Cytoprotective effects of chalcones from Zuccagnia punctata and melatonin on the gastroduodenal tract in rats.

The effects of 2',4'-dihydroxychalcone and 2',4'-dihydroxy-3'-methoxychalcone from Zuccagnia punctata Cav. (Fabaceae) and melatonin administration on ethanol-induced gastroduodenal injury were investigated in rats. Both chalcones showed significant preventive effects in treatment with melatonin previous to the necrotising agent.

Preserved umbilical cord facilitates antenatal diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy.

Spinal Muscular atrophy (SMA) Type I is a fatal autosomal recessive disease caused by homozygous deletion of telometric region of exon 7/8 of the SMN gene. Prenatal diagnosis is feasible and desirable by most families. We report on prenatal diagnosis of SMAI in a family where dried umbilical cord stump from the deceased affected baby was used to confirm the diagnosis.

Effects of Zuccagnia punctata on the gastrointestinal tract in rats and mice.

A pharmacological evaluation of Zuccagnia punctata Cav. (Fabaceae) on the gastrointestinal tract was made in rats and mice. 2',4'-dihydroxychalcone and 2',4'-dihydroxy-3'-methoxychalcone were isolated from Zuccagnia punctata.

Greenlandic family structure and communication with parents: influence on schoolchildren's drinking behaviour.

Objectives: The objective of this paper is to investigate how changes in the Greenlandic family structure and perceived difficulties in communicating with parents affect the prevalence of alcohol consumption and the risk of drunkenness among schoolchildren.

Study Design: The survey was carried out in February 1998 in all schools in Greenland in the context of the WHO Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study. Altogether 3,081 questionnaires were returned, which gave a response rate of 68% of the total study population.

Low expression of inhibitory natural killer receptors in CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes in long-term non-progressor HIV-1-infected patients.

We investigated whether a different pattern of HLA-specific inhibitory natural killer receptor (iNKR) expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of long-term non-progressor (LTNP) patients explained their benign course of HIV-1 infection. The surface expression of p70, p140 and CD94/NKG2A in their CD3+CD8+ PBMC was comparable to that of uninfected donors. The lack of iNKR-mediated functional inhibition of HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vitro could provide an additional mechanism for the efficient control of virus spread in LTNP patients.

Health behaviors in elderly people. A 5-year follow-up of 75-year-old people living in three Nordic localities. Smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and healthy eating, and attitudes to their importance.

Few studies about health behavior among elderly persons in the Nordic countries are available, and our knowledge about longitudinal changes is especially limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of selected health behaviors as reported at age 75 years in Finland, Sweden and Denmark together with answers regarding attitudes to such habits, and study longitudinal changes between 75 and 80 years. The study population included 499 men and 704 women born in 1914/15 and examined in 1989/90 in Jyväskylä (Finland), Göteborg (Sweden), and Glostrup (Denmark).

Synthesis, structure, and second-order nonlinear optical properties of copper(II) and palladium(II) acentric complexes with N-salicylidene-N'-aroylhydrazine tridentate ligands.

Two new N-salicylidene-N'-aroylhydrazines ligands have been prepared: N-4-diethylaminosalicylidene-N'-4-nitrobenzoyl-hydrazine (L(1)) and N-4-diethylaminosalicylidene-N'-4-(4-nitrophenylethylidene)-benzoyl-hydrazine (L(2)). The ligands are properly functionalized with strong electron donor-acceptor groups and are of potential interest in second-order nonlinear optics (NLO). Dimeric copper(II) and palladium(II) complexes with L(1) and L(2) have been prepared, and, starting from these, mononuclear acentric adducts with pyridine as a further ligand have been prepared and characterized.

Common variants in the lipoprotein lipase gene, but not those in the insulin receptor substrate-1, the beta3-adrenergic receptor, and the intestinal fatty acid binding protein-2 genes, influence the lipid phenotypic expression in familial combined hyperlipidemia.

Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) is a common, atherogenic lipid disorder characterized by a variable phenotypic expression of hyperlipidemia. Variations in genes regulating fatty acid metabolism must be considered in the search for factors affecting the lipid phenotypic expression of FCHL. Therefore, we have evaluated the association of the common variants in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) (D9N, N291S, and S447X), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) (G972R), fatty acid binding protein-2 (FABP-2) (A54T), and beta3-adrenergic receptor (beta3-AR) (W64R) genes with lipid and lipoprotein levels in 30 Italian FCHL families (195 individuals).

The HLA class II transcriptional activator blocks the function of HIV-1 Tat and inhibits viral replication.

The expression of HLA class II genes is under the control of a transcriptional activator, CIITA, encoded by the AIR-1 locus. Here we show that CIITA inhibits HIV-1 LTR transactivation mediated by Tat. The inhibition occurred when CIITA and Tat were transiently expressed in cells after transfection and, most importantly, when tat cDNA was transfected in cells expressing CIITA in a constitutive fashion and at physiological levels.

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma ("Merkel cell tumor") of the eyelid: a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND. Merkel cell tumor is an uncommon, aggressive neoplasm of the skin, now regarded as a neuroendocrine carcinoma. Eyelids are among the sites where it can develop, often mimicking a benign process.

Comparative overview of cardiac output measurement methods: has impedance cardiography come of age?

Cardiac output, usually expressed as liters of blood ejected by the left ventricle per minute, is a fundamental measure of the adequacy of myocardial function to meet the perfusion needs of tissue at any time. Decreases in cardiac output over time (when cardiac output is measured under similar conditions) may signal myocardial functional deterioration and the onset or progression of heart failure. Conversely, improvements in cardiac output may indicate a positive response to medical therapy.

Aspergillus galactomannan antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid of bone marrow transplant recipients with probable cerebral aspergillosis.

The Aspergillus galactomannan test was performed on cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples from 5 patients with probable cerebral aspergillosis and from 16 control patients. Cerebrospinal fluid galactomannan levels were significantly higher in aspergillosis patients, and most galactomannan was produced intrathecally. Comparison of serum galactomannan values in pulmonary and cerebral aspergillosis patients showed significant overlapping.

Diuretic activity of Fabiana patagonica in rats.

A pharmacological evaluation of the diuretic activity of Fabiana patagonica Speg. (Solanaceae) was carried out in isotonic saline loaded rats. The data reported in the present work indicate that the acetone extract and infusion of the aerial part of Fabiana patagonica showed a moderate diuretic activity.

Identification, molecular cloning and functional characterization of NKp46 and NKp30 natural cytotoxicity receptors in Macaca fascicularis NK cells.

Natural killer (NK) cell recognition and function in humans is regulated by multiple cell surface receptors. The "on" signal leading to NK cell triggering is primarily mediated by natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCR). Analysis of NK cells in primate animal models is of particular relevance because NK cells may play an essential role in host defenses against infections.

Wintertime vitamin D deficiency in male adolescents: effect on parathyroid function and response to vitamin D3 supplements.

The first part of this study consisted of an 18 month follow-up of the vitamin D status and parathyroid function in a group of 54 French male adolescents, aged from 13 to 16 years old and all pupils of a jockey training school. During the 18 month period four samplings were made, one every 6 months. The first was during September of the first year, the second and third during March and October of the second year, and the last in March of the third year.

The MHC class II transactivator: prey and hunter in infectious diseases.

The MHC class II transcriptional activator (CIITA) is the major regulator of expression of MHC class II genes. Thus, CIITA plays a fundamental role in the regulation of the immune response. Here, we discuss our findings on the dual role of CIITA during infections, as the target (prey) for certain pathogens but the host effector (hunter) against other pathogens, including HIV-1.

Differential disappearance of inhibitory natural killer cell receptors during HAART and possible impairment of HIV-1-specific CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Background: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is associated with a decrease in viral replication to undetectable levels and with an increase in CD4 T lymphocytes. Residual HIV-1 replication occurs together with incomplete recovery of cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocyte (CTL) numbers and function. We sought to determine whether expression of HLA class I-specific inhibitory natural killer receptors (iNKR) on the CTL of patients who had been treated successfully with HAART for 24 months could be involved, at least in part, in residual CTL functional inhibition.

Utility of B-natriuretic peptide as a rapid, point-of-care test for screening patients undergoing echocardiography to determine left ventricular dysfunction.

Background: Although echocardiography is an important tool for making the diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, the cost of this procedure limits its use as a routine screening tool for this purpose. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) accurately reflects ventricular pressure, and preliminary studies have found it to be highly sensitive and highly specific in diagnosing congestive heart failure in the emergency department. We hypothesized that BNP might therefore be useful as a screening tool before echocardiography in patients with suspected LV dysfunction.

Antioxidant activity of Artemisia douglasiana besser extract and dehydroleucodine.

The charge (relative concentration) of antioxidants in aqueous extract and dehydroleucodine (DhL) from Artemisia douglasiana Besser was determined employing a procedure based on the quenching of luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP) and total antioxidant reactivity (TAR) values were determined. The data reported in the present work indicate that the extract of Artemisia douglasiana Besser and DhL showed antioxidant capacity.