Influence of cutaneous sensitization with oxazolone on recruitment of myelogenous stem cells in the thymus

Cutaneous sensitization of CBA mice with oxazolone was followed 3 days later by increased cell proliferation in the regional lymph nodes and spleen, as measured by incorporation of radiolabelled 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine. The thymus was reduced in weight and contained fewer proliferating cells. Other mice were part-body irradiated, with shielding of the anterior three-quarters of the body, and injected with CBA-T6T6 bone marrow cells. Half of them were subsequently sensitized with oxazolone. The frequency of dividing cells of bone marrow origin in the thymus of sensitized and control animals was estimated cytologically 3–70 days later. There was a significant tendency for sensitized mice to have more dividing cells of donor origin in the thymus than controls.     

Plasma steroid concentrations during alternate-day treatment with prednisone

Plasma steroid concentrations were measured in asthmatic children 24 and 48 hours after administration of alternate-day treatment with prednisone, and the results were compared with those of control patients who did not receive corticosteroid treatment as well as those of patients who were treated with prednisone each day. It was found that 24 hours after administration of prednisone in any dose, plasma steroid concentrations were significantly lower than those of the control group. The degree of suppression in plasma steroid concentration was less marked in patients who received treatment on alternate days than in those who received the same doses of prednisone each day. Within 48 hours after administration of alternate-day treatment, plasma steroid concentrations approached the values observed in the control group and were independent of the magnitude of the prednisone dose. Although alternateday steroid treatment was associated with transient and incomplete suppression of pituitary-adrenal function, patients whose therapy was changed from a daily to an alternate-day regimen sometimes exhibited prolonged suppression of adrenal cortical function.     

Increased Incidence of Missed Seizures During ECT in the Elderly Male

Monitoring seizure length is an important addition to the clinical practice of ECT. Without monitoring, undetected missed seizures may occur. In a retrospective study of ECT treatments for a sample of 58 patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of major depression, significantly more missed seizures (p < 0.05) occurred in the elderly males.     

Initial Impression of Two New Brief-Pulse Electroconvulsive Therapy Machines

Until last year only two U.S. manufacturers were producing ECT machines for purchase. These machines differed in waveforms: a sine-wave device (Medcraft Corp.) and a brief-pulse bidirectional square-wave machine (MECTA Corp.). Early in 1985 a new brief-pulse bidirectional square-wave machine called the Thymatron was marketed (Somatics Inc.). For the first time this created a choice in brief-pulse equipment available in the U.S. This paper summarizes our initial impressions to this new brief-pulse device and one of MECTA's most recent brief-pulse models (SR-1) in terms of features, safety, practicality, and cost.     

The New Normal? Patient Satisfaction and Usability of Telemedicine in Breast Cancer Care

Annals of Surgical Oncology - Telemedicine was adopted to minimize exposure risks for patients and staff during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This study measured patient satisfaction and...     

Multiple regulatory changes contribute to the evolution of the Caenorhabditis lin-48 ovo gene

Recent work points to the importance of changes in gene expression patterns in species-specific differences. Here, we investigate the evolution of the nematode lin-48 ovo gene. lin-48 is expressed in several cells in both Caenorhabditis elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae, but acts in the excretory duct cell only in C. elegans. We find the differences result both from alterations in the cis-regulatory sequences and in proteins that mediate lin-48 expression. One factor that contributes to the species differences is the bZip protein CES-2. Our results indicate the accumulation of several regulatory changes affecting one gene can contribute to evolutionary change.     

Familial endometriosis

Purpose The study aimed to identify families with endometriosis and to document disease seventy within the families and the clinical characteristics of the affected women.Results Two hundred and thirty women with surgically confirmed endometriosis in 100 families were identified. The families consisted of 19 mother-daughter pairs, 1 set of cousins and 56 sister pairs. There were 5 families with 3 affected sisters, 1 family with 5 affected sisters, and 18 families with 3 affected members in more than one generation. The mean age at the onset of symptoms and the mean age at surgical diagnosis was 22.1±8.8 SD (range 10–46) and 31.8±7.9 SD (range 15–56) years respectively. Seventy-nine women (34.3%) had revised AFS Stage I–II disease, and 151 (65.7%) had revised AFS Stage III–IV disease.Conclusion The study confirms a familial tendency for endometriosis and supports the hypothesis that endometriosis has a genetic basis.Presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Fertility Society, San Antonio, Texas, November 5–10, 1994.     

Lorazepam for chronic catatonia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study

Acute catatonic syndromes occurring in the context of various medical and neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, have been shown to respond well to benzodiazepines (BZD). However, there have been no studies specifically designed to address the BZD treatment response of persistent catatonic states. Eighteen patients with clinically stable chronic schizophrenia, who also displayed enduring catatonic features, underwent a 12-week long, random assignment, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial with lorazepam (6 mg/day). A comprehensive assessment, including the subjects’ clinical and motor (catatonic as well as drug-induced movement disorders) condition, was performed at baseline and four weekly intervals thereafter. Pre-existing medication was kept constant throughout the study. Lorazepam had no effect on the subjects’catatonic signs and symptoms, suggesting that acute and chronic catatonic syndromes associated with schizophrenic illness might have a different neurobiological basis. Received: 25 May 1998/Final version: 22 September 1998