Adversity and working class vulnerability to minor affective disorder

In this paper, we examine the proposition that members of lower social classes are more likely than those from higher classes to develop minor affective disorders in the face of adverse experiences. This was examined using data from a psychiatric survey of the general population of Camberwell, S.E. London, U.K. Working class subjects experienced significantly more adversity than their middle class counterparts. However, the relationship between life events and psychiatric disorder was consistent and considerable in the working class group. It was attenuated or non-existent in middle class subjects, depending on the particular categorisation of the data. Log-linear analyses suggested that the basis of this finding was unclear. Both the results and the underlying reasons for them merit further investigation.     

In vivo (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and morphometric analysis of the perfused vascular architecture of human glioma xenografts in nude mice.

The relationship between the bioenergetic status of human glioma xenografts in nude mice and morphometric parameters of the perfused vascular architecture was studied using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), fluorescence microscopy and two-dimensional digital image analysis. Two tumour lines with a different vascular architecture were used for this study. Intervascular distances and non-perfused area fractions varied greatly between tumours of the same line and tumours of different lines. The inorganic phosphate-nucleoside triphosphate (P(i)/NTP) ratio increased rapidly as mean intervascular distances increased from 100 microm to 300 microm. Two morphometric parameters - the percentage of intervascular distances larger than 200 microm (ivd200) and the non-perfused area fraction at a distance larger than 100 microm from a nearest perfused vessel (area100), - were deduced from these experiments and related to the P(i)/NTP ratio of the whole tumour. It is assumed that an aerobic to anaerobic transition influences the bioenergetic status, i.e. the P(i)/NTP ratio increased linearly with the percentage of ivd200 and the area100.     

Sensitivity and specificity of clinical case definitions for pertussis

We evaluated the diagnostic performance of 15 clinical case definitions for pertussis in 233 patients who developed acute respiratory illness during community outbreaks in Wisconsin and Delaware. Using results from culture (Regan-Lowe media) and serology (Ig-class-specific ELISA) as diagnostic standards, cough for greater than or equal to 14 days was both sensitive (84 per cent-92 per cent) and specific (63 percent-90 per cent) in identifying patients with pertussis. This definition may be useful in monitoring pertussis outbreaks and for investigating contacts of culture-positive cases.     

Species-, serogroup-, and serovar-specific epitopes are juxtaposed in variable sequence region 4 of the major outer membrane proteins of some Chlamydia trachomatis serovars.

Synthetic peptides and murine monoclonal antibodies were used to map cross-reactive chlamydial epitopes. A species-specific epitope in the central region of variable sequence region 4 abuts the amino-terminal end of a B-serogroup-specific or F/G-serogroup-specific epitope, which in turn abuts known serovar-specific epitopes. The carboxyl-terminal portion of variable sequence region 4 (residues 297 to 314) comprises a region of end-to-end B-cell epitopes in some serovars of the B and F/G serogroups.     

Expression and CpG methylation of the insulin-like growth factor II gene in human smooth muscle tumors.

Previously we have shown that expression of the insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) gene in 36 normal smooth muscle tissues (myometria) and 26 benign smooth muscle tumors (leiomyomas) was detectable by Northern blot analysis but that the RNA levels were low. In 9 of 20 malignant smooth muscle tumors (leiomyosarcomas) IGF-II gene expression was also low or absent, while in 11 of 20 the IGF-II gene was abundantly expressed. In 32 of these tissues we have now studied the DNA methylation state of the IGF-II gene. For the analysis of overall methylation of the gene the restriction endonucleases HpaII and MspI were used. In normal smooth muscle and in leiomyomas the IGF-II gene appeared to be methylated. In leiomyosarcomas with low IGF-II gene expression the DNA was partly demethylated. In leiomyosarcomas with abundant IGF-II gene expression overall methylation of the DNA tended to be low. In addition, we have studied the methylation state of one particular CpG site in the IGF-II gene with the restriction endonuclease AvaII. The results of the latter analysis confirm the analysis with HpaII and MspI. In conclusion, in malignant smooth muscle tumors the data indicate an inverse correlation between CpG methylation and expression of the IGF-II gene.     

Translocation of BCR to chromosome 9: A new cytogenetic variant detected by FISH in two Ph-negative,BCR-positive patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

Leukemic cells from two patients with Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were investigated: I) Cytogenetics showed a normal 46.XY karyotype in both cases, 2) molecular studies revealed rearrangement of the M-BCR region and formation of BCR-ABL fusion mRNA with b2a2 (patient I) or b3a2 (patient 2) configuration, and 3) fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrated relocation of the 5′ BCR sequences from one chromosome 22 to one chromosome 9. The ABL probe hybridized to both chromosomes 9 at band q34, while two other probes which map centromeric and telomeric of BCR on 22q 11 hybridized solely with chromosome 22. For the first time, a BCR-ABL rearrangement is shown to take place on 9q34 instead of in the usual location on 22q 11. A rearrangement in the latter site is found in all Ph-positive CML and in almost all investigated CML with variant Ph or Ph-negative, BCR-positive cases. The few aberrant chromosomal localizations of BCR-ABL recombinant genes found previously were apparently the result of complex and successive changes. Furthermore in patient 2, both chromosomes 9 showed positive FISH signals with both ABL and BCR probes. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis indicated that mitotic recombination had occurred on the long arm of chromosome 9 and that the rearranged chromosome 9 was of paternal origin. The leukemic cells of this patient showed a duplication of the BCR-ABL gene, analogous to duplication of the Ph chromosome in classic CML. In addition they had lost the maternal alleles of the 9q34 chromosomal region. The lymphocytes of patient 2 carried the maternal chromosome 9 alleles and were Ph-negative as evidenced by RFLP and FISH analyses, respectively. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

硫酸多糖对体外人脐静脉内皮细胞损伤的保护作用

研究表明,硫酸多糖体外对多聚阳离子和氧自由基损伤的人脐静脉内皮细胞有保护作用。肝素、硫酸软骨素A抗多聚阳离子损伤作用比同浓度低分子肝素和甘糖酯强。肝素、硫酸软骨素A、甘糖酯抗氧自由基损伤作用优于同浓度低分子肝素。结果显示硫酸多糖有保护血管内皮的作用,其作用可能与所带阴离子基团有关。