Outgrowth-regulating actions of glutamate in isolated hippocampal pyramidal neurons

The present study examined the effects of glutamate on the outgrowth of dendrites and axons in isolated hippocampal pyramidal-like neurons in cell culture. During the first day of culture the survival and outgrowth of these neurons was unaffected by high concentrations (up to 1 nM) of glutamate, quisqualic acid (QA), kainic acid (KA), and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid. Beginning on day 2 of culture high levels of glutamate, KA and QA were toxic to the majority of pyramidal neurons, while subtoxic levels of these agents caused a well-defined, dose-dependent, sequence of effects on dendritic outgrowth. At increasing concentrations of glutamate, QA, and KA, the following events were observed: (1) dendritic outgrowth rates were reduced, while axonal elongation rates were unaffected; (2) dendritic length was reduced, while axons continued to grow; (3) dendrites regressed dramatically, and axonal outgrowth rate was reduced. These dendrite-specific effects of glutamate were apparently mediated at the growth cones since focal application of glutamate to individual dendritic growth cones resulted in suppression of growth cone activity and a regression of the dendrite; axons were unaffected by focal glutamate application. Pharmacological tests using glutamate receptor agonists and antagonists demonstrated that receptors of the KA/QA type mediated the glutamate effects on outgrowth and survival. The calcium channel blocker Co2+ prevented both glutamate neurotoxicity and glutamate-induced dendritic regression. Ionophore A23187 and elevations in extracellular K+ levels each caused a dose-dependent series of outgrowth and survival responses similar to those caused by glutamate. Taken together, these results indicate that activation of glutamate receptors leads to the opening of voltage-dependent calcium channels; the resulting increases in calcium influx lead to the observed alterations in dendritic outgrowth and neuronal survival.     

Would provision of childcare for nurses with young children ensure response to a call-up during a wartime disaster? An Israeli hospital nursing survey.

Researchers suspected that the role-conflict between nurse and mother would exacerbate during war and a survey confirmed that this problem was real. A solution in the form of shelters for children was found, and nurses were able to function during the Gulf War with the knowledge that their children were safe and near.     

An open-label efficacy pilot study with pimecrolimus cream 1% in adults with facial seborrhoeic dermatitis infected with HIV

BACKGROUND: Seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD) is a common dermatosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, many of whom do not respond satisfactorily to conventional topical treatments such as corticosteroids and antifungals. OBJECTIVE: A pilot study to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of pimecrolimus cream 1% in HIV-positive patients with facial SD. METHODS: In a single-centre study, 21 HIV-infected patients with mild to severe SD were treated twice daily with pimecrolimus cream 1% for 14 days. Thereafter, treatment was discontinued and patients followed up for 5 weeks. Skin involvement at baseline and on days 7, 14, 21, 35 and 49 was assessed using a four-point clinical score and digital photography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus cream 1% treatment and incidence of relapse in the follow-up phase. Results Marked improvement was seen in clinical parameters at day 7, with >or= 90% patients clear of symptoms at day 14. Relapse was observed at day 35 but signs were milder than at baseline. All patients responded to therapy, despite their immunological status. Pimecrolimus did not alter CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell counts or viral load during the treatment period. CONCLUSION: Pimecrolimus cream represents a new, effective therapeutic option for facial SD in HIV patients.     

In-vitro maturation of human germinal vesicle stage oocytes: role of cumulus cells and epidermal growth factor in the culture medium

In-vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes is a promising technique to reduce the costs and avert the side-effects of gonadotrophin stimulation for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The pregnancy rates from oocytes matured in vitro are much lower than those of in-vivo stimulation cycles indicating that optimization of IVM remains a challenge. Therefore, we investigated the effect of supplementation of the medium with gonadotrophins, oestradiol and epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the effect of retaining or removing the cumulus cells on nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of immature oocytes. Human germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes obtained after gonadotrophin stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were cultured in a complex defined medium either supplemented with gonadotrophins, oestradiol and physiological concentrations of EGF (2 ng/ml) or gonadotrophins and oestradiol alone. The cumulus cells were either removed or kept intact. In GV stage oocytes cultured without cumulus (group I) significantly more oocytes reached the metaphase II (MII) stage at 30 h in media supplemented with EGF (64.3 versus 33.9%, P < 0.003). For oocytes cultured with intact cumulus (group II), more oocytes reached MII at 30 h than in group I, but there was no difference in medium with or without EGF supplementation (81.8 and 79.8% respectively). Cytoplasmic maturation of MII oocytes was judged from their capability to activate and fertilize after ICSI. In group I, the rates of activation and normal fertilization were similar. However, in group II, significantly more oocytes underwent normal fertilization in the EGF-supplemented than the unsupplemented group (71.7 versus 45.6%, P < 0.05). The cleavage rates of the fertilized oocytes were similar in the sibling oocyte subgroups cultured with or without EGF supplementation, but the overall cleavage rates were higher in cumulus-intact compared to cumulus-denuded oocytes (88.9 versus 47.8%, P < 0.001). Thus, supplementation of the maturation medium with EGF and maintenance of the cumulus during culture improve the nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of human oocytes in vitro.      

Morphometric study of histological changes in sublabial salivary glands due to aging process.

The sublabial salivary glands were studied by morphometric methods in 68 healthy volunteers to establish possible changes related to age in those tissue components that are affected in Sjögren''s syndrome and connective tissue diseases (and which might stimulate Sjögren''s syndrome). There was an increase in the amount of connective tissue and intralobular ducts with age and a corresponding decrease in acinar tissue. During the aging process changes in the intralobular ducts occurred: the outer and inner diameters of these ducts and the thickness of the epithelium decreased, but the ratio of the outer and inner diameters of the ducts remained constant. The amount of diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate and the vascularity of the tissue remains constant with age. In 15 of the subjects, however, discrete lymphocytic foci were seen and in six of these more than one focus/4 mm2 of salivary tissue was found, which has been described as suggestive of Sjögren''s syndrome. The volume percentage of lymphocytic foci is constant during the aging process. The histological features commonly used to diagnose Sjögren''s syndrome may occur in normal people, and false positive diagnoses will occur if these criteria are rigidly adhered to. Morphometry may provide more reliable criteria for distinguishing changes induced by inflammation and related to age which occur in salivary tissue.