Protective behaviours among young African American women with non-monogamous sexual partners

In the USA, partner non-monogamy is reported to be more common among African American women than White women and may contribute to African American women’s increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Few studies have explicitly and comprehensively described the protective behaviours that African American women employ with non-monogamous partners to reduce their HIV risk. We conducted interviews to examine protective behaviours among 11 African American women aged 18–24 years who perceived that a partner in the preceding 12 months had another sex partner. Participants described three types of partnerships with 29 non-monogamous men; these partnerships clustered into three categories. Narrative analysis revealed an overall paucity of protective behaviours with non-monogamous partners. Protective behaviours (i.e. communication and condom use) were informed by partnership type, rather than perceptions of non-monogamy. There were few instances in which partner non-monogamy motivated women to terminate sex partnerships. Rather, these decisions were often motivated by changes in other relationship dynamics. To address HIV/STI risk related to partner non-monogamy, HIV prevention strategies for young African American women should emphasise the importance of condom use in all non-marital partnership types. Interventions where testing is available may be effective for women who frequently test for HIV/STIs but do not use condoms.     

Pain Hypervigilance is Associated with Greater Clinical Pain Severity and Enhanced Experimental Pain Sensitivity Among Adults with Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis

Background

Pain hypervigilance is an important aspect of the fear-avoidance model of pain that may help explain individual differences in pain sensitivity among persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of pain hypervigilance to clinical pain severity and experimental pain sensitivity in persons with symptomatic knee OA.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data from 168 adults with symptomatic knee OA. Quantitative sensory testing was used to measure sensitivity to heat pain, pressure pain, and cold pain, as well as temporal summation of heat pain, a marker of central sensitization.

Results

Pain hypervigilance was associated with greater clinical pain severity, as well as greater pressure pain. Pain hypervigilance was also a significant predictor of temporal summation of heat pain.

Conclusions

Pain hypervigilance may be an important contributor to pain reports and experimental pain sensitivity among persons with knee OA.     

Release of active tissue factor by human arterial smooth muscle cells

Tissue factor (TF), the initiator of coagulation, is thought to function predominantly at the cell surface. Recent data have suggested that active TF is present extracellularly in atherosclerotic plaques, the arterial wall, and the blood. This study was conducted to determine whether smooth muscle cells (SMCs), a major source of arterial TF, could generate extracellular TF. Active TF accumulated in the medium of cultured human SMCs, representing approximately 10% of that measured in the underlying cells at 24 hours. Platelet-derived growth factor, phorbol ester, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha caused approximately 3-fold increases in TF activity in the medium. Release of TF into the medium was dependent on the presence of the TF transmembrane domain but not the cytoplasmic domain. Antibodies to TF precipitated most of the activity from the culture medium, whereas antibodies to the beta(1)-integrin subunit precipitated approximately 33% of the activity. Treatment with detergent or phosphatidylserine:phosphatidylcholine did not increase activity, suggesting that all TF released by SMCs was in the appropriate lipid milieu and not encrypted. Western blotting showed that the medium contained full-length TF protein. Fluorescent cytometry showed that extracellular TF was present largely in particles < or =200 nm, which had a density of 1.10 g/mL. We hypothesize that active extracellular TF found in the injured arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaques derives, in part, from SMC microparticles.     

Outcome analysis of arthroscopic treatment of partial thickness rotator cuff tears

Background:

Partial thickness rotator cuff tears occupy an important position in the spectrum of rotator cuff disease. The development of a more comprehensive classification has been sought to address both the tear location and extent, which may influence clinical results. The purpose of this study is to classify partial thickness rotator cuff tears according to the arthroscopic findings and to evaluate the clinical outcomes after arthroscopic repair of partial thickness tears.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred and two patients had arthroscopic treatment of partial thickness rotator cuff tears. The inclusion criterion for the study was a partially torn supraspinatus tendon involving articular or bursal side, verified by direct arthroscopic visualization. Outcome analysis was exclusively applied to patients who underwent transtendon repair, using the shoulder index of American Shoulder and Elbow Society and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) rating system.

Results:

Partial thickness rotator cuff tears were divided into five groups according to arthroscopic findings. There was significant improvement after surgery in all parameters of clinical evaluation in the tears that warranted repair. Arthroscopic repair in situ (transtendon technique) may be the preferred option in unstable partial thickness tear.

Conclusion:

The proposed classification system may assist decision making in the treatment of partial thickness rotator cuff tears.     

Molecular determinants of susceptibility to oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Background

M protein mutant vesicular stomatitis virus (M51R-VSV) has oncolytic properties against many cancers. However, some cancer cells are resistant to M51R-VSV. Herein, we evaluate the molecular determinants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) resistance in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells.

Methods

Cell viability and the effect of β-interferon (IFN) were analyzed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium assay. Gene expression was evaluated via microarray analysis. Cell infectability was measured by flow cytometry. Xenografts were established in athymic nude mice and treated with intratumoral M51R-VSV.

Results

Four of five pancreatic cancer cell lines were sensitive to M51R-VSV, whereas Panc 03.27 cells remained resistant (81 ± 3% viability 72 h after single-cycle infection). Comparing sensitive MiaPaCa2 cells with resistant Panc 03.27 cells, significant differences in gene expression were found relating to IFN signaling (P = 2 × 10⁻⁵), viral entry (P = 3 × 10⁻⁴), and endocytosis (P = 7 × 10⁻⁴). MiaPaCa2 cells permitted high levels of VSV infection, whereas Panc 03.27 cells were capable of resisting VSV cell entry even at high multiplicities of infection. Extrinsic β-IFN overcame apparent defects in IFN-mediated pathways in MiaPaCa2 cells conferring VSV resistance. In contrast, β-IFN decreased cell viability in Panc 3.27 cells, suggesting intact antiviral mechanisms. VSV-treated xenografts exhibited reduced tumor growth relative to controls in both MiaPaCa2 (1423 ± 345% versus 164 ± 136%; P < 0.001) and Panc 3.27 (979 ± 153% versus 50 ± 56%; P = 0.002) tumors. Significant lymphocytic infiltration was seen in M51R-VSV–treated Panc 03.27 xenografts.

Conclusions

Inhibition of VSV endocytosis and intact IFN-mediated defenses are responsible for M51R-VSV resistance in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. M51R-VSV treatment appears to induce antitumor cellular immunity in vivo, which may expand its clinical efficacy.     

Spatiotemporal flow of information in the early visual pathway

The spatial components of a visual scene are processed neurally in a sequence of coarse features followed by fine features. This coarse‐to‐fine temporal stream was initially considered to be a cortical function, but has recently been demonstrated in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that coarse‐to‐fine processing is present at earlier stages of visual processing in the retinal ganglion cells that supply lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons. To compare coarse‐to‐fine processing in the cat's visual system, we measured the visual responses of connected neuronal pairs from the retina and LGN, and separate populations of cells from each region. We found that coarse‐to‐fine processing was clearly present at the ganglion cell layer of the retina. Interestingly, peak and high‐spatial‐frequency cutoff responses were higher in the LGN than in the retina, indicating that there was a progressive cascade of coarse‐to‐fine information from the retina to the LGN to the visual cortex. The analysis of early visual pathway receptive field characteristics showed that the physiological response interplay between the center and surround regions was consistent with coarse‐to‐fine features and may provide a primary role in the underlying mechanism. Taken together, the results from this study provided a framework for understanding the emergence and refinement of coarse‐to‐fine processing in the visual system.     

Taking a Better History for Behavioral Issues Pre‐ and Post‐Deep Brain Stimulation: Issues Missed by Standardized Scales

Objectives: To screen for potentially underreported behavioral changes in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) pre‐ and post‐deep brain stimulation (DBS), a retrospective data base review was performed. Methods: In total, 113 patients who underwent unilateral or bilateral DBS at the University of Florida in either subthalamic nucleus or globus pallidus internus for PD were screened for behavioral issues by asking about the presence or absence of seven neuropsychiatric symptoms (panic, fear, paranoia, anger, suicidal flashes, crying, and laughing). Results: There was a high prevalence of fear (16.3%), panic (14.0%), and anger (11.6%) at baseline in this cohort. In the first six months following DBS implantation, anger (32.6%), fear (26.7%), and uncontrollable crying (26.7%) were the most frequent symptoms reported. Those symptoms also were present following six months of DBS surgery (30.2%, 29.1%, and 19.8%, respectively). New uncontrollable crying occurred more in the acute postoperative stage (less than or equal to six months) (p= 0.033), while new anger occurred more in the chronic postoperative stage (greater than six months) (p= 0.017). The frequency of uncontrollable laughing significantly increased with bilateral DBS (p= 0.033). Conclusions: Many of the neuropsychiatric issues were identified at preoperative baseline and their overall occurrence was more than expected. There was a potential for worsening of these issues post‐DBS. There were subtle differences in time course, and in unilateral vs. bilateral implantations. Clinicians should be aware of these potential behavioral issues that may emerge following DBS therapy, and should consider including screening questions in preoperative and postoperative interviews. Standardized scales may miss the presence or absence of these clinically relevant issues.