Age distribution of circulating alpha-interferon

A sensitive radioimmunoassay showed that circulating alpha-interferon in the plasma of healthy individuals was low in children and reached the highest level in the young adult, then declined gradually with age. Circulating alpha-interferon was 0.201 +/- 0.059 ng/ml in males (n = 19) and 0.184 +/- 0.076 ng/ml in females (n = 14) at ages 30-39 years old. It was noted that circulating alpha-interferon was maintained up to a certain level even in elderly individuals.     

Age distribution of circulatingα-interferon

Summary A sensitive radioimmunoassay showed that circulating -interferon in the plasma of healthy individuals was low in children and reached the highest level in the young adult, then declined gradually with age. Circulating -interferon was 0.201±0.059 ng/ml in males (n=19) and 0.184±0.076 ng/ml in females (n=14) at ages 30–39 years old. It was noted that circulating -interferon was maintained up to a certain level even in elderly individuals.     

Colony stimulating activity in acute and chronic endotoxinemia in man.

Blood granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating activity (GM CSF) was measured in 6 normal individuals challenged with low-dose endotoxin and in 63 unselected patients with nonhaematological disorders. 5/63 patients were febrile and 5 other patients whoed detectable endotoxin levels, as measured by the Limulus assay. CSA levels showed a rapid increase in normal individuals following endotoxin administration, but were in the normal range in patients with chronic endotoxinemia or in those with febrile disorders. Thus, unlike acute endotoxinemia, chronic endotoxinemia is not associated with elevated activity that promotes growth of myeloid commited stem cells. In addition, fever per se did not coincide with elevated blood CSA levels.     

Colony stimulating activity in acute and chronic endotoxinemia in man

Summary Blood granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating activity (GM CSF) was measured in 6 normal individuals challenged with low-dose endotoxin and in 63 unselected patients with nonhaematological disorders. 5/63 patients were febrile and 5 other patients showed detectable endotoxin levels, as measured by the Limulus assay. CSA levels showed a rapid increase in normal individuals following endotoxin administration, but were in the normal range in patients with chronic endotoxinemia or in those with febrile disorders. Thus, unlike acute endotoxinemia, chronic endotoxinemia is not associated with elevated activity that promotes growth of myeloid commited stem cells. In addition, fever per se did not coincide with elevated blood CSA levels.     

Heritable variation for aggression as a reflection of individual coping strategies

Evidence is presented in rodents, that individual differences in aggression reflect heritable, fundamentally different, but equally valuablealternative strategies to cope with environmental demands. Generally, aggressive individuals show an active response to aversive situations. In a social setting, they react with flight or escape when defeated; in non-social situations, they react with active avoidance of controllable shocks and with sustained activity during an uncontrollable task. In contrast, non-aggressive individuals generally adopt a passive strategy. In social and non-social aversive situations, they react with immobility and withdrawal.A main aspect of these two alternative strategies is that individuals with an active strategy easily develop routines (intrinsically determined behaviour), and consequently do not react (properly) to minor changes in their environment, whereas in passively reacting animals it is just the other way around (extrinsically determined behaviour). It has become clear that active and passive behavioural strategies represent two different, but equivalent, coping styles. The coping style of the aggressive males is aimed at the removal of themselves from the source of stress or at removal of the stress source itself (i. e. active manipulation). Non-aggressive individuals seem to aim at the reduction of the emotional impact of the stress (i.e. passive confrontation). The success of both coping styles depends upon the variability or stability of the environment. The fact that aggressive males develop routines may contribute to a fast excution of their anticipatory responses, which is necessary for an effective manipulation of events. However, this is only of advantage in predictable (stable) situations, but is maladaptive (e.g. expressed by the development of stress pathologies) when the animal is confronted with the unexpected (variable situations). The flexible behaviour of non-aggressive individuals, depending strongly upon external stimuli, will be of advantage under changing conditions.Studies on wild house mice living under natural conditions show how active and passive coping functions in nature, and how the two types have been brought about by natural selection.     

Demonstration of erythroblastic differentiation after 14 days in blood in vitro during Vaquez's disease without addition of erythropoietin]

Leucocytes of normal individuals and patients with polycythemia vera were isolated from the peripheral blood by Ficoll-Hipaque density gradient centrifugation and cultured in vitro suing the bovine plasma clot culture technique with a minor modification: the addition of fresh normal serum. After 14 days in the presence of sheep erythropo?etin (3U/ml) erythropo?etic bursts containing between 3 and 10 subcolonies were observed in normal and polycythemia vera cultures. Blood leucocytes of patients with polycythemia vera rise to these erythropo?etic bursts without addition of erythropo?etin to the culture. This behavior was never observed in the blood of normal individuals. These results indicate that in polycythemia vera commited erythro?d stem cells of high proliferative capacity closely resembling the murine erythro?d burst forming unit have an abnormal sensitivity to erythropo?etin as well as the immediate precursors of the proerythroblasts. The culture of these cells from the peripheral blood offers some practical advantages.     

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: clinicopathology and molecular alterations

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS, OMIM 175200) is an unusual inherited intestinal polyposis syndrome associated with distinct peri-oral blue/black freckling [1–9]. Variable penetrance and clinical heterogeneity make it difficult to determine the exact frequency of PJS [4]. PJS is a cancer predisposition syndrome. Affected individuals are at high risk for intestinal and extra-intestinal cancers. In 1997, linkage studies mapped PJS to chromosome 19p [10, 11], and subsequently a serine/threonine kinase gene defect (LKB1) was noted in a majority of PJS cases [12, 13]. A phenotypically similar syndrome has been produced in an LKB1 mouse knockout model [14–18]. Several PJS kindred without LKB1 mutations have been described, suggesting other PJS loci [19–22]. The management of PJS is complex and evolving. New endoscopic technologies may improve management of intestinal polyposis. Identification of specific genetic mutations and their targets will more accurately assess the clinical course, and help gage the magnitude of cancer risk for affected individuals. Received 20 February 2006; received after revision 5 May 2006; accepted 15 June 2006     

Behavior and catecholamine levels: comparative study of gregarious insects, solitary insects, and those treated with carbon dioxide in Locusta migratoria (Insecta, Orthoptera)]

The dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) was measured in Locusta migratoria for 3 groups of individuals showing differences in their motility: gregarious are very active, solitary and animals in chronic treatment by CO2 (1 mn/day) show a very low motility. NA is present in small amounts (0,120-0,250 microng/g) in the 3 groups without significant differences. On the contrary, the quantity of DA is 5 times greater in gregarious than in the 2 other groups (1,78 and 0,31-0,39 microng/g). Thus it is suggested that DA is related to motility and must play its own role of a neurochormone, distinct from that of a metabolic intermediary between DOPA and NA. The question of a relationship between the metabolism of catecholamine and melanization is open.     

Importance de l'étude des transferrines sériques dans la différenciation des espèces. Résultats acquis dans le genreAnguilla

Summary A study of transferrins of the eel by paper electrophoresis, using a serum labelled with Iron 59, was carried out on 340 different individuals. The phenotypes of transferrins thus determined are differently distributed in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and in the American eel (A. rostrata); the difference between these 2 species is thereby made clear. Within the same species (A. anguilla), it is also possible to observe different distributions of phenotypes according to the geographical origin of the individuals under study (French Atlantic coasts, French and Greek Mediterranean coasts).     

Physical aspects of delayed luminescence inAcetabularia acetabulum

Delayed photo-induced luminescence has been studied inAcetabularia acetabulum individuals. The number of photons re-emitted when the wavelength, the intensity, or the duration of the incident radiation were varied are reported for 10 individuals. Reproducibility of the measurements in the same and in different individuals was good. The association between the incident radiation and photon re-emission was found to be non-linear. The relaitonship between the quantities involved in the phenomenon is discussed and a phenomenological equation describing the relationship is presented.     

Mixed lymphocyte reaction in human monoclonal gammopathies

Summary Ten multiple myeloma (MM) and 5 monoclonal gammopathies of undertermined significance (MGUS) were studied. The mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) proliferative response was of the same order of magnitude in MM and in MGUS as in normal controls. Normal results were obtained when pathological lymphocytes were used as either responding or stimulating cells. The addition of monoclonal anti-Ia antibodies completely abrogates the proliferative response as in healthy individuals. These results suggest that the immunological mechanisms supposed to be important in MLR are functionally normal in MM and in MGUS, although both the B and T cell lineages are involved in monoclonal gammopathies.This work was supported by CNR-PPFF Controllo della crescita neoplastica No. 82.00387.96. We thank Regione Piemonte which purchasel most of the technical equipment.     

Etiology of rheumatoid arthritis

Summary Definite genetic associations with immunological cooperative HLA-D(R) antigens have been demonstrated for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Microbial etiology has not been proven, but some hope for the supporters of this view is still given by small viruses, plasmids of enteric bacteria or perhaps oncogen-like DNA-sequences. Yet, electrophoretical analysis of membrane proteins or surface glycoproteins of RA synovial cells does not show any differences compared to reference cells. Autoimmunity to several tissue elements has been demonstrated, but most of it is of secondary nature. Antigenicities of type II and III collagens are probably only contributory factors for HLA-DR4 positive individuals. Proteoglycans or minor cartilage collagens have not been extensively studied, so far. Endocrine, dietary or psychological influences might be triggering events for otherwise preloaded individuals.     

Heritable variation for aggression as a reflection of individual coping strategies

Evidence is presented in rodents, that individual differences in aggression reflect heritable, fundamentally different, but equally valuable alternative strategies to cope with environmental demands. Generally, aggressive individuals show an active response to aversive situations. In a social setting, they react with flight or escape when defeated; in non-social situations, they react with active avoidance of controllable shocks and with sustained activity during an uncontrollable task. In contrast, non-aggressive individuals generally adopt a passive strategy. In social and non-social aversive situations, they react with immobility and withdrawal. A main aspect of these two alternative strategies is that individuals with an active strategy easily develop routines (intrinsically determined behaviour), and consequently do not react (properly) to 'minor' changes in their environment, whereas in passively reacting animals it is just the other way around (extrinsically determined behaviour). It has become clear that active and passive behavioural strategies represent two different, but equivalent, coping styles. The coping style of the aggressive males is aimed at the removal of themselves from the source of stress or at removal of the stress source itself (i.e. active manipulation). Non-aggressive individuals seem to aim at the reduction of the emotional impact of the stress (i.e. passive confrontation). The success of both coping styles depends upon the variability or stability of the environment. The fact that aggressive males develop routines may contribute to a fast execution of their anticipatory responses, which is necessary for an effective manipulation of events. However, this is only of advantage in predictable (stable) situations, but is maladaptive (e.g. expressed by the development of stress pathologies) when the animal is confronted with the unexpected (variable situations). The flexible behaviour of non-aggressive individuals, depending strongly upon external stimuli, will be of advantage under changing conditions. Studies on wild house mice living under natural conditions show how active and passive coping functions in nature, and how the two types have been brought about by natural selection.     

Evidence for the possible function of the fluorescent granular perithelial cells in brain as scavengers of high-molecular-weight waste products

Summary The fluorescent granular perithelium (FGP) of rats and humans under experimental and pathological conditions was examined with the electron microscope. The FGP incorporated high molecular-weight protein (ferritin) and carbon particles administered intraventricularly. In a case of spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage, the FGP was found to contain lipoidal products and minute fragmented cell debris. The FGP in a patient with lipidosis contained pale inclusion bodies. In aged individuals, the inclusion bodies formed irregular larger aggregates.     

The hypothesis of the genetic transmission (autosomal recessive) of subtypes of HBs Ag. The example of Kel Kummer]

In a study of asymtomatic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) in a closed population, the Twareg Kel Kummer, 18% of the population (79 individuals out of 439 tested) were found to be carriers of one of the 3 sub types: HBs Ag/a2 1 dw, HBs Ag/a2 1 yw and HBs Ag/a3 yw. Evidence from genealogies and the distribution of carriers in the pyramid of ages strongly supports the hypothesis of genetic transmission of the gene sub type as an autosomal recessive.     

Serodiagnosis of viral hepatitis A: rise in antibody titre and evaluation of three methods for detecting early and late antibodies

A serological investigation was made on patients with viral hepatitis A and individuals with a past history of this disease. Titration of antibody in sequential samples was found to be of no help in diagnosis. Separation of early (IgM) from late (IgG) antibodies by protein A or by 2-mercaptoethanol did not prove to be convenient for the serodiagnosis. A chromatographic separation of late and early antibody was found to be satisfactory, and equivalent to a radioimmunoassay for IgM-antibodies.     

Superoxide dismutase activity in the Spanish population

Superoxide dismutase is an enzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. This superoxide radical is produced by all aerobic cells as a normal metabolic intermediate of molecular oxygen, and is dangerous for the cell because it induces the inactivation of various enzymes, lipid peroxidation and mutations. Superoxide dismutase can therefore be considered as a protective enzyme. The purpose of this work was to determine the level of superoxide dismutase activity in the Spanish population, and to study the factors that influence this activity. The superoxide dismutase activity of 2397 individuals was determined using the method described by Minami and Yoshikawa. The superoxide dismutase activity level in the adult Spanish population was found to be 4.16 +/- 0.89 Units/ml of blood. No significant variations with respect to sex were detected. But it was observed that the superoxide dismutase activity level was 9% higher in the young urban Spanish population.     

HIV/AIDS: modified stem cells in the spotlight

Since HIV/AIDS was first recognized in 1981, an urgent need has existed for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat the disease. Due to the current antiretroviral therapy not being curative, human stem cell-based therapeutic intervention has emerged as an approach for its treatment. Genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) possess the potential to self-renew, reconstitute the immune system with HIV-resistant cells, and thus control, or even eliminate, viral replication. However, HSCs may be difficult to isolate in sufficient number from HIV-infected individuals for transplantation and/or re-infusion of autologous HSCs preparations would also include some contaminating HIV-infected cells. Furthermore, since genetic modification of HSCs is not completely efficient, the risk of providing unprotected immune cells to become new targets for HIV to infect could contribute to continued immune system failure. Therefore, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) should be considered a new potential source of cells to be engineered for HIV resistance and subsequently differentiated into clonal anti-HIV HSCs or hematopoietic progeny for transplant. In this article, we provide an overview of the current possible cellular therapies for treating HIV/AIDS.     

Superoxide dismutase activity in the Spanish population

Summary Superoxide dismutase is an enzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. This superoxide radical is produced by all aerobic cells as a normal metabolic intermediate of molecular oxygen, and is dangerous for the cell because it induces the inactivation of various enzymes, lipid peroxidation and mutations. Superoxide dismutase can therefore be considered as a protective enzyme. The purpose of this work was to determine the level of superoxide dismutase activity in the Spanish population, and to study the factors that influence this activity. The superoxide dismutase activity of 2397 individuals was determined using the method described by Minami and Yoshikawa. The superoxide dismutase activity level in the adult Spanish population was found to be 4.16±0.89 Units/ml of blood. No significant variations with respect to sex were detected. But it was observed that the superoxide dismutase activity level was 9% higher in the young urban Spanish population.     

Impact of corrections for dynamic selection bias on forecasts of retention behavior

We investigate the impact of corrections for dynamic selection bias on forecasting accuracy in a multi‐period stay/leave model. While corrections for selection bias are needed for consistent coefficient estimates, they do not necessarily produce more accurate forecasts than uncorrected techniques. Theorem 1 shows that, apart from estimation errors, a shrinkage principle applies: the heterogeneity restriction imposed by uncorrected and combination techniques improves accuracy for forecasting individuals that leave, and hurts accuracy for forecasting individuals that stay. This has important implications for decision making because of the potential for asymmetric losses. We also present an illustrative empirical application and results from Monte Carlo experiments. We find that differences in relative accuracy vary directly with the degree of selection bias and inversely with the percentage of the initial population that stays. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.