Behavioral treatment of essential hypertension: a comparison between cognitive therapy and biofeedback of heart rate

The efficacy and the mechanisms of action of two behavioral treatments for essential hypertension were compared: cognitive group therapy for anger control and biofeedback for heart rate control. The cognitive therapy aimed at lowering the "general anger" level and helping overt expression of "anger out;" heart rate biofeedback aimed at slowing heart rate in stress situations. Ninety-seven essential hypertensive patients were randomly assigned to three groups; after 20 dropouts, 77 patients fully participated in the study: cognitive treatment (N = 30), biofeedback (N = 27), and control (no treatment, N = 20). The treatments were held in 17 weekly sessions; during treatment, blood pressure was measured once a month, and during follow-up after 1 and 6 months. The anger level and heart rate control were assessed at the beginning and the end of treatment. The main results were: 1) a significant decrease of blood pressure for both treatments as compared with control, 2) a significant decrease of blood pressure with heart rate biofeedback as compared with cognitive therapy, and 3) a better control in anger achieved with cognitive therapy and a lesser control in heart rate as compared with biofeedback.     

Occurrence of C-reactive protein in cryoglobulins

A previous case report described the formation of a complex between a monoclonal IgA with cryolabile properties and C-reactive protein (CRP). Our study provides the first evidence for the frequent occurrence of CRP in cryoglobulins (Cg) of all three types according to Brouet's classification. We performed a systematic immunochemical analysis of cryoglobulins from 18 patients by Western blotting and in 15 of 18 cryoprecipitates a single band (23 KD), immunoreactive with anti-CRP antibody, was demonstrable irrespective of the clonal composition of the cryoglobulins. This band was detectable in 4/5 of type I, in 6/8 of type II, and in 5/5 of type III cryoprecipitates, classified according to Brouet et al. In addition, the complement proteins C1q and C3 were present in nearly all CRP-containing cryoglobulins, presumably reflecting previous activation of the classical complement pathway at least. All three CRP-negative cryoprecipitates were derived from sera with low cryoglobulin content (1-2 g/l). Longitudinal investigation of 23 cryoprecipitates from seven patients confirmed that successful detection of CRP by Western blotting depends on the protein concentration of the cryoglobulins. Since complexed CRP was previously shown to be an effective activator of complement, via C1q binding, CRP may modulate pathophysiologic effects mediated by cryoglobulins in vivo.     

Deep spatial profiling of human COVID-19 brains reveals neuroinflammation with distinct microanatomical microglia-T-cell interactions

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A multicenter study on skin-test reactivity of human volunteers to venom as compared with whole body Hymenoptera antigens

Twenty-four control and 104 stinging insect—allergic patients were tested in this multicenter study, which compared the utility of individual venom and whole body extract (WBE) preparations for diagnosis. This study indicates that venom skin testing is more specific and more reliable than is testing with WBE. There was a high rate of WBE skin-test reactivity among controls. False-positive skin testing with venom was not a problem at concentrations of 1 μg/ml or less. Only one mild and easily treated adverse reaction occurred in this study.     

Immunochemical Characterization of a Human B Lymphocyte Differentiation Antigen (p65)

A human B-cell differentiation antigen (BDA-1) with a molecular weight of 65,000 was Identified by use of an anti-B-cell xenoantiserum. BDA-1 was isolated by immunoprecipitation of cell lysates from a B-lymphoblastoid cell line (SB) and from blood B lymphocytes (sIg⁺ER⁻) of four normal individuals. It was not detectable in cell membrane lysates from two T-lymphoblastoid cell lines (HSB-2 and MOLT-3) or from enriched normal T cells (sIg⁻ER⁺). BDA is a singlechain molecule since its migration in SDS-PAGE gels was not altered by heating the protein to 100 C or by treatment with 2-mercaptoetbanol. Immunodepletion experiments demonstrated that the antigen recognized by anti-BDA xenoantiserum has neither structural nor antigenic relationships with la-like antigen or β-microglobulin.     

Comparative growth dynamics and actin concentration between cultured human myofibroblasts from granulating wounds and dermal fibroblasts from normal skin

The normal contraction of open wounds and many forms of pathologic contracture are related by the presence of a contractile fibroblast known as a myofibroblast. The function of this cell has been postulated as a result of previous pharmacological, immunological, and biochemical testing on strips of contracted connective tissue. The purpose of this study was to develop a specific assay that could measure the concentration of one contractile element (actin) within cultured myofibroblasts isolated from a contracting wound and in normal fibroblasts from uninjured dermis. Rates of growth and actin concentration through 15 days of culture were compared among populations of paired control fibroblasts from normal dermis and granulating wound myofibroblasts from three patients. Growth curves showed that myofibroblasts always grew slower than fibroblasts. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that actin concentration was generally greater in mass cultures of granulating wound myofibroblasts than in fibroblasts from uninjured dermis. During exponential growth (1-6 days) the average actin concentration among myofibroblast lines ranged from 24 to 62 pg/cell. Average actin levels among control fibroblasts ranged from 3 to 47 pg/cell during the same interval. After 15 days of culture, actin concentration peaked twice. The first actin peak occurred within the period of exponential growth. At confluency, cellular actin levels dropped. Superconfluent cultures exhibited a second actin peak that displayed an irregular pattern of actin concentration. The latter observation suggested an artifact that might be the result of three-dimensional matrix of cells that altered points of cell adhesion and produced an irregular pattern of actin concentration. These data show that the phenotype of increased actin in cultured myofibroblasts was carried over by myofibroblasts from contracted skin wounds to culture. Because of a higher concentration of actin in myofibroblasts than in undifferentiated fibroblasts, these data suggest that the differentiation process of myofibroblasts may be associated with an increased availability of monomeric actin for filament synthesis. This study demonstrates that the use of tissue culture and our enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay will be a useful method to study factors affecting myofibroblast phenotypic modulation. Future studies should be directed toward developing procedures for isolation of pure populations of myofibroblasts as well as extracellular matrices that would maintain the morphology of both differentiated myofibroblasts and normal undifferentiated fibroblasts.     

Differential expression of human granzymes A, B, and K in natural killer cells and during CD8+ T cell differentiation in peripheral blood

NK cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes can induce apoptosis in virus-infected and transformed target cells via the granule exocytosis pathway. The key components of the cytolytic granules are perforin and several serine esterases, termed granzymes. While the cellular distribution of human granzymes A (GrA) and B (GrB) has been well characterized much less is known about the expression pattern of human granzyme K (GrK). In this study GrA, GrB, and GrK expression was analyzed in human peripheral blood lymphocytes using flow cytometry. There was a distinct population of GrK expressing CD8+ T cells with a CD27+/CD28+/CCR5high/CCR7-/perforin-/low/IFN-gamma+ memory-like phenotype, while all CD56bright NK cells were also positive for GrK. In addition, GrK was also expressed in subpopulations of CD56+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, and TCRgammadelta+ T cells. In contrast, GrB was primarily expressed in CD56dim NK cells and differentiated memory CD8+ T cells with the CD27-/low/CD28-/low/CCR5-/low/CCR7-/CD11b+/perforinhigh phenotype. Only few CD8+ T cells expressed both GrB and GrK. GrA was found to be co-expressed in all GrB- and GrK-expressing T cells. Our findings suggest that granzyme expression during the differentiation process of memory CD8+ T cells might be as follows: GrA+/GrB-/GrK+ --> GrA+/GrB+/GrK+ --> GrA+/GrB+/GrK-.     

Analysis of the renal tissue of a woman chronically exposed to cadmium

Summary In a 61-year-old woman, who had been exposed for 20 years to cadmium in the production of Ni-Cd batteries, nephrectomy of the contracted kidney was performed. The removed kidney was examined histologically and the cadmium concentration was determined in the cortex (44.97 g g^–1) and in the medulla (7.71 g g^–1). The homogenates of the renal cortex and medulla were subjected to gel filtration on Sephadex G-75. In the cortex, as well as the medulla, cadmium was predominantly found in the low-molecular (metallothionein) fraction, but in the cortex, Cd content in this fraction was six times higher than in the medulla. The determination of SH groups and proteins in high- and low-molecular fractions indicates an induction of the metallothionein formation primarily in the renal cortex.     

Unusual melanocytic nevi of the conjunctiva

In one patient, an epithelioid cell nevus of the conjunctiva contained numerous large, unpigmented, mononucleated, binucleated, and multinucleated benign-appearing nevus cells with abundant cytoplasm and frequent intranuclear vacuoles. Despite their overall size, the cells manifested a low nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio. After a partial excision of the lesion, the remainder spontaneously regressed during a two-year period. Another patient's lesion was dominated by a proliferation of spindle nevus cells developing in a long-standing epibulbar nevus. The spindle cells were moderately pigmented, frequently located within walls of epithelial inclusion cysts, and had benign cytologic features. Finally, in a third patient with the cutaneous B-K mole syndrome, a dysplastic conjunctival nevus developed that featured intraepithelial, atypical melanocytic proliferation with superficial colonization of the substantia propria. This portion coexisted with a deeper, preexistent lesion in the substantia propria that was comprised of orderly nests of unpigmented cuboidal nevus cells surrounded by pigmented, spindle-shaped blue nevus cells--a so-called "mixed nevus."