Dynamic changes in CREB phosphorylation and neuroadaptive gene expression in area V1 of adult monkeys after monocular enucleation

Our understanding of the molecular events that emerge after change in sensory input remains elusive, especially with regard to mature area V1. Here, we characterized P-CREB expression in area V1 of monkeys at multiple time-points after monocular enucleation (ME) to assess the possible contribution of CREB in visually deprived neocortex. Immunoblot assays and immunostainings showed that P-CREB is dynamically regulated in adult area V1, reaching a peak level between 5 and 30 days after ME, and becoming reduced at the 90-day post-ME time-point. This striking temporal increase in P-CREB level was paralleled by a concomitant increase of two CREB-regulated pro-survival effectors, namely Bcl-2 and Bcl-w. We present our results in the context of recent advances about adult visual neocortex and propose that ME induces a multifaceted CREB-mediated response that favors intrinsic stability of neurons and facilitates mature cortical networks to reorganize over a prolonged period.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in a Neotropical ungulate, the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris)

Eight loci were characterized in lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) from GT_n enriched genomic libraries. In addition, variation at five previously isolated loci in Baird’s tapir (T. bardii) was characterized in lowland tapir. Number of alleles per locus ranged from four to nine, with an average of 5.35 alleles/locus. Mean expected and observed heterozygosities (0.68 for both) were high, as was the power to distinguish between individuals (multilocus P _ID = 7.9 × 10^?10). There was no evidence for linkage disequilibrium, however, two loci showed evidence of departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and two loci tested significantly for null alleles. The relatively recent divergence among extant tapir species suggests that these loci have high potential for cross-amplification within Tapiridae.     

Finger Injection with High-Dose (1:1,000) Epinephrine: Does it Cause Finger Necrosis and Should it be Treated?

Objectives Accidental finger injections with high-dose (1:1,000) epinephrine is a new and increasing phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to document the incidence of finger necrosis and the treatment for this type of injury. The necessity or type of treatment required for this type of injury has not been established. Methods The literature was reviewed from 1900 to 2005 by hand and by Internet to document all cases of high-dose (1:1,000) finger epinephrine injection. In addition, the authors added five additional cases. Results There are a total of 59 reported cases of finger injections with high-dose epinephrine, of which, 32 cases were untreated. There were no instances of necrosis or skin loss, but neuropraxia lasting as long as 10 weeks and reperfusion pain were carefully documented. Treatment was not uniform for those who received it, but phentolamine was the most commonly used agent. Conclusions There is not one case of finger necrosis in all of the 59 reported cases of finger injections with 1:1,000 epinephrine in the world literature. The necessity or type of treatment of high-dose epinephrine injection injuries remains conjecture, but phentolamine is the most commonly used agent in the reported cases, and the rationale and evidence for its use are discussed     

ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA IN MEN: THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM AND PROSPECTS FOR TREATMENT

While the precise incidence of androgenetic alopecia is unknown, it is universally acknowledged to be the most common hair problem in men. Balding is generally associated with ageing; consequently, the desire to prolong a youthful appearance inevitably leads to demands for effective treatments. Further, changing attitudes in modern society have resulted in people becoming concerned about their appearance and less tolerant about conditions that might be alleviated by medical intervention. The importance of hair loss upon quality of life has been underestimated by the medical profession. Clinicians failing to accept hair loss as an important medical problem ignore the real distress suffered by a significant proportion of those affected. New options for treatment that selectively target the metabolic pathways involved in the balding process are showing promise. The first generation of such drugs, Propecia, is now available in some countries and other molecules are currently under development.     

ERPs associated with familiarity and degree of familiarity during face recognition

Event-related potentials (ERPs) triggered by three different faces (unfamiliar, famous, and the subject's own) were analyzed during passive viewing. A familiarity effect was defined as a significant difference between the two familiar faces as opposed to the unfamiliar face. A degree of familiarity effect was defined as a significant difference between all three conditions. The results show a familiarity effect 170 ms after stimulus onset (N170), with larger amplitudes seen for both familiar faces. Conversely, a degree of familiarity effect arose approximately 250 ms after stimulus onset (P2) in the form of progressively smaller amplitudes as a function of familiarity (subject's face < famous face < unfamiliar). These results demonstrate that the structural encoding of faces, as reflected by N170 activities, can be modulated by familiarity and that facial representations acquire specific properties as a result of experience. Moreover, these results confirm the hypothesis that N170 is sensitive to face versus, object discriminations and to the discrimination among faces.     

The cost-effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy, Canada 1991-2001

AIM: To estimate the cost-effectiveness ratio of highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Canada. DESIGN: A before-and-after analysis to calculate incremental cost of life year gained (LYG) between 1991 and 1995 (pre-HAART period) and between 1997 and 2001 (HAART period) for non-AIDS and AIDS groups (CDC stage of HIV infection). METHODS: For two Quebec HIV hospital clinics, mean inpatient (IP) days, outpatient (OP) visits and direct health care costs per patient-year (PPY) were calculated. Cox's proportional hazards models calculated disease progression, stratified by study periods and adjusted for gender, age at cohort entry, sexual orientation, injecting drug use and baseline CD4 cell count. RESULTS: For non-AIDS patients, mean IP days was 1.6 (pre-HAART period) compared with 0.8 PPY (HAART period); mean OP visits increased from 2.8 to 5.5 PPY. Total cost was US$ 4265 (pre-HAART period) and US$ 9445 PPY (HAART period) of which 66 and 84%, respectively were spent on antiretroviral drugs. Median progression time was 6.3 years in the pre-HAART period compared with 12.5 years in HAART period (log rank chi = 270, P < 0.0001). Incremental cost per LYG between periods was US$ 14 587. For AIDS patients, mean IP days decreased from 13.3 to 4.4 PPY between periods; OP visits increased from 8.3 to 9.2 PPY. Total costs increased from US$ 9099 to US$ 11 754 PPY, while expenditure on antiretroviral drugs increased from 29 to 72% of total cost. Median progression time was 3.8 years in the pre-HAART period, which increased to 13.3 years in the HAART period (log rank chi = 158, P < 0.0001); incremental cost per LYG between periods was US$ 12 813. CONCLUSION: HAART appeared a cost-effective intervention in Canada.     

Management and treatment of hepatitis C virus in patients with HIV and hepatitis C virus coinfection: A practical guide for health care professionals

Concomitant HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common yet complex coinfection. The present document is a practical guide for treating HCV infection in people coinfected with HIV. Effective antiretroviral therapies have prolonged survival rates for HIV-infected people over the past decade, which have made latent complications of HCV major causes of morbidity and mortality in these patients. Advances in the treatment of HCV (eg, combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin) offer the possibility of eradicating HCV infection in coinfected persons. The treatment of HCV must be considered in all cases. Intensive management of the adverse effects of HCV treatment is one of the factors for the success of these therapies. HCV eradication is predicted to decrease the mortality associated with coinfection and reduce the toxicity of HIV treatment.     

Strategies for retaining midcareer nurses

One method of reducing predicted shortages because of the aging nursing workforce is to increase retention. Few studies have examined the unique needs of midcareer nurses. A mixed-method approach including surveys and focus groups was used to identify key retention strategies and desires for midcareer nurses. Salary, benefits, positive working relationships, flexible scheduling, and the opportunity for continued education were identified as key retention strategies from this study. Registered nurses in this study reported higher perceptions of their work and work environment than licensed practical nurses did. Differences in work outcomes were evident across sectors, with community nurses reporting higher levels of job satisfaction and perceptions of work quality than nurses in acute and long-term care. Findings suggest that recruitment opportunities may exist with midcareer nurses seeking employment to return to work after time off to have a family. Proactive retention policies that focus on the needs of midcareer nurses would demonstrate a commitment and interest in keeping them in their work positions and in the profession.     

佐剂性关节炎大鼠细胞因子和淋巴细胞亚群变化与可铁宁的影响

目的:观察吸烟者体内尼古丁代替主要产物可铁宁在佐剂性关节炎动物模型抗炎和调节免疫方面的作用。方法:实验于2005-10/2006-09在南方医科大学南方医院检验科及实验动物中心完成。实验动物:SD大鼠50只。实验分组和给药:随机选取SD大鼠40只注射完全弗氏佐剂,致炎建立佐剂性关节炎模型,剩余的10只SD大鼠为正常组。将40只佐剂性关节炎大鼠随机分为炎症组10只,可铁宁低、中、高剂量组各10只,可铁宁各组于佐剂注射后1周开始灌胃给药,分别给0.5,1.5,4.5g/kg体质量剂量药物,连续7d。实验评估:致炎后28d开始进行运用ELISA及流式细胞术,检测用药后对白细胞介素1β、白细胞介素2,T细胞增殖等指标(CD4 ,CD8 ,CD4 /CD8 )的影响。结果:50只大鼠全部进入结果分析。①各组大鼠血清中白细胞介素1β、白细胞介素2含量:与炎症组相比,可铁宁高、中、低剂量各组白细胞介素1β含量明显下降[(101.4±11.24),(53.40±8.23),(60.34±5.97),(72.31±8.06)ng/L,P<0.05],白细胞介素2含量明显升高[(121.3±21.2),(195.9±51.6),(174.3±40.3),(169.7±53.2)ng/L,P<0.05],且作用有一定的剂量依赖性。②各组大鼠淋巴细胞亚群CD4 ,CD8 ,CD4 /CD8 变化:造模第28天,与正常组相比,炎症组的CD4 增加,CD8 明显降低(P<0.05),CD4 与CD8 的比值显著增加(P<0.05);与炎症组相比较,可铁宁高剂量组的CD4 显著降低(P<0.05);可铁宁各组的CD8 明显增加(P<0.05),CD4 与CD8 比值显著下降,呈剂量依赖性。结论:可铁宁可调节大鼠血清中异常的白细胞介素1及白细胞介素2含量,可铁宁在试验动物水平有抗炎和免疫调节的作用。     

静息状态脑功能网络的研究及应用

目的:对静息状态网络的研究方法、初步的研究成果等作以介绍,并结合静息状态网络在阿尔茨海默病早期预警中的应用,介绍静息状态脑网络的应用。资料来源:应用计算机检索PubMed1980-01/2006-12与静息状态网络相关的文献,检索词“restingstate,functional connectivity”,并限定文献语言种类为“English”;同时计算机检索万方数据库1995-01/2006-12有关方面的文献,检索词为“静息,功能连接,阿尔茨海默病”,并限定语言种类为中文。资料选择:对资料进行初审,选取包括静息状态的相关文献,开始查找原文。纳入标准:①有关静息状态脑网络和功能连接的研究。②有关阿尔茨海默病的研究。排除标准:重复研究。资料提炼:共收集到53篇有关静息状态网络方面的研究,排除23篇重复性研究,30篇符合要求。资料综合:近年来,研究者发现大脑处于无任务的静息状态时,仍然存在着某种功能活动。这些现象表明大脑在静息状态时可能存在有组织的网络。这有助于对人脑高级意识和某些认知疾病的研究,因此,有关这方面的工作越来越受到人们的重视。结论:对静息状态网络的本质和规律的研究还很有限,对这个网络所支持的精确的功能还有待于进一步研究。