Social support and depressive symptomatology among HIV-positive women: the mediating role of self-esteem and mastery

Women constitute an increasing proportion of individuals contracting HIV in the United States and, once diagnosed, are living longer lives since the advent of combination antiretroviral therapies. HIV-positive women, who are disproportionately ethnic minority, face unique challenges to their psychosocial adaptation. Findings from a survey of 373 mainly indigent African-American and Puerto Rican women living with HIV/AIDS in the New York City area indicated high levels of depressive symptomatology, which were inversely related to HIV-related social support from friends, relatives, partner, and groups/ organizations. In line with the Cognitive Adaptation Model, structural equation modeling indicated that psychological resourcefulness (i.e., self-esteem and mastery) mediated the effects of social support on depressive symptomatology. Findings suggest the need to assess HIV-positive women for social isolation and depression and to provide them with interventions such as support groups that capitalize on their existing strengths, including their psychological resourcefulness.     

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetoencephalographic estimation of delta dipole density: a combination of techniques that may contribute to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Whole-head magnetoencephalographic recordings were obtained from 10 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 10 healthy controls in a resting position. Spectroscopic examinations were performed by means of a 1.5-tesla whole-body scanner in the temporoparietal regions of both hemispheres. The relationship between (1)H-MRS-based and magnetoencephalography (MEG)-based measures and their conjoined capability to improve the diagnosis of AD were investigated in this study. Logistic regression analyses were performed. Three separated logistic models were calculated for (1)H-MRS-based metabolites, low-frequency magnetic activity, and the combination of both measures. A combined myoinositol/N-acetyl aspartate (mI/NAA)-delta dipole density (DD) model predicted the diagnosis with 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Additionally, the combination of temporoparietal mI/NAA and delta DD values explained the variability of individuals' cognitive status. The results support the notion that a multidisciplinary approach may improve the understanding and diagnosis of AD.     

Comparative analysis of CD45 proteins in primate context: owl monkeys vs humans

Transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) CD45 has been implicated in activating, differentiating and the development of different immune system cells. It regulates T-or B-cell activation during receptor-specific recognition by dephosphorylating tyrosine residues in protein kinase substrates. Aotus nancymaae, Aotus nigriceps, and Aotus vociferans CD45 nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences are presented here, where we found 90-92% identity with the human counterpart in the nucleotide sequence and 83-86% in the amino acid sequence. Aotus CD45 alternative splicing isoforms include the same exons used in human CD45, producing several identical molecular weight nucleotide fragments. Most of the non-synonymous substitutions were found in the extracellular domain. The more conserved CD45 cytoplasmic portion has two intracellular phosphatase domains (D1 and D2) separated by a short spacer and some residues and motifs involved in signaling or molecular docking, intra- and intermolecular interactions and CD45 activity and activity regulation. All invariant residues and structural/functional motifs found in PTPases were totally conserved, suggesting that Aotus CD45 is a functional enzyme. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that the Aotus CD45 molecules are more related to the human homologs than to other reported vertebrate sequences and that the ancestral group of Aotus clade is A. vociferans. When Aotus species were compared, A. nigriceps and A. vociferans were the two most distant species, while A. nancymaae and A. nigriceps appeared to be a sister group. This could be relevant in deciding which Aotus species is to be used for studying particular immunological processes during lymphocyte activation or development.     

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that infects up to a third of the world's population. Infection is mainly acquired by ingestion of food or water that is contaminated with oocysts shed by cats or by eating undercooked or raw meat containing tissue cysts. Primary infection is usually subclinical but in some patients cervical lymphadenopathy or ocular disease can be present. Infection acquired during pregnancy may cause severe damage to the fetus. In immunocompromised patients, reactivation of latent disease can cause life-threatening encephalitis. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis can be established by direct detection of the parasite or by serological techniques. The most commonly used therapeutic regimen, and probably the most effective, is the combination of pyrimethamine with sulfadiazine and folinic acid. This Seminar provides an overview and update on management of patients with acute infection, pregnant women who acquire infection during gestation, fetuses or infants who are congenitally infected, those with ocular disease, and immunocompromised individuals. Controversy about the effectiveness of primary and secondary prevention in pregnant women is discussed. Important topics of current and future research are presented.     

Estrogen Receptor β Dinucleotide (CA) Repeat Polymorphism is Significantly Associated with Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

Significant associations between the lengths of a highly polymorphic dinucleotide (CA) repeat located within the human estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) gene on chromosome 14, bone mineral density (BMD) and androgen levels have been reported previously in premenopausal women. We measured the size of this microsatellite repeat in 226 healthy women (60–98 years). After adjustment for age, body mass index, hormone replacement status, and other variables known to influence BMD, women with <25 CA repeats had significantly higher BMD measured in the total skeleton, lumbar spine, and femoral neck when compared with women having longer alleles. Women with shorter alleles also had higher circulating estrone and estradiol levels that approached statistical significance as compared with women harboring longer alleles after appropriate adjustments were performed in linear regression models. Women having both short and long CA repeats had BMD values in all regions of the skeleton that were midway between those found in women homozygous for longer or shorter repeat sizes. Because the ESR2 CA repeat size was neither associated with change in BMD nor serum levels of biochemical markers of bone turnover, it is likely that ESR2 CA repeat genotype is significantly linked to the attainment of peak bone mass in women.This work was supported by grants AG10149 and AG02049 from the National Institutes of Health.     

Metastatic basal cell carcinoma: rapid symptomatic response to cisplatin and paclitaxel

BACKGROUND: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer in the community, although it rarely metastasizes. The literature reports less than 100 patients who have received chemotherapy for metastatic BCC. A further case of this rare disease is reported here. The pattern of disease in the reported patient was similar to that described in the literature, but the patient experienced a long period with untreated metastatic disease compared with that in the literature. METHOD: The patient was treated with cisplatin in combination with paclitaxel. Literature review suggests this to be the first report of this combination. RESULTS: Rapid symptomatic response was achieved though late neurotoxicity occurred. CONCLUSION: This regimen is an active combination for the rare patient with metastatic BCC. The combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel causes less neurotoxicity and may therefore be a superior regimen.     

Selection of a substance use disorder diagnostic instrument by the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network

Several instruments for diagnosing substance use disorders (SUD) have been developed, but to date none has emerged as the standard for community-based clinical studies. To select the most suitable SUD diagnostic instrument for its clinical trials, the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) implemented a procedure in which 36 university-based addiction researchers and 62 community-based addiction treatment providers evaluated and ranked five widely recognized diagnostic instruments: (1) the SUD section of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID); (2) the SUD section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, 2nd ed. (CIDI-2); (3) the SUD section of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV Diagnosis (DIS-IV); (4) the Diagnostic Statistical Manual-IV Checklist (DSM-IV Checklist); and (5) the Substance Dependence Severity Scale (SDSS). To assist the evaluation and ranking process, key characteristics of each instrument were presented in tabular and narrative formats. Participants ranked each instrument from 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). The SCID received the best overall mean score (2.24) followed by the CIDI-2 (2.59), DIS (2.94), DSM Checklist (3.40) and the SDSS (3.83). After discussing the pragmatic and scientific advantages and disadvantages of each instrument, the CTN Steering Committee selected the CIDI-2. The selection of the CIDI-2 standardizes the collection of diagnostic data and provides a common diagnostic tool for practitioners and clinical researchers in the CTN. Implications for practice/research collaboration and initiatives are explored.     

Characterization of the Manila family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Forty-eight Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were obtained from patients living in metropolitan Manila, Republic of the Philippines. Three molecular typing methods, IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism, spoligotyping, and DNA sequencing of the oxyR, gyrA, and katG loci, established that these strains have restricted diversity and are members of a related genetic group of organisms. Comparison of the DNA fingerprint patterns with those in international databases confirmed the uniqueness of this group of isolates, which we designate the Manila family of M. tuberculosis.     

Social networks and forecasting the spread of HIV infection

This study is an initial effort to use network data to forecast the spread of HIV in a large U.S. city. Data were collected from a sample of drug users and sociodemographically matched nonusers in low-income areas of Houston, Texas. Two sample-based HIV prevalence models and two sociological models were combined with three published biological models to yield forecasts of the growth of HIV seroprevalence. The forecasts predict a compounded annual growth in HIV of between 2.4% and 16.5% among low-income residents of Houston's inner city. These results suggest that forecasts are most sensitive to the nature of the sociological model used. A random mixing model showed about a threefold overestimate of 20-year projected seroprevalence compared with the empiric network data. Thus, the collection of additional social network data is probably the most important requirement for more accurate projections.