DNA polymorphism among isolates from multiple sites of a patient with chronic herpes simplex virus, type 1 infection

DNA polymorphisms among independent isolates of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 were studied from a 7-year-old male patient with recurrent infections of the skin and internal organs. In the patient's serum, HSV antibodies could not be detected by complement fixation, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), or neutralization tests. ELISA tests for the presence of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus were also negative. One HSV isolate was obtained from mesenteric nodes biopsied in 1983; one from skin in 1984; and three (postmortem) from brain, lungs, and liver in 1985. Restriction enzymes Eco RI, Bgl II, Hind III, Kpn I, and Bam H1 digestion patterns of the five isolates were similar. However, Sal I digests of isolates from skin, mesenteric nodes, lungs, and liver showed variations that were distinct from that of the brain isolate. Although Sal I digests of skin, mesenteric nodes, lungs, and liver isolates share a common variation in lacking F and G, the liver isolate can be further differentiated because of the gain of a restriction site on the H fragment. Thus, the three distinct variants observed were the isolates from brain (variant 1); from skin, mesenteric nodes, and lungs (variant 2); and from liver (variant 3). The fragments involved in variations among these isolates (presence or absence of Sal, G and H) are from the unique short and long regions (invariable regions) of the genome and therefore do not show heterogeneity in size. The extent of variation among these isolates is less than that seen among epidemiologically unrelated strains, suggesting that they originated from a single infecting strain, probably the brain isolate.     

Training to yoga respiration selectively increases respiratory sensation in healthy man

Because yoga practitioners think they are benefiting from their breath training we hypothesized that yoga respiration training (YRT) could modify the respiratory sensation. Yoga respiration (YR) ("ujjai") consisted of very slow, deep breaths (2-3 min(-1)) with sustained breath-hold after each inspiration and expiration. At inclusion in the study and after a 2-month YRT program, we determined in healthy subjects their eupneic ventilatory pattern and their capacity to discriminate external inspiratory resistive loads (respiratory sensation), digital tactile mechanical pressures (somesthetic sensation) and sound-pressure stimulations (auditory sensation). Data were compared to a gender-, age-, and weight-matched control group of healthy subjects who did not undergo the YRT program but were explored at the same epochs. After the 2-month YRT program, the respiratory sensation increased. Thus, both the exponent of the Steven's power law (Psi=kPhin) and the slope of the linear-linear plot between Psi and mouth pressure (Pm) were significantly higher, and the intercept with ordinate axis of the Psi versus Pm relationship was lower. After YRT, the peak Pm developed against inspiratory loads was significantly lower, reducing the load-induced activation of respiratory afferents. YRT induced long-lasting modifications of the ventilatory pattern with a significant lengthening of expiratory duration and a modest tidal volume increase. No significant changes in somesthetic and auditory sensations were noted. In the control group, the respiratory sensation was not modified during a 15-min period of yoga respiration, despite the peak Pm changes in response to added loads were then significantly reduced. These data suggest that training to yoga respiration selectively increases the respiratory sensation, perhaps through its persistent conditioning of the breathing pattern.     

Detecting antibodies with similar reactivity patterns in the HLDA8 blind panel of flow cytometry data

The blind panel collected for the 8th Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens Workshop (HLDA8; ) included 49 antibodies of known CD specificities and 76 antibodies of unknown specificity. We have identified groups of antibodies showing similar patterns of reactivity that need to be investigated by biochemical methods to evaluate whether the antibodies within these groups are reacting with the same molecule. Our approach to data analysis was based on the work of Salganik et al. (in press) [Salganik, M.P., Milford E.L., Hardie D.L., Shaw, S., Wand, M.P., in press. Classifying antibodies using flow cytometry data: class prediction and class discovery. Biometrical Journal].     

Pericentric inversions of chromosome 4: report of a new family and review of the literature

A family was cytogenetically studied because of the birth of a male child with a multiple congenital anomaly pattern, in whom a dup (4q) recombinant was found. His phenotypically normal mother's karyotype showed an apparently balanced pericentric inversion in a chromosome 4. So as to analyze the occurrence of recombinants, the cytogenetic data from this family are compared with those of the 18 previously reported familial cases of pericentric inversions (PIs) of chromosome 4. The congenital anomalies observed in the child strongly suggest Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome but some of his clinical features seem to be pathogenetically related to the presence of lymphedema during the intrauterine period. In the multiple congenital anomaly pattern observed in this patient, the lymphedema could be the consequence of the large 4q duplication. The review of chromosome 4 PIs with 4q duplication suggests that the q3 region should be examined when edema is detected prenatally.     

High-intensity intermittent running training improves pulmonary function and alters exercise breathing pattern in children

We investigated the effects of short duration running training on resting and exercise lung function in healthy prepubescent children. One trained group (TrG) (n = 9; three girls and six boys; age = 9.7 ± 0.9 year) participated in 8 weeks of high-intensity intermittent running training and was compared to a control group (ContG) (n = 9; four girls and five boys; age = 10.3 ± 0.7 year). Before and after the 8-week period, the children performed pulmonary function tests and an incremental exercise test on a cycle ergometer. After the 8-week period, no change was found in pulmonary function in ContG. Conversely, an increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) (+7 ± 4% ; P = 0.026), forced expiratory volume in one second (+11 ± 6% ; P = 0.025), peak expiratory flows (+17 ± 4% ; P = 0.005), maximal expiratory flows at 50% (+16 ± 10% ; P = 0.019) and 75% (+15 ± 8% ; P = 0.006) of FVC were reported in TrG. At peak exercise, TrG displayed higher values of peak oxygen consumption (+15 ± 4% ; P<0.001), minute ventilation (+16 ± 5% ; P = 0.033) and tidal volume (+15 ± 5% ; P = 0.019) after training. At sub-maximal exercise, ventilatory response to exercise was lower (P = 0.017) in TrG after training, associated with reduced end-tidal partial oxygen pressure (P<0.05) and higher end-tidal partial carbon dioxide pressure (P = 0.026). Lower deadspace volume relative to tidal volume was found at each stage of exercise in TrG after training (P<0.05). Eight weeks of high-intensity intermittent running training enhanced resting pulmonary function and led to deeper exercise ventilation reflecting a better effectiveness in prepubescent children.     

Hemi-field pattern visual evoked potentials: A comparison of display and analysis techniques

Summary Three methods for analyzing the spatial organization of visual evoked potentials were compared. Pattern reversal visual evoked potentials were obtained from a single subject under three viewing conditions: stimulation of the left, right, and both visual fields. The scalp distribution of the VEP to 1 deg checks was displayed using three recording and analysis techniques: a conventional horizontal occipital array of electrodes, topographic mapping, and 3-dimensional evoked potentials. All three techniques revealed "paradoxical" lateralization of P100. The relative merits of each technique are discussed.We are grateful to Susan Hoffmann-Nader and Rebecca Clark-Bash for data collection. This research was supported in part by the Brain Research Foundation of the University of Chicago.     

Lateral actions at the inner plexiform layer of the carp retina: effects of turning windmill pattern stimulus

Lateral action from amacrine to ganglion cells was studied in the isolated carp retina by using a truncated windmill pattern (TWP). About 25% of ganglion cells of both "on" and "off" center types were suppressed or enhanced in firing activity in response to TWP turning. The suppressed cells were more sensitive to slow turning velocities of TWP than the enhanced cells. In the "on-off" type amacrine cells, a steady depolarizing or hyperpolarizing component (less than several mV) was maintained by stationary TWP, while the cells were exclusively depolarized by turning TWP at a wide range of velocities. These results suggest that individual responses of ganglion cells induced by both stationary and turning TWP are depending on a balance between two factors: the polarizing direction of steady components of the "on-off" amacrine cells and the polarizing direction of ganglion cells synaptically produced by the amacrine cells.     

Pattern electroretinogram plus visual evoked potential: A decisive test in patients suspected of malingering

Along the processing chain in the visual pathway the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) is a better indicator of the peripheral function than the visual evoked potential (VEP). Therefore the PERG and the VEP will be impaired equally by disturbances before the ganglion cell layer (e.g., blurred image or retinal disease) and differently by further centrally located diseases (e.g., tumor compression of the optic nerve). Thus in patients complaining of reduced visual acuity who show disturbed VEP but a normal PERG, malingering can be definitely ruled out. Representative combinations of PERG and VEP findings are described.     

Suppression of spontaneous breathing during high-frequency jet ventilation

Conditions which suppress spontaneous breathing activity during high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) were analysed in Yorkshire piglets under pentobarbital anesthesia. The highest P_aCO₂ at which the animals did not breathe against the ventilator (apnea point) was established during different patterns of ventilation, either by changing the minute volume or by adding CO₂ to the inspiratory gas. Arterial oxygen tension was maintained throughout the study above 80 mm Hg. An elevation of ventilatory rate increased the apnea point, suggesting a progressive suppression of spontaneous breathing. This suppression did not depend on the amount of lung stretch during insufflation, because at higher rates lower tidal volumes were used. Suppression also appeared to be independent of insufflatory flow, i.e. the velocity of lung stretch. At higher frequencies end-expiratory airway pressure (P_EE) increased and there appeared to be a positive relationship between the apnea point and P_EE. In a separate series this positive relationship between the apnea point and P_EE was confirmed. A hysteresis effect in this relationship, however, suggests that other than jet frequency, lung volume rather than positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is a major determinant of suppression of spontaneous breathing activity during HFJV.