The effects of menstrual phase and nicotine abstinence on nicotine intake and on biochemical and subjective measures in women smokers: a A preliminary report

Nicotine intake, menstrual and smoking withdrawal symptomatology, and baseline cortisol and MHPG were assessed in nine women smokers under conditions of ad lib smoking and overnight abstinence in three menstrual phases (early follicular, mid-to-late follicular, and late luteal). A trend towards higher nicotine intake p <0.100 was observed in the mid-to-late follicular phase. Although me menstrual symptomatology was not significantly elevated during the smoking abstinence condition overall, abstinence appeared to prevent the normal reduction in symptomatology during the mid-to-late follicular phase that occurred under conditions of ad lib smoking. Menstrual and withdrawal symptoms were highly correlated, and both were most pronounced during the late luteal/abstinence condition. The smoking-specific item “craving” reflected this pattern, though in attenuated form, suggesting that the observed exacerbation of withdrawal symptomatology was not simply due to generalized dysphoria, as queried in both instruments. MHPG was significantly elevated in the late luteal phase, whereas cortisol was significantly higher during ad lib smoking than during abstinence and tended to be highest in the mid-to-late follicular phase. Further investigation will be needed to determine the functional significance of these findings for understanding and treating smoking in women.     

Alterations in the superoxide dismutase gene of an isoniazid-resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Genetic analysis of a set of six Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains differing in virulence for the guinea pig revealed an altered restriction enzyme fragmentation pattern associated with the superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene in a low-virulence, isoniazid-resistant strain. In addition, it was found that the SOD enzyme produced by the isoniazid-resistant strain differed in its electrophoretic mobility from the SOD of other M. tuberculosis strains. Detailed analysis of these strain-specific differences showed that the restriction fragment length polymorphism resulted from the presence of a copy of a repetitive element 552 bp upstream of the SOD gene and that the anomalous electrophoretic mobility arose from a single nucleotide change, resulting in replacement of an aspartic acid residue by histidine in the SOD enzyme of the isoniazid-resistant strain. Possible relationships between genetic changes and strain-dependent differences in virulence are discussed.     

An epidural abscess due to resistant Staphylococcus aureus following epidural catheterisation

We report a case of abscess formation after epidural analgesia, a rare complication that developed in our patient 13 days after placement of a thoracic epidural catheter for patient controlled analgesia. Culture of the pus grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Although early diagnosis and rapid management have been reported to yield a satisfactory outcome, the case we describe ended in severe sequelae.     

Enhancing psychotherapy outcomes via providing feedback on client progress: a replication

Several systems have been developed to monitor and feedback information about a client's responses to psychotherapy as a method of enhancing client outcome. The current study divided 1020 clients into four groups (two experimental and two control) to determine if feedback regarding client progress, when provided to a therapist, affected client outcome and number of sessions attended. Results showed that feedback increased the duration of treatment and improved outcome for clients identified as potential treatment failures thereby replicating an earlier study using nearly identical methodology. Nearly twice as many clients in the feedback group achieved clinically significant or reliable change and fewer were classified as deteriorated by the time treatment ended. For those clients who were predicted to have a positive response to treatment, feedback to therapists resulted in an equal number of treatment sessions and equivalent outcomes compared to the no feedback controls. The results are discussed in terms of quality management in routine clinical practice and the need to base treatment decisions on clients' response to treatment rather than arbitrary session limits. Suggestions for additional research aimed at enhancing the effects of feedback on client outcome are made. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular analysis of HLA-DRB1 polymorphism in north-east Spain.

The DRB1* polymorphism in 941 randomly selected individuals from the Umbilical Cord Blood Bank of Barcelona (92.75% of Spanish origin) was determined by sequence-based typing. The HLA profile was similar to that of other Mediterranean populations, with DRB1*0701 and *0301 being the most frequent alleles. This may be a consequence of the mixture of alleles as a result of migration from contiguous geographical areas.     

Slow degeneration of zebrafish Rohon-Beard neurons during programmed cell death.

Rohon-Beard cells are large, mechanosensory neurons located in the dorsal spinal cord of anamniote vertebrates. In most species studied to date, these cells die during development. We followed labeled Rohon-Beard cells in living zebrafish embryos and found that they degenerate slowly, over many days. During degeneration, the soma shrinks and finally disappears, and the processes become beady in appearance and finally break apart, but they do not retract. Zebrafish Rohon-Beard cells apparently fragment their DNA, as revealed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) labeling, before undergoing degenerative morphologic changes. We also followed the development of labeled dorsal root ganglion neurons, as they are developing at the same stages that Rohon-Beard cells are degenerating. We found that, although axons of both cell types extend into similar regions, Rohon-Beard cells degenerate normally in mutants lacking dorsal root ganglia, providing evidence that interactions between the two cell types are not responsible for Rohon-Beard cell degeneration. Developmental Dynamics 229:30-41,2004.     

Copper deficiency during parenteral nutrition: a report of four pediatric cases.

The standard of care for patients with cholestasis (direct bilirubin >or=2 mg/dL) while receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions is to reduce or discontinue the copper and manganese. The repercussions of this action have not been studied. Two adult case reports document low serum copper levels associated with clinical symptoms of copper deficiency after the removal of copper from their PN solutions. We now describe the first known series of pediatric patients to develop copper deficiency after copper was removed from their PN solutions.     

Central opioid receptors differentially regulate the nalmefene-induced suppression of ethanol- and saccharin-reinforced behaviors in alcohol-preferring (P) rats.

The exact opioid-sensitive receptors participating in EtOH-seeking behaviors remains unclear. Previous studies have reported higher densities of micro-opioid receptor binding in the nucleus accumbens (NACC) of P relative to NP rats; however, no differences were seen in delta-receptor binding. In contrast to the NACC, substantially lower levels of micro-receptor binding have been observed in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of both P and NP rats, albeit no line differences have been observed. In the present study, opioid receptors in the NACC, VTA, and hippocampus were evaluated for their capacity to regulate both EtOH- and saccharin-motivated behaviors in the genetically selected alcohol-preferring (P) rat. To accomplish this, nalmefene, an opiate antagonist with preferential binding affinity for the micro-opioid receptor was unilaterally or bilaterally infused during concurrent availability of 1 h daily EtOH (10% v/v) and saccharin (0.025 or 0.050% w/v) solutions. Rats performed under a two-lever fixed ratio (FR) schedule in which four responses on one lever produced the EtOH solution, and four on a second lever produced the saccharin solution. The results demonstrated that when responding maintained by both EtOH and saccharin are matched at basal levels, unilateral (1-60 microg) or bilateral (0.5-10 microg) microinjections of nalmefene into the NACC produced selective dose-dependent reductions on responding maintained by EtOH. Unilateral (40, 60 microg) and bilateral (10 microg) VTA infusions were also observed to selectively reduced EtOH responding; however, greater nalmefene doses were required and the magnitude of suppression on EtOH responding was markedly less compared with the NACC. The greater sensitivity of nalmefene to suppress EtOH responding in the NACC is likely due to the greater number of opioid receptors in the NACC relative to the VTA. Only bilateral infusion of the 40 microg dose in the NACC and VTA suppressed responding maintained by both EtOH and saccharin. In contrast, intrahippocampal infusions dose dependently suppressed EtOH- and saccharin-maintained responding over a range of doses (1-20 microg). The present study provides evidence that nalmefene suppresses EtOH-motivated behaviors via blockade of opioid receptors within the NACC and VTA, and under various dose conditions both reinforcer and neuroanatomical specificity can be observed.     

A Synergistic Effect Between PG490-88 and Tacrolimus Prolongs Renal Allograft Survival in Monkeys

This study was undertaken to determine if PG490-88 and tacrolimus (Tac) act synergistically to prevent renal allograft rejection in monkeys and to explore possible mechanisms of synergy between these agents. MHC-mismatched renal allografts were transplanted into cynomolgus monkeys after bilateral nephrectomy. Recipients were divided into the following groups: (i) no treatment; (ii) PG490-88 (0.03 mg/kg); (iii) Tac (1 mg/kg); (iv) PG490-88 (0.01 mg/kg) + Tac (1 mg/kg) and (v) PG490-88 (0.03 mg/kg) + Tac (1 mg/kg). Through synergy PG490-88 and Tac inhibited anti-CD3/PMA-induced T-cell proliferation and IFN-gamma expression in vitro. Tac monotherapy only marginally prolonged survival (27 +/- 3.2 days), while the combination of PG490-88 and Tac significantly prolonged graft survival to a median of 99 days (PG490-88 at 0.03 mg) and 38.5 days (PG490-88 at 0.01 mg/kg). Prolonged survival correlated with inhibited IgM production as well as reduced T-cell infiltration, IL-2 protein expression and NF-AT/NF-kappaB activity. We conclude that PG490-88 and a subtherapeutic dose of Tac significantly prolong renal allograft survival in monkeys through the synergistic inhibition of T-cell activation and a decrease in IFN-gamma production and NF-AT/NF-kappaB activity.