Biomedical Center Research Articles

A Case for University Teaching and Engagement: A Culturally Relevant Intervention to Educate Young African-American Women about Breast Cancer

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) there is a new, more aggressive form of breast cancer among young African-American women. Because mammograms are not suggested for women until age 40 and young African-American women are increasingly being diagnosed, a more innovative technique is warranted. The present study utilized the expertise of scientists and professors from a biomedical center, the Department of Psychology, Health and Education, and the Department of Theater at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) to examine the impact of dramatic presentations in increasing awareness and pro-social health related behavior related to breast cancer among African-American women. One hundred and thirty-six African-American women between 18 and 39 years old participated in the present study. Researchers employed a retrospective pre–post test design to assess the impact of theater on young women's knowledge and propensity for pro-social health related behaviors. Paired sample t-test revealed significant increases in knowledge about breast cancer and mammograms. Participants reported an increase in intentions to change behavior and also wanted to become more involved in efforts to reduce breast cancer in the African-American community.

Diagnosa Vibrio Cholerae Dengan Metode Kultur Dan Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Pada Sampel Sumber Air Minum

Cholera remains a serious health problem in developing countries such as Indonesia. This is caused by several things such as hygiene and sanitation, as well as drinking water supply is not adequate. Vibrio cholerae is commonly found in surface water contaminated with feces containing the bacteria. Diagnosis of V. cholerae can be done in several ways such as by conventional methods and a polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ). The study aimed to compare the conventional method diagnoses V. cholerae by PCR. Examination of samples derived from the source of drinking water collected from cholera outbreaks in Bogor. The study was conducted at the Laboratory of Bacteriology Center for Biomedical and Health Technology Association. Examination of V. cholerae by conventional methods require a cheaper cost, but the time required to process a longer inspection. On examination with the required time PCR methods for the examination more quickly, but the costs are much higher.

Spatial learning and memory impairment in an acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Event Abstract Back to Event Spatial learning and memory impairment in an acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis Dejana Kosanovic1*, Aleksandra Stojkovic1, Natasa Vukov1 and Katica Jovanova-Nesic1 1 Biomedical Center of the Institute Torlak, Neuroimmunology, Serbia Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) could be associated with cognitive disturbances, so the aim of the study was investigation of spatial learning in mice with EAE. EAE was induced in eight-week-old C57BL/6 female mice by subcutaneous immunization (MOG35-55 in complete Freund’s adjuvant) and pertussis vaccine intraperitoneally. Animals were scored daily for clinical signs of EAE. Morris water maze test (MWM), consisting of a circular tank filled with water and a submerged platform in a fixed spot was performed before and after EAE induction. The path, time, and motor function during MWM test were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining of brain tissue was used for histological examination. After two trials mice mostly swam in the quadrant with the platform and after 8 training days all the mice swam directly to the platform. 50 % of mice with EAE showed partial loss of tail tonicity approximately 13 days post immunization. In all mice with EAE hind limb weakness after swimming was observed 18 days post immunization. Significant difference (p<0.05) in the time for finding the platform was found between mice with mild clinical signs of EAE in comparison with other mice (EAE without symptoms and non-treated). Interindividual behavioral difference within mice with EAE signs were observed, in 40 % there were no changes while in 60 % signs of disorientation and anxiety-like behavior was noted. Histopathological examination showed lesions in the brain parenchyma, especially in the hippocampal region of EAE mice. Hippocampal tissue destruction in EAE mice indicates the cognitive learning and memory impairment detected. Keywords: EAE, Morris water maze, Spatial learning, memory loss, Animal Models Conference: 15th International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Milan, Italy, 22 Aug - 27 Aug, 2013. Presentation Type: Abstract Topic: Immune-mediated disease pathogenesis Citation: Kosanovic D, Stojkovic A, Vukov N and Jovanova-Nesic K (2013). Spatial learning and memory impairment in an acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Front. Immunol. Conference Abstract: 15th International Congress of Immunology (ICI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fimmu.2013.02.00169 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 11 Mar 2013; Published Online: 22 Aug 2013. * Correspondence: Miss. Dejana Kosanovic, Biomedical Center of the Institute Torlak, Neuroimmunology, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia, dr.dejana@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Dejana Kosanovic Aleksandra Stojkovic Natasa Vukov Katica Jovanova-Nesic Google Dejana Kosanovic Aleksandra Stojkovic Natasa Vukov Katica Jovanova-Nesic Google Scholar Dejana Kosanovic Aleksandra Stojkovic Natasa Vukov Katica Jovanova-Nesic PubMed Dejana Kosanovic Aleksandra Stojkovic Natasa Vukov Katica Jovanova-Nesic Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Case Series of an Intraoral Balancing Appliance Therapy on Subjective Symptom Severity and Cervical Spine Alignment

Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a holistic intraoral appliance (OA) on cervical spine alignment and subjective symptom severity. Design. An observational study on case series with holistic OA therapy. Setting. An outpatient clinic for holistic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) therapy under the supervision of the Pain Center, CHA Biomedical center, CHA University. Subjects. Ambulatory patients presenting with diverse chief complaints in the holistic TMJ clinic. Main Measures. Any immediate change in the curvature of cervical spine and the degree of atlantoaxial rotation was investigated in the images of simple X-ray and computed tomography of cervical spine with or without OA. Changes of subjective symptom severity were also analyzed for the holistic OA therapy cases. Results. A total of 59 cases were reviewed. Alignment of upper cervical spine rotation showed an immediate improvement (P < 0.001). Changes of subjective symptom severity also showed significant improvement (P < 0.05). Conclusion. These cases revealed rudimentary clinical evidence that holistic OA therapy may be related to an alleviated symptom severity and an improved cervical spinal alignment. These results show that further researches may warrant for the holistic TMJ therapy.

Not in my hospital: Karimojong indigenous healing and biomedicine

This article presents data collected over 10 months of ethnographic fieldwork in 2006–2007 on the interactions between users of Karimojong indigenous medicine and biomedicine. The Karimojong agropastoralists live in northeast Uganda and rely on local healers to treat illness, bless pending cattle raids, and maintain the spiritual health of communities. Indigenous practice has incorporated various biomedical insights, but the Western-based health sector has not as readily welcomed Karimojong local healing as a viable therapeutic strategy forcing some healers to covertly work in hospitals and clinics. Their work underscores their importance to community well-being and as advocates of holistic healthcare; without them, biomedical health centers will not fully answer to the patients' needs.

Evaluating the use of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for detection of &lt;em&gt;Mycobacterium tuberculosis&lt;/em&gt; in Indonesian clinical isolates

Background: Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a method already claimed as a simple technique to amplify DNA/ RNA using four to six primers as “a set” from conserved sequence of target gene. In this study we optimize the use of LAMP for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical isolates from Indonesia. Methods: Procedures to perform LAMP were optimized, then the method was applied to 122 archieved samples of DNA’s Mtb from clinical TB patients with Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) smears positive. The samples were obtained in 2008 from 13 provinces in Indonesia for genotyping study, which then become collections of Center for Biomedical and Basic Technology of Health (CBBTH), NIHRD Indonesia. The optimization tests include sensitivity and specificity tests of several sets primers, which were evaluated using 10-fold serially diluted DNA of Mtb H37Rv and 12 species of Mycobacteria. Three equipments consisted of LAMP turbidimeter, heating block and water bath were compared for its ability in DNA amplification. Detection of M. tuberculosis from clinical isolates used set primers specific for gyrB gene, amplicon was detected with UV fluorescence system. Results: The results showed that the highest sensitivity was obtained using the set primers specific for 16S rRNA and gyrB which could detect 10.0 fg to 1.0 pg genomic DNA of Mtb H37Rv. The set primers specific for gyrB gene was the most specific primers. Application of LAMP using gyrB set primers on Indonesian clinical isolates showed 94.2% (114/121) positivity rate. Conclusion: LAMP method is potentially used in TB diagnosis in Indonesia. (Med J Indones. 2012;21:188-95) Keywords: Loop-mediated isothermal amplification, rim gene, 16S rRNA gene, gyrB gene, Mycobacterium tuberculosis

AD 5 The illusion of seeing

J Kevin O9Regan, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, Institut Paris Descartes de Neurosciences et Cognition, 45, rue des Saints Peres, 75270 Paris cedex 06, France. I am director of the Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, which specialises in human visual and auditory perception both in babies and adults. Thanks to my co-directors Jacqueline Fagard and Andrei Gorea, and also thanks to the team leaders and technical and administrative staff, we manage to effectively run our rather large lab: it has about 80 members, of which 25 are permanent researchers, 7 are technical and administrative personnel, plus about 45 doctoral and postdoctoral students and visitors. The lab occupies about 800 m 2 at the Institute of Neuroscience and Cognition of Paris Descartes University, at the Saints Peres Biomedical Center. The lab also has space at the Departement d9Etudes Cognitives of Ecole Normale Superieure. It is co-financed by the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique and Universite Paris Descartes. Change blindness is a much studied phenomenon in experimental psychology where under certain conditions an observer will not see a very large change that occurs in a scene, in an image or in a movie. Inattentional blindness is another phenomenon which is at the root of “looked but failed to see” traffic accidents, where for example a driver is looking directly at a motorcycle driving across his field of view, but still crashes into it. I shall provide demonstrations of these phenomena and show how they can be explained by assuming that our impression of a complete, rich, detailed outside visual world is actually in some sense an “illusion”, caused by the fact that any information we wish to obtain is immediately attainable through a flick of the eye or of attention. Developing this idea further has led me to a theory of visual consciousness, and indeed consciousness in general, that I have described in a recent book (“Why red doesn9t sound like a bell: Understanding the feel of consciousness”, OUP 2011).

Articles with short titles describing the results are cited more often

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to evaluate some features of article titles from open access journals and to assess the possible impact of these titles on predicting the number of article views and citations.METHODS:Research articles (n = 423, published in October 2008) from all Public Library of Science (PLoS) journals and from 12 Biomed Central (BMC) journals were evaluated. Publication metrics (views and citations) were analyzed in December 2011. The titles were classified according to their contents, namely methods-describing titles and results-describing titles. The number of title characters, title typology, the use of a question mark, reference to a specific geographical region, and the use of a colon or a hyphen separating different ideas within a sentence were analyzed to identify predictors of views and citations. A logistic regression model was used to identify independent title characteristics that could predict citation rates.RESULTS:Short-titled articles had higher viewing and citation rates than those with longer titles. Titles containing a question mark, containing a reference to a specific geographical region, and that used a colon or a hyphen were associated with a lower number of citations. Articles with results-describing titles were cited more often than those with methods-describing titles. After multivariate analysis, only a low number of characters and title typology remained as predictors of the number of citations.CONCLUSIONS:Some features of article titles can help predict the number of article views and citation counts. Short titles presenting results or conclusions were independently associated with higher citation counts. The findings presented here could be used by authors, reviewers, and editors to maximize the impact of articles in the scientific community.

ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF INFECTION, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF PARENTERAL HEPATITIS B AND C, HIV INFECTION AMONG PATIENTS IN ADDICTED HOSPITAL

The aim of this study - assessment of knowledge and awareness of drug addicts on the epidemiology, treatment and prevention of hepatitis B and C infections and AIDS in order to improve preventive measures. In total 64 patients were interviewed: 30 women and 34 men. The method of collecting material: questionnaires, interviews with the help of specially designed questionnaires. The method was based on questionnaire of a public survey conducted by specialists General Department of Federal Service for Execution of Punishment (GUFSIN) in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region, as well as the Biomedical Center of St. Petersburg in cooperation with Yale University, USA. The age distribution of respondents was uneven. The proportion of young people under the age of 25 years was the lowest - 10.9% of patients, cases aged 25-34 years - 46.8%, 35 years and older ones - 42.2. Such a distribution by age, in general, reflects the age structure of addiction incidence rate in Moscow. The results of the survey patients in the Narcological Clinical Hospital № 17 for the assessment of knowledge on the epidemiology, treatment and prevention of hepatitis B and C, HIV infection and AIDS have shown that they are aware of the epidemiology and treatment of these infections, while women were more knowledgeable than men. At the same time, the respondents showed little knowledge of these issues and little interest in treatment that most likely comes from misunderstanding of risk of these diseases. This ultimately leads to higher values of these patients (not interested in their health and the health of others and underestimating the risk of disease) as a potential sources of infection. When checking the knowledge about the transmission of hepatitis B, C and HIV viruses the highest awareness was observed in respect of HIV infection and AIDS, much less patients know about hepatitis C, and even less - about hepatitis B. Consequently, inadequate awareness (in all aspects of the problems) of the threat posed by the HIV epidemic, AIDS and hepatitis B and C, proves to be another of the many factors contributing to the high incidence of hepatitis and HIV infection among drug addicts. Thus, our results also suggest the importance of sanitation-educational work among the addicted patients and the need for the delivery accessible and fascinating instruction booklet highlighting the key issues of epidemiology, treatment and prevention HIV- infection, hepatitis B and C. Each patient should be provided with a such booklet. It is necessary to develop a test control, allowing to catch the interest and focus on critical issues of prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, HIV infection and parenteral hepatitis, if possible, from time to time to lecture.

Transplantation of Autologous Differentiated Urothelium in an Experimental Model of Composite Cystoplasty

BackgroundEnterocystoplasty is associated with serious complications resulting from the chronic interaction between intestinal epithelium and urine. Composite cystoplasty is proposed as a means of overcoming these complications by substituting intestinal epithelium with tissue-engineered autologous urothelium. ObjectiveTo develop a robust surgical procedure for composite cystoplasty and to determine if outcome is improved by transplantation of a differentiated urothelium. Design, setting, and participantsBladder augmentation with in vitro–generated autologous tissues was performed in 11 female Large-White hybrid pigs in a well-equipped biomedical centre with operating facilities. Participants were a team comprising scientists, urologists, a veterinary surgeon, and a histopathologist. MeasurementsUrothelium harvested by open biopsy was expanded in culture and used to develop sheets of nondifferentiated or differentiated urothelium. The sheets were transplanted onto a vascularised, de-epithelialised, seromuscular colonic segment at the time of bladder augmentation. After removal of catheters and balloon at two weeks, voiding behaviour was monitored and animals were sacrificed at 3 months for immunohistology. Results and limitationsEleven pigs underwent augmentation, but four were lost to complications. Voiding behaviour was normal in the remainder. At autopsy, reconstructed bladders were healthy, lined by confluent urothelium, and showed no fibrosis, mucus, calculi, or colonic regrowth. Urothelial morphology was transitional with variable columnar attributes consistent between native and augmented segments. Bladders reconstructed with differentiated cell sheets had fewer lymphocytes infiltrating the lamina propria, indicating more effective urinary barrier function. ConclusionsThe study endorses the potential for composite cystoplasty by (1) successfully developing reliable techniques for transplanting urothelium onto a prepared, vascularised, smooth muscle segment and (2) creating a functional urothelium-lined augmentation to overcome the complications of conventional enterocystoplasty.

Population‐level right‐handedness for a coordinated bimanual task in naturalistic housed chimpanzees: replication and extension in 114 animals from Zambia and Spain

Recently, many studies have been conducted on manual laterality in chimpanzees. Nevertheless, whether nonhuman primates exhibit population-level handedness remains a topic of considerable debate. One of the behaviors studied has been bimanual coordinated actions. Although recent studies have highlighted that captive chimpanzees show handedness at population level for these tasks, some authors have questioned the validity and consistency of these results. The first reason has been the humanization of the samples. The second one has been that the results refer to animals in American biomedical centers and the studies were conducted by the same team [WD Hopkins et al.]. This article aims to assess the laterality in bimanual coordination (tube task) activities in animals housed in an intermediate environment (Chimfunshi, Zambia). This has been conducted by replicating previous studies on similar samples (Mona Foundation, Spain), and then by extending the results to chimpanzees housed in intermediate settings. Individuals were evaluated through four experimental sessions (tests). Results indicated that 86% of the Chimfunshi sample was lateralized (48% RH, 38% LH). Furthermore, the sample showed population-level right-handedness in the mean handedness index, in Test 1, Test 2, and the first half of the study (Test 112). Rearing experience did not have an influence on handpreference. Taken together, the two sample (intermediate settings: Chimfunshi and Mona) results indicate a clear right-handedness. In conclusion, this replication and extension shows that (1) the Mona and Chimfunshi chimpanzees are right-handed in certain conditions, (2) the results are consistent with those obtained by Hopkins in captive settings, (3) the humanization of the samples does not affect manual laterality, (4) females are right-handed at population-level, but not males, and (5) these results reinforce the fact that the complexity of the task plays a dominant role in the expression of hand laterality among chimpanzees.

HIV/AIDS Investigators Few and Far Between

The Biomedical Center conducts top-notch studies with foreign collaborators, a surprising rarity in Russia to this day.

Toxicity in 1,181 patients with advanced solid tumors treated in phase I clinical trials of predominantly targeted agents: The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center experience.

2604 Background: The purpose of this study was to assess toxicity associated with investigational agents in patients with advanced solid tumors treated in a phase I clinic that focuses on targeted agents. Methods: An electronic database search/analysis of patients with advanced cancer who presented to the phase I program between 1/1/2006 and 12/31/2008 was performed. Results: Overall, 1,181 patients with advanced tumors were identified: 893 (75.6%) pts were treated on only one phase I clinical trial; 196 (16.6%) on 2; 66 (5.6%) on 3; 16 (1.4%) on 4; and 10 (<1%) on 5 to 9 trials. The median age was 58 (range: 3-89 years) (48% men). The median number of prior therapies was 4 (range, 0 to 17). Patients were accrued on 85 clinical trials (industry-sponsored, 70; non-industry-sponsored, 15 [including 5 sponsored by NCI]); 57 of the studies were with a single agent and 28 with ≥ 2 agents. Overall, 64 (75.3%) trials had only targeted agents; 10 (11.8%), only cytotoxics; 11 (12.9%), both targeted and cytotoxic agents. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 14 months (range, 1–92 months). The median survival was 9.9 months (95% C.I. 9.1–10.9 months). Overall, 86.5% of pts had no drug-related toxicity > grade 2. Rates of grade 3 and 4 drug-related toxicity were 9.0% and 4.5%, respectively. Preliminary analysis suggests that 2 of 1,181 (0.17%) patients died from drug-related toxicity. The most common ≥ grade 3 toxicities were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, rash, and transaminitis. Conclusions: Contemporary phase I clinical trials using mainly targeted agents were associated with low rates of drug-related toxicity, with 86.5% of patients experiencing ≤ grade 2 side effects. The drug-related death rate was 0.17%. Author Disclosure Employment or Leadership Position Consultant or Advisory Role Stock Ownership Honoraria Research Funding Expert Testimony Other Remuneration AstraZeneca, Centocor, Johnson & Johnson, Maxygen, Merck & Co. Amgen, AstraZeneca, Center for Biomedical Continuing Education (CBCE), Genentech, Enzon, IDSC, ImClone Systems, Johnson & Johnson, Maxygen, Merck, Pharmion, Roche Abraxis, Amgen, AmpliMed, Antigenics, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, Callisto, Celgene, Centocor, Concordia, Curagen, Eisai, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Enzon, Exelixis, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Globomax, Hoffman- La Roche, Kinex, Merck, Metastatix, MGI Pharmaceuticals, Millennium, Myriad, Nereus, NIH, Novartis, Oncothyreon, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, Pharmion, Phoenix Biotech, Reata, Taiho, Vioquest, Ziopharm

PIK3CA, KRAS, and BRAF mutations in patients with advanced cancers treated with PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis inhibitors.

2583 Background: Activating mutations of the p110α subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) (PIK3CA) have been identified in various tumors, and preclinical data suggest that these mutations may predict for response to PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors, but that concomitant KRAS or BRAF mutations may mediate resistance. Methods: Tumors from patients (pts) referred to the Phase I Program for targeted therapy from 10/08 to 11/09 were analyzed for PIK3CA mutations using PCR-based DNA sequencing of exon 9 (helical domain) and exon 20 (kinase domain). Consecutive pts with any tumor type and PIK3CA mutation were treated whenever possible with agents targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Results: Overall, 316 patients were analyzed and 36 (11%) had a PIK3CA mutation (exon 9, n=17; exon 20, n=19). In tumor types with > 5 pts tested, PIK3CA mutations were most frequent in squamous cervical cancer (33%, 3/9 pts), endometrial (29%, 5/17), breast (24%, 5/21), squamous head and neck (19%, 3/16), colorectal (16%, 12/74), ovarian (14%, 6/42), pancreatic (12.5%, 1/8), and non-small cell lung cancer (12.5%, 1/8). Of the 36 pts with PIK3CA mutations, 24 (median number of prior therapies, 4) were treated on a protocol that included a PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitor. Of 24 pts, 6 (25%) had a PR (2/5 endometrial; 2/6 ovarian; 1/3 breast, 1/3 squamous cervical) and 4 (17%) had stable disease (SD) for ≥ 4 months. Of these 24 pts, 8 (33%) had coexisting KRAS and/or BRAF mutations. Of these 8 pts (colorectal 4, gynecologic cancers 4), 1 (12.5%) had SD for ≥ 4 months (colorectal) and 2 (25%) pts (both ovarian) had a PR. Of these 24 pts, when 4 pts with colorectal cancer and KRAS and/or BRAF mutations were excluded, the rates of PR and SD for ≥- 4 months were 30% (6/20) and 20% (4/20), respectively. Conclusions: PIK3CA mutations were detected in 11% of pts with various solid tumors. Ten pts (42%) had a PR (25%) or SD ≥ 4 months (17%). These preliminary results with PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis inhibitors are encouraging and although the number of pts is small, they suggest that coexisting KRAS and/or BRAF mutations may be associated with resistance to PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis inhibitors in colorectal cancer, but not in gynecologic cancers. Author Disclosure Employment or Leadership Position Consultant or Advisory Role Stock Ownership Honoraria Research Funding Expert Testimony Other Remuneration AstraZeneca, Centocor, Johnson & Johnson, Maxygen, Merck & Co. Amgen, AstraZeneca, Center for Biomedical Continuing Education, Genentech, Enzon, IDSC, ImClone Systems, Johnson & Johnson, Maxygen, Merck, Pharmion, Roche Abraxis, Amgen, AmpliMed, Antigenics, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, Callisto, Celgene, Centocor, Concordia, Curagen, Eisai, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Enzon, Exelixis, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Globomax, Hoffman- La Roche, Kinex, Merck, Metastatix, MGI Pharmaceuticals, Millennium, Myriad, Novartis, Oncothyreon, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, Pharmion, Phoenix Biotech, Reata, Taiho, Vioquest, Ziopharm

Infant Behavior Correlates With Brain Differences as Adults

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & Research NewsFull AccessInfant Behavior Correlates With Brain Differences as AdultsJoan Arehart-TreichelJoan Arehart-TreichelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:5 Mar 2010https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.45.5.psychnews_45_5_029AbstractWhy are certain people fearful, timid, and inhibited, whereas others are nonfearful, bold, and uninhibited? Certainly genes play a role, but brain architecture may as well, a new study suggests.It has found differences in brain thickness between adults who had been extremely fearful, timid, and inhibited as infants and adults who had not been.The lead investigator was Carl Schwartz, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The results were published in the January Archives of General Psychiatry.Both the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex are known to have rich neural connections with the amygdala, the brain's anxiety center, and to play pivotal roles in emotional regulation and behavioral inhibition. Schwartz and his colleagues wanted to find out whether there were any differences in these two brain regions in fearful and nonfearful people.They focused on 76 18-year-olds who had been enrolled as infants in a longitudinal study of child development. At age 4 months, 34 of them were found to be extremely fearful, timid, and inhibited in temperament, whereas the remaining 42 were found to be the opposite. As the subjects matured, they tended to react to unfamiliar people, objects, and situations as they had in infancy.Schwartz and his coworkers used structural MRI scans to measure the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex in each subject, then compared results from the fearful subjects to those of the nonfearful ones.Nonfearful subjects were found to have a thicker orbitofrontal cortex than fearful subjects. This finding made sense, the researchers believed, since this brain region is known to modulate anxiety signals from the amygdala, to suppress unpleasant feelings, and to channel negative emotions into more positive ones. So if a person has a thicker orbitofrontal cortex, he or she might be better able to dampen anxiety and act bolder and with less inhibition than a person with a thinner orbitofrontal cortex.The fearful subjects, in contrast, were found to have a thicker ventromedial prefrontal cortex than the nonfearful subjects. This finding also made sense, the researchers suggested, since this brain area is known to be involved in defensive reactions to novel or aversive stimuli and can lead to higher blood pressure and an increased heart rate in response to the unknown. So if an individual has a thicker ventromedial prefrontal cortex, he or she might be more likely to act timidly and with caution when faced with new people or situations than a person with a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex.Because imaging data were not collected from the subjects in infancy, these findings cannot address the question of whether the brain structural differences observed in them helped shape the personality traits of fearfulness and nonfearfulness. However, the researchers suspect that it might well be the case.“The results are arresting as they document differences in the visible structure of the adult brain... that are related to behaviors observed much earlier, within the first months of life,” Schwartz pointed out to Psychiatric News. “It is intriguing that one can detect subtle structural differences in adults... that correlate with such complex behavior in infancy.... To our knowledge, there are no previous reports of a relation between infant temperament and brain structure in either infancy or adulthood.”The results have implications for psychiatrists, he and his colleagues believe. Research has shown that infants who are fearful may later be vulnerable to internalizing disorders, especially social anxiety disorder. Research has also shown that infants who are nonfearful may develop into people who are relaxed, who adapt easily to change, and who are resilient to anxiety and depression, or into people who engage in externalizing behaviors, such as displaying a hot temper, demonstrating stubbornness, or acting impulsively or aggressively.The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for Research Resources, the Mental Illness and Neuroscience Discovery Institute, and the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.An abstract of “Structural Differences in Adult Orbital and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Predicted by Infant Temperament at Four Months of Age” is posted at <http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/67/1/78>. ISSUES NewArchived

Cytomics and regenerative medicine

THE key focus of regenerative medicine lies in the reconstitution of damaged or dysfunctional cells, tissues, or organs. Stimulation of the body's own regenerative potential, the connection to artificial materials and surface structures and extracorporeal tissue engineering of cells and tissues are particular challenges (1, 2). Success in the derivation of stem cell lines has opened up a new area of research in biomedicine. Human stem cells not only raise hope for cell replacement therapies but also provide a potential novel system to better understand early human normal development, model human abnormal development and disease, and perform drug screening and toxicity studies. The realization of these potentials, however, depends on expanding our knowledge about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate self renewal and lineage specification. Cytomics has received great attention during the last several years as it allows us to quantitatively analyze a great number of individual cells, their constituents, and their intracellular and functional interactions in cellular systems (cytomes) (3-12). Exhaustive knowledge extraction from multiparametric assays and multiple tests are the prerequisite for cytomics. This novel approach for unsupervised data analysis opens the chance to find the most important parameters which describe best the cell systems. Individual cells of an organ may be specifically equipped to perform specific tasks. Deciphering cell systems on the individual cell level may yield key information to understand function or dysfunction. A combination of state-of-the-art approaches, including cytomics, proteomics, and genomics, will be instrumental in moving the field forward, ultimately lending invaluable knowledge to research areas in regenerative medicine. Analyzing the data about cellular structures, cytomics—the systems biological discipline for cell population analysis—provides a plethora of information and is the ideal partner of regenerative medicine. Realizing the idea “from the molecule to the patient” gives an opportunity to speed up the introduction of this knowledge and offers chemical compounds, proteins, and other biomolecules, cells and tissues as instruments and products for a wide variety of biotechnological and biomedical applications. Cytomics combines different disciplines and will promote the development of innovative therapies and diagnostic methods. Regenerative medicine can be improved by the precision of the measurements with focus on single cell analysis. Analyzing from cell constituents to whole body imaging techniques, cytometry covers the field from molecules through subcellular components, cells, tissues, and organs to live analysis of small animals (13, 14). It harbors the promise to substantially impact on various fields of biomedicine, like regenerative and predictive medicine (3, 5). As the number of scientific data is rising exponentially, new data analysis tools and strategies for cytomics take the lead and get closer to application. Cytomics may strongly support the quantitative data selection, thus strengthening the rationale for biomedicine. This year's 14th Leipziger Workshop highlighted applications in regenerative medicine and focused on how cytometry has contributed to the characterization of primary cells, cell cultures, and their development. The Leipziger Workshop series began in 1995. From 2003 on, it embraced cytomics as its major topic (15). After the first cytomics workshop, we started to combine cytomics with various biomedical disciplines: regenerative and predictive medicine of cardiovascular disease (2004) (5), systems biology and clinical cytomics (2005) (16), cytomics and the human cytome project (2006) (17), cytomics and translational medicine (2007) (18, 19), and cytomics and nanobioengineering (2008) (20). Consequently, the key aspects of the 14th Leipziger Workshop from April 2–4, 2009 in Leipzig (www.leipziger-workshop.de) were cytomics and regenerative medicine. The high relevance of this combination of two biomedical disciplines with a strong standing in technology was highly appreciated. Over 90 scientists attended this year's meeting from more than 10 countries. It included keynote lectures and tutorials; there were overall 33 oral and 17 poster presentations (see abstracts). So far, this has been one of the most successful meetings in the history of the Leipziger Workshop. The number of participants has constantly increased over the last several years and will further prosper in future. The high attendance and anticipation of the workshop shows the increased demand and interest in cytomics. This year's workshop received substantial support from the Biological and Biomedical Center of the University of Leipzig (BBZ, www.bbz.uni-leipzig.de), the newly founded Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine (TRM, www.trm.uni-leipzig.de) Leipzig and several exhibitors who were also directly involved in the teaching program (www.leipziger-workshop.de).

Mad dogs and (arguably) madder Scotsmen: biomedical ethics in an Asian context

Throughout my career, the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences have been the unexpected twists and turns. When I was studying theology as a candidate for the ministry, after four years of philosophy, I never dreamt that I would end up as a Professor of Medical Ethics in three different medical schools; and even when I had published my first medical ethics textbook in 1972, I did not expect to be appointed founding editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics. (The accepted view was that it would have to be helmed by a ‘real’ doctor – ‘up to the elbows in blood’ and all that!) But by far the most unexpected and rewarding of all the unpredicted twists and turns was an email message in December 2006 from my friend, Tom Murray, by then President of the Hastings Center, asking if I would consider – as an alternative to finally retiring – being considered for the newly founded Chen Su Lan Centennial Chair in Medical Ethics at the National University of Singapore. Well, here I am, nearly three years into the post, having set up what has become the largest biomedical ethics centre in Asia, with nine academic staff plus three adjunct clinical staff and a cadre of about 30 clinical tutors. When I accepted the appointment, it was obvious that a number of my friends and contemporaries thought I was mad. It was never said directly of course – just raised eyebrows, or remarks like ‘How brave of you to take on something like this at our age!’; or, ‘Aren’t you ready for a bit of a rest?’ It’s true that when the heat and humidity of Singapore first hits you – like a thick soup – the celebrated ditty of Noel Coward springs instantly to mind: ‘Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun!’ But in fact one soon learns to go outdoors at sensible times. (What is less expected is freezing nearly to death in the overeffective air-conditioning, especially in up-market hotels and restaurants!) However, beyond this quite trivial level of difference, there is a wealth of surprise, stimulation and challenge in launching a teaching and research enterprise in biomedical ethics in a different culture from one’s own, and it is to these dimensions of similarity and difference that I shall now turn.

Effects of acceptor composition and mechanism of ABCG1-mediated cellular free cholesterol efflux

Among the known mechanisms of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), ATP binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1)-mediated free cholesterol (FC) transport is the most recent and least studied. Here, we have characterized the efficiencies of different acceptors using baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells transfected with human ABCG1 cDNA, which is inducible upon treatment with mifepristone. When normalized on particle number and particle surface area, the acceptor efficiency for FC efflux was as follows: small unilamellar vesicles (SUV)>LDL>reconstituted HDL>HDL2 = HDL3. Based on phospholipid content, the order was reversed. ABCG1 also mediated phospholipid efflux to human serum and HDL3. ABCG1-mediated FC efflux correlated significantly with a number of HDL subfractions and components in serum collected from 25 normolipidemic individuals: apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II) (r2 = 0.7), apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) (r2 = 0.5), HDL-C (r2 = 0.4), HDL-PL (r2 = 0.4), α-2 HDL (r2 = 0.4), and preβ HDL (r2 = 0.2). ABCG1 did not enhance influx of FC or cholesteryl oleyl ether (COE) when cells were incubated with radiolabeled HDL3. ABCG1 expression did not increase the association of HDL3 with cells. Compared with control cells, ABCG1 expression significantly increased the FC pool available for efflux and the rate constant for efflux. In conclusion, composition and particle size determine the acceptor efficiency for ABCG1-mediated efflux. ABCG1 increases cell membrane FC pools and changes its rate of desorption into the aqueous phase without enhancing the association with the acceptor.

Comparison of Treatment of HIV Patients in Naturopathic and Biomedical Settings

Patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS have turned to a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in seeking relief from their illnesses and a better quality of life. Many of them have adopted an integrative approach in which they simultaneously use biomedicine and CAM. Naturopathic physicians, are one category of CAM practitioners upon which some HIV/AIDS patients rely. This article describes naturopathic philosophy and therapeutics; examines naturopathic medical treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in two CAM treatment centers in a Western US metropolitan area; describes treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in a biomedical treatment center frequented by many of the HIV patients who have opted for an integrative approach; and compares these approaches in terms of models of practitioner-patient relationship. I argue that the naturopathic physician-patient relationship constitutes a form of social support that generally cannot be facilitated in the biomedical physician-patient relationship due to time, and perhaps philosophical, constraints.

Classification of antituberculosis herbs for remedial purposes by using fuzzy sets

Using fuzzy set theory, we created a system, that assesses a herb's usefulness for the treatment of tuberculosis, based on ethnobotanical data. We analysed two systems which contain different amount of inputs. The first system contains four inputs, the second one contains six inputs. We used the Takagi–Sugeno–Kanga model. Mamdani model is poor at representation as it needs more fuzzy rules than that of TSK to model a real world system where accuracy is demanded. It has been employed a fuzzy controller, and a fuzzy model, in successfully solving difficult control and modelling problems in practice. It is implemented in the Fuzzy Logic Toolbox in Matlab. The data for inputs are gathered in the database named SOPAT (selection of plants against tuberculosis), which is part of a project coordinated by the Oxford International Biomedical Centre. In this database there could be up to one millon plant species. It would be cumbersome to select a remedy from one (or some) of these species looking at the data base one-by-one. By means of the fuzzy set theory this remedy can be chosen very quickly.