Hormone therapy and affect

This study investigated the influence of hormone therapy on affect in a double blind crossover trial. The sample consisted of 49 women who had previously undergone hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. Therapy consisted of 3 mth each of ethinyl oestradiol — 50 μg/day, levonorgestrel — 250 μg/day, “Nordial” — a combination of these two substances, and placebo. Affect was measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, verbal reports by women and self-ratings on visual analogue scales. Ethinyl oestradiol was found to have a beneficial influence on aspects of affect such as Hamilton scores, anxiety, irritability and insomnia.

The influence of hormones on Hamilton scores could be partly but not fully explained by the alleviation of hot flushes. Norgestrel showed less favourable changes initially but these tended to diminish by the third therapy month. Most of the women studied were not clinically depressed. Anxiety symptoms were the major features exhibited in the group of women investigated. The results of this study suggest that visual analogue rating scales are of questionable validity in assessing affect in patients without any appreciable psychiatric morbidity.     

Human trophoblast adhesion to matrix proteins: inhibition and signal transduction

At the time of implantation, the extracellular matrix proteinslaminin and fibronectin are abundant in the decidua and aredistributed pericellularly around each individual stromal cell.First trimester human trophoblast expresses both laminin andfibronectin receptors, specifically the ₁ß_{1 5}ß₁₆ß₁ and ₆ß₄ integrin heterodimers. In thisstudy we have demonstrated that in-vitro adhesion of first trimesterhuman trophoblast to purified extracellular matrix proteinsand to purified decidual stromal cell monolayers can be inhibitedby monoclonal antibodies directed against appropriate integrinsubunits and by synthetic peptides containing an arginine-glycine-asparticacid sequence. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the ₅ and ß₁integrin subunits and a synthetic peptide significantly inhibitedadhesion to fibronectin. Binding of trophoblast to laminin wasblocked with mAbs to the ₆ and ß₁ but not ₁ and ß₄integrinsubunits. Similarly, integrin-mediated adhesion to monolayersof decidual stromal cells could be blocked with mAbs to the₅, ₆, ß₆ and ß₄ integrin subunits. Integrin-mediatedsignal transduction in normal and malignant trophoblast wasinvestigated by Western blotting. A 115 kDa protein was themajor tyrosine phosphorylated protein detected in trophoblastafter binding to laminin or fibronectin. The profile of tyrosinephosphorylated proteins differed for malignant trophoblast. integrins/matrix/signal transduction/trophoblast     

Ligand binding and platelet uptake studies of loxapine, amoxapine and their 8-hydroxylated derivatives

Loxapine, amoxapine and their 8-hydroxylated derivatives were studied by means of [3H]imipramine binding to rat cortical membranes, [3H]spiperone binding to rat striatal membranes, and the inhibition of serotonin uptake by human platelets. As inhibitors of [3H]imipramine binding: amoxapine greater than hydroxyamoxapine greater than loxapine = hydroxyloxapine; as inhibitors of platelet serotonin uptake: hydroxyamoxapine greater than amoxapine greater than hydroxyloxapine greater than loxapine; and as inhibitors of [3H]spiperone binding: loxapine greater than amoxapine greater than hydroxyamoxapine greater than hydroxyloxapine. The antipsychotic properties of loxapine and amoxapine were supported by the binding results, which also indicated the probable antipsychotic activities of the metabolites. All 4 compounds may possess dual action of antidepressant effect as well as antipsychotic effect.     

Leucocyte Migration Test and Hypersensitivity to Glafenin

The leucocyte migration test (LMT) was performed on 20 patients with an intolerance to glafenin--a non-narcotic analgesic drug. LMT was found to be positive in 50% of the subjects with intolerance, a highly significant percentage as compared with the control groups. HSA-glafenin was found to be the most appropriate method for presenting the antigen, but glafenin and its hydroxylated metabolites were only found to induce a migration inhibition in the subjects intolerant to glafenin.     

Longitudinal changes in forced expiratory volume in one second in adults. Methodologic considerations and findings in healthy nonsmokers

Longitudinal changes in FEV1 (delta FEV1) have been examined in a sample of the general population of Tucson, Arizona. Adults with satisfactory spirometric tests in all 7 surveys performed over a period of 11 yr showed some between-survey differences in mean FEV1. Although small in absolute magnitude, such survey biases (which would be impossible to detect unless multiple spirometric tests were carried out on a relatively large group of subjects) could have a marked effect on calculated changes in FEV1 and may explain the widely divergent delta FEV1 values reported in the literature. After adjusting for survey biases, the relationships of delta FEV1 to age, sex, and body size were examined in "healthy" nonsmokers in the population who were followed for an average of 9.6 yr. The FEV1 showed an accelerating decline with age, and delta FEV1 was best explained by a model of proportional change in which it is a function of Age X Height3. Longitudinally determined delta FEV1 showed much less decline in function and a later apparent age of onset of decline than suggested by cross-sectional analyses. While small "learning effects" in longitudinal calculations cannot be excluded, most of the cross-sectional versus longitudinal differences are probably ascribable to past events that have adversely affected the FEV1 in older adults, thereby increasing cross-sectional age effects. Present findings also suggest that generally applicable "prediction equations" for delta FEV1 probably cannot be developed and that delta FEV1 values should only be compared between groups studied in an identical manner within a given study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Synaptic Connections of Different Strength Between Wind-sensitive Hairs and an Identified Projection Interneuron in the Locust

An identified intersegmental interneuron in Locusta and Schistocerca, with its cell body in the fourth abdominal ganglion and an axon which projects to the brain is excited by mechanosensory inputs from receptors on the head and neck. The organization of its receptive field, the types of sensory receptors which contribute to it and the patterns and strengths of the afferent connections were investigated by intracellular recording from the axon of the interneuron close to a spike-initiating site in the prothoracic ganglion. The receptive field of the interneuron consists of a small patch of hairs on the head ipsilateral to the axon, and from hairs on two regions of the prosternum (a cuticular structure on the ventral surface of the prothoracic segment), first an ipsilateral, lateral region and second a medial but contralateral region. Hairs on the pronotum (dorsal neck) also contribute but were not investigated here. Each spike in the afferent from a hair with a filiform appearance and with a pigmented base on the prosternum consistently evokes an EPSP in the interneuron. These have a short and constant latency, indicating that the connection is probably direct. The head hairs also appear to make direct connections with the interneuron in the prothoracic ganglion, so that the spike-initiating site here can integrate signals evoked by wind on the head and on the prosternum. Stiff tactile hairs on the prosternum do not connect with the interneuron. The EPSPs evoked by the long filiform hairs are consistently larger than those produced by the short filiform hairs and a single spike in some of the afferents from the long filiform hairs can evoke a spike in the interneuron. The effectiveness of an afferent is therefore correlated with the length of the filiform hair it innervates. The hairs with the most powerful effects are always the longest and occur in the same position on every locust. The shape of the receptive field and the different strengths of connections are apparent even in early larval instars. The axonal branches of the interneuron are restricted to the same side of the ganglion as the axon itself. Afferents from filiform hairs on the medial region of the prosternum project contralaterally, and those from the lateral region project ipsilaterally. Afferents from some of the head hairs project ipsilaterally directly to the prothoracic ganglion. The terminals of all these afferents overlap with the branches of the interneuron. By contrast, the afferents of tactile hairs which do not connect, project to different regions of neuropile. The connections ensure that the high sensitivity of the filiform hairs is maintained at the first stage in the central processing and suggest a role for this interneuron in supplying information about small changes in air currents that may be of use in controlling steering manoeuvres during flight.     

Transoesophageal echocardiography detects residual ductal flow during video-assisted thoracoscopic patent ductus arteriosus interruption

This report describes transoesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) monitoring in a one-year-old boy undergoing patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) interruption. After application of a first vascular clip, echocardiographic monitoring detected incomplete interruption of ductal flow, prompting the surgeon to add a second clip to the ductus. The procedure was performed via a new surgical technique: video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). This innovative approach offers many advantages to patient care including reduced postoperative pain and better preservation of pulmonary function. We conclude that the use of TEE monitoring during PDA interruption via the VATS procedure may improve the surgical result, and eliminate reintervention and the complications associated with residual ductal flow.