Appearance and Persistence of Antibodies Against Different Virus Components After Regular Measles Infections

Different measles virus-specific antibody activities in acute, early (11 to 40 days after rash) and late (4 to 20 years postinfection) convalescent sera and gamma globulin were determined. Early immunoglobulin G antibodies gave a poor neutralization, which was increased 10- to 60-fold by addition of anti-gamma globulin.There was a high degree of correlation between titers of hemolysis-inhibiting (HLI) and hemagglutinating-inhibiting (HI) antibodies. However, in one out of fifteen late convalescent sera an HLI antibody titer of 640 in the presence of titer of only 20 in HI tests with Tween 80-either-treated antigen was found. Similar findings were made with sera from two patients with multiple sclerosis included in a parallel study. A somewhat higher titer of HI antibodies was demonstrable in these three sera when untreated material was used as antigen. These findings are interpreted in the following way. Antibodies against the hemagglutinin can block not only virus-specific agglutination but also lysis of red cells. In contrast, antibodies against the hemolysin, besides blocking the biological activity of this component, carry only a slight HI activity. This HI activity can be detected only by use of antigen preparations containing hemagglutinin-associated hemolysin.Complement-fixation (CF) and immunodiffusion tests (the latter were carried out with antigen preparations treated with 0.25% sodium dodecyl sulfate) demonstrated that, in almost all cases, antibodies against nucleocapsid structures dominated quantitatively among antibodies appearing in connection with and persisting after regular measles infections. Generally, only low titers of antibodies reacting with purified small particle hemagglutinin (HA; 10 to 14S) or additional structural or nonstructural components were identified in CF and immunodiffusion tests.     

Association analysis of ANK3 gene variants in nordic bipolar disorder and schizophrenia case-control samples

Genetic variants in ankyrin 3 (ANK3) have recently been shown to be associated with bipolar disorder (BD). We genotyped three ANK3 SNPs previously found to be associated with BD (rs10994336, rs1938526, and rs9804190) in a Scandinavian BD case-control sample (N = 854/2,614). Due to evidence of genetic overlap between BD and schizophrenia (SZ), we also genotyped these three SNPs in a Scandinavian SZ case-control sample (N = 1,073/2,919). Combining our Scandinavian samples with an Icelandic sample (N = 435 BD cases, 651 SZ cases, and 11,491 healthy controls), we found rs10994336 and rs9804190 to be nominally significantly associated with BD in this combined Nordic BD sample (N = 1,289/14,105). Nominal P was 0.015/0.018 (fixed/random effect) for rs10994336 (Bonferroni corrected P = 0.044/0.053) and 0.023 for rs9804190 (Bonferroni corrected P = 0.069). None of the SNPs were significantly associated with SZ in the combined Nordic SZ case-control sample (N = 1,724/14,410). These results further support that ANK3 is a susceptibility gene specific to BD and that more than one risk locus is involved.     

Characterisation of a monoclonal antibody detecting Atlantic salmon endothelial and red blood cells,and its association with the infectious salmon anaemia virus cell receptor

Endothelial cells (ECs) line the luminal surfaces of the cardiovascular system and play an important role in cardiovascular functions such as regulation of haemostasis and vasomotor tone. A number of fish and mammalian viruses target these cells in the course of their infection. Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) attacks ECs and red blood cells (RBCs) of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), producing the severe disease of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA). The investigation of ISA has up to now been hampered by the lack of a functional marker for ECs in Atlantic salmon in situ. In this study, we report the characterisation and use of a novel monoclonal antibody (MAb) detecting Atlantic salmon ECs (e.g. vessel endothelium, endocardial cells and scavenger ECs) and RBCs. The antibody can be used with immunohistochemistry, IFAT and on Western blots. It appears that the epitope recognised by the antibody is associated with the ISAV cellular receptor. Besides being a tool to identify ECs in situ, it could be useful in further studies of the pathogenicity of ISA. Finally, the detection of an epitope shared by ECs and RBCs agrees with recent findings that these cells share a common origin, thus the MAb can potentially be used to study the ontogeny of these cells in Atlantic salmon.     

基于时移的超声无损测温研究

以后向散射时移模型为基础，研究超声无损测温算法。实验中利用橡皮作为样品，采集超声回波信号，进一步验证了回波信号与温度变化之间的关系。根据这一关系，在改进其他时移算法的基础上，提出针对此次实验的算法。最后通过实验来验证此种算法的精确度，结果表明测量误差不大于1℃。     

The bodily suffering of living with severe psoriasis: in-depth interviews with 22 hospitalized patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic skin diseases. The author presented results from a qualitative study focusing on patients with severe psoriasis in an acute phase and their experience of living with the disease. Twenty-two hospitalized patients with psoriasis were interviewed in depth. The interviews were consecutively analyzed according to grounded theory methodology. Bodily suffering emerged as a core variable in the data. Bodily suffering includes the following categories: the visible body, staying on an even keel, coping with an all-consuming disease, and social vulnerability. The results of this study indicate that the criterion for the management of soriasis should be the patients' own perception of the consequences of the disease.     

In vitro agreement between magnetic resonance imaging and intraluminal Doppler ultrasound for high flow velocity measurements

OBJECTIVE: Differences of opinion in the literature about the agreement between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound Doppler (USD) for high blood velocity measurement were the basis for this investigation. It compares in vitro velocity measurements by MRI with intraluminal USD, using a specially designed flow phantom. DESIGN: The flow phantom consisted of a pulsatile pump, tubing, a prosthetic heart valve, measurement sections and a reservoir. Peak systolic velocities (0.7-5.0 m/s, n = 10) were measured with standard MRI phase shift velocity mapping using different regions of interest (ROIs). Intravascular USD velocity measurements were carried out using a thin cannula measuring peak systolic local maximum and local mean velocity within the small sample volume. RESULTS: Using maximum velocity USD recordings, comparison with MRI velocities was poor when the ROI covered the complete vessel lumen giving offset -22.3% and limits of agreement (LOA) 57.5 and 105.1%. When the ROI was small the velocities were closer with offset -11.8% and LOA 75.3-103.3%. When the spatial resolution was comparable and the spatial mean was read from the USD recordings, the velocities showed good agreement with an offset close to zero (0.45%). CONCLUSION: This study shows the importance of selecting small ROIs when using MRI for evaluating valve stenosis. Only when using spatially mean velocities over comparable regions the two methods showed good agreement.     

Family function in families with children of normal height and in families with short children

The purpose of this study was to examine any differences regarding cohesion and adaptability between Swedish families with children of normal stature (group A) and those with children of short stature (group B). Cohesion and adaptability were measured using a Swedish translation of the third version of the self-report questionnaire FACES (Family Adaptability and Cohesion, Evaluation Scales). Most of the 55 families in group A and most of the 49 families in group B appeared to be well balanced with regard to cohesion and adaptability. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups concerning the variable cohesion. Significant differences were found in adaptability: fathers in group A had higher values than mothers in group A and than mothers and fathers in group B. CONCLUSION: There are no major differences between families with children of normal stature and those with short children. However, it was found that fathers with children of normal stature perceived a greater adaptation within their families compared with mothers with children of normal stature and mothers and fathers with children of short stature.     

Renal function studies in hyponatremic cardiac patients with edema (dilution syndrome)

In the present series, cardiac output, renal blood flow corrected for PAH extraction rate, and glomerular filtration rate were measured in 8 patients with decompensated congestive heart failure with hyponatremia and normal or increased exchangeable sodium (dilution syndrome). The renal sodium reabsorption and oxygen consumption have also been measured.The cardiac output was reduced to less than half the normal. The renal blood flow was reduced to a greater degree than cardiac output, indicating a specific diversion of blood away from the kidneys. The glomerular filtration rate was also reduced, but to a lesser extent than the renal plasma flow, giving filtration fractions higher than usually reported. The reduction in renal blood flow and in glomerular filtration rate or the increase in filtration fraction had no relation to the magnitude of exchangeable sodium.In our patients, variations in the glomerular filtration rate revealed constancy in the sodium reabsorptive mechanism. The renal oxygen consumption was found to vary independently of the sodium reabsorption. The findings were compatible with an increased passive back diffusion of sodium in the tubular lumen in patients with advanced congestive heart failure. Data from the present study support the assumption that such passive re-entry for sodium is related to an increased filtration fraction, although other mechanisms must also be considered.