Penicillium piceum infection: diagnosis and successful treatment in chronic granulomatous disease.

Infections due to Penicillium species other than P.marneffei are rare. We identified a boy with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) with a pulmonary nodule and adjacent rib osteomyelitis caused by Penicillium piceum. The only sign of infection was an elevated sedimentation rate. P. piceum was isolated by fine needle aspirate and from excised infected tissues. Surgical removal and one year of voriconazole treatment were very well tolerated and led to complete recovery. Microbiological, microscopic and molecular studies support the fungal diagnosis. P. piceum should be considered as a relevant pathogen in immunocompromised patients.     

Mood change and empathy decline persist during three years of internal medicine training.

PURPOSE: To examine longitudinal changes in mood and empathy over the course of the internal medicine residency. METHOD: The authors conducted a cohort study of 61 residents who completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) at six time points during their internal medicine residency at a university-based program. (POMS was administered five times, and IRI was administered six times.) The main outcomes measured were trends in mood disturbances and multiple domains of empathy over the three-year residency, and comparisons to norms. RESULTS: Response rates varied from Time 1 to Time 6 (98%, 72%, 79%, 79%, 94%, and 95%, respectively). Interns had better scores on four POMS subscales: Depression-Dejection (p = .0031), Anger-Hostility (p < .0001), Fatigue-Inertia (p < .0001), and Vigor-Activity (p < .0001) compared with later administrations, especially midinternship. By the end of residency all POMS scores were returning towards baseline (effects sizes in the .20 s), but only depression was no longer significantly different. IRI scores showed the decline in Empathic Concern remained over residency whereas Personal Distress peaked midinternship year but approached baseline at the end of residency. Compared with the general population, the graduating residents were less tense, depressed, and confused. Personal Distress was significantly lower than the norm group. CONCLUSIONS: Internal medicine residency presents challenges resulting in common mood disturbances. Although graduating residents appear to be better off than the population norms, some domains of their mood disturbances and empathy never fully recover from their internship year.     

Microtubule-associated protein tau is required for axonal neurite elaboration by neuroblastoma cells.

NB2a/d1 neuroblastoma cells constitutively express multiple isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein tau and incorporate this protein into the axonal neurites elaborated during serum deprivation. To examine whether or not tau played an essential role in axonal outgrowth, cells cultured in serum-free medium were treated at 24 h intervals with antisense- and sense-oriented cDNA oligonucleotides (25 or 36 mers that span or are upstream of tau initiation codon) and were simultaneously serum deprived. Oligonucleotide uptake was confirmed by determination of intracellular levels of radiolabeled oligonucleotides. Treatment for 48 h with tau antisense oligonucleotides reversibly inhibited the expression of tau and the number of neurite-bearing cells compared with treatment with sense oligonucleotides. By contrast, tubulin expression was not affected. When cells were treated with antisense oligonucleotide simultaneously with serum deprivation, the initial outgrowth of neurites was unaffected, but continued neurite elongation was prevented. By contrast, neurite outgrowth at 4 h was inhibited when cells were pretreated with tau antisense 24 h before serum deprivation. Furthermore, intracellular delivery of anti-tau antiserum prevented neurite outgrowth and, in cells that had previously been deprived of serum for 24 h, induced retraction of existing neurites. These findings indicate that both the initiation and the continued outgrowth of neurites are dependent on tau and that pre-existing cytoplasmic pools of tau can mediate initial neuritogenesis.     

The reproducibility of data from a Food Frequency Questionnaire among low-income Latina mothers and their children.

We examined the 3-month and 1-year reproducibility of mothers' and children's dietary intakes of calories and 11 nutrients derived from oral administrations of a food frequency questionnaire to 166 Latina women. One-year correlations generally ranged from 0.40 to 0.55 for both mothers and children. For most nutrients, roughly half the children in the highest (lowest) quartile of intake at baseline were also in the highest (lowest) quartile 1 year later. The food frequency questionnaire has great potential for measuring typical nutrient intakes in these populations.     

Poverty and health in West Germany

Summary The relationship between poverty and several health-related characteristics in West Germany was investigated. Data were derived from the National and Regional Health Surveys conducted in West Germany from 1984 to 1992. 25544 males and 25719 females with German nationality aged 25–69 years were examined. Poverty was defined as a household income of 50% less than the mean for West Germany. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between poverty and four health variables: individual health behavior, subjective assessment of health status, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and self-reported prevalence of lifetime chronic diseases. 10.2% of males and 12.8% of females were classified as being below the poverty line. For most but not all health parameters, less favourable results were found for the segment of the population with a household income below the poverty line. The most striking poverty-related differences were observed for lack of regular sport activities, subjective health satisfaction, obesity and myocardial infarction/stroke. Significantly lower prevalence rates for study subjects below the poverty line were observed for hypercholesterolemia in females only. Allergic disorders were the only chronic diseases reported significantly less often in males and females below the poverty line. Poverty has strong effects on individual health status and the prevalence of chronic diseases. Due to the rising unemployment rates in Germany in the last years it is very likely that the strong negative consequences of poverty for health are increasing.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird untersucht, welche Zusammenhänge zwischen Armut und verschiedenen gesundheitsbezogenen Merkmalen bestehen. Datenbasis sind die nationalen und regionalen Gesundheitssurveys, die in den Jahren 1984 bis 1992 in Westdeutschland durchgeführt wurden. 25544 Männer und 25719 Frauen mit deutscher Nationalität im Alter von 25 bis 69 Jahren wurden einbezogen. Armut wurde definiert als ein Haushaltseinkommen, das um 50% niedriger ist als das mittlere Einkommen in Westdeutschland. Die statistische Auswertung erfolgte mittels multipler logischer Regressionsanalyse, 10,2% der Männer und 12,8% der Frauen hatten ein Haushaltseinkommen unterhalb der Armutsgrenze. Die ausgeprägtesten armutsbezogenen Unterschiede wurden beobachtet für den Mangel an körperlicher Bewegung, die subjektive Gesundheitszufriedenheit, das starke. Übergewicht und die kardiovaskulären Krankheiten. Signifikant niedrigere Prävalenzen für Personen mit Einkommen unterhalb der Armutsgrenze ergaben sich bei den Frauen für den Risikofaktor Hypercholesterinämie. Allergien waren die einzige chronische Krankheit, die bei beiden Geschlechtern signifikant seltener in der von Armut betroffenen Bevölkerungsgruppe berichtet wurde. Vor dem Hintergrund der in den letzten Jahren stark angestiegenen Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland ist zu befürchten, dass die negativen Konsequenzen der Armut für die gesundheitliche Lage deutlich zugenommen haben.

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Résumé Les rapports entre pauvreté et differents indices sanitaires ont été examinés. Les donnees proviennent des surveys de santé nationales et régionales, réalisées en Allemagne de l'Ouest durant les années 1984 à 1992. 25719 femmes et 25544 hommes de nationalité allemande entre 25 et 69 ans ont paticipé. Le seuil de pauvreté a été fixé à un revenu égal a 50% du revenu moyen en Allemagne de l'Ouest. On a analysé les indices sanitaires suivants: le comportement sanitaire individuell, l'auto-estimation de sa santé, les facteurs de risque cardio-vasculaires et la prévalence des maladies chroniques. L'analyse statistique a été réalisée par regression logique multiple. 12,8% des femmes et 10,2% des hommes avaient un revenu inferieur au seuil de pauvreté. Pour la majorité des indices sanitaires on a trouvé des résultats défavorables pour la groupe ayant un revenu au dessous du seuil de pauvreté. Le manque de mouvement, l'auto-estimation de sa santé, l'excés de poids et les maladies cardio-vasculaires sont les indices quid diffèrent, relatif à la pauvreté, le plus. Les femmes ayant un revenu au-dessous du seuil de pauvreté ont des pourcentages de prévalence inférieurs significatifs pour le facteur de risque hypercholestérolémie. Les allergies sont les seules maladies qui existent significativement moins souvent chez les deux sexes de la groupe des pauvres. En résumé, la pauvreté présente un désavantage pour la santé individuelle et la prévalence des maladies chroniques. Sachant que le taux de chômage s'est aggravé pendant les dernières années, il est à craindre que les effets négatifs de la pauvreté sur la situation sanitaire ont nettement augmenté.

     

Cross-reactivity of Streptococcus mutans antigens and human heart tissue.

Rocket and two-dimensional immunoelectrophoreses were used to demonstrate that antisera from rabbits immunized with Streptococcus mutans strain B13 cross-reacted with human heart tissue. Absorption of the anti-S. mutans serum with S. mutans whole cells removed all reactivity to heart tissue, but did not remove the reactivity of an added antibody marker to its corresponding antigen. The anti-S. mutans serum reacted most intensely with heart tissue antigen and to a lesser degree with skeletal muscle, but not with liver or kidney tissues. These results support the conclusion that antigens of S. mutans cross-react with mammalian heart tissue and, further, suggest that caution should be exercised in the formulation of a dental caries vaccine containing S. mutans antigens.     

Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor,whose expression is up-regulated in activated lymphocytes,is a nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase,a cytosolic enzyme involved in NAD biosynthesis

The murine homologue of the previously identified human "pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor" (PBEF) gene coding for a putative cytokine has been identified by screening a subtractive library enriched in genes expressed in activated T lymphocytes. Unlike most cytokine genes known to date, the PBEF gene is ubiquitously expressed in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues and displays significant homology with genes from primitive metazoans (marine sponges) and prokaryotic organisms. Recently, a bacterial protein encoded by nadV, a gene from the prokaryote Haemophilus ducreyi displaying significant homology with PBEF, has been identified as a nicotinamide phosphoribosyltranferase (NAmPRTase), an enzyme involved in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis. Using a panel of antibodies to murine PBEF, we demonstrate in this work that, similarly to its microbial counterpart, the murine protein is a NAmPRTase, catalyzing the condensation of nicotinamide with 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate to yield nicotinamide mononucleotide, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of NAD. The role of PBEF as a NAmPRTase was further confirmed by showing that the mouse gene was able to confer the ability to grow in the absence of NAD to a NAmPRTase-defective bacterial strain. The present findings are in keeping with the ubiquitous nature of this protein, and indicate that NAD biosynthesis may play an important role in lymphocyte activation.     

The effect of sleep on reflex genioglossus muscle activation by stimuli of negative airway pressure in humans.

The present study was designed to determine the effect of sleep on reflex pharyngeal dilator muscle activation by stimuli of negative airway pressure in human subjects. Intra-oral bipolar surface electrodes were used to record genioglossus electromyogram (EMG) responses to 500 ms duration pressure stimuli of 0 and -25 cmH2O applied, via a face-mask, in four normal subjects. Stimuli were applied during early inspiration in wakefulness and in periods of non-rapid-eye-movement (non-REM) sleep, defined by electroencephalographic (EEG) criteria. The rectified and integrated EMG responses to repeated interventions were bin averaged for the 0 and -25 cmH2O stimuli applied in wakefulness and sleep. Response latency was defined as the time when the EMG activity significantly increased above prestimulus levels. Response magnitude was quantified as the in ratio of the EMG activity for an 80 ms post-stimulus period to an 80 ms prestimulus period; data from after the subject's voluntary reaction time for tongue protrusion (range, 150-230 ms) were not analysed. Application of the -25 cmH2O stimuli caused genioglossus muscle activation in wakefulness and sleep, but in all subjects response magnitude was reduced in sleep (mean decrease, 61%; range, 52-82%; P = 0.011, Student's paired t test). In addition, response latency was increased in sleep in each subject (mean latency awake, 38 ms; range, 30-50 ms; mean latency asleep, 75 ms; range, 40-110 ms; P = 0.072, Student's paired t test). Application of the -25 cmH2O stimuli caused arousal from sleep on 90% occasions, but in all cases the reflex genioglossus muscle responses (maximum latency, 110 ms) always proceeded any sign of EEG arousal (mean time to arousal, 643 ms; range, 424-760 ms). These results show that non-REM sleep attenuates reflex genioglossus muscle activation by stimuli of negative airway pressure. Attenuation of this reflex by sleep may impair the ability of the upper airway to defend itself from suction collapse by negative pressures generated during inspiration; this may have implications for the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnoea.     

Examination of Streptococcus mutans for immunoglobulin G Fc reactivity.

Representative strains of oral streptococci were tested for Fc immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivity by two different techniques, agglutination of rabbit-IgG sensitized sheep erythrocytes and uptake of human and rabbit 125I-radiolabeled IgG. None of the S. mutans serotypes a through e reacted with the Fc region of either human or rabbit IgG. Additionally, other streptococci such as S. sanguis, S. salivarius, S. faecalis, and S. mitis failed to show appreciable Fc reactivity as assayed by these techniques. The group A, C, and G streptococci, previously shown to possess Fc reactivity, proved to be reactive in these experiments, as did a protein A-containing strain of Staphylococcus aureus.     

Brain structures important for solving a sawdust-digging problem in the rat

Young rats subjected to bilateral lesions to one of 37 different brain sites were initially trained to traverse a narrow runway to reach a goal box containing water. The test involved blocking a portion of the runway with sawdust and determining whether the animals would burrow through the sawdust to gain access to the goal box. Lesions to 30 brain sites produced deficient performance on the sawdust-digging problem. This study, combined with earlier investigation of 11 additional brain sites, shows that 41 of 48 total brain sites are involved in this task. These findings suggest that underlying brain mechanisms include a nonspecific mechanism and several specific mechanisms, such as visuospatial-attentional, visual discrimination, vestibular-proprioceptive-kinesthetic discrimination, response flexibility, but much less place learning mechanisms.