare recipients. This paper reports the findings of a study which has observed considerable diversity in the ways in which local authorities are interpreting the nature and purposes of the new procedures and, in particular, the functions of review panels established under those procedures. Variations in the composition of panels, in the style of review panel proceedings, in perceptions of the panels' powers, and in the ways that complaints and complainants are constituted are all discussed. Attention is drawn to four competing interpretations of the review panels' role and to the need for these to be clarified and prioritised.     

Effects of intravenous L-acetylcarnitine on retinal oscillatory potentials

L-acetylcarnitine is a compound with cholinergic properties and putative action on the visual system and the glucose metabolism. Ten healthy, emmertropic volunteers (age range: 21 to 28 years) were studied. Each subject was administered 5, 10, and 30 mg/kg acute intravenous doses of L-acetylcarnitine and matching placebo. Retinal oscillatory potentials to full-field flash stimulation were recorded before and 30, 60, and 120 min after administration. A systematic reduction of the implicit time of the P2 and N2 oscillatory potential components was observed after administration of the 10 and 30 mg/kg doses: significant changes were not evident at the 5 mg dose or after placebo. The latency reduction was significantly correlated with the postdrug increment of the L-acetylcarnitine plasma concentration. No other systematic modification in latency of amplitude was observed.The results were presented in part at the XXV I.S.C.E.V. Symposium, Sarasota (Florida), April 26–30, 1987.     

Identification of fast spurts of pyridine nucleotide oxidation evoked by light stimulation in the isolated perfused vertebrate retina

Transitory increases of ultraviolet transmission on stimulation with light were recorded simultaneously with electroretinogram on and off effects from isolated vertebrate retina. The spectral distribution of the optical light responses coincided with that of NADH reduction. The correlation of the optical, or respiratory, responses and the electrical responses were very close within a wide range of stimulus parameters, suggesting an interpretation in terms of supply and demand of energy with a tight coupling between the two kinds of evoked activity. Prerequisite to the response behaviour was the preservation of synaptic signal transmission from first- to higher-order retinal neurons.     

Normal intracortical excitability in developmental stuttering.

Persistent developmental stuttering (PDS) shares clinical features with task-specific dystonias. In these dystonias, intracortical inhibition is abnormally weak. We therefore sought to determine intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation in PDS. In 18 subjects with PDS since childhood (mean age, 39.4 [SD 13.0] years) and 18 speech-fluent controls (43.6 [14.3] years), we investigated resting and active motor thresholds as well as intracortical inhibition and facilitation of the optimal representation of the abductor digiti minimi of the dominant hand using transcranial magnetic stimulation. In PDS, the resting and active motor thresholds were increased, whereas intracortical inhibition and facilitation were normal. Normal intracortical excitability makes a pathophysiological analogy between focal dystonia and PDS less likely. The enhanced motor threshold suggests reduced motor cortical neuronal membrane excitability in PDS.     

AⅡ受体拮抗剂ACEI对慢性肾衰患者血浆ANF及RAS的影响

目的了解血管紧张素Ⅱ受体拮抗剂(ATRA)和转换酶抑制剂(ACEI)对慢性肾衰(CRF)高血压患者血浆心钠素(ANF)和肾素*.血管紧张素系统(RAS)的影响。方法受试者口服氯沙坦(Los组)或福辛普利(Fos组)连续12周，于治疗前和治疗后第4、8及12周测定坐位舒张压(SiDBP)、血清尿素氮(BUN)、血清肌酐(SCr)、ANF、血管紧张素Ⅰ(AⅠ)和血管紧张素Ⅱ(AⅡ)。用SPSS7.0软件作统计分析。结果经12周治疗，两组患者SiDBP均降至目标值。Fos组与治疗前比较，AⅡ下降，ANF和Scr升高(P<0.01)。Los组AⅡ明显升高(P<0.01)，ANF在短暂升高后降至治疗前水平，Scr无变化。结论ACEI可能对CRF高血压患者肾内灌注压有影响，ANF动态改变可作为肾内灌注压变化的指标之一。ATRA对肾内灌注压影响小于ACEI。     

Analgesic profile of the sodium salt of pemedolac

Pemedolac Na, 1-ethyl-1,3,4,9-tetrahydro-4-(phenylmethyl)-pyrano [3,4-b] indole-1-acetic acid sodium salt, exhibited equipotent analgesic effects after oral, iv, and im administration, suggesting that it is well absorbed. In mouse writhing models, the ED₅₀ values ranged from 0.3 mg (0.81 μmol)/kg (vs. acetylcholine) to 4.3 mg (11.6 μmol)/kg (vs. paraphenylbenzoquinone [PBQ]). In the rat Randall-Selitto model, the ED₅₀ o the compound was approximately 0.001 mg (2.7 nmol)/kg, with a flat dose response curve. The peak effects lasted for 7–9 h, 10–18 h, and 5 h following oral, im, and iv injections, respectively. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of pemedolac Na inhibited the PBQ-induced writing in mice with an ED₅₀ of 43.5 μg (0.12 μmol)/mouse, and this effect was not antagonized by naloxone. It was inactive in the hot plate and tail flick tests, demonstrating that pemedolac Na does not act via an opiate mechanism. These results indicate that pemedolac Na is a viable parenteral and oral analgesic, typified by high analgesic potency, a rapid onset and long duration of action, and an extremely wide safety index. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.