Personality disorders over time: precursors, course and outcome.

Personality disorders cause dysfunction over the course of adult life. A chronic course of disorder tends to be associated with an early onset, and personality disorders are preceded by precursor symptoms in childhood. Long-term outcome varies by personality disorder category: antisocial and borderline personality tend to remit with age, an improvement that is not seen in other diagnoses.

Effect of cobalt and chromium ions on bcl-2, bax, caspase-3, and caspase-8 expression in human U937 macrophages.

The bcl-2 and caspase families of proteins play a central role in the modulation of apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of Co(2+) and Cr(3+) ions on the expression of bcl-2, bax, caspase-3 and caspase-8 to better understand the mechanisms leading to ion-induced apoptosis in macrophages. U937 human macrophages were exposed to Co(2+) and Cr(3+) ions.

Gender differences in personality traits and disorders.

Personality disorders differ in prevalence by gender. The most striking findings concern antisocial personality disorder, which is more common in men, and borderline personality disorder, which is more common in women. These differences are not artifacts, but reflect gender differences in the personality traits that underlie Axis II diagnoses.

Neurobiological correlates of diagnosis and underlying traits in patients with borderline personality disorder compared with normal controls.

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that borderline personality disorder (BPD) and its underlying traits are associated with abnormalities in neurotransmitter systems. Subjects were 30 women with BPD and 22 normal controls, assessed using the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines, revised, the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-A) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), the Diagnostic Assessment of Personality Pathology, the Buss-Durkee Guilt-Hostility Inventory, the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), and challenge tests to measure serotonergic, cholinergic and noradrenergic activity. Borderline subjects with high HAM-A and HAM-D scores showed a faster time to peak in prolactin response to meta-chlorphenylpiperazine (m-CPP) challenge.

Persistency of use of COX-2-specific inhibitors and non-specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in Quebec.

The effectiveness of pharmacological therapies is dependent in part on patient persistency with the prescribed therapeutic regimen. In the case of non-specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), effectiveness is often compromised by undesirable side-effects, poor compliance or discontinuation of therapy. While patterns of utilization of non-specific NSAIDs have been investigated, few data are available on the patterns of persistency for cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-specific inhibitors.

Cdc25A-inhibitory properties and antineoplastic activity of bisperoxovanadium analogues.

Bisperoxovanadium (bpV) compounds are irreversible protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitors with a spectrum of activity distinct from that of vanadium salts. We studied the efficacy of a panel of bpVs as antineoplastic agents in vitro and in vivo with a view to investigating phosphatases as potential antineoplastic targets. The Cdc25A dual-specificity phosphatase is an oncoprotein required for progression through G(1)-S.

A retinoid/butyric acid prodrug overcomes retinoic acid resistance in leukemias by induction of apoptosis.

Some success in overcoming retinoic acid (RA)-resistance has been reported for acute promyelocytic leukemia in cell lines and the clinic by combining histone deacetylase inhibitors, like sodium butyrate (NaB), with RA. This epigenetic therapy counteracts the effects of nuclear corepressors, causing a DNA conformation that facilitates RA-induced gene transcription and cell differentiation. In an effort to improve delivery of each drug, we have synthesized retinoyloxymethyl butyrate (RN1), a mutual prodrug of both RA and butyric acid.

The long-term effects of anti-retroviral protease inhibitors on sugar transport in L6 cells.

The objective of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of anti-retroviral protease inhibitors (PIs) on 2-deoxy-d -glucose (2-DG) transport in L6 cells in vitro. Exposure of L6 cells to saquinavir, ritonavir, indinavir and amprenavir resulted in significant increases in 2-DG transport using PI concentrations of 1-10 microM with continual exposure to PI. After removal of the PI for up to 48 h, 2-DG transport increases did not change and remained at pre-reversal levels.

Effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on stage of colon cancer at diagnosis.

Background And Objective: We investigated the effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use on stage of colon cancer and presence of distant metastases at diagnosis.

Methods: Cases of incident colon cancer diagnosed between 1981 and mid-1995 were selected from the Saskatchewan Cancer Registry. Cases with more extensive cancer at diagnosis were compared with cases with less extensive cancer (characterized using the Dukes system).

Expert consensus for training in perioperative echocardiography in the province of Quebec.

Purpose: Establish an expert consensus for training in perioperative echocardiography in the province of Quebec.

Methods: Cardiac anesthesiologists practicing in the province of Quebec with expertise in echocardiography were involved in the development of a multicentre expert consensus on training in perioperative echocardiography. Guidelines for training in adult echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography and perioperative echocardiography by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and/or the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) were reviewed.

The N-terminal of the estrogen receptor (ERalpha) mediates transcriptional cross-talk with the retinoic acid receptor in human breast cancer cells.

Transcriptional cross-talk exists between the estrogen receptor (ERalpha) and retinoic acid receptor (RAR) pathways in human breast cancer cells. We have previously shown that re-expression of ERalpha in ER-negative cells stimulates the transcriptional and growth inhibitory effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (tRA) by a mechanism that is independent of the ER ligands estradiol and tamoxifen. In this study, we generated cell lines stably expressing ERalpha-deletion mutants to elucidate the mechanism whereby ERalpha modulates RAR transcriptional activity.

Average sunrise time predicts depression prevalence.

Objective: Folk wisdom has it that early rising is associated with being "healthy, wealthy and wise." A physiologic explanation may be Wiegand's "Depressiogenic Theory of Sleep," which posits that excessive REM sleep causes depression. Sleeping late increases REM sleep, and thus may increase depression risk.

Use of elastic compression stockings after deep venous thrombosis: a comparison of practices and perceptions of thrombosis physicians and patients.

Daily long-term use of elastic compression stockings (ECS) by patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) may help to prevent the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). However, the effectiveness of ECS in clinical practice is difficult to predict, since the practices and perceptions of patients and thrombosis physicians regarding ECS have not been documented. The objectives were to survey DVT patients and thrombosis physicians on their practices and perceptions regarding use of ECS after DVT, and to evaluate whether physician perceptions are supported by patient responses.

Role of computed tomographic cisternography in the management of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea.

In a retrospective review of 13 patients, computed tomographic cisternography (CTC) was the primary imaging modality used for the detection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. In five of the cases, the diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhea was confirmed by the beta2-transferrin test. In the remaining cases, it was corroborated through endoscopic visualization, clinical history, and nuclear scanning.

Comparison between tests of fatigue and force for trunk flexion.

Study Design: A quasi-experimental study was conducted.

Objective: To compare intraindividual differences between trunk flexion isometric force, fatigue during isometric contraction (isometric fatigue), and fatigue during sit-ups (dynamic fatigue).

Summary Of Background Data: Trunk flexion force and trunk flexion fatigue commonly are used to assess trunk flexion fitness.

Synergy between all-trans retinoic acid and tumor necrosis factor pathways in acute leukemia cells.

The nuclear receptor ligand all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) causes dramatic terminal differentiation of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells in vitro and in patients, but it is less active in other malignancies. However, downstream mediators of the effects of ATRA are not well understood. We used a cDNA microarray to search for ATRA-regulated genes in the APL cell line NB4 and found that ATRA regulated several members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathway.

Role of nitric oxide in cellular iron metabolism.

Iron regulatory proteins (IRP1 and IRP2) control the synthesis of transferrin receptors (TfR) and ferritin by binding to iron-responsive elements (IREs) which are located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) and the 5' UTR of their respective mRNAs. Cellular iron levels affect binding of IRPs to IREs and consequently expression of TfR and ferritin. Moreover, NO*, a redox species of nitric oxide that interacts primarily with iron, can activate IRP1 RNA-binding activity resulting in an increase in TfR mRNA levels.

Nitric oxide-mediated modulation of iron regulatory proteins: implication for cellular iron homeostasis.

Iron regulatory proteins (IRP1 and IRP2) control the synthesis of transferrin receptors (TfR) and ferritin by binding to iron-responsive elements (IREs) that are located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) and the 5' UTR of their respective mRNAs. Cellular iron levels affect binding of IRPs to IREs and consequently expression of TfR and ferritin. Moreover, NO(.

The effects of protease inhibitors on basal and insulin-stimulated lipid metabolism, insulin binding, and signaling.

The objective of our research was to investigate the effects of the protease inhibitors ritonavir, saquinavir, and indinavir on triglyceride synthesis, lipolysis, insulin binding, and signaling in differentiating 3T3 L1 pre-adipocytes. Saquinavir, ritonavir, and indinavir all stimulated triglyceride (TG) synthesis. Additionally, all concentrations of protease inhibitors employed (i.

The night sky has dimmed: sports medicine loses a star physician and friend.

In September, the international sports medicine community lost one of its rising stars. Editorial board member Alexandra Kirkley, MD, (more commonly known as Sandy), 40, and her husband, Michael, 42, died when their small plane crashed en route to their home in London, Ontario, Canada, from a presentation she was giving at the West Point Academy in New Jersey. Their sons, Colin (age 8) and Connor (age 5), miraculously survived the crash through the heroic efforts of rescuers and others.

The murine gene encoding parathyroid hormone: genomic organization, nucleotide sequence and transcriptional regulation.

The type 1 parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR1) binds, with equal affinity, two ligands with distinct biological functions: PTH, the major peptide hormone controlling calcium homeostasis, and the paracrine factor, PTH-related peptide (PTHrP), a local regulator of cellular proliferation and differentiation. To clarify the complexity of possible interactions between two distinct ligands, PTH and PTHrP, and their common receptor in the intact organism, and to identify as yet unrecognized roles for PTH in normal physiology, we have cloned and characterized the structural organization, nucleotide sequence and transcriptional regulation of the murine gene encoding PTH. One recombinant clone isolated from a mouse genomic library contained 14 kb of DNA, encompassing the entire Pth gene.

Leukemia cutis presenting with fingertip hypertrophy.

Background: Patients with leukemia often manifest cutaneous findings, which include nonspecific lesions and specific leukemic infiltrates termed leukemia cutis.

Objective: A case of leukemia cutis involving distal finger pads is reported and literature describing hand involvement of specific leukemic infiltrates is reviewed.

Methods And Results: An 80-year-old woman with a 10-year history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia developed painful symmetric tumors of her distal finger pads.