Quantitative analysis of the dopamine D4 receptor in the mouse brain

The D4 receptor (D4R), a member of the dopamine D2-like receptor family, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several diseases and has been the target of various investigations regarding its distribution and quantification. The brain distribution of the D4R has been well described in various species, but the quantification is still an issue of controversy, because no specific ligand is commercially available. To circumvent this difficulty we have performed a biochemical and autoradiographical study in brain samples obtained from mice lacking D4Rs and their wild-type siblings; comparison of their binding parameters allows a more accurate quantification of the members of the D2-like receptor family (D2, D3, and D4 receptors). We found that the distribution of D2-like receptors in mouse brain is similar to that of rat brain, i.e., caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, and hippocampus. The contribution of the D4R to the overall population of D2-like receptors is 17% in nucleus accumbens, 21% in caudate putamen and olfactory tubercle, and 40% in hippocampus. Based on our study we conclude that nemonapride probably binds to nondopaminergic sites that if not properly blocked may lead to overestimations of D4R levels. We observed that the experimental condition that better estimates the density of D4 receptors is the displacement of D2 and D3 [3H]nemonapride binding sites with cold raclopride.     

特发性黄斑裂孔行玻璃体切除并内界膜剥离术后发生医源性偏心性全层黄斑裂孔

目的:报道特发性黄斑裂孔行玻璃体切除并内界膜(ILM)剥离术后,未曾报道的并发症。方法:回顾性分析1996—2001年间,232例连续性患者因特发性黄斑裂孔进行玻璃体切除并内界膜(ILM)剥离术。4例患者术后发现有医源性偏心性黄斑裂孔。利用光学相干断层扫描检查这些黄斑裂孔。结果:术     

Inflammation in the Uvula Mucosa of Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This study was conducted to determine whether inflammation is present in the uvula mucosa of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Uvulas were obtained by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in 21 patients with moderate OSA (mean apnea/hypopnea index and standard error of the mean: 32±4) and by autopsy in 5 individuals not known to have OSA. Using point counting in five randomly selected high-power microscopic fields (×100), the authors found that the number of leukocytes in the lamina propria of the uvula mucosa was significantly higher in patients with OSA than in the controls (179±12 cells vs. 71±4 cells, respectively;P<.05). This was due to a significant increase in the number of plasma cells in patients with OSA as compared with controls (89±15 cells vs. 21±5 cells, respectively; P<.05). The thickness of the lamina propria (an index of interstitial edema) was also significantly increased in patients with OSA compared with controls (0.99±0.12 mm vs. 0.27±0.02 mm, respectively; P<0.05). The authors conclude that inflammation, characterized by plasma cell infiltration and interstitial edema, is present in the uvula mucosa of patients with moderate OSA. They also suggest that soft palate inflammation contributes to upper airway occlusion observed during sleep in these patients.     

Prevalence of enteroparasites in a residence for children in the Córdoba Province, Argentina

A study of the prevalence of enteroparasites in a population belonging to a substitute home that gives shelter to orphaned and homeless children was done using conventional methods of analysis. This home is located in Córdoba Province, Argentina, and has the following characteristics: It has nine houses located inside the main plot of ground, that shelter 139 individuals, and 25 houses outside this plot distributed randomly in Unquillo city and that shelter 257 individuals. The overall parasitic infection, pathogen and commensal organisms included, yielded 84.8% and the prevalence of the most important parasites was: Enterobius vermicularis (43.4%), Giardia lamblia (23.0%), Ascaris lumbricoides (13.1%), Entamoeba coli (45.5%), Blastocystis hominis (44.4%) and Endolimax nana (34.6%). We also analyzed the population dividing it according to the residence place (inside or outside the plot), age and sex of the individuals. In reference to the location of the patients, A. lumbricoides and E. coli showed significant prevalence in the individuals living inside the plot (p < 0.001 and p < 0.005, respectively) and of B. hominis in those living outside the main plot (p < 0.005). Results indicated a greater parasitism level in the outside residents (61.5%, p < 0.001). When the individuals were studied according to sex, no significant difference was observed, except for E. vermicularis that showed greater prevalence in the male sex (p < 0.04). When the individuals were grouped according to age ranges, a greater prevalence in individuals from 5 to 14 years was noticed (p < 0.01). In this study is also included an analysis of the multiparasitism level that comprises the whole population.     

Cultural differences among elderly women in coping with the death of an adult child

This article describes differences between elderly Jewish and non-Jewish women in dealing with the death of an adult child. Dimensions of difference include the meaning of the death to the mother, her expression of grief, and her conceptualization of the future in the face of the loss. Results are based on data from 12 Jewish and 17 non-Jewish women taking part in a larger study examining generativity as a predictor of well-being in women over 60. Data collection included in-depth life histories and quantitative evaluations of well-being, affect, generativity, and personality variables associated with mothering. Qualitatively, Jewish women were depressed and fixed in grief, with the loss remaining central to their lives. Non-Jewish women articulated philosophies of acceptance, putting the death in a perspective that enabled them to move beyond their loss. Well-being, affect, generativity, and personality measures statistically supported the qualitative differences found between the groups.