Stability of European Anti-D Immunoglobulin Preparations

The stability of 18 batches of anti-D immunoglobulin preparations from 7 European manufacturers was studied over 28-day incubation at +37 degrees C and 3-year storage at +4 degrees C. The mean loss of activity after 28 days at +37 degrees C was 12.3 +/- 8.2%, and after 3 years at +4 degrees C 15.2 +/- 9.5%. The correlation coefficient of the loss of activity between these two storages was r = 0.61, p less than 0.05 indicating that short-term incubation can be used to evaluate the shelf life stability of anti-D activity. In general, measurements of IgG fragments or activities of plasmin, plasminogen, or prekallikrein activator were not valuable in predicting the stability of anti-D activity due to the fact that the preparation of each manufacturer has its own unique pattern of enzymes and inhibitors. The anti-D immunoglobulin preparations contained up to at least 7 plasma proteins in addition to IgG. All preparations contained factor B, most of them alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, albumin, and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein, alpha-Lysozyme was present in 7, and ceruloplasmin in 2 preparations. Neither purity nor impurity correlated with stability.     

Effects of endothelin-1 on epithelial ion transport in human airways

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) exerts many biological effects in airways, including bronchoconstriction, airway mucus secretion, cell proliferation, and inflammation. We investigated the effect of ET-1 on Na absorption and Cl secretion in human bronchial epithelial cells. Addition of 10(-7) M ET-1 had no effect on the inhibition of the short circuit current (Isc) induced by amiloride, a Na channel blocker. Addition of 10(-7) M ET-1 to the apical bath in the presence of amiloride increased Isc in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells studied in Ussing chambers. No effect was observed when ET-1 was added to basolateral bath, indicating that the involved ET-1 receptors are likely present only in the apical membrane of the cells. Use of Cl-free solutions and bumetanide reduced the ET-1-induced increases in Isc, indicating that ET-1 stimulates Cl secretion. The ET-1-induced increase in Isc was prevented by exposure to the ETB receptor antagonist BQ-788 but not to the ETA receptor antagonist BQ-123. ET-1 did not raise intracellular Ca levels, but increased the intracellular concentration of cAMP. These findings indicate that ET-1 is a Cl secretagogue in human airways and acts presumably through apically located ETB receptors and activation of the cAMP pathway.     

Haplotype analysis in gelsoiin-related amyloidosis reveals independent origin of identical mutation (G654A) of gelsolin in Finland and Japan

Familial amyloidosis, Finnish type (FAF) (gelsolin-related amyloidosis) is an autosomal dominant form of systemic amyloidosis characterized by corneal lattice dystrophy and peripheral polyneuropathy. The accumulating protein in FAF consists of fragments of gelsolin, an actin-modulating protein. The gelsolin mutation G654A has been found in both Finnish and Japanese patients. To study the origin of the gelsolin mutation in these patients we performed haplotype analysis in 10 Finnish and 2 Japanese FAF families. Poymorphic DNA markers GSN, D9S103, AFMa061xd9, and AFMa139xb9 revealed a uniform disease haplotype in all the disease-associated chromosomes of the Finnish FAF families, which was different from the one observed in the Japanese families. The present results and the previously detected gelsolin mutation G654T in Czech and Danish FAF patients suggest that nucle otide 654 may represent a mutation hot spot in the gelsolin gene. The DNA markers studied here will be useful in future genealogical analyses of FAF. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Maternal Vitamin C and Iron Intake during Pregnancy and the Risk of Islet Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes in Children: A Birth Cohort Study

Our aim was to study the associations between maternal vitamin C and iron intake during pregnancy and the offspring’s risk of developing islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes. The study was a part of the Finnish Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) prospective birth cohort including children genetically at risk of type 1 diabetes born between 1997–2004. The diets of 4879 mothers in late pregnancy were assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. The outcomes were islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis adjusted for energy, family history of diabetes, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotype and sex was used for statistical analyses. Total intake of vitamin C or iron from food and supplements was not associated with the risk of islet autoimmunity (vitamin C: HR 0.91: 95% CI (0.80, 1.03), iron: 0.98 (0.87, 1.10)) or type 1 diabetes (vitamin C: 1.01 (0.87, 1.17), iron: 0.92 (0.78, 1.08)), neither was the use of vitamin C or iron supplements associated with the outcomes. In conclusion, no association was found between maternal vitamin C or iron intake during pregnancy and the risk of islet autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes in the offspring.     

Expression of serotonin transporter protein in developing rat brain

Serotonin transporter (5-HTT), a transmembrane protein, has been shown in adult brain to be distributed not only on synaptic terminals but to a great extent on axons as well. Here we report the ontogeny of 5-HTT and its relationship with serotonin (5-HT) neurons using established 5-HTT and 5-HT antibodies. Both 5-HTT- and 5-HT-immunostaining (-im) appear in 5-HT neurons at embryonic day 12 (E12) in rostral raphe nuclei (RRN). Soon after appearing, 5-HTT-im is highly expressed on axons, similar to adult expression. However, in contrast to adult, 5-HTT-im also outlines the soma-dendrites. Rich 5-HTT-im appears along the entire length of projecting axons, extending to the growth tip. In the next 2 days, intensive 5-HTT-im axons from RRN travel a course preferentially in the floor plate and later, the medial forebrain bundle trajectory. A group of new 5-HT-im neurons and 5-HTT-im axons appear at E13 in caudal raphe nuclei. At E16-18, taking the exact trajectory course of 5-HT axons, 5-HTT-im axons reach ganglionic eminence, olfactory bulb, and cortex and disperse into many brain regions in E18-20. No 5-HTT-im cell bodies were seen in nigral, locus ceruleus, or hypothalamus. However, the transient expression of 5-HTT on non-serotonergic system was seen in cortical and striatal neuroepithelia at E12 and sensory thalamic pathways at P0-P10. Prominent 5-HTT-im fibers in thalamocortical bundles project from sensory thalamic nuclei through reticular nucleus, internal capsule bundle and form barrels in somatosensory cortices. No 5-HTT-im was seen in glia-like cells using currently available antibody. These observations indicate that 5-HTT is: (a) associated preferentially with 5-HT neurons in brainstem, (b) temporally co-expressed with 5-HT in 5-HT neurons, (c) expressed on axons prior to synaptical sites at target neurons, which strongly indicates a volumic (extrasynaptic) transmission, (d) expressed in non-5-HT neurons within a specific window, which may affect the development of the systems "borrowing" the 5-HT. The early appearance of 5-HTT may also endow functionality as well as vulnerabilities of 5-HT, sensory thalamic, and cortical neurons to 5-HTT targeting drugs during pregnancy and after birth.     

Dietary Patterns of 479 Indonesian Adults and Their Associations with Sodium and Potassium Intakes Estimated by Two 24-h Urine Collections

The excess sodium (Na) intake and insufficient potassium (K) intake are frequently observed all over the world, including Indonesia. This study explored the dietary patterns of Indonesian people and evaluated their associations with Na and K intakes. Na and K intakes were assessed by repeated 24-h urine collection. The dietary patterns of the previous month were extracted by factor analysis using the Indonesian Food Frequency Questionnaire. The participants were community-dwelling Indonesian men and women (n = 479) aged 20 years and over. We identified four dietary patterns in each sex. After controlling for confounding factors, the high quantile of ‘Noodle, oil, and salty sea products’ pattern was associated with the high Na intake in both men and women (p = 0.02 and <0.001, respectively). The ‘Meat, vegetable, oil, and fruit’ pattern statistically significantly contributed to the high K intake in men (p = 0.04), but not in women (p = 0.26). The ‘Vegetable, non-oil, and milk’ pattern in men and ‘Meat, vegetable, and fruit’ pattern in women were associated with low Na:K ratios (p = 0.03 and 0.01, respectively). Neither ‘bread’ nor ‘fish’ appeared as a major determinant of any dietary patterns in this population. The ‘Noodle, oil, and salty sea products’ pattern should be avoided to reduce sodium intake.     

The effect of temperature on the mechanical aspects of rigor mortis in a liquid paraffin model

Rigor mortis is an important phenomenon to estimate the postmortem interval in forensic medicine. Rigor mortis is affected by temperature. We measured stiffness of rat muscles using a liquid paraffin model to monitor the mechanical aspects of rigor mortis at five temperatures (37, 25, 10, 5 and 0 °C). At 37, 25 and 10 °C, the progression of stiffness was slower in cooler conditions. At 5 and 0 °C, the muscle stiffness increased immediately after the muscles were soaked in cooled liquid paraffin and then muscles gradually became rigid without going through a relaxed state. This phenomenon suggests that it is important to be careful when estimating the postmortem interval in cold seasons.     

Self-harm as a risk factor for inpatient aggression among women admitted to forensic psychiatric care

Background: Inpatient aggression among female forensic psychiatric patients has been shown to be associated with self-harm, that is considered to be a historical risk factor for violence. Research on associations between previous or current self-harm and different types of inpatient aggression is missing.

Aim: The aim of this register study was to investigate the prevalence of self-harm and the type of inpatient aggression among female forensic psychiatric inpatients, and to study whether the patients’ self-harm before and/or during forensic psychiatric care is a risk factor for inpatient aggression.

Methods: Female forensic psychiatric patients (n?=?130) from a high security hospital were included.

Results: The results showed that 88% of the female patients had self-harmed at least once during their life and 57% had been physically and/or verbally aggressive towards staff or other patients while in care at the hospital. Self-harm before admission to the current forensic psychiatric care or repeated self-harm were not significantly associated with inpatient aggression, whereas self-harm during care was significantly associated with physical and verbal aggression directed at staff.

Conclusions: These results pointed towards self-harm being a dynamic risk factor rather than a historical risk factor for inpatient aggression among female forensic psychiatric patients. Whether self-harm is an individual risk factor or a part of the clinical risk factor ‘Symptom of major mental illness’ within the HCR-20V3 must be further explored among women. Thus, addressing self-harm committed by female patients during forensic psychiatric care seems to be important in risk assessments and the management of violence, especially in reducing violence against staff in high-security forensic psychiatric services.