Skin conductance and heart rate in women with premenstrual syndrome

This study investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle phase on certain components of autonomic arousal and task performance. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) women and matched controls (non-PMS) were tested both premenstrually and postmenstrually. The conditions selected were a) the presentation of 10 tones, b) a proofreading performance task, and c) a word-association learning task. Skin conductance and heart rate were continuously monitored. No significant effects were found on baseline physiological measures, or on proofreading or word-association performance. A significant point in cycle effect for skin conductance and HR orienting response to the tones was found showing smaller HR and skin conductance responses postmenstrually. Several significant PMS classifications by point in menstrual cycle interactions were found. These indicated that, paradoxically, the non-PMS subjects showed higher spontaneous skin conductance responding during the word association task and higher skin conductance responses to tones prior to menses. While in contrast, PMS subjects yielded higher responding on the same measures postmenstrually. On stress ratings, PMS subjects reported experiencing more stress postmenstrually. Results are discussed in terms of the possible role of expectancy factors and inaccurate self-monitoring.     

Studies in stress-relaxation and distensibility characteristics of small skin veins in vivo by a combined photoelectric-photographic and plethysmographic technique

Summary The phenomena of stress-relaxation and capillary outward filtration were studied in the isolated rabbit ear, perfused with blood at constant flow. The volume increase, as measured by the plethysmograph, following elevation of venous outflow pressure to 20 mm Hg for 4 min was predominantly due to capillary outward filtration in the norepinephrine constricted vascular bed (0.5 g/min). With papaverine induced dilatation (0.08 mg/min) this persistent volume increase could be attributed mainly to stress-relaxation of the veins. Engorgement of venous vessels as well as capillary outward filtration led to an increase of the ear volume that is measured by the plethysmographic technique. The photographic-photoelectric measurement of venous diameter changes was used in these experiments to distinguish intravascular from extravascular volume changes. The moduli of volume elasticity were calculated for smaller and larger veins (mean diameter 0.133 mm and 0.553 mm) with norepinephrine constriction. It has been demonstrated that the smaller veins were about seven times less distensible than the larger veins.This investigation was supported by Contract F44620-71-C-0117 of the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, European Office of Aerospace Research (OAR), U.S. Air Force and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.This work was presented in part at the 39. Tagung der Deutschen Physiologischen Gesellschaft, Erlangen, April 1972 [Pflügers Arch. Suppl.332, R 54 (1972)].     

Ramification of the portal vein at the porta hepatis in humans

The ramification of the portal vein at the porta hepatis was studied by anatomic dissection performed in 32 formalin fixed human livers. In all the specimens there were branches which ran towards the caudate lobe, arising from the portal vein and either from the left or the right portal branches. Tri-and quadrifurcation of the portal vein was observed. In 5 cases (16%) there were branches arising from left portal branch or portal vein and directed anteriorly to the quadrate lobe or to the region of the gall-bladder sulcus. These branches ranged from 1.0 to 6.0 mm in diameter. The portal caudate branches were divided into 3 groups.Group 1: Branches to the papillary process; 1 or 2 branches in 26 cases (82%), 3 or 5 branches in 3 cases (9%) and no branches in 3 cases (9%);     

Inhibition of the Mixed Lymphocyte Culture Response by Antibody Following Successful Human Renal Transplantation

Immunoglobulin G, appearing after several months in the serum of a recipient of a successful kidney transplant from a closely matched sibling donor, was demonstrated to progressively inhibit unidirectional mixed lymphocyte cultures when donor lymphocytes were used either in responding or stimulating cell populations. The active recipient IgG had no effect in cultures in which donor cells were not used, nor did IgG obtained from other individuals show nonspecific inhibitory effects on cultures containing donor cells. It is suggested that the MLC inhibitory immunoglobulin may serve an immunoregulatory function after renal transplantation.     

Anti-anti-idiotypic (Ab3) antibodies that bind progesterone-11alpha-bovine serum albumin differ in their combining sites from antibodies raised directly against the antigen

Polyclonal rabbit anti-idiotypic (Ab2) antibodies raised against the antiprogesterone mAb DB3 (Ab1) were used to induce an Ab3 antiprogesterone response in BALB/c mice. While the affinity of Ab3 sera for progesterone was 10-50-times lower than that of DB3, their steroid-binding specificity showed considerable similarity to DB3. Two immunoglobulin M (IgM) Ab3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 1A4 and 3B11, were obtained, both of which bound progesterone conjugated to bovine serum albumin (progesterone-BSA). 1A4 also bound free progesterone, although with low affinity and very broad cross-reactivity. Like DB3, 1A4 is encoded by a heavy-chain variable region (VH) gene segment from the small VGAM3.8 family, a restriction that is characteristic of antibodies raised against progesterone-11alpha-BSA. In contrast, 3B11 binds progesterone-11alpha-BSA but not free progesterone and is encoded by an unrelated VH gene from the J558 family. The light chain variable region (VL) of 1A4 lacks the intradomain disulphide bridge owing to replacement of CysL23 by Tyr. Both the 1A4 and 3B11 heavy chains have extremely short complementarity determining region (CDR) H3 loops, comprising three and four amino acids, respectively. Modelling of the combining site of 1A4 from the X-ray crystallographic structure of DB3 indicates that the short H3 loop is a major factor in the loss of affinity and specificity for steroid.     

Outer membrane protein YadA of enteropathogenic yersiniae mediates specific binding to cellular but not plasma fibronectin.

The binding of bacteria or bacterial products to host proteins of tissue extracellular matrix may be a mechanism of tissue adherence. We investigated interactions of the plasmid-encoded outer membrane protein YadA, which confers pathogenic functions on enteropathogenic yersiniae, with fibronectin. Attachment of YadA-positive and YadA-negative recombinant Yersinia enterocolitica strains to cartilage-derived human cellular fibronectin and human plasma fibronectin in the solid phase revealed that YadA mediates binding of yersiniae to cellular fibronectin in a saturable, concentration-dependent manner. The interaction could be inhibited by an anti-YadA-specific anti-serum. An anti-beta 1-integrin antibody and the synthetic peptide G-R-G-D-S-P, representing the binding site for alpha 5 beta 1-integrin on fibronectin, did not block attachment of YadA-positive yersiniae to cellular fibronectin, indicating a binding site for YadA on cellular fibronectin independent of the R-G-D-S-containing site. By contrast, YadA failed to mediate binding to plasma fibronectin immobilized on nitrocellulose or plastic surfaces. These observations provide evidence for the hypothesis that the binding region for YadA in cellular fibronectin is not present in plasma fibronectin. This study is the first report on differential binding of bacteria to splicing variants of fibronectin. Further experiments might answer the question whether binding of YadA to cellular fibronectin contributes to the pathogenesis of yersiniae, both to the initial adhesion of the bacteria to the matrices of the host and to the arthritogenic potential of enteropathogenic yersiniae.