Gene expression in obliterative bronchiolitis-like lesions in 2,3-pentanedione-exposed rats.

Obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) is an irreversible lung disease characterized by progressive fibrosis in the small airways with eventual occlusion of the airway lumens. OB is most commonly associated with lung transplant rejection; however, OB has also been diagnosed in workers exposed to artificial butter flavoring (ABF) vapors. Research has been limited by the lack of an adequate animal model of OB, and as a result the mechanism(s) is unclear and there are no effective treatments for this condition.

The absence of ER-β results in altered gene expression in ovarian granulosa cells isolated from in vivo preovulatory follicles.

Determining the spatial and temporal expression of genes involved in the ovulatory pathway is critical for the understanding of the role of each estrogen receptor in the modulation of folliculogenesis and ovulation. Estrogen receptor (ER)-β is highly expressed in ovarian granulosa cells, and mice lacking ER-β are subfertile due to inefficient ovulation. Previous work has focused on isolated granulosa cells or cultured follicles and, although informative, provides confounding results due to the heterogeneous cell types present including granulosa and theca cells and oocytes and exposure to in vitro conditions.

Testing an aflatoxin B1 gene signature in rat archival tissues.

Archival tissues from laboratory studies represent a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between genomic changes and agent-induced disease. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of qPCR for detecting genomic changes in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues by determining if a subset of 14 genes from a 90-gene signature derived from microarray data and associated with eventual tumor development could be detected in archival liver, kidney, and lung of rats exposed to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) for 90 days in feed at 1 ppm. These tissues originated from the same rats used in the microarray study.

Group interpersonal psychotherapy for low-income women with posttraumatic stress disorder.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for low-income women with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subsequent to interpersonal trauma. Non-treatment-seeking predominantly minority women were recruited in family planning and gynecology clinics. Individuals with interpersonal trauma histories (e.

Disorders of extreme stress (DESNOS) symptoms are associated with type and severity of interpersonal trauma exposure in a sample of healthy young women.

Childhood abuse and other developmentally adverse interpersonal traumas may put young adults at risk not only for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but also for impairment in affective, cognitive, biological, and relational self-regulation ("disorders of extreme stress not otherwise specified"; DESNOS). Structured clinical interviews with 345 sophomore college women, most of whom (84%) had experienced at least one traumatic event, indicated that the DESNOS syndrome was rare (1% prevalence), but DESNOS symptoms were reported by a majority of respondents. Controlling for PTSD and other anxiety or affective disorders, DESNOS symptom severity was associated with a history of single-incident interpersonal trauma and with more severe interpersonal trauma in a dose-response manner.

Effects of adolescent trauma exposure on risky behavior in college women.

Individuals with sexual assault or abuse histories are likely to engage in risky sexual and other self-destructive behaviors. Studies of these behaviors, however, have focused on target traumatic events without accounting for other events in the participant's history, recency of the events, and/or developmental level at time of occurrence. The present study addressed some of these confounds by creating groups with unique and non-overlapping trauma histories among adolescent participants whose first trauma occurred at age 12 or older.

Psychological impact of types of sexual trauma among college women.

Studies typically demonstrate that sexual victimization is associated with negative outcomes, yet they often fail to control for other trauma exposure and rarely address the impact of developmental level at the time of exposure or the type of sexual trauma experienced. The present study addresses these confounds by identifying groups of women with unique, nonoverlapping sexual trauma histories and examines the association between type of sexual trauma exposure and mental health impairment, social adjustment, and sexual functioning. This study compared five discrete groups of college-sophomore women based on self-identified trauma histories including no trauma, childhood sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, adolescent sexual assault, and revictimization.

Improved methods for extracting RNA from exfoliated human colonocytes in stool and RT-PCR analysis.

In order to diagnose colon cancer at an earlier, more localized stage, there is a need to develop diagnostic markers (genes) which can detect early patterns of gene expression in exfoliated colonocytes shed in the stool during routine screening for this disease. An RNA-based detection is more pertinent than either a DNA-based or a protein-based method as a screening procedure, but it has not been widely used as a cancer screen because of the difficulty of handling and stabilizing the RNA molecule. We describe a method that permits extraction of intact nondegraded total RNA from human colonocytes in stool and from normal and malignant colon tissues (which were employed for comparison with stool).

Mental health effects of adolescent trauma exposure in a female college sample: exploring differential outcomes based on experiences of unique trauma types and dimensions.

Most studies on the psychological impact of trauma exposure focus on the response to a single type of trauma, with little or no attention paid to the contribution of prior traumatic experiences. The goal of this study was to disentangle some of the confounding effects of multiple trauma exposures by exploring the unique contribution to mental health outcomes made by specific types and dimensions of trauma. This report compares the psychological outcomes of college women who experienced different types of trauma during adolescence, including traumatic bereavement, sexual assault, and physical assault.

Treatment patterns and outcomes of depressed medically ill and non-medically ill patients in community psychiatric practice.

The prevalence of depression among the medically ill, the recognition of depression in general medical practice, and the association between depression and medical illness have all been a focus for research in recent years. Less is known about the process and outcomes of depression care in the medically ill compared with the non-medically ill, but some studies suggest that those with concomitant physical illness have poorer outcomes. In a study of community psychiatric practice, a sample of 53 patients with no medical comorbidity (NMI) was compared with 50 patients, categorized by higher (HMI) or lower (LMI) levels of physical comorbidity, approximately 5 months after beginning treatment for a current episode of major depression.

Mutational analysis of the androgen receptor using laser capture microdissection and direct sequencing.

Molecular analysis of prostate cancer specimens is complicated by tumor heterogeneity and admixture of malignant cells with benign epithelium, stroma and inflammatory cells. Laser Capture Microdissection allows procurement of selected groups of cells from specific areas of tissue sections. We have used Laser Capture Microdissection to obtain pure samples of malignant prostate epithelial cells from frozen radical prostatectomy specimens.

Cognitive and Affective Changes After Cataract Surgery in an Elderly Population.

The authors report on a sample of 108 subjects over 60 years old who underwent cataract surgery and were assessed for cognitive and affective changes before surgery and at 1 week, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Cataract surgery did not predispose to significant cognitive deterioration in the perioperative period nor during the first postoperative year. However, objective vision changes, the subjective measure of adjustment to the effects of surgery, and a high depression score before surgery were significant predictors of depression at the end of the study year.