Metoclopramide increases plasma but not cerebrospinal fluid vasopressin levels in man: study in hydrocephalic patients.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations were determined in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 8 adult male patients suffering from hydrocephalus of various etiologies, before and after intravenous administration of 10 mg metoclopramide. Metoclopramide was able to increase the plasma (2.6 +/- 0.2 ng/l in basal conditions and 6.1 +/- 0.6 ng/l at 30 min) but not the CSF AVP levels. The results suggest that the neurons which secrete AVP into the CSF may be functionally different from those secreting into the peripheral circulation.     

Diurnal beta-endorphin changes in human cerebrospinal fluid

Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) beta-endorphin levels were determined by a RIA method in seven hydrocephalic male patients. The samples were simultaneously collected every two hours from 8 AM to 12 midnight and every hour from 1 AM to 7 AM. In both plasma and CSF beta-endorphin levels showed significant time-related variations during the 24 hour period. These results suggest the existence of diurnal CSF beta-endorphin variations analogous to those observed in plasma.     

Fascioloides magna (Bassi, 1875) in feral swine from southern Texas.

Between 1971 and 1975, Fascioloides magna was found in 46 of 67 (69%) feral swine (Sus scrofa) in southern Texas. Flukes were recovered from swine in areas where F. magna commonly has been recovered from white-tailed deer and cattle. One to 12 flukes were recovered from each infected animal. Their presence was indicated by black hematin pigment on the liver and various other internal organs. Eggs were not detected in the gallbladder or feces of infected animals although mature flukes and eggs were recovered in the livers suggesting that, like cattle, feral swine can be infected but are aberrant hosts for the parasite and do not disseminate eggs.     

SIMEX for correction of dietary exposure effects with Box-Cox transformed data

Modelling dietary data, and especially 24-hr dietary recall (24HDR) data, is a challenge. Ignoring the inherent measurement error (ME) leads to biased effect estimates when the association between an exposure and an outcome is investigated. We propose an adapted simulation extrapolation (SIMEX) algorithm for modelling dietary exposures. For this purpose, we exploit the ME model of the NCI method where we assume the assumption of normally distributed errors of the reported intake on the Box-Cox transformed scale and of unbiased recalls on the original scale. According to the SIMEX algorithm, remeasurements of the observed data with additional ME are generated in order to estimate the association between the level of ME and the resulting effect estimate. Subsequently, this association is extrapolated to the case of zero ME to obtain the corrected estimate. We show that the proposed method fulfils the key property of the SIMEX approach, that is, that the MSE of the generated data will converge to zero if the ME variance converges to zero. Furthermore, the method is applied to real 24HDR data of the I.Family study to correct the effects of salt and alcohol intake on blood pressure. In a simulation study, the method is compared with the NCI method resulting in effect estimates with either smaller MSE or smaller bias in certain situations. In addition, we found our method to be more informative and easier to implement. Therefore, we conclude that the proposed method is useful to promote the dissemination of ME correction methods in nutritional epidemiology.     

A humidity-sensitive Arabidopsis copine mutant exhibits precocious cell death and increased disease resistance

The copines are a newly identified class of calcium-dependent, phospholipid binding proteins that are present in a wide range of organisms, including Paramecium, plants, Caenorhabditis elegans, mouse, and human. However, the biological functions of the copines are unknown. Here, we describe a humidity-sensitive copine mutant in Arabidopsis. Under nonpermissive, low-humidity conditions, the cpn1-1 mutant displayed aberrant regulation of cell death that included a lesion mimic phenotype and an accelerated hypersensitive response (HR). However, the HR in cpn1-1 showed no increase in sensitivity to low pathogen titers. Low-humidity-grown cpn1-1 mutants also exhibited morphological abnormalities, increased resistance to virulent strains of Pseudomonas syringae and Peronospora parasitica, and constitutive expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Growth of cpn1-1 under permissive, high-humidity conditions abolished the increased disease resistance, lesion mimic, and morphological mutant phenotypes but only partially alleviated the accelerated HR and constitutive PR gene expression phenotypes. The disease resistance phenotype of cpn1-1 suggests that the CPN1 gene regulates defense responses. Alternatively, the primary function of CPN1 may be the regulation of plant responses to low humidity, and the effect of the cpn1-1 mutation on disease resistance may be indirect.     

IL-11 and IL-11Rα immunolocalisation at primate implantation sites supports a role for IL-11 in placentation and fetal development

Embryo implantation, endometrial stromal cell decidualization and formation of a functional placenta are critical processes in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Interleukin (IL)-11 signalling is essential for adequate decidualization in the mouse uterus and IL-11 promotes decidualization in the human. IL-11 action is mediated via binding to the specific IL-11 receptor α (IL-11Rα). The present study examined immunoreactive IL-11 and IL-11Rα in cycling rhesus monkey endometrium, at implantation sites in cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys and in human first trimester decidua and defined distinct spatial and temporal patterns. In cycling rhesus monkey endometrium, IL-11 and IL-11Rα increased in both basalis and functionalis regions during the secretory compared with the proliferative phase, with changing cellular locations in luminal and glandular epithelium and stroma. The patterns were similar overall to those previously described in human endometrium. Differences were seen in immunostaining during implantation in cynomologus and rhesus monkey. In the cynomolgus, very little staining for IL-11 or IL-11Rα was seen in syncytio- and cyto-trophoblast cells in the villi between days 12 and 150 of pregnancy although there was moderate staining in cytotrophoblast in the shell between days 12 and 17 and in subpopulations of cytotrophoblast cells invading the arteries at day 17. By contrast in the rhesus monkey between days 24 and 35 of pregnancy and in human first trimester placenta, cyto- and syncytio-trophoblast in the villi but not cytotrophoblast in the shell were positively stained. The most intense staining for both IL-11 and IL-11Rα was present within the decidua in the maternal component of implantation sites in all three primates but moderate staining was also present in maternal vascular smooth muscle and glands perivascular cells and epithelial plaques. These results are consistent with a role for IL-11 both during decidualization and placentation in primates.     

High Sodium and Low Potassium Intake among Italian Children: Relationship with Age,Body Mass and Blood Pressure

Background

Hypertension is the leading cause of death in developed countries and reduction of salt intake is recommended as a key preventive measure.

Objective

To assess the dietary sodium and potassium intakes in a national sample of Italian children and adolescents and to examine their relationships with BMI and blood pressure (BP) in the framework of the MINISAL survey, a program supported by the Italian Ministry of Health.

Population and Methods

The study population included 1424 healthy subjects (766 boys, 658 girls) aged 6-18 years (mean age: 10.1±2.9) who were consecutively recruited in participating National Health Service centers in 10 Italian regions. Electrolyte intake was estimated from 24 hour urine collections tested for completeness by the concomitant measurement of creatinine content. Anthropometric indices and BP were measured with standardized procedures.

Results

The average estimated sodium intake was 129 mmol (7.4 g of salt) per day among boys and 117 mmol (6.7 g of salt) among girls. Ninety-three percent of the boys and 89% of the girls had a consumption higher than the recommended age-specific standard dietary target. The estimated average daily potassium intakes were 39 mmol (1.53 g) and 36 mmol (1.40 g), respectively, over 96% of the boys and 98% of the girls having a potassium intake lower than the recommended adequate intake. The mean sodium/potassium ratio was similar among boys and girls (3.5 and 3.4, respectively) and over 3-fold greater than the desirable level. Sodium intake was directly related to age, body mass and BP in the whole population.

Conclusions

The Italian pediatric population is characterized by excessive sodium and deficient potassium intake. These data suggest that future campaigns should focus on children and adolescents as a major target in the framework of a population strategy of cardiovascular prevention.     

Accelerated hand bone mineral density loss is associated with progressive joint damage in hands and feet in recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

To investigate whether accelerated hand bone mineral density (BMD) loss is associated with progressive joint damage in hands and feet in the first year of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether it is an independent predictor of subsequent progressive total joint damage after 4 years.

Methods

In 256 recent-onset RA patients, baseline and 1-year hand BMD was measured in metacarpals 2-4 by digital X-ray radiogrammetry. Joint damage in hands and feet were scored in random order according to the Sharp-van der Heijde method at baseline and yearly up to 4 years.

Results

68% of the patients had accelerated hand BMD loss (>-0.003 g/cm²) in the first year of RA. Hand BMD loss was associated with progressive joint damage after 1 year both in hands and feet with odds ratios (OR) (95% confidence intervals [CI]) of 5.3 (1.3-20.9) and 3.1 (1.0-9.7). In univariate analysis, hand BMD loss in the first year was a predictor of subsequent progressive total joint damage after 4 years with an OR (95% CI) of 3.1 (1.3-7.6). Multivariate analysis showed that only progressive joint damage in the first year and anti-citrullinated protein antibody positivity were independent predictors of long-term progressive joint damage.

Conclusions

In the first year of RA, accelerated hand BMD loss is associated with progressive joint damage in both hands and feet. Hand BMD loss in the first year of recent-onset RA predicts subsequent progressive total joint damage, however not independent of progressive joint damage in the first year.     

An overview of malaria transmission from the perspective of Amazon Anopheles vectors

In the Americas, areas with a high risk of malaria transmission are mainly located in the Amazon Forest, which extends across nine countries. One keystone step to understanding the Plasmodium life cycle in Anopheles species from the Amazon Region is to obtain experimentally infected mosquito vectors. Several attempts to colonise Ano- pheles species have been conducted, but with only short-lived success or no success at all. In this review, we review the literature on malaria transmission from the perspective of its Amazon vectors. Currently, it is possible to develop experimental Plasmodium vivax infection of the colonised and field-captured vectors in laboratories located close to Amazonian endemic areas. We are also reviewing studies related to the immune response to P. vivax infection of Anopheles aquasalis, a coastal mosquito species. Finally, we discuss the importance of the modulation of Plasmodium infection by the vector microbiota and also consider the anopheline genomes. The establishment of experimental mosquito infections with Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium yoelii and Plasmodium berghei parasites that could provide interesting models for studying malaria in the Amazonian scenario is important. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the parasites in New World vectors is crucial in order to better determine the interaction process and vectorial competence.