De-novo expression of vascular ecto-5′-nucleotidase and down-regulation of glomerular ecto-ATPase in experimental chronic renal transplant failure

Ischemic injury plays an important role in chronic renal transplant failure (CRTF). Down-regulation of ecto-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) in combination with up-regulation of ecto-5'-nucleotidase is a hallmark of ischemic injury. We studied the expression of renal ecto-5'-nucleotidase and ecto-ATPase in experimental renal transplantation. Fisher 344-to-Lewis allografted rats were either treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or left untreated. Lewis-to-Lewis syngrafted rats served as controls. Untreated allografted rats developed proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis, and mild intimal hyperplasia. ACEi completely prevented focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FGS) and proteinuria, but significantly enhanced intimal hyperplasia. Untreated allografted rats revealed marked vascular ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity, which increased with ACEi. Vascular ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity was absent in syngrafted animals. Ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity correlated well with intimal hyperplasia. Glomerular ecto-ATPase expression was significantly reduced in untreated allografted rats compared to syngrafted rats and correlated well with the extent of FGS. ACEi prevented reduction in glomerular ecto-ATPase. We found de-novo expression of ecto-5'-nucleotidase at sites of renal intimal hyperplasia. Glomerular ecto-ATPase expression was markedly reduced in allografted rats and was prevented by ACEi. These enzyme expression patterns suggest local ischemic damage in experimental CRTF.     

The concept of culture: A core issue in health disparities

Contemporary discourse contains numerous examples of use of the concept of culture by social and behavioral scientists. Simple reification, where the speaker makes culture into a thing capable of action exemplifies one usage in public discourse. Some quantitative social scientists attempt to characterize people’s cultural identities by means of a single categorical variable, which often “lumps” people into categories such as “Hispanic” or “Black” that in fact have numerous culturally bounded subcategories. Approaches that emphasize cultural process are preferable to those who attempt to categorize; more complex measures of acculturation help investigators to make convincing analyses of circumstances in which health disparities occur. Examples in which investigators make appropriate use of cultural characterizations demonstrate their utility in investigating health disparities in Haitian American women, injecting and noninjecting drug users, Hispanic youth, and adult Hispanics at risk of HIV infection. Focus on culture in the study of health disparities can identify entanglements between structural factors such as poverty and lack of education and cultural factors such as beliefs about health. Qualitative methods coupled with quantitative methods have great potential to improve investigators’ grasp of cultural nuance while capturing the distribution of qualitatively derived behaviors.     

Evidence for frequent divergence impairment in French dyslexic children: deficit of convergence relaxation or of divergence per se?

Aim There is a controversy as to whether dyslexic children present visuo-motor disabilities such as vergence and accommodative problems assessed with orthoptic tests. The purpose of this study is to re-examine this issue in a large population of children. Methods Extensive orthoptic evaluation was made in 57 dyslexic and 46 non-dyslexic (“normal”) age-matched children. Convergence and divergence capacities were evaluated at two distances (30 cm and 400 cm). Results Binocular vision measured with stereo-acuity tests was normal in dyslexics. In contrast, the near point of convergence was significantly more remote in dyslexics; most importantly, divergence at both far and near distance was significantly more reduced in dyslexics (median value 4 pD and 10 pD, respectively, at far and near) than in “normals” (median value 6 pD and 12 pD, at far and near). Conclusion The existence of the divergence deficit at far distance indicates the presence of deficit of divergence per se, independently from convergence and accommodation relaxation. This result is novel and corroborated by physiological studies indicating distinct control of convergence and divergence, both at the cortical and subcortical premotor level. We conclude that vergence deficits are frequently present in dyslexics, and that dyslexics should be re-educated; training should address distinctively convergence and divergence subsystems.     

Discussing options between patients and health care professionals in genetic diagnosis: ethical and legal criteria

The specific characteristics of genetic data lead to ethical-legal conflicts in the framework of genetic diagnosis. Several international organisations, including UNESCO and the Council of Europe, have enacted rules referring to the use of genetic information. This paper discusses possible legal and ethical criteria that could be used in genetic testing.     

A Spanish version of the Family Assessment Device

Introduction  

This paper presents the results of a study on the psychometric properties of an authorized Spanish version of the McMaster Family Assessment Device, a self-report measure of family functioning.