Serotonergic interhemispheric asymmetry: Neurochemical and pharmaco-EEG evidence

1. Postmortem neurochemical investigations revealed interhemispheric asymmetry in the mediofrontal region of human brain. Significantly higher right hemisphere serotonin metabolite (5HIAA) content as well as increased maximal imipramine binding (IB) were found in the right hemisphere than in the left side.

2. IB did not show a gender difference in the mediofrontal area. However, women had higher IB in the right orbital frontal cortex than did men.

3. In vivo pharmaco-EEG results tend to support the postmortem neurochemical data. Intravenous chlorimipramine resulted in an asymmetric topographic distribution of the P300 auditory evoked potential, peak amplitudes were shifted to the right hemisphere.     

Nociceptin-induced histamine release in the brain: comparison with compound 48/80- and substance P-induced amine secretions

Inflammation Research - .     

Comparison of three commonly used cytologic preparations in effusion immunocytochemistry.

Discrepant results in effusion immunocytochemistry are often the result of specimen processing. Smears, cytospins, cell blocks, and monolayer preparations have all been used in various published studies; thus, there is no consistency in the immunostaining process for cytology to compare with the surgical pathology "gold standard" results. We sought to evaluate optimal specimen preparation for the immunostaining of effusion samples. Fourteen reactive and 15 malignant effusion samples (various epithelial/mesothelial neoplasms) were each prepared in three forms: air-dried cytospins (postfixed in ethanol), formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell blocks, and liquid-based thin-layer (ThinPrep, CYTYC, Boxborough, MA) processing. All slides were immunostained with antibodies commonly used in effusion cytology: HBME-1, calretinin, E-cadherin, BerEP4, B72.3, LeuM1, and CA19-9. Cytospin and ThinPrep samples performed in a similar manner: high background staining was encountered in 66% of cases, most evident in three-dimensional clusters of cells. In addition, membrane staining patterns were difficult to interpret. Cell blocks provided the best milieu for morphologic interpretation, with less background staining (only 17% of cases) and results that most closely approximated those reported in the surgical pathology literature. The cost per test for cell block immunocytochemistry was also the most economical for our laboratory.     

BHK cell attachment and growth on EDA-plasma-modified poly(L-lactide/epsilon-caprolactone) biodegradable films

In this study, attachment and growth of Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK) cells on ethylene diamine (EDA)-plasma-treated poly(L-lactide/epsilon-caprolactone) biodegradable copolymer films were investigated. The co-polymer (Mw: 58000; Mn: 35000 and PI 1.60) was synthesised by ring-opening polymerization of the respective dimers with using stannous octoate as the catalyst. The final ratio of L-lactide to epsilon-caprolactone obtained by 1H-NMR was 87:13. The co-polymer films were treated with the EDA-plasma in a glow-discharge apparatus. The BHK-30 cell line was cultured on plain and EDA-plasma-treated films and their pre-wetted forms (with ethanol and/or cell culture medium before use). Cell attachment and growth were followed. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and glucose uptake in cell culture medium were also investigated. There was no attachment in the first 12 h. Glow-discharge treatment increased significantly the attachment and growth. Pre-wetting with ethanol and cell culture medium was also increase significantly both the attachment and growth.     

Interobserver variability in assessing adequacy of the squamous component in conventional cervicovaginal smears

We compared the interobserver reproducibility of estimating the adequacy of the squamous component of conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) smears using traditional and newly proposed criteria. Forty conventional Pap smears with varying degrees of squamous cellularity were reviewed by 13 observers who evaluated adequacy (satisfactory vs unsatisfactory) based on the traditional criterion of estimating 10% slide coverage. After being introduced to the new criterion and the reference images, the observers reevaluated adequacy on the same set of smears, using the new criterion and the reference images. With the original criterion of 10% slide coverage, 15 smears had a unanimous designation; the overall kappa value was 0.49 (P < .001). With the newly proposed adequacy criterion and reference images, 17 smears had a unanimous designation; the overall kappa value was 0.60 (P < .001). The difference in the kappa correlation coefficients was statistically significant (P = .007). While traditional and newly proposed criteria resulted in fair interobserver agreement, it seemed that the newly proposed criterion, along with the use of reference images, for evaluating adequacy of the squamous component of conventional Pap smears results in better interobserver reproducibility.     

CCopeY: A Mixed-Methods Coproduced Study on the Mental Health Status and Coping Strategies of Young People During COVID-19 UK Lockdown

PurposeExploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s mental health is an increasing priority. Studies to date are largely surveys and lack meaningful involvement from service users in their design, planning, and delivery. The study aimed to examine the mental health status and coping strategies of young people during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown using coproduction methodology.MethodsThe mental health status of young people (aged 16–24) in April 2020 was established utilizing a sequential explanatory coproduced mixed methods design. Factors associated with poor mental health status, including coping strategies, were also examined using an online survey and semi-structured interviews.ResultsSince the lockdown, 30.3% had poor mental health, and 10.8% had self-harmed. Young people identifying as Black/Black-British ethnicity had the highest increased odds of experiencing poor mental health (odds ratio [OR] 3.688, 95% CI .54–25.40). Behavioral disengagement (OR 1.462, 95% CI 1.22–1.76), self-blame (OR 1.307 95% CI 1.10–1.55), and substance use (OR 1.211 95% CI 1.02–1.44) coping strategies, negative affect (OR 1.109, 95% CI 1.07–1.15), sleep problems (OR .915 95% CI .88–.95) and conscientiousness personality trait (OR .819 95% CI .69–.98) were significantly associated with poor mental health. Three qualitative themes were identified: (1) pre-existing/developed helpful coping strategies employed, (2) mental health difficulties worsened, and (3) mental health and nonmental health support needed during and after lockdown.ConclusionPoor mental health is associated with dysfunctional coping strategies. Innovative coping strategies can help other young people cope during and after lockdowns, with digital and school promotion and application.     

Timing of Readmissions After Elective Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Does a 30-Day All-Cause Rate Capture Surgically Relevant Readmissions?

BackgroundThe 30-day all-cause readmission rate is a widely used metric of hospital performance. However, there is lack of clarity as to whether 30 days is an appropriate time frame following surgical procedures. Our aim is to determine whether a 90-day time window is superior to a 30-day time window in capturing surgically relevant readmissions after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA).MethodsWe analyzed readmissions following all primary THAs and TKAs recorded in the English National Health Service Hospital Episode Statistics database from 2008 to 2018. We compared temporal patterns of 30- and 90-day readmission rates for the following types of readmission: all-cause, surgical, return to theater, and those related to specific surgical complications.ResultsA total of 1.47 million procedures were recorded. After THA and TKA, over three-quarters of 90-day surgical readmissions took place within the first 30 days (78.5% and 75.7%, respectively). All-cause and surgical readmissions both peaked at day 4 and followed a similar temporal course thereafter. The ratio of surgical to medical readmissions was greater for THA than for TKA, with THA dislocation both being one of the most common surgical complications and clustering early after discharge, with 73.5% of 90-day dislocations occurring within the first 30 days.ConclusionThe 30-day all-cause readmission rate is a good reflection of surgically relevant readmissions that take place in the first 90 days after THA and TKA.     

Effect of MAO inhibitors on the high-affinity reuptake of biogenic amines in rat subcortical regions

The noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT) reuptake inhibitory potency of deprenyl, the highly selective and irreversible inhibitor of MAO-B, methamphetamine enantiomers, and some other MAO inhibitors (clorgyline, J-508, J-511, J-512, J-516, LK-63, U-1424, 2-HxMP) was compared. In vitro hypothalamic NA reuptake was inhibited by (+)-, and (-)-methamphetamine, (+)- J-508 and (+)-deprenyl (IC50: 0.35, 3.5, 17.0 and 17.8 mumol/l, respectively), and U-1424, J-512, J-516, LK-63 and 2-Hx-MP showed IC50 > 1000 mumol/l. Striatal DA reuptake was inhibited by (+)-, and (-)-methamphetamine, (+)-, and (-)-deprenyl and clorgyline with IC50 of 0.6, 42.0, 24.0, 98.6 and 27.0 mumol/l, respectively, however the other compounds were ineffective. Hippocampal 5HT reuptake was slightly inhibited by clorgyline (IC50 205.0 mumol/l), while the other MAO-inhibitors were devoid of potency. Data suggest that potency and selectivity of MAO inhibition and reuptake inhibition are independent features of the compounds, and metabolism of deprenyl results in increased noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake inhibition.