Metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids in the dermatophyte Microsporum gypseum. II. Acidic amino acid derivatives

The dermatophyte Microsporum gypseum was cultivated on a glucose-arginine medium supplemented with five strongly acidic derivatives of cysteine (L-cysteine sulfinic acid, L-cysteic acid, L-serine-O-sulfate and taurine at a concentration of 5 mmol/l, and L-S-sulfocysteine at a concentration of 2.5 mmol/l). The addition of these substances did not stimulate the growth as compared with the control containing 0.5 mmol/l cystine. Cysteine sulfinic acid and cysteic acid showed rather inhibitory effects. A strong inhibition of the growth was caused by the presence of serine sulfate. During the growth, all substances investigated were gradually consumed and utilized not only as a source of sulfur but of nitrogen and carbon as well. Cysteine sulfinic acid and S-sulfocysteine were utilized most rapidly. Cysteic acid was also rapidly utilized but after a certain adaptation. Taurine was utilized slowly and serine sulfate very slowly. Excess sulfur contained in the substances used was excreted into the medium in the form of sulfate. Sulfate excretion was most rapid with cysteine sulfinic acid and slowest with taurine. With cysteine sulfinic acid, S-sulfocysteine and cysteic acid, small amounts of sulfite were found in the medium. The results obtained are in accordance with the presumption that cysteine sulfinic acid (but not cysteic acid and taurine) is an intermediate of cysteine catabolism in dermatophytes.     

A long distance-PCR derived FISH probe detects a deletion between p15 and p16 in CML and T-ALL patients

The tumor suppressor genes p15INK4B and p16INK4A, located in the chromosomal region 9p21, are frequently inactivated by homo- or hemizygous deletions, point mutation or promotor methylation in various types of cancer. No commercial probe is yet available that allows the detection of such deletions by FISH. Long distance (LD)-PCR was successfully used to generate a FISH probe, that covers a sequence stretch of 11.68 kb, located between the tumor suppressor genes p15 and p16. The LD-PCR amplicon was cloned and biotinylated by DOP-PCR (degenerated oligonucleotide primed-PCR) or nick translation. The FISH probe was hybridized on different samples of 16 patients with leukemia (3 T-ALL, 13 CML) and normal controls. Loss of at least one FISH-signal was found in 2/3 (67%) of the T-ALL- and 2/13 (15%) of the CML-cases. The new FISH probe presented here was proven to be advantageous for the detection of deletions in chromosomal region 9p21, especially between p15 and p16.     

Incidence of delirium and associated mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.

Delirium has been associated with a high risk of mortality in medical patients. Despite the high incidence of delirium in patients who undergo hemapoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), delirium as a risk factor for death has not been examined in this population. Thirty adult patients undergoing HSCT who were admitted to the University of Iowa Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program inpatient unit were assessed prospectively from 1 to 2 weeks before transplantation, throughout their inpatient stay, and at 100 days after transplantation. The Delirium Rating Scale and Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale were used twice weekly during the inpatient period to assess delirium severity and occurence. Patients' self-reports of medical history, computerized medical records, and neuropsychological and psychiatric assessments were used to identify pretransplantation risk factors. The incidence of delirium (Delirium Rating Scale score >12 or Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale score >or=8) was 43% and occurred with highest frequency in the first 2 weeks after transplantion. The presence of delirium at any point during hospitalization after transplantation and transplant type (allogeneic) were highly predictive of mortality (p < .0005; odds ratios, 14.0 and 14.4). In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of monitoring for delirium during the acute recovery period after transplantation and suggests that early or even prophylactic treatment for delirium should be studied. Studies to determine the factors that connect delerium soon after transplantation to mortality are highly warranted.     

Genetic association of the PERIOD3 (PER3) Clock gene with extreme obesity

BackgroundObesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, affecting life quality and span. Susceptibility to obesity is partly mediated by genetic differences. Indeed, several genes from the clock gene family have already been shown to be intimately associated with obesity in diverse ethnic groups. In the present study, an association between BMI and the rs707467, rs228697 and rs228729 PER3 (Period Circadian Clock 3) polymorphisms in subjects with class II (BMI ≥ 35.0–39.9 kg/m²) and class III obesity (>40 kg/m², extreme obesity) were carried out using TaqMan real-time PCR. Overall, 259 Brazilian adults were genotyped, of whom 122 had class II or III obesity (BMI ≥ 35.0 kg/m²) and 137 were controls having normal weight (BMI > 18.5 and <24.9 kg/m²).ResultsPER3 tag SNP (rs228729) shows a significant association with extreme obesity (1000 permutation p = 0.03 and p = 0.04), for genotype and allele frequency respectively) and a haplotype among the three assessed SNPs (alleles G/T/A, rs228697, rs228729, and rs707467, respectively, 1000 permutation p = 0.03) was significantly more prevalent in the group with obesity.ConclusionThis exploratory association study suggests that PER3 rs228729 may be associated with extreme obesity in Brazilian adults, however, replication is needed.     

Bilateral paramedian thalamic infarction with persisting signs of frontal lobe dysfunction

Cognition and behavior of a 46-year-old woman with a bilateral paramedian thalamic infarction is discussed with regard to dysfunctions of executive behaviors associated with frontal lobe function. The patient displayed marked disturbances in traditional neuropsychological tests measuring frontal lobe functions, as well as in attentional and mnemonic tasks depending on strategic behavior or on response flexibility, response shifting, or response inhibition. Behaviorally, the patient showed considerable apathy, confusion and perseverative tendencies in the acute state, and a diminished psychic self-activation in the chronic state. In spite of long-lasting rehabilitation efforts, the patients' neurobehavioral deficits remained and became obvious in situations with high cognitive demands.     

Sexual behavior of natural family planning users in Germany and its changes over time

For 10 years, a prospective study has been taking place in Germany to examine the use of natural family planning (NFP). As natural methods are behavioral methods, use-effectiveness, acceptability and continuation rates are very much influenced by patterns of sexual behavior. Therefore we performed an analysis of the sexual behavior of NFP users. Out of the data base of 1211 clients and 21 591 cycles we could identify a group of 300 women, all NFP beginners, with 5900 contraceptive cycles, who contributed at least 12 cycles with reliable recording of their sexual activity. Different groups were analyzed with methods of analysis of variance and regression models to find out significant differences in their sexual behavior with respect to sociodemographic structure and time of use. Nearly half of all the women systematically combine the fertility awareness, part of NFP with other family planning methods. They use barriers in more than 60% of their cycles. The other half never or only in about 7% of their cycles use additional barrier methods. The latter show a clear decrease in barrier use in the course of time, whereas the frequent barrier users constantly combine the advantages of two family planning methods. Regarding the frequency of intercourse they are the sexually more active ones and show distinct sociodemographic characteristics. We could confirm the existence of three groups of NFP users, which differ significantly in their use of NFP as a family planning method. Despite these differences the low pregnancy rates indicate the conscious and risk-related sexual behavior of the group members.

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Resumen Desde hace 10 años se realiza en Alemania un estudio prospectivo con el objeto de examinar el uso de la planificación familiar natural (PFN). Dado que los métodos naturales son métodos de conducta, las tasas de eficacia-uso, aceptabilidad y continuación se ven muy influidas por las modalidades de la conducta sexual. En consecuencia, efectuamos un análisis de la conducta sexual entre usuarias de PFN, asimismo porque frecuentemente era un tema tabú o había sido idealizado. Con nuestra base de datos de 1.211 clientas y 21.591 ciclos, pudimos identificar un grupo de 300 mujeres, todas recién iniciadas en la práctica de la PFN, con 5.900 ciclos anticonceptivos, que contribuyeron al menos 12 ciclos con un registro fiable de su actividad sexual. Se analizaron diferentes grupos con métodos de análisis de modelos de varianza y regresión a fin de determinar diferencias significativas en su conducta sexual con respecto a la estructura sociodemográfica y tiempo de uso. Casi la mitad de todas las mujeres combinan sistemáticamente el elemento de percepción de la fertilidad de la PFM con otros métodos de planificación familiar. Utilizan métodos de barrera en más del 60% de sus ciclos. La mitad restante de las mujeres no usan barreras adicionales o lo hacen sólo en aproximadamente el 7% de sus ciclos. Estas últimas señalan una clara reducción en el uso de métodos de barrera en el curso del tiempo, mientras que las usuarias frecuentes de estos métodos combinan constantemente las ventajas de los dos métodos de planificación familiar. Con respecto a la frecuencia de las relaciones sexuales, son las más activas sexualmente y señalan características socioeconómicas distintivas. Pudimos confirmar la existencia de tres grupos de usuarias de PFN, que difieren significativamente en su uso de la PFN como método de planificación familiar. A pesar de estas diferencias, las bajas tasas de embarazo indican la conducta sexual consciente y relacionada con el riesgo observada en los miembros de los grupos.

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Resumé Une étude prospective en cours depuis 10 ans en Allemagne examine le recours au planning familial naturel (PFN). Les méthodes naturelles étant liées au comportement, les taux d'efficacité, d'acceptabilité et de poursuite sont très influencés par les régularités observées dans les types de comportement sexuel. Nous avons donc procédé à une analyse du comportement sexuel chez les sujets qui ont recours au PFN, et aussi parce que, par le passé, ces méthodes étaient souvent interdites ou idéalisées. Dans notre base de données portant sur 1.211 sujets et 21.591 cycles, nous avons pu identifier un groupe de 300 femmes, toutes débutantes du PFN, correspondant à 5.900 cycles de contraception. Celles-ci ont fourni des renseignements fiables sur leur activité sexuelle concernant au moins 12 cycles. Différents groupes ont fait l'objet d'analyses de variance et de modèles de régression en vue de cerner des différences significatives dans leur comportement sexuel par rapport aux conditions socio-démographiques et à la durée d'utilisation. Près de la moitié des femmes associent systématiquement l'élément connaissance de la période de fécondite de la méthode de PFN à d'autres méthodes de planning familial. Elles ont recours à des barrières pendant plus de 60% de leurs cycles. Quant à l'autre moitié, elles n'utilisent jamais d'autres barrières, ou pendant 7% de leurs cycles seulement. Avec le temps, ces dernières utilisent de moins en moins les barrières, alors que les femmes du premier groupe associent constamment les avantages de deux méthodes de planning familial En ce qui concerne la fréquence des rapports sexuels, ces dernières sont les plus actives et présentent des caractéristiques socio-économiques bien distinctes. Il a été possible de confirmer l'existence de trois groupes ayant recours au PFN, de manières très différentes les unes des autres. Malgré ces différences, les faibles pourcentages de grossesses montrent que les membres de ce groupe sont conscients des risques liés au comportement sexuel.

     

Relationship between service effectiveness and satisfaction among persons receiving Medicaid mental health services

Relationships between service satisfaction, life satisfaction, and self-reported mental health status were examined for Iowa Medicaid mental health service recipients. Of the 16,579 persons who received services in 1993, a mail-out survey was sent to 2,520 persons and returned by 815 (32.3 percent). Persons with schizophrenia reported greater service satisfaction and life satisfaction than persons with other diagnoses, and their ratings of their mental health were higher. A relationship between service satisfaction and current life satisfaction was observed for persons with schizophrenia, affective disorder and adjustment disorder, but not for persons with anxiety disorder.     

On the synergy between silver nanoparticles and doxycycline towards the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth

In a previous paper (RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 66886–66893), we showed that the combination of silver nanoparticles (NanoAg) with doxycycline (DO) culminated in an increased bactericidal activity towards E. coli. Herein we further investigated the metabolic changes that occurred on Staphylococcus aureus upon exposure to NanoAg with the help of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) coupled with multivariate data analysis. It has been discovered that the combination of DO with NanoAg produced metabolic changes in S. aureus that were not simply the overlap of the treatments with DO and NanoAg separately. Our results suggest that DO and NanoAg act synergistically to impede protein synthesis by the bacteria.

Silver nanoparticles conjugated with doxycycline act synergistically to halt S. aureus growth via inhibition of protein synthesis.     

Cognitive function and its relationship with brain structure in myotonic dystrophy type 1

Studies have shown relationships between white matter abnormalities and cognitive dysfunction in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), but comprehensive analysis of potential structure–function relationships are lacking. Fifty adult‐onset DM1 individuals (33 female) and 68 unaffected adults (45 female) completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐IV (WAIS‐IV) to determine the levels and patterns of intellectual functioning. Neuroimages were acquired with a 3T scanner and were processed with BrainsTools. Regional brain volumes (regions of interest, ROIs) were adjusted for inter‐scanner variation and intracranial volume. Linear regression models were conducted to assess if group by ROI interaction terms significantly predicted WAIS‐IV composite scores. Models were adjusted for age and sex. The DM1 group had lower Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Working Memory Index (WMI), and Processing Speed Index (PSI) scores than the unaffected group (PRI t₍₁₁₃₎ = ?3.28, p = 0.0014; WMI t₍₁₁₄₎ = ?3.49, p = 0.0007; PSI t₍₁₁₄₎ = ?2.98, p = 0.0035). The group by hippocampus interaction term was significant for both PRI and PSI (PRI (t₍₁₁₁₎ = ?2.82, p = 0.0057; PSI (t₍₁₁₂₎ = ?2.87, p = 0.0049)). There was an inverse association between hippocampal volume and both PRI and PSI in the DM1 group (the higher the volume, the lower the intelligence quotient scores), but no such association was observed in the unaffected group. Enlarged hippocampal volume may underlie some aspects of cognitive dysfunction in adult‐onset DM1, suggesting that increased volume of the hippocampus may be pathological.     

Arteriolar responses to vasodilator stimuli and elevated P(O2) in renin congenic and Dahl salt-sensitive rats

OBJECTIVES: Angiotensin II suppression leads to impaired vascular relaxation in normotensive animals on a high-salt diet. The goal of this study was to determine whether normal vascular reactivity could be restored by transferring the chromosomal region carrying the Dahl salt-resistant (R) renin gene into the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) genetic background in a strain of renin congenic rats (RGRR). METHODS: Male RGRR and SS rats were fed low-salt (0.4%) and high-salt (4%) diets for 4 weeks. The responses of cremaster muscle arterioles to acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and elevated PO2 were assessed using video microscopy. RESULTS: ACh-induced dilation was significantly enhanced in RGRR on a high-salt diet compared to SS rats, while dilation to the NO donor SNP was similar in both strains. A high-salt diet significantly enhanced arteriolar constriction in response to elevated PO2, in both SS and RGRR rats. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that transfer of the chromosomal region containing the renin gene is crucial in the recovery of ACh-induced dilation of arterioles in RGRR rats vs. SS rats, and that factors in the SS genetic background contribute to an enhanced sensitivity to elevated PO2, independent of genes on chromosome 13.