Personality correlates of pain perception and tolerance

Explored personality correlates of pain perception and tolerance in a non-medical sample and setting. In a counter-balanced design, 70 Ss were administered several personality questionnaires and a cold-pressor test for pain perception and tolerance. In Experiment 1, 39 Ss were given the Adjective Check List and Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, while in Experiment 2, 31 different Ss received the Beck Depression Inventory. Results showed no significant correlations with personality measures and cold-pressor scores, but a significant relationship between pain tolerance and cognitive focus; those who focused on the experimental situation had much shorter tolerance times than those who used cognitive distraction. It is suggested that while chronic pain in a medical patient population may be related to personality characteristics, tolerance of pain in a non-patient population is related to situational variables, such as cognitive focus and distraction.     

Soluble kit receptor in human serum

c-kit encodes the transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase (Kit) for the recently described ligand stem cell factor (SCF). We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring soluble human Kit and we have used the assay to show high levels of soluble Kit in human serum. The distribution of soluble Kit levels was investigated among 112 normal human serum donors. The mean serum level (+/- SD) was found to be 324 +/- 105 ng/mL with the values falling between 163 ng/mL and 788 ng/mL. No correlation between soluble Kit levels and the sexes or ages of the donors was found. Partial purification using immunoaffinity chromatography allowed us to characterize the soluble Kit from pooled human serum. Antibodies generated to a 497-amino acid recombinant human soluble Kit corresponding to the N-terminal extracellular domain of the receptor recognized the serum-derived soluble Kit by immunoblotting. We found that the serum-derived soluble Kit is glycosylated, with mostly N- linked but also O-linked carbohydrate, and with terminal sialic acid residues. When compared with the recombinant human soluble Kit, the serum-derived material was similar both in size and glycosylation pattern. CNBr cleavage of the isolated serum-derived material followed by amino terminal sequencing confirmed the presence of five peptides expected for the extracellular portion of the Kit molecule. The immunoaffinity purified serum-derived soluble Kit inhibited binding of [125I]SCF to membrane-bound receptor in an in vitro assay. These results indicate that soluble Kit could modulate the activity and functions of SCF in vivo.     

Therapy of cancer patients with concurrent critical atherosclerosis of the aorta and peripheral arteries

The results are presented of 5-year experience with therapy of concurrent neoplasia and atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta and peripheral arteries gained at the Center for Oncosurgery, Regional Oncological Dispensary, Chelyabinsk. The analysis was concerned with the treatment received by 118 patients, irrespective of tumor stage or localization: surgical correction of blood flow was carried out in 60. Clinically significant atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta and peripheral arteries in a cancer patient should not be regarded as absolute or relative contraindication for combined treatment. Atherosclerotic occlusion of the femoral or shin arteries was managed conservatively in most cases (p<0.05). In cases of similar lesions of the carotid arteries and aortal aneurysm, surgical correction of blood flow was mostly used.