immunoglobulin and histamine-sensitivity response of mice to live Bordetella pertussis

Mice injected intranasally (it.n.) and intraperitoneally (i.p.) with a nonlethal dose (2.5 x 10(5) colony-forming units) of live Bordetella pertussis were examined for 50 days for infection, respiratory tract immunoglobulins (Ig), changes in serum Ig, and histamine sensitivity. With mice infected it.n., respiratory infection markedly declined between day 20 and day 30. Ig classes (A, G(1), G(2a), G(2b), but no M), which had specificity for B. pertussis, were present in tracheobronchial wash (TBW) by day 15; by day 50, TBW immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoretic precipitin bands were more intense. A sharp rise in serum IgA after day 30 was the only significant change relative to controls among the five serum Ig examined. A high degree of histamine sensitivity developed by day 15 to 20 and persisted for the 50 days. With mice inoculated i.p., no bacteria were recovered, no Ig or only traces were found in TBW and IgA only was specific, and no significant changes in the serum Ig relative to controls occurred. Histamine sensitivity developed somewhat more slowly and to a lesser degree than in it.n.-injected mice but persisted for the 50 days. A similar small number of killed bacteria (pertussis vaccine) injected it.n. or i.p. likewise induced slowly developing histamine sensitivity in contrast to published reports of 4 to 5 day peak sensitivity and decline following i.p. injection of 10(9) or more killed bacteria.     

Impairment of delayed matching in monkeys by chlorpromazine and pentobarbital

Summary Monkeys trained to perform in a delayed matching test under five delay conditions were given chlorpromazine hydrochloride (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg) and pentobarbital sodium (1.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mg/kg) before test sessions. Both drugs decreased response rate proportionally as dose increased. Chlorpromazine initially depressed accuracy, but showed no specific effects as delay interval increased. Pentobarbital had little effect upon accuracy, although impairment on the simultaneous conditions was seen at the highest dose. It is concluded that neither drug produced specific effects upon short-term memory.This work was supported by a USPHS grant MH 01225 and an Interdepartmental Institute for Training in the Neurologic and Behavioral Sciences grant 5T1 MH 6418.     

Whole-genome expression profiling of the melanoma progression pathway reveals marked molecular differences between nevi/melanoma in situ and advanced-stage melanomas

Over the past two decades, several known genes have been shown to govern important functions in the development of primary and metastatic melanomas. However, from this limited number of genes, it is not possible to establish detailed molecular profiles for the early and advanced stages of melanoma development. To gain insights into the genetic profile of every stage of the melanoma progression pathway, and to determine to what extent these profiles are similar or distinct, we performed whole-genome expression profiling of tissue specimens representing normal skin, benign and atypical nevi, and early and advanced-stage melanomas. The results of this study provide first-time evidence that significant molecular changes occur distinctly at the border of/transition from melanoma in situ to primary melanoma, and that genes involved in mitotic cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation constitute the two leading categories of genes associated with these changes.