Migraine: association with personality characteristics and psychopathology

The relationship between migraine and psychopathology has been discussed far more often than it has been systematically studied. Twentieth-century investigators have frequently described the obsessional, rigid, angry personality postulated to characterize migraine sufferers. More recent population-based studies have demonstrated associations between migraine and depression and migraine and panic disorder. This article discusses the relationship of migraine and personality and migraine and psycho-pathology.     

Epidemiologic characteristics of blood donors with antibody to human immunodeficiency virus

From March 1985 through July 1986, blood donors who were positive for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were evaluated at three major blood centers in the United States. Of 818,629 donations, 450 (0.05%) were HIV antibody-positive. The seroprevalence decreased from 0.07 to 0.04 percent during the study period, due perhaps to a decline in repeat donors. HIV-seropositive donors tended to be 20 to 29 years old (52%) and male (88%). HIV seroprevalence among white donors (2/10,000 donations) was less than that among Hispanic (9/10,000; p less than 0.0001) and black donors (31/10,000; p less than 0.0001). Of 152 seropositive men interviewed, 77 percent reported sexual contact with men; of this latter group, 53 percent were bisexual. Fifteen (44%) of 34 seropositive women had apparently acquired infection from heterosexual contact, and an equal number denied having any known risk factors for HIV infection. Educational efforts must address women and bisexual men who do not perceive themselves to be at risk for HIV infection and should be specifically designed for the mores of different racial and ethnic groups.     

心肌内注射载体腺病毒血管内皮生长因子165治疗心肌缺血的安全性

目的:血管内皮生长因子在动脉粥样硬化斑块中的高表达可能会促进斑块的发生与发展。因此,就产生了在动脉粥样硬化进程中局部应用血管内皮生长因子基因治疗心肌缺血是否会产生促进动脉粥样硬化斑块发展的安全性问题。方法:实验于2006-05/2007-03在长海医院胸心外科实验室完成。①实验材料:SPF级雄性新西兰大白兔28只,体质量2.0～2.5kg;表达hVEGF165的腺病毒及表达LacZ的腺病毒AdLacZ由解放军第二军医大学长海医院胸心外科自行构建。②实验分组:将动物随机分为实验组和对照组,每组14只。③实验过程:将28只雄性新西兰大白兔应用球囊损伤 高脂饮食喂养建立动脉粥样硬化模型后平均分成两组:Ad-hVEGF165治疗组和AdLacZ对照组;结扎兔左冠状动脉前降支建立急性心肌缺血模型,载体腺病毒直接心肌内注射治疗。④实验评估:4周、8周后进行兔斑块形态学、病理及心功能检测。结果:①治疗组和对照组兔均形成明显的动脉粥样硬化斑块,苏丹Ⅳ染色为猩红色,两组在斑块面积、斑块周径及斑块最大厚度相比差异无明显统计学意义。②治疗组与对照组心功能在术后4周时相比较术前都有下降,对照组较治疗组下降更明显(P<0.05)。③治疗组心肌毛细血管密度比对照组增加,缺血心肌及动脉粥样斑块中均发现人血管内皮生长因子表达。结论:在应用治疗剂量Ad-hVEGF165治疗心肌缺血时不会促进动脉粥样硬化的发展。     

新生兔机械通气肺灌洗液中白细胞的动态变化

目的:观察新生兔机械通气肺损伤中白细胞的变化规律。方法:实验于2006-03在南方医科大学儿科实验室进行。将72只新生新西兰兔,按2×2×3析因设计随机分配在高氧(FiO2=1.0)、低氧(FiO2=0.45)组,每组又分为高吸气峰压(2.45kPa)、低吸气峰压(0.98kPa)共4组进行机械通气,选取1,3,6h3个时间点处死动物取肺,每个时间点每组6只兔。取左肺灌洗液进行细胞计数,沉渣涂片细胞分类,测肺湿质量/干质量比,结合病理片分析,同时采用双变量Pearson相关分析法分析各指标间相关性。另取3只兔不干预,为正常对照组。结果:75只兔均进入结果分析。①灌洗液中白细胞计数:在高氧组略高于低氧组,高吸气峰压组略低于低吸气峰压组,差异均不显著(P>0.05);但随时间延长而增高,1,3,6h比差异显著[(11.04±4.00)×109,(16.05±3.99)×109,(15.63±4.83)×109L-1,P<0.001]。②肺湿质量/干质量比:高氧组和低氧组比、高吸气峰压组和低吸气峰压组比差异均不显著(P>0.05),均高于正常对照组(P=0.001);随时间延长其值增高,1,3,6h分别为5.49±0.22,5.64±0.23,5.71±0.22,P=0.003。③肺灌洗液白细胞分类:高氧组分叶核细胞百分率高于低氧组[(21.4±9.9)%,(15.4±7.6)%,P=0.000];高吸气峰压组淋巴细胞百分率高于低吸气峰压组[(53.0±16.3)%,(47.2±14.9)%,P=0.005],而巨噬细胞百分率则低于低吸气峰压组[(28.2±11.0)%,(35.2±12.5)%,P=0.001];随通气时间的延长分叶核细胞百分率下降,而巨噬细胞变化不大。④肺湿质量/干质量与灌洗液中白细胞总数呈正相关(r=0.356,P=0.002),与分叶核计数呈负相关(r=-0.247,P=0.036)。结论:白细胞计数变化同机械通气肺损伤程度一致,与肺水肿有相关性,分类计数的改变随通气策略不同而异。     

Association between office visit intervals and long-term cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients

Hypertension is a chronic disease that requires long-term follow-up in many patients, however, optimal visit intervals are not well-established. This study aimed to evaluate the incidences of major cardiovascular events (MACEs) according to visit intervals. We analyzed data from 9894 hypertensive patients in the Korean Hypertension Cohort, which enrolled and followed up 11,043 patients for over 10 years. Participants were classified into five groups based on their median visit intervals (MVIs) during the 4-year period and MACEs were compared among the groups. The patients were divided into clinically relevant MVIs of one (1013; 10%), two (1299; 13%), three (2732; 28%), four (2355; 24%), and six months (2515; 25%). The median follow-up period was 5 years (range: 1745 ± 293 days). The longer visit interval groups did not have an increased cumulative incidence of MACE (12.9%, 11.8%, 6.7%, 5.9%, and 4%, respectively). In the Cox proportional hazards model, those in the longer MVI group had a smaller hazard ratio (HR) for MACEs or all-cause death: 1.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.45–2.17), 1.7 (95% CI: 1.41–2.05), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.74–1.09) and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.52–0.79), respectively (Reference MVI group of 75–104 days). In conclusion, a follow-up visits with a longer interval of 3–6 months was not associated with an increased risk of MACE or all-cause death in hypertensive patients. Therefore, once medication adjustment is stabilized, a longer interval of 3–6 months is reasonable, reducing medical expenses without increasing the risk of cardiovascular outcomes.     

Rare mutations in N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors in autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia

Pharmacological, genetic and expression studies implicate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor hypofunction in schizophrenia (SCZ). Similarly, several lines of evidence suggest that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) could be due to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. As part of a project aimed at exploring rare and/or de novo mutations in neurodevelopmental disorders, we have sequenced the seven genes encoding for NMDA receptor subunits (NMDARs) in a large cohort of individuals affected with SCZ or ASD (n=429 and 428, respectively), parents of these subjects and controls (n=568). Here, we identified two de novo mutations in patients with sporadic SCZ in GRIN2A and one de novo mutation in GRIN2B in a patient with ASD. Truncating mutations in GRIN2C, GRIN3A and GRIN3B were identified in both subjects and controls, but no truncating mutations were found in the GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIN2B and GRIN2D genes, both in patients and controls, suggesting that these subunits are critical for neurodevelopment. The present results support the hypothesis that rare de novo mutations in GRIN2A or GRIN2B can be associated with cases of sporadic SCZ or ASD, just as it has recently been described for the related neurodevelopmental disease intellectual disability. The influence of genetic variants appears different, depending on NMDAR subunits. Functional compensation could occur to counteract the loss of one allele in GRIN2C and GRIN3 family genes, whereas GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIN2B and GRIN2D appear instrumental to normal brain development and function.     

Non-invasive molecular imaging for preclinical cancer therapeutic development

Molecular and non-invasive imaging are rapidly emerging fields in preclinical cancer drug discovery. This is driven by the need to develop more efficacious and safer treatments, the advent of molecular-targeted therapeutics, and the requirements to reduce and refine current preclinical in vivo models. Such bioimaging strategies include MRI, PET, single positron emission computed tomography, ultrasound, and optical approaches such as bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging. These molecular imaging modalities have several advantages over traditional screening methods, not least the ability to quantitatively monitor pharmacodynamic changes at the cellular and molecular level in living animals non-invasively in real time. This review aims to provide an overview of non-invasive molecular imaging techniques, highlighting the strengths, limitations and versatility of these approaches in preclinical cancer drug discovery and development.