The graded anxiety test: a novel test of murine unconditioned anxiety based on the principles of the elevated plus-maze and light-dark test.

Standard tests of murine unconditioned anxiety such as the elevated plus-maze and light-dark test are based on a dichotomy of avoidance behaviour (walled vs. open arms and dark vs. light compartments).

Multiple arterial variation of the human upper limb.

A case report of multiple variations involving the arteries of the upper limb in a single cadaver is presented. In addition to the proximal origin of the arteries unusual arterial patterns on both the right and left sides were present. On the right side, the subscapular artery gave rise to a large posterior circumflex humeral artery in addition to the thoracodorsal and circumflex scapular arteries.

[Functional outcomes after supracricoid partial laryngectomy].

Objectives: We evaluated functional outcomes in patients undergoing supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL).

Patients And Methods: The study included 20 male patients (mean age 61.5 years; range 43 to 76 years) who underwent SCPL for advanced laryngeal carcinoma.

Total parenteral nutrition delays platelet engraftment in patients who undergo autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objectives: One of the major challenges in the post-transplant period is nutrition. In this prospective, non-randomized study, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was given to 31 patients and partial parenteral nutrition (PPN) was given to 30 patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for solid tumors or hematologic malignancies to compare the effects of these parenteral nutrition modalities on post-transplant hematological engraftment, blood chemistry, and supportive therapy requirements.

Methods: All patients in the TPN group and 17 patients in the PPN group received growth factor in the post-transplant period.

GP3: GenePix post-processing program for automated analysis of raw microarray data.

Unlabelled: Here we describe an automated and customizable program to correct, filter and normalize raw microarray data captured using GenePix, a commonly used microarray image analysis application. Files can be processed individually or in batch mode for increased throughput. User defined inputs specify the stringency of data filtering and the method and conditions of normalization.

Enhanced maze performance and reduced oxidative stress by combined extracts of zingiber officinale and ginkgo biloba in the aged rat.

Here we assessed the effects of i.g. administration of Zingicomb (ZC), a mixture of zingiber officinale and ginkgo biloba extracts, on learning and memory, and on indicators of oxidative stress in aged rats.

Unaltered radial maze performance and brain acetylcholine of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout mouse.

Proceeding from previous findings of a beneficial effect of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene inactivation on negatively reinforced water maze performance, we asked whether this improvement in place learning capacities also holds for a positively reinforced radial maze task. Unlike its beneficial effects on the water maze task, eNOS gene inactivation did not facilitate radial maze performance. The acquisition performance over the days of place learning did not differ between eNOS knockout (eNOS-/-) and wild-type mice (eNOS+/+).

Superior water maze performance and increase in fear-related behavior in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase-deficient mouse together with monoamine changes in cerebellum and ventral striatum.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the control of emotion, learning, and memory. We have examined endothelial NO synthase-deficient mice (eNOS-/-) in terms of habituation to an open field, elevated plus-maze behavior, Morris water maze performance, and changes in cerebral monoamines. In the open field, eNOS-/- animals were less active than wild-type controls but showed unimpaired habituation.

Risk of hip fracture derived from relative risks: an analysis applied to the population of Sweden.

Bone mineral density measurements are widely used to estimate the relative risk of hip fracture. In addition, many other risk factors have been identified, some of which are known to add to the risk independently of other risk factors, including bone mineral density measurements. In this paper we develop an algorithm that converts relative risks for hip fracture to absolute (15 years and lifetime) risks, modeled on the population of Sweden.

Lifetime risk of hip fractures is underestimated.

Estimates of lifetime risk of osteoporotic fracture have assumed that mortality rates do not change. Since mortality in the elderly is decreasing in all regions of the world we assessed the effect of this on lifetime risks for hip fracture using Sweden as a reference country. Lifetime risks of hip fracture at the age of 50 years were 4.

Ultrastructural and biochemical changes of the brain after peripheral administration of phorbol myristate acetate.

The ultrastructural and biochemical changes in the brain tissue of 20 mice were studied. The mice, separated into acute and chronic groups, were injected with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) to trigger the release of free radicals. Malondialdehyde measurement and electron microscopic examination were applied for the evaluation of the effects of the free radicals.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators: an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

Estrogen is a key regulatory hormone, which in addition to its role in reproduction, affects a number of physiological systems, including the skeleton and cardiovascular system. The important role of estrogen in various tissues is perhaps most evident in postmenopausal women who, in addition to menopausal symptoms, experience increases in osteoporosis and coronary heart disease as their estrogen levels decline. Estrogen replacement, while effective against osteoporosis and heart disease, produces a number of side effects associated with the breast and uterus which limits compliance.

Identification of an H2-M3-restricted Listeria epitope: implications for antigen presentation by M3.

Using expression cloning, we have identified an H2-M3-restricted epitope of the intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Picomolar concentrations of an amino-terminal N-formylated hexapeptide, fMIGWII, targeted cells for lysis by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, while the nonformylated peptide was approximately 100-fold less active. The sequence of the 185 aa protein source of this epitope predicts a transmembrane protein that retains its N terminus and assumes an N(out)-C(in) topology.

Major histocompatibility complex class I allele-specific peptide libraries: identification of peptides that mimic an H-Y T cell epitope.

We describe a novel method for screening large libraries of random peptides for T cell antigens. Two libraries were constructed, containing fixed amino acids representing the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I anchor residues for H-2Kb-restricted octamers and H-2Db-restricted nonamers. Peptides from the Kb-restricted library (KbL: SXIXFXXL) and the Db-restricted library (DbL: XXXXNXXXIM) specifically stabilize empty Kb and Db molecules, respectively.

Cefaclor advanced formulation versus cefaclor in the treatment of pneumonia.

The use of cefaclor advanced formulation (cefaclor AF) in the treatment of pneumonia caused by susceptible organisms was investigated in a multi-center trial conducted in the United Kingdom and the United States. A total of 266 patients were enrolled in this double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, parallel study; 132 patients were treated with cefaclor AF and 134 patients received the reference drug cefaclor. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of lobar pneumonia or bronchopneumonia, with a positive sputum culture and an infiltrate on chest roentgenogram.

Acute bronchitis: results of U.S. and European trials of antibiotic therapy.

Acute bronchitis, an illness frequently encountered by primary-care physicians, is an inflammation of the tracheobronchial tree that results from a respiratory tract infection. It is characterized by persistent cough and sputum production and is occasionally accompanied by fever and/or chest pain. Acute bronchitis may have a viral or bacterial origin and is often treated with antibiotics.

Efficacy of cefaclor AF in the treatment of skin and skin-structure infections.

Cefaclor advanced formulation (cefaclor AF) was compared with cefaclor for the treatment of skin and skin-structure infections in a double-blind study at 28 centers in North America. Of the 563 patients originally randomized, 278 patients received cefaclor AF (375 mg twice daily) and 285 patients received cefaclor (250 mg three times daily). A total of 154 patients treated with cefaclor AF and 157 patients treated with cefaclor qualified for the efficacy analysis after completing 7 days of therapy.

Rapid fixation of whole organ specimens and attendant problems.

Gross specimens are valuable sources in morphology education. In this study, we investigated how the fixation of gross specimens may be accelerated. For this purpose, whole organ specimens from freshly killed rabbits: extremities, kidney, heart, liver, stomach and uterus were fixed in a mercaptoethanol-formaldehyde mixture for 3-3.

Loracarbef (LY163892) versus amoxicillin/clavulanate in the treatment of acute purulent bacterial bronchitis.

In this single-blind study, 488 patients with acute bronchitis were randomly assigned to receive 400 mg of loracarbef twice daily or 500/125 mg of amoxicillin/clavulanate three times daily for seven days. Treatment efficacy was evaluated in 98 patients treated with loracarbef and in 99 treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate in whom pretreatment positive cultures of pathogens susceptible to both study drugs were found. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated in pure or mixed cultures in 64% of the evaluable patients; S pneumoniae was found in 26%.

Loracarbef (LY163892) versus cefaclor in the treatment of acute bacterial bronchitis.

In this double-blind study, 319 patients (133 men, 186 women) with acute bronchitis were randomly assigned to receive 200 mg of loracarbef twice daily (n = 160; mean age, 42 years) or 250 mg of cefaclor thrice daily (n = 159; mean age, 43 years) for seven days. Clinical and bacteriologic responses were assessed in 63 loracarbef-treated and 56 cefaclor-treated patients in whom pretreatment positive cultures of pathogens susceptible to loracarbef and cefaclor were found. Among these evaluable patients, a clinical cure was found in 68.