Somatization,distress and chronic pain

The two defining features of somatization are numerous self-reported physical symptoms and excessive health care seeking. This may be due to a lowered perceptual threshold for perceiving and reporting bodily symptoms, amplification or misinterpretation of those symptoms, or underlying psychiatric disturbance. Recurrent pain is the most common somatic symptom reported. True somatization disorder is very rare (<1%) and requires a DSM-III-R diagnosis of at least 13 different physical symptoms which cannot be explained by, or are in gross excess of physical findings, and have caused the patients to seek health care or alter their lifestyles. However, researchers have argued that a spectrum of severity for somatization exists, and this is supported by epidemiological research. Available data also indicate that behavioural interventions may show long-term cost-effectiveness in the management of chronic pain. Chronic pain dysfunction appears to place a disproportionate burden on overall health care expenditure for chronic pain patients.     

Clinical diagnostic criteria for TMD. New classification permits multiple diagnoses.

One of the first to permit multiple diagnoses, this new TMD classification scheme offers guidelines for clinicians and those conducting clinical field studies. The scheme was applied to a TMD population, with control subjects.     

Some behavioral effects of repeated d-amphetamine administrations

Effects of daily administrations of d-amphetamine were studied on key peck responses of pigeons maintained under a multiple fixed-interval 2-min, fixed-ratio 30-responseschedule. Under the fixed-interval schedule, a pause was followed by a transition to increasing rates of responding until food presentation. Under the fixed-ratio schedule, higher sustained rates of responding were maintained. Low to intermediate doses (0.3-1.0 mg/kg) of d-amphetamine changed the temporal patterns and occasionally increased rates of responding under the fixed-interval schedule. Higher doses decreased rates of responding under bothschedules. With daily injections of 1.0 mg/kg d-amphetamine prior to experimental sessions, the effects of this dose on rates and patterns of responding were attenuated, and d-anphetamine dose-effect curves were shifted to the right, primarily under the fixed-ratio schedule. Similar results were obtained with daily presession injections of 5.6 mg/kg d-amphetamine in a second group of pigeons, except that rates of responding under both schedules were decreased by this daily dose, and did not return completely to control values with repeated injections. In a third group of pigeons, 1.0 mg/kg d-amphetamine administered daily, after experimental sessions, did not alter dose-effect functions for d-amphetamine. In a second experiment, pigeons were trained to peck one response key when given 1.0 mg/kg d-amphetamine and a different key when given presession water injections. Increasing doses of d-amphetamine produced incresing percentages of d-amphetamine-key responses. Repeated administration of 5.6 mg/kg d-amphetamine shifted these dose-effect functions to the right one-half log unit. Results suggested that decreases in reinforcement frequency are not a necessary condition for the development of behavioral tolerance to d-amphetamine.     

Expression of a histone H1-like protein is restricted to early Xenopus development

Genes whose expression is restricted to oogenesis and early development may have important functions in these processes. Northern analysis showed that Xenopus B4 mRNA is expressed in oogenesis and embryogenesis through to the neurula stage. Immunocytochemistry with anti-B4 antibodies showed that B4 protein is only detectable in preneurula stages; it is localized to nuclei and is associated with metaphase chromosomes. Immunoblotting revealed approximately constant levels of B4 protein per embryo for the first 2 days of development. Thus, as the number of nuclei increases during early development, the amount of B4 protein per nucleus is diluted out. Sequencing of two B4 cDNA clones revealed that the predicted B4 translation product is a 29-kD protein with 29% identity with histone H1, distributed over the entire length of its sequence. The B4 protein also has certain other H1 protein characteristics--a tripartite structure consisting of a mainly hydrophobic central domain flanked by an amino-terminal segment and a long hydrophilic carboxyterminal tail containing a tandemly repeated amino acid motif. However, in contrast to histone H1 mRNA, B4 mRNA has a classic polyadenylation signal, is polyadenylated, and lacks the histone H1 3' noncoding consensus sequence involved in RNA processing.     

Hormonal modulation of glomerular function

Glomeruli contain receptors for many hormones. Binding of angiotensin II (ANG II) or antidiuretic hormone (ADH) to glomerular mesangial cells elicits a contractile response. Other hormones induce synthesis of cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP). Glomeruli also synthesize several prostaglandins, renin, and ANG II. Micropuncture studies in Munich-Wistar rats have examined the effects of vasoactive drugs and hormones on the filtration process. Several vasodilators increase renal plasma flow in the dog and rat, but GFR remains relatively unchanged due to an offsetting fall in the ultrafiltration coefficient (Kf). Vasoconstrictor substances such as ANG II and norepinephrine cause declines in renal plasma flow and Kf, but GFR remains constant due to an increase in the transcapillary hydraulic pressure gradient. Antidiuretic peptides and parathyroid hormone also reduce Kf. Glomerular mesangial cells may regulate Kf by contracting and reducing glomerular capillary surface area. ANG II and ADH directly stimulate mesangial cell contraction in vitro. Other hormones appear to cause contraction by inducing local ANG II synthesis. These hormonal pathways are implicated in the pathogenesis of altered glomerular function in diverse forms of renal injury.     

Roles of the surface layer proteins of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus in ovine abortion

The role of the surface (S)-layer proteins of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus has been investigated using an ovine model of abortion. Wild-type strain 23D induced abortion in up to 90% of pregnant ewes challenged subcutaneously. Isolates recovered from both dams and fetuses expressed S-layer proteins with variable molecular masses. The spontaneous S-layer-negative variant, strain 23B, neither colonized nor caused abortions in pregnant ewes. A series of isogenic sapA and recA mutants, derived from 23D, also were investigated in this model. A mutant (501 [sapA recA(+)]) caused abortion in one of five challenged animals and was recovered from the placenta of a second animal. Another mutant (502 [sapA recA]) with no S-layer protein expression caused no colonization or abortions in challenged animals but caused abortion when administered intraplacentally. Mutants 600(2) and 600(4), both recA, had fixed expression of 97- and 127-kDa S-layer proteins, respectively. Two of the six animals challenged with mutant 600(4) were colonized, but there were no abortions. As expected, all five strains recovered expressed a 127-kDa S-layer protein. In contrast, mutant 600(2) was recovered from the placentas of all five challenged animals and caused abortion in two. Unexpectedly, one of the 16 isolates expressed a 127-kDa rather than a 97-kDa S-layer protein. Thus, these studies indicate that S-layer proteins appear essential for colonization and/or translocation to the placenta but are not required to mediate fetal injury and that S-layer variation may occur in a recA strain.