A biotin-avidin-based enzyme immunoassay to quantify three phytohormones: auxin, abscisic acid and zeatin-riboside

Avidin-biotin complexes have been used in an ELISA assay of three phytohormones: auxin (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA) and zeatin-riboside (ZR). Anti-hormone antibodies were elicited in rabbits immunized with hormone-bovine serum albumin conjugates. Microtitration plates coated with antigen protein were used in the ELISA method. The competition between plate-bound and free (standards or samples) antigen for a limiting amount of specific antibody results in a variable level of antibody adsorbed to the wells after washes. Such antibodies were labelled in two steps: first, incubation with biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG and, second, incubation with avidin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate. Bound ezyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically with p-nitrophenylphosphate and standard curves and ZR. The detection limit was 3–5 pg of plant hormone and the working range was between 10–1000 pg. This compares favourably with the best systems of analysis described in the literature. To avoid unwanted cross-reactions, a rapid and efficient HPLC purification step was included prior to measuring IAA, ABA and ZR in the same plant extract. About 100 mg fresh weight of a tomato sample could be analyzed by this technique.     

The use of monoclonal antibodies to restore self-tolerance in established autoimmunity.

The author hopes to convince the reader that the data presented argue for a stage during the development of IDDM when beta-cell destruction can be counteracted and tolerance to beta cells restored, provided the immune aggression is arrested. This argument constitutes a solid rationale for immunointervention in established IDDM, especially by using potent agents such as CD3. The future for the application of monoclonal antibodies not only in autoimmunity but also in transplantation is exiting. With the development of humanized monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic uses for them are likely to expand. Enormous progress has been made in the last 15 years, and it is likely that before a similar time period has elapsed, monoclonal antibodies will have become standard tools that will dispense the need for long-term immunosuppression and its inherent dangers in various clinical arenas.     

Practice Parameter for the Psychiatric Assessment and Management of Physically Ill Children and Adolescents

This practice parameter describes the psychiatric assessment and management of physically ill children and adolescents. It reviews the epidemiology, clinical presentation, assessment, and treatment of psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents with physical illnesses and the environmental and social influences that can affect patient outcome.     

FOXP1 and PAX5 are rare but recurrent translocations partners in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Here, we report the case of a 57-year-old man, who was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). His diagnostic workup identified a translocation t(3;9)(p13;p13). This is the fifth case reported to date that involved the forkhead box P1 gene (FOXP1) and paired box gene 5 (PAX5). The PAX5-FOXP1 translocation is a nonrandom aberration, which is recurrent in both childhood and in adult B-ALL, and may contribute to leukemogenesis by blocking differentiation of hematopoietic cells into mature B-cells.     

Ranibizumab combined with low-dose sorafenib for exudative age-related macular degeneration

Angiogenesis is a common factor in the pathogenesis of cancer and in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Therefore, angiogenesis inhibition has been developed as a therapeutic strategy. We report 2 cases of recurrent exudative AMD in which oral sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for cancer, was added to intravitreal ranibizumab, an antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor. These 2 patients were followed up by determination of visual acuity, fluorescein angiography, fundoscopy, and optical coherence tomography. The visual acuity of 1 patient improved from 20/70 to 20/60 while he was receiving sorafenib therapy; that of the other did not. Marked improvement was noted in both patients on optical coherence tomography. Additionally, both patients appeared to receive some benefit when low-dose oral sorafenib was used as monotherapy after its initial addition to ranibizumab therapy. Randomized trials of adding sorafenib to standard therapy for patients with neovascular AMD should be considered.     

Commentary: Closing the gender gap in depression through the lived experience of young women – a response to ‘Don't mind the gap: Why do we not care about the gender gap in mental health?’, Patalay and Demkowicz (2023)

Most mental health research largely ignores or minimises gender and age differences in depression. In ‘Don't mind the gap: Why do we not care about the gender gap in mental health?’, Patalay and Demkowicz identify a dearth of research on the causal factors of depression in young women. They attribute this to an over-reliance on biological accounts of gender differences in depression. Patalay and Demkowicz conclude that a person-centred approach that meaningfully engages with the reports of young women with depression is more likely to expose the social drivers of depression that impact this group. This commentary focuses on Patalay and Demkowicz's call to examine the patient's lived experience. We argue that there is an urgent need to reflect upon the methodologies involved in examining lived experience and how they can be best utilised. Ultimately, we advocate for an approach known as ‘phenomenological psychopathology’, through a phenomenological investigation of depression in young women, we can go some way towards closing the gender gap.     

Internal validity of inter‐digital web pinching as a model for perceptual diffuse noxious inhibitory controls‐induced hypoalgesia in healthy humans

Hot and ice‐water immersions are commonly used for heterotopic noxious counter‐stimulation (HNCS) in investigations on endogenous pain modulation. However, coincident sympathetic thermoregulatory activity does not allow to differentiate between perceptual hypoalgesia related to baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) or diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC). The present study analysed the internal validity of another supposedly less confounded tonic pain model (inter‐digital web pinching; IWP) regarding its potential as DNIC trigger. We performed a randomized controlled study in 24 healthy gender‐matched drug‐free volunteers aged 21–54 (median 25) years. The study protocol comprised the assessment of mechanical and thermal perceptual wind‐up before and after an IWP (15N) or hot water immersion trial (HIT; 47.5°C) of 2min duration. Wind‐up was induced either by 10 repetitive (1Hz) contact heat (max. 49°C; 5×5mm thermode) or ballistic impact stimuli (0.5g at 9m/s) on the phalanges of the non‐dominant hand. Cardiovascular activity, pain experience and corrugator muscle activity were continuously monitored. Although both HNCS forms produced a similar pain experience (45% of scale), a more pronounced cardiovascular activity was observable for the HIT (P<0.01). This indicates a higher baroreceptor activity and stronger contamination of painful water immersion by BRS‐related hypoalgesia. Regardless of pain modality, wind‐up was significantly reduced by HNCS, although this was stronger for painful water immersion than for noxious pinching (P<0.01). The HNCS types allow a differentiation between BRS‐related and DNIC‐like hypoalgesia. IWP proved its validity for DNIC induction, being practically non‐confounded by BRS.