Magnetoencephalographic studies of language reorganization after cerebral insult.

We review our experience with the application of magnetoencephalography (MEG) to the study of reorganization of the mechanisms supporting auditory language comprehension. In 3 studies, patient populations with cerebral insult of differing etiology, including epilepsy, surgical resection, and stroke, performed a running recognition task for spoken words while MEG data were collected using a whole-head magnetometer. Increased activation in the right hemisphere after left temporal lobectomy was associated with greater relative activation in that hemisphere preoperatively.

SPARC, an upstream regulator of connective tissue growth factor in response to transforming growth factor beta stimulation.

Objective: To differentiate the effects of inhibition of specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) of SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) and siRNA of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in cultured human fibroblasts, and to identify potential interrelationships between SPARC and CTGF.

Methods: Fibroblasts from skin biopsy specimens of 2 normal individuals were transfected with siRNA of SPARC and siRNA of CTGF. The fibroblasts were stimulated with or without transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) and examined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to determine the transcription levels of several extracellular matrix genes.

Infection and musculoskeletal conditions: Rheumatologic complications of HIV infection.

The pandemic caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has entered its second quarter-century, with 40 million people now affected worldwide - particularly in Africa, where the impact has been most devastating. A complex array of rheumatic disease manifestations has been described, including diseases specific to HIV infection such as HIV-associated arthritis and the diffuse infiltrative lymphocytosis syndrome; other conditions which occur prominently in HIV-positive individuals include vasculitis, reactive and psoriatic arthritis and HIV-associated polymyositis, opportunistic musculoskeletal infections, and finally disorders that were originally ameliorated by HIV infection, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Effective antiretroviral treatment ameliorates many of these disorders; however, the introduction of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) has introduced a new spectrum of disorders and new challenges confronting the clinician, including osteonecrosis, rhabdomyolysis, and, with immune reconstitution, the appearance de novo of a variety of autoimmune disorders and phenomena.

Seasonality of primarily childhood and young adult infectious diseases in the United States.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States collects and maintains records of communicable (so-called notifiable) infectious diseases that cause significant morbidity and mortality and impact the national economy. This investigation focused on seasonal patterns in the primarily childhood and young adult infectious diseases of meningococcal meningitis, mumps, pertussis, typhoid fever, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (1990 to 2003 CDC database), and varicella (1993 to 2003 CDC database). Linear regression was performed to ascertain the trend in the incidence of each disease, and multi-component cosinor analysis was applied to determine and describe periodicities.

NO-cGMP signaling and regenerative medicine involving stem cells.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a short lived diatomic free radical species synthesized by nitric oxide synthases (NOS). The physiological roles of NO depend on its local concentrations as well as availability and the nature of downstream target molecules. At low nanomolar concentrations, activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is the major event initiated by NO.

Attenuation of collagen production with small interfering RNA of SPARC in cultured fibroblasts from the skin of patients with scleroderma.

Objective: Recently, it was observed that SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) is overexpressed in the fibroblasts of skin biopsy specimens obtained from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), and that specific inhibition of SPARC expression in normal human fibroblasts attenuated the profibrotic effect of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta). The purpose of this study was to examine whether inhibition of SPARC with small interfering RNA (siRNA) can be used to ameliorate the overproduction of major extracellular matrix components in SSc fibroblasts.

Methods: Fibroblasts obtained from biopsy specimens of the unaffected skin of 3 patients with diffuse SSc and 3 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were cultured and transfected with SPARC siRNA.

Adenocarcinoma of the small bowel: a 60-yr perspective derived from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Tumor Registry.

Objectives: To analyze subsite distribution of small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) over a 60-yr interval and to determine the impact of age, gender, and ethnicity on SBA cross-referenced for selected variables including anatomic distribution.

Methods: Data from 1944 to 2003 were extracted from the M. D.

Polymorphism in the promoter region of the CD14 gene and susceptibility to Brucellosis.

A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the CD14 gene at position 159 has been implicated in susceptibility to infectious diseases. We sought to determine the association between CD14 C-159 T functional promoter polymorphism and brucellosis in Western Iranian population where the disease is endemic. The CD14 genotype was determined in 228 patients with brucellosis from a rural area and 129 healthy volunteers from the same area.

Intracoronary thermography for detection of high-risk vulnerable plaques.

Up to two-thirds of acute myocardial infarctions develop at sites of culprit lesions without a significant stenosis. New imaging techniques are needed to identify those lesions with an increased risk of developing an acute complication in the near future. Inflammation is a hallmark feature of these vulnerable/high-risk plaques.

Immunogenetic risk and protective factors for the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: distinct HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1, and -DQA1 allelic profiles distinguish European American patients with different myositis autoantibodies.

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are systemic connective tissue diseases defined by chronic muscle inflammation and weakness associated with autoimmunity. We have performed low to high resolution molecular typing to assess the genetic variability of major histocompatibility complex loci (HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1, and -DQA1) in a large population of European American patients with IIM (n = 571) representing the major myositis autoantibody groups. We established that alleles of the 8.

Spontaneous version following preterm premature rupture of membranes.

Our objective was to determine the rate of spontaneous version following preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). Medical charts over a 4-year period were reviewed. All women with PPROM and singleton gestation between 24 and 34 weeks gestation were included; 65 patients met the inclusion criteria.

Effects of marijuana on temporal discriminations in humans.

Marijuana has been reported to alter the discrimination of time. The present study used a psychophysical approach to examine the effects of marijuana on temporal discrimination in humans. Research participants were required to push one of two buttons depending on the duration of a conditional stimulus (a blue square on a computer monitor).

A chondroitin sulfate chain attached to the bone dentin matrix protein 1 NH2-terminal fragment.

Dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) is an acidic noncollagenous protein shown by gene ablations to be critical for the proper mineralization of bone and dentin. In the extracellular matrix of these tissues DMP1 is present as fragments representing the NH2-terminal (37 kDa) and COOH-terminal (57 kDa) portions of the cDNA-deduced amino acid sequence. During our separation of bone noncollagenous proteins, we observed a high molecular weight, DMP1-related component (designated DMP1-PG).

Multisample cross-validation of a model of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology.

This study is the latest advancement of our research aimed at best characterizing children's posttraumatic stress reactions. In a previous study, we compared existing nosologic and empirical models of PTSD dimensionality and determined the superior model was a hierarchical one with three symptom clusters (Intrusion/Active Avoidance, Numbing/Passive Avoidance, and Arousal; Anthony, Lonigan, & Hecht, 1999). In this study, we cross-validate this model in two populations.

Lessons from nosocomial viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks.

The outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Angola in 2004-2005 shows once again the devastating and rapid spread of viral haemorrhagic fevers in medical settings where hygiene practices are poorly applied or ignored. The legacy of years of war and poverty in Angola has resulted in very poor medical education and services. The initial high rate of infection among infants in Angola may have been related to poor hospital practices, possibly administration of vaccines.

NO-cGMP signaling in development and stem cells.

Despite the recognition that the NO-cGMP signaling pathway is involved in so many physiological and pathological events, a clear understanding of many of the functions of this signaling pathway remains elusive. Because of its pleiotropic and often transient actions, its modulation for therapeutic purposes in multiple pathological states is a complex issue. Recent work that combines the areas of developmental and stem cell biology and NO-cGMP signaling in various models may help us elucidate some of these functions and even discover novel actions for this signaling paradigm.

Effects of delays on human performance on a temporal discrimination procedure: evidence of a choose-short effect.

Studies of temporal discrimination in non-human subjects have reliably shown a choose-short effect: higher matching accuracy on short-duration-sample trials than on long-duration-sample trials. This effect occurs as a function of increasing the delay between the onset of sample and comparison stimuli in a delayed matching-to-sample procedure. The present experiment investigated whether the choose-short effect could be demonstrated in human subjects under conditions which paralleled those used with non-human subjects.

Immunogenetic risk and protective factors for the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: distinct HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1 and -DQA1 allelic profiles and motifs define clinicopathologic groups in caucasians.

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are systemic connective tissue diseases in which autoimmune pathology is suspected to promote chronic muscle inflammation and weakness. We have performed low to high resolution genotyping to characterize the allelic profiles of HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1, and -DQA1 loci in a large population of North American Caucasian patients with IIM representing the major clinicopathologic groups (n = 571). We confirmed that alleles of the 8.

Longitudinal model predicting mutual partner violence among White, Black, and Hispanic couples in the United States general population.

This analysis determines the longitudinal predictors of male-to-female (MFPV) or female-to-male (FMPV) alone and mutual partner violence (MPV) among White, Black, and Hispanic couples. A national sample of couples 18 years of age or older was interviewed in 1995 and again in 2000. Participants constitute a multistage area probability sample representative of married and cohabiting couples from the 48 contiguous United States.

The role of job strain on return to work after carpal tunnel surgery.

Aims: To examine the impact of job strain (that is, high psychological job demands and low job control) on return to work and work role functioning at two months, six months, or both, following carpal tunnel release surgery.

Methods: A community based cohort of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients from physician practices was recruited between April 1997 and October 1998 throughout Maine (USA). 128 patients at two months and 122 at six months completed all relevant questions.