A pilot study of a parent-education group for families affected by depression.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the feasibility and efficacy of a parent-education group for families with young children and a parent with depression. We designed the program to be readily disseminated if shown to be effective. METHOD: We recruited 44 parents with depression from clinics and family doctors in Hamilton, Ontario, and randomly assigned them to receive the parenting program or to a wait-list control group. The outcomes measured included knowledge of depression, parenting, family relationships, depression symptoms, child depressive symptoms, and functioning. We used analysis of covariance to test for posttreatment differences between experimental and control groups. RESULTS: Of the treatment group, 27% dropped out at posttreatment, and 43% by follow-up. Those who dropped out had more severe depression at baseline than did those who completed the program, and there was selective loss of parents with more severe depression in the experimental group. In intention-to-treat analyses at posttreatment, probands in the experimental group reported more improvements on family functioning, parenting sense of competence, and family and parent conflict than did control subjects. Standardized effect sizes (ES) were medium (0.4 to 0.6). When baseline depressive symptom scores were controlled in the analyses, the between-group differences were reduced, showing that selective loss of participants may have influenced the findings. CONCLUSIONS: On balance, the results are encouraging and support the further development and evaluation of the group intervention. However, the study does not provide unequivocal evidence in support of the program. Before it is transferred to other settings, the program needs further modification to improve participation by parents with more severe depression and further evaluation of its effectiveness.     

The treatment of diffuse lewy body disease: A pilot study

Single case studies may provide useful information and generate hypotheses for later testing in group studies. The effect of anti-Parkinsonian medication is reported in five individual cases of diffuse Lewy body disease. The problems caused by the variability in congnitive function and psychiatric symptoms in these cases are outlined together with suggested strategies for future research.     

Quantitative relationship between capsular content and killing of K1-encapsulated Escherichia coli.

Since there are conflicting reports in the literature on a possible relationship between the K1 capsular polysaccharide (CP) content of Escherichia coli and its susceptibility to killing, we reexamined this issue in a strain that had a smooth lipopolysaccharide (LPS) phenotype (E. coli O18:K1:H7 Bort) and in a strain with a deep rough LPS phenotype (E412, spontaneously agglutinable: K1:H-). When cell-associated K1 capsular content was greater than 90 micrograms of K1 polysaccharide per 10(10) CFU, neither strain was lysed by 20% normal human serum. In contrast, at equivalent but lower levels of K1 CP content, E412 but not strain Bort was lysed by normal human serum. Thus, LPS phenotype is an additional surface determinant that affects bacterial susceptibility to killing. Organisms obtained from very early log phase, when cell-associated K1 CP is greatest, were significantly more virulent for mice than were bacteria harvested in stationary phase, when cell-associated K1 polysaccharide is lowest. We conclude that (i) there is a threshold level of K1 CP needed to confer protection from lysis by serum, and this is usually exceeded under standard growth conditions; (ii) at a given level of K1 CP the LPS phenotype is an important determinant of bacterial killing; and (iii) the loss of capsule at low pH may be an additional mechanism by which hosts defend against invasive infection by K1-encapsulated E. coli.     

Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Does Not Affect Resolution of Murine Chlamydial Genital Tract Infections or Eradication of Chlamydiae in Primary Murine Cell Culture

Mice lacking inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) or treated with iNOS inhibitors resolved chlamydial genital tract infections. Additionally, treatment of primary murine cell cultures with gamma interferon restricted chlamydial growth in the absence of nitric oxide. From these results, iNOS activity is unnecessary for the resolution of chlamydial genital tract infections in mice and inhibition of chlamydial growth in culture.     

Quantitative detection of Borrelia burgdorferi in 2-millimeter skin samples of erythema migrans lesions: correlation of results with clinical and laboratory findings

Variability of disease manifestations has been noted in patients with Lyme disease. A contributing factor to this variation may be the number of spirochetes present in infected patients. We evaluated clinical and laboratory findings for patients with erythema migrans with regard to the number of Borrelia burgdorferi organisms detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in 2-mm skin biopsy specimens. B. burgdorferi was detected in 80% (40 of 50) of the specimens tested; the mean number of spirochetes in these specimens ranged over 3 orders of magnitude (10 to 11,000 spirochetes per 2-mm biopsy specimen). Larger numbers of spirochetes were significantly associated with a shorter duration of the erythema migrans skin lesion (P = 0.020), smaller skin lesions (P = 0.020), and infection with a specific genotype of B. burgdorferi (P = 0.008) but not with the number or severity of symptoms. Skin culture positivity was significantly associated with skin lesions containing larger numbers of spirochetes (P = 0.019).     

Comparison of Southern blot hybridization and polymerase chain reaction methods for the detection of human papillomavirus DNA.

A methodologic study was performed to compare the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot hybridization, two commonly used testing strategies for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Three laboratories tested masked aliquots of exfoliated cervical cell specimens obtained from 120 women by cervicovaginal lavage. The study population included 32 women with condylomatous atypia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and 88 control women with no known history of cervical neoplasia. Two laboratories used PCR with different sets of consensus primers for HPV detection. The third laboratory used low-stringency Southern blot hybridization to identify all HPV types, followed by high-stringency Southern and/or dot blot hybridization to confirm specific HPV types. One of the PCR primer sets detected HPV types with a differential efficiency that was not predicted by analysis of DNA sequences or direct testing of HPV-containing plasmids. In contrast, the second PCR primer set was shown to be a much broader consensus system, detecting the same HPV types as Southern blotting, though requiring much less clinical specimen. Over 80% of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or condylomatous atypia were found to be HPV infected both by Southern blotting and by the second PCR primer set. Among the control women, 11% were HPV positive by Southern blotting, while 31% were positive with the second set of primers. Most of the HPV infections found only by PCR were not due to HPV type 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, or 45. These known HPV types were uncommon among normal women in the study population, even as determined by the PCR method.     

Modulatory effects of serotonin, FMRFamide, and myomodulin on the duration of action potentials, excitability, and membrane currents in tail sensory neurons of Aplysia.

1. The electrophysiological properties of sensory neurons that mediate withdrawal reflexes of Aplysia can be modulated by a variety of neurotransmitters. We compared the known excitatory actions of serotonin (5-HT) with the actions of FMRFamide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2) and myomodulin (Pro-Met-Ser-Met-Leu-Arg-Leu-NH2) on the durations of action potentials and excitability. In addition, with the use of voltage-clamp and pharmacological separation techniques, we characterized the membrane currents that were modulated by each of the three agents. 2. Application of 5-HT produced an increase in the duration of action potentials and an enhancement of excitability in somata of the tail sensory neurons. FMRFamide and myomodulin reversed these excitatory effects and decreased the duration of action potentials and excitability. These results indicated that FMRFamide and myomodulin exerted inhibitory effects on the electrophysiological properties of the sensory neurons. properties of the sensory neurons. 3. FMRFamide appeared to modulate three K+ currents. The first current, which was increased by FMRFamide, had properties closely resembling those of the S-K+ current (IK,S). These properties include slow activation, little inactivation, and relative insensitivity to the K+ channel blockers 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and tetraethylammonium (TEA). The second current, which was reduced by FMRFamide, had kinetic and pharmacological properties similar to those of a component of the Ca(2+)-activated K+ current (IK,Ca). Finally, at large depolarizations, FMRFamide appeared to increase a third current that was attenuated by 4-AP, suggesting that FMRFamide also modulated the delayed or voltage-dependent K+ current (IK,V). 4. Myomodulin appeared to modulate two of the currents modulated by FMRFamide, because it increased both IK,S and IK,V. Unlike FMRFamide, however, myomodulin did not appear to modulate IK,Ca. 5. Arachidonic acid mimicked the modulation of IK,S, IK,Ca, and IK,V by FMRFamide. Because myomodulin did not modulate IK,Ca, it appears that a second messenger other than arachidonic acid or its metabolites mediates the modulatory effects of myomodulin. 6. These results indicate that both FMRFamide and myomodulin can inhibit the tail sensory neurons by increasing IK,S. FMRFamide, but not myomodulin, also reduces IK,Ca, which suggests that under some conditions FMRFamide may also have excitatory actions. Finally, these results suggest that the effects of FMRFamide and myomodulin may be mediated by different second-messenger systems.