Failure of cholecystokinin to precipitate withdrawal in morphine-treated rats

In a test of the possible antagonistic interaction between cholecystokinin (CCK) and morphine, morphine-dependent rats were injected with one of three doses of CCK or with naloxone immediately following the consumption of a novel saccharin solution. Whereas opiate-dependent rats injected with the opiate antagonist naloxone acquired an aversion to the saccharin solution (and displayed a dramatic weight loss), CCK was without effect. These data were discussed in relation to the possible pharmacological antagonism between CCK and the opiates.     

Reversible electroencephalogram changes associated with administration of baclofen in a quadriplegic patient: case report

We present the case of a spastic quadriplegic who developed mental symptoms which resolved when his Baclofen was discontinued. Of interest was the presence of EEG abnormalities similar to those described in cats receiving this drug. These abnormalities, previously unreported in humans, resolved upon discontinuing Baclofen therapy.     

Effect of pneumococcal vaccine on morbidity from acute lower respiratory tract infections in Papua New Guinean children.

The effect of a 14-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine on morbidity from acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) was determined in a randomized double-blind controlled trial in children under the age of 5 years living in the Paupa New Guinea highlands. The vaccine did not protect against mild ALRI. Vaccine efficacy in the study as a whole was 28% for moderate/severe ALRI, which was not statistically significant though consistent with the significant effect on mortality. Children entered the trial in five separate cohorts 4 months apart. The incidence of disease and vaccine efficacy varied between cohorts and with age. There was no vaccine effect in the first cohort, which had a much higher proportion of older children. The effect was greatest and statistically significant among those groups encountering an epidemic of moderate and severe ALRI at a young age. It was therefore in children at the most vulnerable age in times of greatest incidence of disease that the vaccine had its most potent effect. It is postulated that the efficacy of pneumococcal vaccine is dependent on the predominant invading serotypes in the period after vaccination, the age at which children develop immunocompetence to specific vaccine serotypes, and the levels of naturally acquired specific immunity already present in children at the time of vaccination, and that for all of these conditions there will be a cohort effect.     

Propositional and response processes as distinguishable and equally important aspects of conditioning: some clarifications

Martin and Levey's (1988) commentary on our 1987 chapter points to the need for clearer definition of terms and much more open debate in the area of learning and conditioning. While raising some good points for further discussion, their characterisation of some issues appears to be based on a number of misinterpretations and misrepresentations of our position, and we attempt here to correct these functions. Issues which we regard as misinterpreted are those of truth value as a criterion of the cognitive, the epistemological status of a cognition as opposed to the object of the cognition, and the nature of propositional versus non-propositional learning theories. Issues which are misrepresented are those of our position on the nature of conditioning (which is called cognitive by Martin and Levey, but which is, in fact, a dual-process view), formal versus content-oriented distinctions, and the nature of human and non-human learning processes. Despite these differences between Martin and Levey and ourselves, it is apparent that such debates are necessary for furthering our understanding of the complexity and multiplicity of the processes involved in learning.     

Nucleotide polymorphism in colicin E1 and Ia plasmids from natural isolates of Escherichia coli.

We examined DNA sequence polymorphism for the colicin gene clusters of seven ColE1 and six ColIa plasmids obtained from natural isolates of Escherichia coli. These gene clusters harbor levels of nucleotide diversity ranging from 0.006 (ColIa) to 0.054 (ColE1). This level of diversity is similar to that observed for chromosomally encoded E. coli genes. However, the variance associated with these estimates is severalfold higher for the plasmid-encoded genes. This increased variance may be due to the differing plasmid population sizes. The pattern of colicin gene cluster polymorphism suggests that the two colicins are evolving in different fashions. ColE1 accumulates polymorphism at an elevated rate in the central domain of the colicin protein, while ColIa polymorphism is distributed evenly along the gene cluster. Comparison of the patterns of divergence between colicin and related proteins of ColIa and Ib and patterns of polymorphism within ColIa suggest that this gene cluster is not evolving in a neutral fashion. These data lend support to the hypothesis that colicin gene clusters may evolve under the influence of diversifying selection.     

Effect of carbohydrate ingestion on exercise endurance and metabolism after a 1-day fast

Fasting before an exercise event has been demonstrated to decrease endurance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this decrement in performance after fasting could be reversed by ingestion of a carbohydrate solution before and during exercise. Nine fit male subjects ran to exhaustion at approximately 70% VO2max in two counterbalanced trials. The subjects were fasted for 21 h before both trials, and the trials were arranged so that the subjects ingested either a carbohydrate (CHO) or placebo (PL) solution. Although ratings of perceived exertion were significantly lower in the CHO trial, there were no differences in endurance time to exhaustion in the two trials (102 +/- 8 min in the PL trial and 106 +/- 8 min in the CHO trial). There were no differences between trials for the VO2, heart rate, and blood lactate concentrations. As expected, the blood glucose and insulin concentrations were higher in the CHO trial. The respiratory exchange ratio was significantly higher in the CHO trial at 40 min of exercise and tended to be higher at all other times, suggesting a greater reliance on carbohydrate and less on fat as an energy source. This seemed to be confirmed by the significantly lower plasma glycerol concentration, which suggested less fat mobilization in the CHO trial. Ingestion of a glucose polymer solution increased carbohydrate utilization in fasted subjects, but exercise performance was not improved.     

Role of plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1 in the pathogenesis and outcome of the hemolytic uremic syndrome.

BACKGROUND. Deposition of fibrin in glomeruli and renal failure are characteristic features of the hemolytic uremic syndrome. An inhibitor of glomerular fibrinolysis has been detected in plasma from children with this disorder. In this study, we define the inhibitor and show that its plasma level is correlated with the outcome of the disease. METHODS AND RESULTS. Plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in plasma was measured with an assay employing a specific monoclonal antibody in 40 consecutive children hospitalized with the hemolytic uremic syndrome: 12 who recovered adequate renal function (serum creatinine, less than or equal to 2.0 mg per deciliter [177 mumol per liter]) without dialysis, 23 who recovered adequate renal function after peritoneal dialysis, and 5 who did not recover adequate renal function after undergoing dialysis. At presentation, plasma PAI-1 levels were higher in the patients with the hemolytic uremic syndrome than in nine children with other forms of acute renal failure. That the inhibitor was PAI-1 was indicated by the fact that it was a potent inhibitor of tissue plasminogen activator, was acid-resistant, and was not inhibited by denaturation (all unique traits of PAI-1) and that it was neutralized by an antibody specific for PAI-1. Multivariate discriminant-function analysis revealed that the duration of elevated PAI-1 activity was strongly correlated with the outcome of the disease (P less than 0.001). Peritoneal dialysis reduced plasma PAI-1 levels dramatically. CONCLUSIONS. Our studies suggest that PAI-1 is the circulating inhibitor of fibrinolysis in the hemolytic uremic syndrome. Normalization of plasma PAI-1 levels (e.g., by peritoneal dialysis) is correlated with improvement in renal function. However, the possibility that increased plasma levels of PAI-1 are either causes or effects of the hemolytic uremic syndrome is not unequivocally established by these studies.     

An evaluation of the hemiplegic subject based on the Bobath approach. Part II: The evaluation protocol

A protocol of evaluation of the hemiplegic patient based on the Bobath approach to treatment is presented. Six parameters are evaluated: sensorium, muscle tone, reflex activity, active movement, postural reactions and pain. The first and last of these are included because of their possible effects on the motor recovery process of the hemiplegic patient. The other four are directly borrowed from the Bobath modality of treatment. For each of these parameters, the procedures are given for its evaluation along with its respective rating scales. These scales are of an ordinal nature ranging from 0 to 3. It is suggested that this new evaluation protocol is fully compatible with the therapeutic modality developed by Bobath and as well is adequate to quantify patient progress in the principle aspects treated by this well used rehabilitation approach.     

A leg ulcer as manifestation of metastatic squamous cell vaginal carcinoma

Cutaneous metastasis of vaginal carcinoma is extremely rare. So far, the total number of reported skin metastasis of vaginal carcinoma is only one. We present another case with an unusual manifestation of vagina carcinoma metastasis: skin metastasis presenting as a leg ulcer on the lower leg.