Possible effect of gender and season on the length of hospitalisation in unipolar major depressives

BACKGROUND: Seasonal variation as well as gender differences of several phenomena of affective disorders are a common topic of interest. METHODS: The authors analysed the possible effect of season and gender on the length of hospital stay in 529 in-patients with unipolar major depressive episode. RESULTS: Age and menopausal status alone did not influence the length of hospitalisation but there was a statistical tendency (only for females) for the shortest hospital stay in summer, that reached significance in females younger than 50 years. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a possible seasonal and gender effect on recovery from major depression. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective nature of the study, lack of systematic assessment of clinical response and no data collection about marital status and living conditions, that also can influence the time of discharge.     

Elektrokardiographische Beobachtungen Über den Ablauf Einer Akuten Myokarditis Nach Grippe

Zusammenfassung Bei einem 21 jähr. Studenten, der zur Zeit einer Grippeepidemie eine Influenza durchgemacht hatte, traten 2 Wochen darauf zuerst kompletter Block mit Ohnmachtsanfällen, später nach Wiederherstellung der normalen Schlagfolge Störungen der Reizbildung und insbesondere der Reizausbreitung sowohl im Vorhof als auch in besonders ausgedehntem Maße innerhalb der Kammer auf, die auf eine diffuse Erkrankung des spezifischen Muskelsystems hinwiesen. Gleichzeitig bestanden Oppressionsgefühl auf der Brust, Mattigkeit, vorübergehend geringe Temperatursteigerungen. Alle diese Symptome werden als Grippe-Myokarditis gedeutet. Besonders wertvoll für die Erkennung dieses und ähnlicher Krankheitsbilder erweist sich die elektrokardiographische Untersuchung, die auch beim Fehlen anderer auf die Myokardaffektion bezüglichen Symptome, insbesondere auch von Arhythmien, durch den Nachweis von Störungen der Erregungsausbreitung in Vorhof oder Kammer Aufklärung über das Bestehen eines pathologischen Prozesses im Myokard zu geben vermag. Die frühzeitige Erkennung dieses Krankheitszustandes ist aber mit Rücksicht auf die notwendigen prophylaktischen Maßnahmen von großer Wichtigkeit.     

Wertigkeit der EKG-Telefon-Telemetrie in der Erfassung symptomatischer Herzrhythmus-Störungen

Summary The ECG-telephone-transmission (TTM) was used to record an ECG-strip during a typical symptomatic period in patients complaining of symptoms possibly caused by arrhythmias (palpitations, dizziness, paroxysm tachycardia, pulse irregularities; angina and dyspnea only if other reasons could be excluded). Patients complaining of syncope only were not admitted, because of the inability to make a telephon call successfully during such a symptomatic period. The ECG was transmitted to the CCU using a frequency modulation technique. In 60% of 196 patients an ECG-TTM could be achieved during a typical symptomatic period, whereas arrhythmias as cause for the symptoms could be excluded in 51 patients (26%). The remaining 66 patients (34%) demonstrated various arrhythmias ranging from simple SVPB and PVC to total AV-block and sustained VT.TTM, an easy-to-perform and cost-effective method allowed a successful ECG registration during a symptomatic period in almost two-thirds of symptomatic patients. In these patients arrhythmias could be verified or excluded as cause of the symptoms.

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Abkürzungsverzeichnis TTM EKG-Telefon-Telemetrie - HF Herzfrequenz - SA-Block sinu-aurikulärer Block - AV-Block atrio-ventrikulärer Block - SVES supraventrikuläre Extrasystole(n) - VES ventrikuläre Extrasysteole(n) - KHK koronare Herzkrankheit - VH-Flimmern Vorhof-Flimmern - parox. paroxysmal - C.C.I.T.T. Internationale Post-Organisation - Ö.P.T. Österreichische Post- u. Telegraphen-Verwaltung - LZ-EKG Langzeit-EKG     

Significance of PBMC response of rheumatic fever patients and control individuals to immunodominant streptococcal M5 protein epitopes

β-hemolytic streptococcal infection in developing countries still causes thousands of cases of Rheumatic Fever (RF). Molecular mimicry between streptococcal M protein (strep M) and heart components has been proposed as the triggering factor leading to autoimmunity in individuals with genetic susceptibility, which is linked to different HLA-DR alleles in different populations. In our hands, RF was significantly associated to HLA-DR7/53. Previous work in our lab has shown that heart-infiltrating T cells that simultaneously recognize strep M and heart proteins. Further, such T cells predominantly recognized the 81-103 strep M5 epitope. In this work, we analysed the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 99 RF patients and 40 normal controls. Eighty-nine of the RF patients were HLA-typed. As among heart-infiltrating T cells, the 81-103 strep M5 protein epitope is the most frequently recognized epitope among RF PBMC (35.4%), against a 7.5% frequency of proliferation among normal controls (p=0.0018, chi square). However, the 81-103 epitope was as frequently recognized by HLA-DR7,53 positive as by negative individuals (45.2% vs 54.8%, respectively). Taken together, the results suggest that the 81-103 strep M5 epitope may be the immunodominant epitope, “promiscuously” recognized by T cells in a genetically diverse population. The demonstration that molecular mimicry is targeted to a discrete immunodominant “promiscuous” epitope in strep M5 may allow the development of a safe anti-streptococcal synthetic vaccine devoid of such epitopes.     

Triggering of respiratory burst by phagocytosis in monocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The triggering of the respiratory burst by phagocytosis via different receptors in monocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was investigated. The superoxide anion synthesis was assayed by reduction of ferricytochrome C that was inhibited by superoxide dismutase. The mononuclear cell suspensions were triggered by IgG-coated latex, C3 complement fragment-coated and uncoated yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Superoxide generation induced by phagocytosis via Fc gamma R was decreased in monocytes of patients with SLE. On the other hand, MoAbs against Fc gamma RI, Fc gamma RII and especially CR3 could also induce superoxide anion synthesis. At the same time, superoxide generation induced by anti-CR3 could be inhibited with C3-coated yeast.     

Influence of various parameters on benzo(a)pyrene enhancement of adenovirus SA7 transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells

Several of the major variable factors in the Syrian hamster embryo/simian adenovirus SA7 (SHE/SA7) viral enhancement assay were identified and the effects of these parameters on assay sensitivity were assessed. The extent of dose-dependent cytotoxicity and enhancement of SA7 transformation of primary SHE target cells by benzo(a)pyrene was examined through analysis of data obtained from 37 assays performed over a 2-year period. The variables analyzed for contribution to assay sensitivity included the number of SA7-induced transformed SHE cell foci enumerated in ten replicate dishes in the negative control condition (background focus count) (range: 26-139); the age of the SHE cell cultures at the time of exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (range: 72-144 hr postseeding); and the source of the pregnant hamsters used to prepare the primary SHE cells (Wilmington colony vs Lakeview colony, Charles River Laboratories, Inc., Wilmington, MA). The benzo(a)pyrene-induced cytotoxicity and enhancement of SA7 transformation responses were found to be independent of each of these variables, within the range of values tested.     

Retinoids induce Fas(CD95) ligand cell surface expression via RARgamma and nur77 in T cells

Cells from the CD4+ murine T hybridoma line IP-12-7 enter the apoptotic suicide program via the Fas ligand (FasL)/Fas-mediated pathway upon TCR stimulation. This stimulus regulates the sensitization of the Fas death pathway and the cell surface appearance of preformed FasL. The apoptosis is dependent on new mRNA and protein synthesis and involves up-regulation of nur77.Two groups of nuclear receptors for retinoic acids (RA) have been identified: retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoid X receptors. IP-12-7 cells express RARalpha and RARgamma. Here we show that,in the IP-12-7 T cells, RA also induced the expression and DNA binding of nur77, and the cell surface appearance of FasL. The induction was mediated via RARgamma. Despite the induced expression of cell surface FasL, only two structurally related RARgamma-selective compounds, CD437 and CD2325, initiated apoptosis in these cells. The lack of apoptosis induction by natural RA was related to the inability of RARgamma to sensitize the Fas death-pathway. Cell surface FasL, however, was able to induce cell death in Fas-bearing target cells. Natural RA also induced the expression of FasL in phytohemagglutinin-activated peripheral murine T cells. It is proposed that therapeutically administered RA might induce apoptosis in Fas-sensitive cells via induction of FasL expression in activated Tcells.     

Ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer sequences do not support the species status of Ampelomyces quisqualis, a hyperparasite of powdery mildew fungi

Phylogenetic relationships among Ampelomyces isolates, pycnidial hyperparasites and biological control agents of powdery mildews, were inferred from internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Currently, these hyperparasites are considered to be a single species, A. quisqualis, despite observed morphological and cultural differences. Ten Ampelomyces isolates, representing seven previously defined ITS RFLP groups, were sequenced and analyzed. Sequence-divergence values among isolates belonging to different RFLP groups ranged from 4.3 to 22.4%, suggesting that these isolates may represent different taxa. When Ampelomyces ITS sequences were analyzed by cladistic methods with the sequences of other ascomycetous fungi, they formed two lineages in the Dothideales. Slow-growing Ampelomyces isolates formed a clade with Leptosphaeria microscopica and L. nodorum, whereas fast-growing Ampelomyces isolates formed a clade with Epicoccum nigrum. Sequence-divergence values between these two clades ranged from 17.3 to 22.4%, suggesting that the taxa in the two clades are not closely related and possibly not congeneric. The data presented here indicate that the identification of `A. quisqualis' isolates used in biological control experiments should be re-evaluated. Received: 10 March 1997 / Accepted: 13 February 1998