Relation between apolipoprotein E genotype, hepatitis B virus status, and thyroid status in a sample of older persons with Down syndrome.

Dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) is common in older persons with Down syndrome (DS). There are three common alleles of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene (Sigma 2, Sigma 3, and Sigma 4) resulting in three different isoforms (E2, E3, and E4) and six different genotypes (2,2; 2,3; 2,4; 3,3; 3,4; and 4,4). Sigma 4 is a risk factor for DAT whereas Sigma 2 appears prophylactic.

Sleep disturbances in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The objective of the study was to compare polysomnographic patterns in two groups of preadolescent children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (a sleep clinic referral sample and a community sample) with control children. A prospective and observational study in the sleep clinic and the community was undertaken. Forty-seven ADHD children referred to the sleep clinic (ADHDcl), 53 ADHD children from a community survey (ADHDcom), and 49 control children underwent overnight polysomnography.

Common HIV drug-drug interactions.

Patients with HIV receive a multitude of medications daily, typically including a triple-drug antiretroviral regimen, prophylactic agents, and therapeutic drugs as needed. While the extensive drug regimens have resulted in improved survival and fewer opportunistic infections, they are also associated with the potential for undesirable and toxic drug interactions. The widespread use of protease inhibitors in particular has greatly increased the number and types of drug interactions that clinicians must monitor.

Dissociations of cerebral cortex, subcortical and cerebral white matter volumes in autistic boys.

High-functioning autistic and normal school-age boys were compared using a whole-brain morphometric profile that includes both total brain volume and volumes of all major brain regions. We performed MRI-based morphometric analysis on the brains of 17 autistic and 15 control subjects, all male with normal intelligence, aged 7-11 years. Clinical neuroradiologists judged the brains of all subjects to be clinically normal.

Epithelial polarity and tubulogenesis in vitro.

The most fundamental type of organization of cells in metazoa is that of epithelia, which comprise sheets of adherent cells that divide the organism into topologically and physiologically distinct spaces. Some epithelial cells cover the outside of the organism; these often form multiple layers, such as in skin. Other epithelial cells form monolayers that line internal organs, and yet others form tubes that infiltrate the whole organism, carrying liquids and gases containing nutrients, waste and other materials.

Founder von Willebrand factor haplotype associated with type 1 von Willebrand disease.

To date, no dominant mutation has been identified in a significant proportion of patients with type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD). In this study, we examined 70 families as part of the Canadian Type 1 VWD Study. The entire VWF gene was sequenced for 1 index case, revealing 2 sequence variations: intron 30 (5312-19A>C) and exon 28 at Tyr1584Cys (4751A>G).

Sleep and neurobehavioral characteristics of 5- to 7-year-old children with parentally reported symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Objectives: This study examined the hypothesis that domains of neurobehavioral function would be selectively affected by sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Therefore, we assessed potential relationships between objectively measured sleep disturbances and neurobehavioral function in children with reported symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and also determined the incidence of snoring and other sleep problems in 5- to 7-year-old children in the local community and potential relationships to parental snoring and passive smoking.

Methods: Parents of 5- to 7-year-old children in public schools were surveyed about their child's sleeping habits using a validated questionnaire.

Periodic limb movement disorder of sleep in children.

To characterize periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) in a cohort of prepubertal children we examined sleep-related identifiable differences between children with PLMD and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), PLMD alone, and age-matched controls. Children were selected from a chart review of all children referred to a pediatric sleep medicine center and from a community survey of 5-7-year-old-children. Polysomnography (PSG) and parental report data from all children identified as having periodic limb movement index (PLMI) >5 were reviewed and compared with a cohort of age-matched controls.

Hepatocyte growth factor switches orientation of polarity and mode of movement during morphogenesis of multicellular epithelial structures.

Epithelial cells form monolayers of polarized cells with apical and basolateral surfaces. Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells transiently lose their apico-basolateral polarity and become motile by treatment with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which causes the monolayer to remodel into tubules. HGF induces cells to produce basolateral extensions.

Re-establishing psychodynamic theory as foundational knowledge for psychiatric/mental health nursing.

Psychiatric nursing care is based on an interpersonal process that relies on the therapeutic use of self in the service of patient care. Despite acknowledgment of the importance of the relationship, there has been little attention paid to the knowledge embedded in psychodynamic theory that can provide a basis for understanding the nurse-patient relationship. This paper argues that nurses need to understand and apply such theory if they are to pursue the assertion that the relationship with the patient is the foundation of their practice.

Cell-permeable ceramides increase basal glucose incorporation into triacylglycerols but decrease the stimulation by insulin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Objective: To investigate mechanisms for the regulation of glucose incorporation into triacylgycerols in adipocytes by ceramides, which mediate some actions of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha).

Design: The effects of C(2)- and C(6)-ceramides (N-acetyl- and N-hexanoyl-sphingosines, respectively) on glucose uptake and incorporation into triacylglycerols and pathways of signal tansduction were measured in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Results: C(6)-ceramide increased basal 2-deooxyglucose uptake but decreased insulin-stimulated uptake without changing the EC(50) for insulin.

Expression and costimulatory effects of the TNF receptor superfamily members CD134 (OX40) and CD137 (4-1BB), and their role in the generation of anti-tumor immune responses.

This study addresses the relative importance of CD134 (OX40) and CD137 (4-1BB) in the costimulation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells under comparable conditions of antigenic stimulation. We demonstrate that CD134 is capable of directly costimulating CD8+ T cells. However, costimulation of CD8+ T cells by CD134 is less potent than that triggered by CD137.

Staphylococcus aureus clumping factor B (ClfB) promotes adherence to human type I cytokeratin 10: implications for nasal colonization.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of sepsis in both community and hospital settings, a major risk factor for which is nasal carriage of the bacterium. Eradication of carriage by topical antibiotics reduces sepsis rates in high-risk individuals, an important strategy for the reduction of nosocomial infection in targeted patient populations. Understanding the mechanisms by which S.

Dissociated ROS production and ceramide generation in sulfasalazine-induced cell death in Raw 264.7 cells.

Sulfasalazine (SSZ) is a drug used in inflammatory bowel disease, whose precise mechanism of action remains to be clarified. Here, we report that incubation of Raw 264.7 cells with SSZ but not salicylates [acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 4-aminosalicylic acid (4-ASA), and 5-ASA] causes a mixed apoptotic and necrotic form of cell death.

Using the implicit association test to measure age differences in implicit social cognitions.

Two studies investigated the use of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D.

Opinion: Building epithelial architecture: insights from three-dimensional culture models.

How do individual cells organize into multicellular tissues? Here, we propose that the morphogenetic behaviour of epithelial cells is guided by two distinct elements: an intrinsic differentiation programme that drives formation of a lumen-enclosing monolayer, and a growth factor-induced, transient de-differentiation that allows this monolayer to be remodelled.

Behavioural and neurocognitive implications of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea in children: facts and theory.

The pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a common condition in children, is poorly understood. While adenotonsillar hypertrophy is certainly a major contributor, other factors are needed for OSA to develop. OSA has been associated with substantial morbidities primarily affecting cardiovascular and neurobehavioural systems which may not be completely reversed with appropriate treatment.

Multiple mechanisms for the activation of human platelet aggregation by Staphylococcus aureus: roles for the clumping factors ClfA and ClfB, the serine-aspartate repeat protein SdrE and protein A.

The ability of Staphylococcus aureus cells to induce platelet aggregation has long been recognized. However, despite several attempts to identify the mechanisms involved in this interaction, the nature of the bacterial receptors required remains poorly understood. Using genetic manipulation, this study for the first time provides clear evidence that several S.

Social norms and the expression and suppression of prejudice: the struggle for internalization.

The authors studied social norms and prejudice using M. Sherif and C. W.

Nurse--client relationships: the experience of community psychiatric nurses.

The aim of the present study was to construct an interpretation of the experience of the nurse--client relationship in the context of community psychiatric nursing. Hermeneutic phenomenology formed the framework of the study. Shared conversations were conducted with five experienced community psychiatric nurses and five clients.

T cell immunity to lymphoma following treatment with anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody.

In this study we demonstrate that treatment with anti-CD40 mAb eradicates a range of mouse lymphomas (BCL(1), A31, A20, and EL4), but only when used against i.v. tumor doses in excess of 10(7) cells.

The antimitogenic action of the sulphated polysaccharide fucoidan differs from heparin in human vascular smooth muscle cells.

The sulphated polysaccharides fucoidan and heparin both inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. In this study we compared their actions on mitogenesis and ERK1/ERK2 activation in human VSMC. Although they displaced cell surface [3H]-heparin binding with similar affinity, they exerted clearly distinguishable actions.