Reproducibility of protected specimen brush and bronchoalveolar lavage conserved at 4 degrees C for 48 hours

OBJECTIVE: Protected specimen brush (PSB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) are proposed in combination to optimize antimicrobial treatment. Nevertheless, they are only validated for immediate laboratory processing. This study was therefore conducted to determine whether 48 h conservation at a mere 4 degrees C enables good culture reproducibility for both PSB and BAL. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study, evaluation of a conservation procedure for PSB and BAL, from February 1994 to February 1995, in the 12 bed ICU of a general hospital (938 beds). SAMPLES: Ninety-nine PSB and 86 BAL samples, obtained from 100 bronchoscopic procedures, were analyzed. Thresholds were 10(3) and 10(4) cfu/ml for PSB and BAL, respectively. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Qualitative comparison between the immediate and 48 h procedures were, for PSB, specificity 100%, sensitivity 78%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 84% and overall accuracy 90%; and for BAL: 100%, 89%, 100%, 89% and 94%. Lowered 10(2) and 10(3) cfu/ml thresholds at the 48 h procedure for PSB and BAL reduce the false negatives from 10 to 3 and 5 to 1, respectively. Microorganism results were comparable for PSB and BAL ( r = 0.63 and 0.67), especially for the most resistant strains: Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas. However, there was a decrease in the Neisseria and Haemophilus group ( p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: There is a good culture reproducibility for both PSB and BAL after 48 h conservation at 4 degrees C, especially with lowered thresholds; this technique is therefore appropriate for routine use.     

Microarray Analysis of Somatostatin Receptor 5-Regulated Gene Expression Profiles in Murine Pancreas

Background  We previously demonstrated that somatostatin receptor type 5 (SSTR5) gene ablation results in alterations in insulin secretion and glucose metabolism, accompanied by morphologic alterations in the islets of Langerhans. The underlying mechanism(s) by which SSTR5 exerts its cellular functions remain(s) unknown. We hypothesized that SSTR5 mediates the inhibitory effect of somatostatin (SST) on insulin secretion and islet proliferation by regulating a specific set of pancreatic genes. Methods  To identify SSTR5-regulated pancreatic genes, gene expression microarray analysis was performed on the whole pancreas of 1- and 3-month-old wild-type (WT) and SSTR5 knockout (SSTR5 ^−/−) male mice. Real-time RT-PCR and immunofluorescence were performed to validate selected differentially expressed genes. Results  A set of 143 probes were identified to be differentially expressed in the pancreas of 1-month-old SSTR5 ^−/− mice, 72 of which were downregulated and 71 upregulated. At 3 months of age, SSTR5 gene ablation resulted in downregulation of a set of 30 probes and upregulation of a set of 37 probes. Among these differentially expressed genes, there were 15 and 5 genes that were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in mice at both 1 and 3 months of age. Three genes, PAP/INGAP, ANG, and TDE1, were selected to be validated by real-time RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. Conclusions  A specific set of genes linked to a wide range of cellular functions such as islet proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis were either upregulated or downregulated in SSTR5-deficient male mice compared with their expression in wild-type mice. Therefore, these genes are potential SSTR5-regulated genes during normal pancreatic development and functional maintenance. This work was presented at the Molecular Surgeon Symposium on Personalized Genomic Medicine and Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, 12 April 2008. The symposium was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (R13 CA132572 to Changyi Chen).     

IFIH1-GCA-KCNH7 locus is not associated with genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis in French patients

A recent investigation reported, for the first time, an association between variants in the IFIH1-GCA-KCNH7 locus and multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to replicate this genetic association in MS with a new independent MS cohort composed of French Caucasian MS trio families. The two most significant IFIH1 single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs1990760 and rs2068330, reported as involved in MS susceptibility, were genotyped in 591 French Caucasian MS trio families, and analyzed using the transmission/disequilibrium test. No association with MS was found (rs1990760, P=0.45 and rs2068330, P=0.27). Similarly, no significant association was detected after stratification for HLA-DRB1^*1501 carriers. Reasons that may explain this discrepancy between the original report and our study are discussed.     

Transient hypolocomotion in rats repeatedly exposed to phencyclidine: an appraisal of motor function and motivation

Spontaneous locomotion in rats is reduced about 20 h following phencyclidine (PCP) exposure. Our primary purpose was to test if locomotor irregularities would outlast drug withdrawal and be modulated by a periodic auditory stimulation during or after repeated injections. To circumscribe plausible interpretations, motor coordination and motivation were assessed as well. 10 mg/kg of PCP decreased spontaneous locomotion during the injection period whether or not a sound was presented. Those effects did not persist after a 7-day washout. Motor coordination and motivation to perform a variety of goal-driven conducts in the presence or absence of reinforcement were all unaffected by PCP treatment. The generalized hypolocomotor effects induced by PCP likely resulted from an inability to self-generate behaviors. These deficiencies were apparent in contexts where response production was not clearly specified nor supported, regardless of reward contingency.     

Modulation of human corticomuscular beta-range coherence with low-level static forces

Although corticomuscular synchronization in the beta range (15-30 Hz) was shown to occur during weak steady-state contractions, an examination of low-level forces around 10% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) is still missing. We addressed this question by investigating coherence between electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) as well as cortical spectral power during a visuomotor task. Eight healthy right-handed subjects compensated isometrically static forces at a level of 4% and 16% of MVC with their right index finger. While 4% MVC was accompanied by low coherence values in the middle to high beta frequency range (25-30 Hz), a significant increase of coherence mainly confined to low beta frequencies (19-20 Hz) was observed with force of 16% MVC. Furthermore, this increase was associated with better performance, as reflected in decreased relative error in force during 16% MVC. We additionally show that periods of good motor performance within each condition were associated with higher values of EEG-EMG coherence and spectral power. In conclusion, our results suggest a role for beta-range corticomuscular coherence in effective sensorimotor integration, thus stabilizing corticospinal communication.