Peri-sleep-onset cortisol levels in children and adolescents with affective disorders.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as evidenced by patterns of cortisol secretion, have been of interest in understanding depression and anxiety disorders across the life span. Previous studies of pediatric depression have pointed to the period around sleep onset as a key time point for observing alterations in cortisol secretion associated with affective disorders. Evidence also indicates that pubertal development may influence the expression of HPA dysregulation. We hypothesized that adolescents with depression and youth with anxiety disorders exhibit elevated peri-sleep-onset cortisol. METHODS: Plasma cortisol was sampled every 20 min around sleep onset from children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (n = 116), anxiety disorders (n = 32), or no history of psychiatric disorder (control; n = 76). Sleep onset was determined by polysomnography. Classification of participants as children or adolescents was based on Tanner staging of pubertal maturation. RESULTS: Children with anxiety disorders had higher peri-sleep-onset cortisol than children with depression or control children. Adolescents with depression had marginally higher peri-sleep-onset cortisol than control adolescents and significantly higher peri-sleep-onset cortisol than children with depression. CONCLUSIONS: Depression and anxiety are associated with altered cortisol secretion around sleep onset, and these changes appear to be influenced by pubertal maturation.     

Evaluation of clinical outcomes in anterior cruciate ligament surgery

Clinical outcomes data can be used to facilitate patient management decisions, assess clinician and organizational performance, and to provide evidence for the effectiveness of surgery and rehabilitation. The validity of the inferences made from outcomes data are dependent on the validity of the outcomes measures themselves and the circumstances under which the data were collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Clinical outcomes may include measures of impairment of body structure and function, activity limitation, and participation restriction. However, because the relationship between impairment and the resulting activity limitation and participation restriction is not direct, and because activity limitations and participation restrictions are of the utmost concern to the athlete, the primary clinical outcome should be measures of activity limitation and participation restriction. Activity limitation and participation restriction may be measured either through direct observation of performance or by general or specific measures of health related quality of life. Clinical outcomes data must be collected systematically to ensure valid inferences from the data.     

Ubiquitin in motor neuron disease: study at the light and electron microscope.

Several neurodegenerative diseases, including motor neuron disease (MND), are characterized by formation of abnormal cytoskeleton-derived inclusions which contain ubiquitin (Ubq). We have studied the distribution of Ubq in 26 cases of MND with light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. Ubiquitin-positive inclusions were found in neurons of anterior horns in most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but were not present in other forms of MND. Ubiquitin immunoreactivity was observed in 10-15 nm intraneuronal filaments, which were not stained by antibodies to neurofilaments, and on dense bodies of dystrophic neurites throughout the neuropil of anterior horns and pyramidal tracts. Data analysis showed a trend toward lower percentage of Ubq-positive neurons in cases with longer duration of illness or lower number of neurons. A high percentage of Ubq-positive inclusions occurred in cases with an aggressive clinical course, suggesting that ubiquitination takes place at early stages of the disease.     

Pleiotropy in Coffin-Lowry syndrome: Sensorineural hearing deficit and premature tooth loss as early manifestations

We report on 7 patients (6 M, 1 F) with Coffin-Lowry syndrome who have a sensorineural hearing deficit in addition to developmental delay and characteristic facial changes. One of the patients also had a history of premature exfoliation of primary teeth. These are previously unappreciated clinical signs that may aid in the early diagnosis of Coffin-Lowry syndrome. Early diagnosis and recognition of a hearing deficit in the patient can lead to the use of hearing aids to help the patient achieve his or her full potential. These “;new”; clinical manifestations expand the phenotype of Coffin-Lowry syndrome and constitute an additional indication of pleiotropy. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effects of 5-HT3 agonists on reproductive behaviors in rats

Activity at 5-HT₁ and 5-HT₂ receptor sites influences sexual behavior in male and female rats. 5-HT₃ antagonists reportedly have no effect on copulatory activity in rats of either sex although they influence a variety of other behaviors. The effects of 5-HT₃ agonists on sexual behavior are unknown. The following experiments were undertaken to assess the influence of the 5-HT₃ agonists 1-phenylbiguanide (PBG) and 2-methyl-serotonin (2-Me-5-HT) on sexual behavior, when administered intracerebroventricularly. Consistent with earlier reports indicating that 5-HT₁ and 5-HT₂ receptor activity influences reproductive activity in a sex-dependent manner, PBG was found to facilitate male, but not female, rat sexual behavior. 2-Me-5-HT, however, failed to modify either female or male rat sexual activity. Evidence that PBG, but not 2-Me-5-HT, induces carrier-mediated dopamine release suggests that the effect of PBG in male rats is due to dopaminergic mediation. Overall, the present data indicate that 5-HT₃ receptor activation has only slight effects on rat sexual behavior.