Temporal stability of lipid responses to acute psychological stress in middle-aged men

The purpose of this study was to establish the temporal stability of lipid responses to acute psychological stress. Eighteen men were tested twice an average of 16.2 months apart in identical laboratory reactivity protocols. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, plasma volume, heart rate, and blood pressure were assessed during rest, serial subtraction, and speech. After correction for changes in plasma volume, significant elevations were recorded for all variables during the speech task, but fewer variables showed changes during the serial subtraction task. Strong intersession associations were found when considering levels of the variables during baseline and stress (rs≥58). Correlations for the change scores ranged from .36 to .52 for the atherogenic lipids and from .39 to .87 for the cardiovascular variables. Little evidence was found for stability of plasma volume changes. There is moderate to high temporal stability of the atherogenic lipids when considering rest and stress levels and small to moderate temporal stability when considering change scores.     

The Developmental Toxicity of Diethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether in Mice

The Developmental Toxicity of Diethylene Glycol Dimethyl Etherin Mice. PRICE, C. J., KIMMEL, C. A., GEORGE, J. D., AND MARR,M. C. (1987). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 8, 115–126. Diethyleneglycol dimethyl ether (diEGdiME) is structurally related toseveral compounds which produce reproductive and developmentaltoxicity, including teratogenicity in laboratory animals. Inthe present study, diEGdiME (0, 62.5, 125, 250, or 500 mg/kg/day)was administered by gavage in distilled water to timed-pregnantCD-1 mice during major organogenesis [gestational days (gd)6–15]. Clinical status of treated females was monitoreddaily during treatment and on gd 17. At sacrifice (gd 17), pregnancywas confirmed by uterine examination for 20–24 dams pergroup; each live fetus was examined for external, visceral,and skeletal malformations. No maternal deaths, morbidity, ortreatment-related clinical signs were observed. Reduced maternalweight gain during treatment at 250 mg/kg/day was primarilyattributed to compromised pregnancy status resulting in reducedgravid uterine weight. Maternal weight gain during gestationcorrected for gravid uterine weight, and relative liver weight(% body weight) were not affected. Average fetal body weight/litterwas significantly reduced at 125 mg/kg/day. The percentageof postimplantation loss/litter (5, 8, 7, 12, and 50% for controlthrough high dose) and the percentage of malformed live fetuses/litter(0.4, 0, 2, 24, and 96%) were significantly increased at 250mg/kg/day. Developmental defects involved primarily the neuraltube, limbs and digits, craniofacial structures, abdominal wall,cardiovascular system, urogenital organs, and both the axialand appendicular skeleton. In summary, oral administration ofdiEGdiME during major organogenesis did not produce any distinctivesigns of maternal toxicity, but did produce selective and profoundadverse effects upon fetal growth, viability, and morphologicaldevelopment at 125 mg/kg/day.     

Molecular detection of t(8;21)/AML1-ETO in AML M1/M2: correlation with cytogenetics,morphology and immunophenotype

The t(8;21) identifies a subgroup of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with a relatively good prognosis which may merit different treatment. It is associated predominantly, but not exclusively, with AML M2, and corresponds to rearrangements involving the AML1 and ETO genes. AML1-ETO positive, t(8;21) negative cases are well recognized but their incidence is unknown. In order to determine optimal prospective AML1-ETO RT-PCR screening strategies, we analysed 64 unselected AML M1 and M2 cases and correlated the results with other biological parameters. Molecular screening increased the overall detection rate from 8% to 14%. AML1-ETO was found in 3% (1/32) of AML M1 and 25% (8/32) of M2, including three patients without a classic t(8;21) but with chromosome 8 abnormalities. It was more common in younger patients. Correlation with morphology enabled development of a scoring system which detected all nine AML1-ETO-positive cases with a false positive rate of 7% (4/55). Although certain AML1-ETO-positive cases demonstrated characteristic immunological features (CD19 and CD34 expression, CD33 negativity), each of these markers was insufficiently specific to permit prediction in an individual case. We conclude that initial routine prospective molecular screening for AML1-ETO in all AMLs, combined with standardized morphological and immunological analysis, is desirable in order to produce improved prognostic stratification and to determine whether screening can ultimately be restricted to appropriate subgroups.     

Acquired resistance to the human hookworm Necator americanus in mice

BALB/c mice were exposed to primary or secondary infection with the hamster-adapted strain of Necator americanus, and the course of infection was monitored through worm recovery and immunological assays. Significantly fewer viable larvae were recovered from the skin site of reinfected mice on day 2 post-infection, and fewer larvae resided in the lungs of challenged mice 3-5 days after infection, suggesting that the skin was involved in resistance to secondary infection. The serum antibody response to L3 antigen was enhanced during secondary infection, peaking on day 9, and the bronchoalveolar leucocyte (BAL) response was more intense at this stage. Thus the secondary BAL response was initiated more promptly than the primary response, peaking on day 13 at twice the intensity of the primary response and five times above the resting level. Differential counts revealed that by far the most significant changes in cell populations were those observed for eosinophils in lavage fluid. At the peak of the response a 925-fold increase over control levels was detected in mice undergoing a challenge infection. Some cellular and serological components of the secondary response were defined in the present work and it was concluded that reinfected mice have the capacity to trap parasites during their passage through the skin and development in the lungs.     

Refractory Venous Leg Ulcers: A Study of Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Although certain risk factors for poor healing of leg ulcers have been identified, data concerning the characteristics of refractory ulcers have not been specifically studied in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of refractory venous leg ulcers. METHODS: We retrospectively studied prognostic factors for healing in patients with refractory venous leg ulcers followed and treated in our dermatology department between January 1993 and January 2000. Each patient included in this study was compared with two patients matched for age and gender and presenting leg ulcers with normal healing, followed during the same period. RESULTS: Thirty-two of 571 patients with leg ulcers were included. The study population consisted of 20 females and 12 males with a mean age 73.5 years. The control population comprised 64 patients, 40 females and 24 males, with a mean age of 73 years. Univariate analysis demonstrated the negative prognostic impact of several previously identified factors (including surface area and history of the ulcer). In particular, multivariate analysis identified four main risk factors for refractory ulcer that are often associated in these patients: associated arterial disease, presence of post-thrombotic popliteal sequelae, recurrence of the ulcer, and disability. CONCLUSION: Four main risk factors that are often associated were identified, indicating the multifactorial nature of these refractory ulcers.