Local-regional thrombolytic therapy using streptokinase in a case of axillary venous thrombosis

A case of deep vein thrombosis of the axillary vein treated with local thrombolytic therapy with streptokinase in a superficial vein of the hand and controlled phlebographically, is reported. Therapeutic effectiveness, simplicity of the method and absence of hemorrhagic complications are underlined.     

Mediation as a new technique for resolving disputes in the mental health system

In the mental health service system, disputes take on various forms and exist in both clinical practice and management. Existing policy and administrative practice has favored a combination of medical and judicial/legal models to handle conflicts among consumers, mental health professionals, and others. The authors propose the addition of mediation as a third form of resolving issues, explicate some of the differences between mediation and current methods of resolving conflicts, and suggest benefits of using mediation.Noel Mazade is Executive Director, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute and a practicing mediator. Andrea Blanch is Director of Community Support Programs for the New York Office of Mental Health in Albany, NY.The views presented in this article are those of the authors only. Endorsement by the authors' organizational affiliations is not implied nor should it be inferred.     

Hepatic Function and Fibrinolysis in Patients with Hereditary Angioedema Undergoing Long-Term Treatment with Tranexamic Acid

Prophylactic treatment with antifibrinolytic agents, epsilon-aminocapriod and tranexamic acid, reduces the incidence and severits of attacks in patients with hereditary angioedema. Long-term ellectivenessor risk of antifibrinolytic agents has not been established. Sixteen patients needing continuous prophylaxis because of frequency and severity of attacks were treated with tranexamic acid. In four patients this treatment was ineffective and the drug was withdrawn after 2 months. A remission or reduction in the frequency or serverity of attacks was observed in 12 patients treated for a period ranging from 8 to 34 months. Hepatic tests and blood fibrinolytic activity were not influenced by long term oral treatment with tranexamic acid.     

Influence of transferable genetic determinants on the outcome of typing methods commonly used for Enterococcus faecium

A variety of methods is used for a molecular typing of Enterococcus spp. and related gram-positive bacteria including macrorestriction analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), ribotyping, rapid amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). To test the influence of transferable determinants on the outcome of different typing methods commonly used for enterococci, we established a homogenous strain collection of 24 transconjugants resulting from filter matings with antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecium. As expected, AFLP, RAPD, and PFGE all identified our model bacteria as strongly related. However, distinct differences in the resolving and discriminatory power of the tested methods could be clearly addressed. In PFGE, 22 of 24 transconjugants possessed less than a three-band difference to the recipient pattern and would be regarded as strongly related. Three different RAPD PCRs were tested; in two reactions, identical patterns for all transconjugants and the recipient were produced. One RAPD PCR produced an identical pattern for 18 transconjugants and the recipient and a clearly different pattern for the remaining 6 transconjugants due to a newly appearing fragment resulting from acquisition of the tetL gene. AFLP clusters all transconjugants into a group of major relatedness. Percent similarities were highly dependent on the method used for calculating the similarity coefficient (curve-based versus band-based similarity coefficient). Fragment patterns of digested plasmids showed the possession of nonidentical plasmids in most transconjugants. PFGE still could be recommended as the method of choice. Nevertheless, the more-modern AFLP approach produces patterns of comparable discriminatory power while possessing some advantages over PFGE (less-time-consuming internal standards). Plasmid fingerprints can be included to subdifferentiate enterococcal isolates possessing identical macrorestriction and PCR typing patterns.     

Analysis of cell type-specific responses mediated by the type IV secretion system of Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori persistently infects the human stomach and can cause gastritis, gastric ulceration, and gastric cancer. The type IV secretion system (TFSS) of virulent H. pylori strains translocates the CagA protein, inducing the dephosphorylation of host cell proteins and leading to changes in the morphology or shape of AGS gastric epithelial cells. Furthermore, the TFSS is involved in the induction of proinflammatory cytokines. While the H. pylori genes required for TFSS function have been investigated systematically, little is known about possible host cell factors involved. We infected 19 different mammalian cell lines individually with H. pylori and analyzed CagA translocation, dephosphorylation of host cell proteins, chemokine secretion (interleukin-8 and macrophage inflammatory protein 2), and changes in cellular phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that not only bacterial but also host cell factors determine the cellular response to infection. The identification of such unknown host cell factors will add to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and might help in the development of new therapeutic strategies.     

The Arabidopsis PILZ group genes encode tubulin-folding cofactor orthologs required for cell division but not cell growth

Plant microtubules are organized into specific cell cycle-dependent arrays that have been implicated in diverse cellular processes, including cell division and organized cell expansion. Mutations in four Arabidopsis genes collectively called the PILZ group result in lethal embryos that consist of one or a few grossly enlarged cells. The mutant embryos lack microtubules but not actin filaments. Whereas the cytokinesis-specific syntaxin KNOLLE is not localized properly, trafficking of the putative auxin efflux carrier PIN1 to the plasma membrane is normal. The four PILZ group genes were isolated by map-based cloning and are shown to encode orthologs of mammalian tubulin-folding cofactors (TFCs) C, D, and E, and associated small G-protein Arl2 that mediate the formation of alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimers in vitro. The TFC C ortholog, PORCINO, was detected in cytosolic protein complexes and did not colocalize with microtubules. Another gene with a related, although weaker, embryo-lethal phenotype, KIESEL, was shown to encode a TFC A ortholog. Our genetic ablation of microtubules shows their requirement in cell division and vesicle trafficking during cytokinesis, whereas cell growth is mediated by microtubule-independent vesicle trafficking to the plasma membrane during interphase.     

Peripheral amplification of sweating – a role for calcitonin gene-related peptide

Neuropeptides are the mediators of neurogenic inflammation. Some pain disorders, e.g. complex regional pain syndromes, are characterized by increased neurogenic inflammation and by exaggerated sudomotor function. The aim of this study was to explore whether neuropeptides have a peripheral effect on human sweating. We investigated the effects of different concentrations of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and substance P (SP) on acetylcholine-induced axon reflex sweating in healthy subjects (total n = 18). All substances were applied via dermal microdialysis. The experiments were done in a parallel setting: ACh alone and ACh combined with CGRP, VIP or SP in various concentrations were applied. Acetylcholine (10⁻² m ) always elicited a sweating response, neuropeptides alone did not. However, CGRP significantly enhanced ACh-induced sweating ( P < 0.01). Post hoc tests revealed that CGRP in physiological concentrations of 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁹ m was most effective. VIP at any concentration had no significant effect on axon reflex sweating. The duration of the sweating response ( P < 0.01), but not the amount of sweat, was reduced by SP. ACh-induced skin blood flow was significantly increased by CGRP ( P < 0.01), but unaltered by VIP and SP. The results indicate that CGRP amplifies axon reflex sweating in human skin.     

Obesity and asthma, what are the links?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Obesity is a major cause of morbidity accounting for approximately 300 000 deaths each year and about 7% of the health care budget with an economic impact greater than US dollar 100 billion annually in the United States. Obesity and its sequelae such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis or cancer have been on the rise over the last decades. The parallel time trend with an increasing prevalence of asthma has induced a lively debate about a potential link between both conditions. RECENT FINDINGS: A number of prospective studies have shown that weight gain can antedate the development of asthma. Effect modification by sex may occur as some studies have shown effects of body mass index on asthma only among females. However, sex differences are not consistent. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the epidemiological associations including alterations in airway mechanics and immune responses, hormonal influences and genetic factors. SUMMARY: There is evidence that obesity and overweight are associated with the development of asthma. Yet, the mechanisms underlying this relation are unclear. Weight reduction among asthmatic patients can result in improvements of lung function demonstrating the potential clinical impact of the findings.     

Low elementary movement speed is associated with poor motor skill in Turner's syndrome

The article aims to discriminate between 2 features that in principle both may be characteristic of the frequently observed poor motor performance in girls with Turner's syndrome (TS). On the one hand, a reduced movement speed that is independent of variations in spatial accuracy demands and therefore suggests a problem in motor execution. On the other hand, a disproportional slowing down of movement speed under spatial-accuracy demands, indicating a more central problem in motor programming. To assess their motor performance problems, 15 girls with TS (age 9.6-13.0 years) and 14 female controls (age 9.1-13.0 years) were tested using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). In additionally, an experimental procedure using a variant of Fitts' graphic aiming task was used to try and disentangle the role of spatial-accuracy demands in different motor task conditions. The results of the MABC reestablish that overall motor performance in girls with TS is poor. The data from the Fitts' task reveal that TS girls move with the same accuracy as their normal peers but show a significantly lower speed independent of task difficulty. We conclude that a problem in motor execution is the main factor determining performance differences between girls with TS and controls.