Human embryonic spinal cord grafts in adult rat spinal cord cavities: survival, growth, and interactions with the host.

The ability of solid pieces of transplanted human embryonic spinal cord to survive, grow, and integrate with adult rat host spinal cord tissue was investigated. Unilateral cavities were surgically created at vertebral level T12-T13 in 10 athymic nude rats and 5 regular Sprague-Dawley rats. Seven of the athymic rats acutely received a human spinal cord graft, while the remaining 8 rats served as controls, with cavities alone.

Nicotine exposure during a critical period of development leads to persistent changes in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of adult rat brain.

Effects of neonatal nicotine exposure on the development of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) alpha2, alpha3, alpha4, alpha7, and beta2 subunit mRNAs and the number of nAChR isoforms in rat brain were studied. The mRNA levels for nAChR subunits were measured by ribonuclease protection assay, and the number of nAChR isoforms was measured with (-)-[3H]nicotine, [3H]epibatidine, and alpha-[3H]bungarotoxin ([3H]alpha-Bgt). Pups were divided into two groups: One group received (-)-nicotine treatment (0.

Analysis of NMDA receptors in the human spinal cord.

NMDA receptors in postmortem human spinal cord were analyzed using [3H]MK-801 ligand binding and immunoblotting with NMDA receptor subunit-specific antibodies. The average KD for [3H]MK-801 binding was 1.77 nM with a Bmax of 0.

Intracellular inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptor levels are preserved in Alzheimer's disease platelets.

An increasing number of signal transduction disturbances have been reported in Alzheimer's disease. These changes are not restricted to histopathologically changed brain areas but are seen also in peripheral tissues. One of the most severe disturbances is a loss of calcium-mobilizing intracellular inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptors in Alzheimer cerebellar and cortical tissues.

Presenilin-1, amyloid precursor protein and amyloid precursor-like protein 2 mRNA levels in human superior frontal cortex during aging.

The presenilin-1 (PS-1) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) genes carry mutations which co-segregate with early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease. The APP and PS-1 gene products may be involved in the aetiology of the more common late onset form of Alzheimer's disease, where increasing age is a major risk factor. To investigate whether age affected mRNA expression of these genes, we quantified PS-1, total APP, APP containing the kunitz-type protease inhibitor (KPI) domain and amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) mRNAs in post-mortem superior frontal cortices from 23 control subjects aged 38 to 89 years using solution hybridisation-RNase protection assays.

Responsibility for crime and injury when drunk.

The aim of this paper is to highlight the complexity in the connection between alcohol intoxication and responsibility for crime from a multidisciplinary approach comprising medical, legal and criminological perspectives. There is no doubt that there is a connection between violent behaviour and alcohol intoxication. However, several investigations show that alcohol heightens aggressiveness only when the drunken person is provoked.

Sex hormones during alcohol withdrawal: a longitudinal study of 29 male alcoholics during detoxification.

It is a well-known fact that alcohol affects sex hormone levels in males. Even in the absence of liver dysfunction, there is still a direct toxic effect of ethanol on testosterone synthesis resulting in acutely decreased values. This study is based on 29 male alcoholics without severe signs of liver disease treated on the alcohol detoxification ward at Huddinge hospital in Stockholm, Sweden during 1995.

Effects of beta-amyloid-(25-35) peptides on radioligand binding to excitatory amino acid receptors and voltage-dependent calcium channels: evidence for a selective affinity for the glutamate and glycine recognition sites of the NMDA receptor.

The neurotoxic fragment corresponding to residues 25-35 of the beta-amyloid (A beta) peptide [A beta-(25-35)] has been shown to exert effects on (+)-[3H]5-methyl-10, 11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]-cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate ([3H]MK-801) binding to the cation channel of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. In the present study, we investigated whether the amidated and carboxylic acid C-terminated forms of A beta-(25-35) [A beta-(25-35-NH2) and A beta-(25-35-COOH), respectively] exert effects on other excitatory amino acid receptor and cation channel types in rat cortical membranes. Both A beta-(25-35-NH2) and A beta-(25-35-COOH) gave statistically significant dose-dependent inhibitions of [3H]glutamate and [3H]glycine binding to the agonist recognition sites of the NMDA receptor.

Interexaminer reliability in physical examination of the neck.

Background: There are numerous clinical tests used in the evaluation of patients with symptoms arising from the cervical spine. It is necessary to use clinical tests with high validity and reliability. Previous studies of reliability of clinical tests used in the evaluation of the cervical spine have come to various conclusions, most of which suggest low reliability.

Bilateral temporal lobe volume reduction parallels cognitive impairment in progressive aphasia.

Background: Patients with isolated aphasia in the absence of other cognitive abnormalities have been the focus of several studies during the past decade. It has been called primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and the typical features of this syndrome are marked atrophy of the left temporal lobe according to the radiological examination and a language disorder as the initial symptom. In previous studies of PPA, the selection of the patients was based mainly on linguistic symptoms.

Morphological characterization of the evolving rat spinal cord injury after photochemically induced ischemia.

We have characterized the evolving morphological changes in the adult rat spinal cord following photochemically induced spinal cord ischemia. In cresyl violet-stained sections, disintegration of the tissue at the epicenter was evident at 6 h. This was preceded at 1 h post ischemia by an albumin immunoreactivity.

Nicotinic receptors, muscarinic receptors and choline acetyltransferase activity in the temporal cortex of Alzheimer patients with differing apolipoprotein E genotypes.

The number of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity were investigated in the temporal cortex of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) with different apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes. A significant reduction in the ChAT activity (P < 0.001) and in the number of nicotinic receptors (P < 0.

Autoradiographic characterisation of [35S]GTP gamma S binding sites in rat brain.

The binding of [35S]GTP gamma S was characterised with autoradiography in rat brain. The binding was saturable, but the rate of dissociation was very slow. Analysis of binding isotherms revealed one class of binding sites with a Kd of 0.

Mapping of a disease locus for familial rapidly progressive frontotemporal dementia to chromosome 17q12-21.

Familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a complex disorder with lack of distinctive histopathological markers found in other types of dementia. Most of the linkage reports from FTD families map the disease loci to chromosome 17q21-22. However, FTD is genetically heterogeneous, as linkage also has been reported to chromosome 3.

Autoradiographic characterization of [3H]cGMP binding sites in the rat brain.

Quantitative autoradiography was used to characterize and localize [3H]cGMP binding sites in the rat brain. [3H]cGMP binding was found to be pH-sensitive (with two optima at 7.4 and 5.

Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele decreases functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease as measured by EEG coherence.

Objectives: The epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) represents a major biological risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease. However, it is still not known whether the APOE genotype affects the progression of the disease, assessed by different functional methods.

Methods: The study sample included 41 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease.

Quality of life in diabetic patients registered with primary health care services in Sweden.

Objective: To evaluate the health-related quality of life in diabetic subjects in primary health care.

Design: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey of diabetic patients registered with primary health services, compared with a standard population sample.

Setting: Three community health centres in the Metropolitan Stockholm area.

Starting insulin therapy in elderly non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients at a health care centre. Methodological and economic aspects.

Objective: To try to start insulin therapy in elderly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients with secondary failure in primary health care, and compare costs for starting treatment in a health care centre and in a day-care clinic in a hospital.

Design: Time and costs for start of insulin were calculated.

Setting: A health care centre in Stockholm, Sweden.

Clip compression injury in the spinal cord: a correlative study of neurological and morphological alterations.

Rats subjected to experimental spinal cord compression of different degrees induced by aneurysm clips were neurologically tested 3 and 5 weeks postinjury. The development of spinal cord tissue destruction over time was similar to what has been described for other experimental spinal cord injuries with characteristics such as early edema, axonal swelling, and later necrosis. Three weeks after injury a reactive gliosis was found at the injury epicenter and regenerating axons could be identified in the otherwise necrotic cavity.

The 1994 International Consensus Conference on Dementia and Driving: a brief report. Swedish National Road Administration.

A possible relationship exists between the increased relative crash risk of older drivers and the prevalence of age-related diseases such as dementia. However, although dementia effects cognitive functions essential for safe driving, the evaluation of driving competence in demented persons is problematic. A clear-cut policy, intended chiefly for primary care physicians, is still lacking.

MRI-guided SPECT measurements of medial temporal lobe blood flow in Alzheimer's disease.

Unlabelled: In this study, we assessed the accuracy and reliability of MRI-guided SPECT measurements of medial temporal lobe blood flow in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Interactively aligned three-dimensional MP-RAGE MRI and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT images were used for MRI-guided measurement of medial temporal lobe CBF in eight control subjects and eight patients with probable AD. Intraoperator reliability was assessed by repeated alignment and measurement by one experienced operator.

Effects of neonatal stimulation on later cognitive function and hippocampal nerve growth factor.

This study examined the behavioural and physiological effects of chronic mild stress on neonatally handled and non-handled rats. Neonatally handled and non-handled rats were exposed to chronic mild stress from weaning time to 6 months of age. They were behaviourally tested at 6 months of age, and sacrificed for analysis of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the hippocampus and hypothalamus.

Theft behaviour and its consequences among kleptomaniacs and shoplifters--a comparative study.

This study is based on interviews with 37 persons fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for kleptomania recruited through newspaper advertisements, and on 50 shoplifters interviewed directly after apprehension. Our hypothesis was that there are no absolute borders between 'pure' kleptomania according to DSM-IV and other forms of shoplifting. When asked about the latest case of shoplifting, one fifth of the shoplifters reported not having stolen the item for personal use and had later discarded it.

Parapartum mental illness: an interview follow-up study.

A total of 54 parapartum mentally ill mothers and 89 controls were followed up approximately 6 years after childbirth. In total, 80% of the patients avoided further pregnancies during the follow-up period, compared to 58% of the controls (non-significant difference). One-third of the patients did not live together with their child, compared to only 3% of the controls.

Clinical characteristics of a chromosome 17-linked rapidly progressive familial frontotemporal dementia.

Objective: To describe symptoms, signs, neuroimaging results, and neuropathologic findings in patients from a family with chromosome 17q21-linked autosomal dominant frontotemporal dementia.

Design: Multiple case report with genetic investigations.

Subjects: The disease was observed in a Swedish family and documented in 3 generations.