Application of zwitterionic detergent to the solubilization of Klebsiella pneumoniae outer membrane proteins for two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a frequent cause of nosocomial respiratory, urinary and gastrointestinal tract infections and septicemia with the multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae being a major public health concern. Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) are important virulence factors responsible for the appropriate adaptation to the host environment. They constitute of the antigens being the first in contact with infected organism. However, K. pneumoniae strains are heavily capsulated and it is important to establish the OMPs isolation procedure prior to proteomics extensive studies. In this study we used Zwittergent Z 3-14® as a detergent to isolate the OMPs from K. pneumoniae cells and resolve them using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). As a result we identified 134 protein spots. The OMPs identified in this study are possible candidates for the development of a protein-based vaccine against K. pneumoniae infections.

Progesterone's effects to reduce anxiety behavior of aged mice do not require actions via intracellular progestin receptors.

RATIONALE: Aging is associated with reduced secretion of, and down-regulation of receptors for, progesterone (P); yet, P's effects when administered to younger and older animals have not been systematically investigated. Some of P's antianxiety effects may be due to its conversion to 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (3alpha,5alpha-THP) and its subsequent actions as a positive modulator at GABAA receptor complexes (GBRs). OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether P administration can decrease anxiety behavior of progestin receptor (PR) knockout (PRKO) or wild-type control mice. METHODS: P (10 mg/kg) or vehicle (propylene glycol) were administered subcutaneously to intact, female or male wild-type or PRKO mice that were either 9-12 or 18-24 months of age. Behavior in tasks that assess spontaneous activity (activity monitor and roto-rod), free exploration of a novel environment (open field, elevated plus maze, and elevated zero maze), and conflict behavior (mirror chamber, dark-light transition, and punished drinking) were examined 1 h after injection. RESULTS: P significantly decreased anxiety behavior of both PRKO and wild-type mice. P did not alter motor behavior but increased central entries in the open field, time in the open quadrants of the elevated zero maze, time in the mirrored chamber, time in the light compartment of the dark-light transition, and punished drinking in young and old mice. P-administered mice had higher levels of hippocampal 3alpha,5alpha-THP and GABA-stimulated chloride flux than did vehicle-administered PRKO or wild-type mice. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of P to decrease anxiety behavior of younger and older mice do not require classic PRs and may involve actions of 3alpha,5alpha-THP at GBRs.

Genetic analysis of the psychomotor stimulant effect of ethanol.

Genetic influences on the psychomotor stimulant effect of ethanol may be a key feature of abuse liability. While earlier work has shown the activational effects of ethanol to be under the influence of a relatively uncomplicated additive genetic system, preliminary data from our laboratory suggested the possibility of nonadditive genetic variance. In the present study, a full Mendelian cross was conducted to further characterize gene action and search for quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing the psychomotor stimulant properties of ethanol. We tested 3062 mice of the six Mendelian cross genotypes (P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1 and BC2) derived from a cross between the C57BL/6J (B6) and C3H/HeJ (C3H) inbred strains of mice. On day 1, mice were injected with saline, put in a holding cage for 5 min, then placed in an activity monitor for 5 min. On day 2, mice were injected with 1.5 g/kg ethanol, and activity again monitored for 5 min. Analysis showed the expected activation in the C3H strain and little activation in the B6 strain, with no effect of sex. Biometrical genetic analysis showed a best-fit model that included the mean (m), additive effect (a), and an epistatic parameter (i = homozygote by homozygote interaction). Analysis showed good evidence for QTL on chromosomes 1 (logarithm of odds (LOD) 3.4-7.5, 88-100 cM), 6 (LOD 9.1-10.4, 46-50 cM) and 15 (LOD 7.3-8.8, 28-32 cM). While the regions on chromosomes 1 and 6 have previously been implicated in several different ethanol-related phenotypes, this is the first report of a QTL influencing the psychomotor stimulant properties of ethanol on chromosome 15. Other studies have identified QTL in this region of chromosome 15 mediating locomotor activation caused by other psychostimulants, including cocaine, amphetamine and phencyclidine.

[Post-traumatic stress disorder and fire fighters' attitude to their job]. / Zespól zaburzen po stresie urazowym a stosunek do pracy strazaków.

Work in a fire-brigade is very often associated with exposure to traumatic events. Some firefighters manifest post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In spite of PTSD development, firefighters have to perform various tasks according to their responsibilities. The paper addresses the problem of the relationship between PTSD symptoms development and firefighters' attitudes to their job. The survey covered a representative sample of Polish firefighters (n = 974). The results showed that the higher level of PTSD symptoms the lower level of work satisfaction among firefighters; and the more evident readiness to quit the job. The also indicated that the was perceived physically and mentally exhausting, and having negative impact on private life of the subjects.

[Psychoneuroimmunology. A new approach to the function of immunological system]. / Psychoneuroimmunologia. Nowe spojrzenie na funkcjonowanie ukladu odpornosciowego.

The most recent evidence suggests that the immune system responses are not regulated only by the presence of antigens but they are also influenced by the brain and behavior. It has been known for some time that stressful conditions alter the functioning of the immune system. Despite methodological difficulties in the quantitation of stress, and its association with the onset of illness, the concept of the stress impact on susceptibility to several diseases is widely acknowledged. This paper reviews the effects of stress on the endocrine and central nervous systems and presents the interactions between these systems and the immune response after exposure to stress signals.

Behavioural testing of standard inbred and 5HT(1B) knockout mice: implications of absent corpus callosum.

Rapid advances in biotechnology have created new demands for tests of mouse behaviour having both high reliability and high throughput for mass screening. This paper discusses several statistical and psychological factors pertinent to replication of results in different laboratories, and it considers the question of which inbred strains are best for test standardization. In this context, the problem of absent corpus callosum in the 129 strains is addressed with data from a recent study of six diverse tests of behaviour, and it is shown that effects of absent corpus callosum are usually nonsignificant and/or very small. Whether any 129 substrain is to be included in the list of standard strains depends on the goal of the standardization--collecting diverse phenotypic data on most available strains by a few expert investigators (the gold standard) or refining behavioural tests in order to establish a normal range of behaviour that can be used to judge a wider range of strains or even an individual mouse.

[Sense of personal control and the level of occupational stress and related effects]. / Poczucie kontroli w miejscu pracy a poziom stresu zawodowego i zwiazane z nim skutki.

There is opinion that the sense of personal control at workplace is an important factor determining the occupational stress and related effects. The group of 160 policemen were studied to verify empirically the above-mentioned opinion. The subjects assessed their level of sense of personal control, occupational stress, burnout and mental health. Statistical analysis revealed following significant correlation coefficients between the sense of personal control and stress (r = -0.33); job satisfaction (r = -0.44); emotional exhaustion (r = -0.28); depersonalization (r = -0.26); and feeling of personal accomplishment (r = -0.25); total score in GHQ-28 (r = -0.16). The results of the study let us draw a practical conclusion. In order to diminish the level of job stress it is required to introduce proper organizational changes enhancing the sense of personal control among workers.

[Validation of methods used for the assessment of the efficiency of selected psychophysical functions in gantry operators]. / Walidacja metod do oceny sprawnosci wybranych funkcji psychofizycznych maszynistów suwnic.

The aim of the study presented was to develop psychological procedures useful for the replacement examinations of gantry operators. The psychological traits needed to ensure proper and safe handling of gantry were defined on the basis of work analysis. The experimental test battery for measuring these traits was worked out on the same basis. The group of 138 gantry operators, aged 19-59 years, were examined. Their test scores were used to estimate psychometric parameters of the test battery. The analysis of the results allowed to choose the best predictors of work capability. The authors also proposed the principles of the decision-making process based on the test scores.

Relationship between sense of coherence and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among firefighters.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association, the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed when a person: (a) is exposed to a traumatic event that is well outside the range of usual human experience accompanied by intense fear or horror; (b) reexperiences the event in his/her thoughts, dreams and daily life; (c) avoids the stimuli associated with the trauma and numbs his/her emotions; (d) demonstrates symptoms of increased arousal; and (e) manifests these disturbances for a longer period than one month. Since the 1980s, it has been pointed out that PTSD may occur not only among survivors of severe traumatic events but also among those who have rescued the victims of those events. Members of fire brigades constitute a large occupational group exposed to traumatic experiences. The aim of our study was to find an answer to the question of what are the relationships between the level of PTSD symptoms and the sense of coherence (and its three dimensions). In all, 464 firemen were interviewed. PTSD-Interview developed by Watson et al. was used to assess the level of PTSD symptoms and the presence]absence of PTSD. The higher level of PTSD symptoms was associated with the lower level of the sense of coherence. A small group (3.9%) of subjects who experienced traumatic events met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The sense of coherence of these people was significantly lower than that of others.

Influence of sodium bis(oxalato)oxovanadate(IV) on phospholipids in liver Golgi fractions from control and streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

(1) Both vanadyl oxalate and streptozotocin (STZ) caused in comparison with untreated control statistically significant increase (P<0.001 and P<0.02) of PLs (micromoles of P(i) per mg of protein) in rat liver Golgi-rich membrane fraction. (2) The diabetic, vanadium treated rats (D+V) showed lower than control-treated (C+V) content of PLs in these fractions. (3) Three experimental groups of rats: control-treated (P<0.01), diabetic treated with vanadium (P<0.05) and untreated diabetic (P<0.02), had a higher percentage of PI (phosphatidylinositol) in comparison with untreated-control animals.

Genetics of mouse behavior: interactions with laboratory environment.

Strains of mice that show characteristic patterns of behavior are critical for research in neurobehavioral genetics. Possible confounding influences of the laboratory environment were studied in several inbred strains and one null mutant by simultaneous testing in three laboratories on a battery of six behaviors. Apparatus, test protocols, and many environmental variables were rigorously equated. Strains differed markedly in all behaviors, and despite standardization, there were systematic differences in behavior across labs. For some tests, the magnitude of genetic differences depended upon the specific testing lab. Thus, experiments characterizing mutants may yield results that are idiosyncratic to a particular laboratory.

[Physiological reaction to chronic and traumatic stress]. / Fizjologiczne reakcje na stres przewlekly i traumatyczny.

Occupational stress may be evoked by chronic (e.g. psycho-social factors) or traumatic stressors. Both kinds of stressors induce physiological reactions of the human body. If an occupational health physician is aware of them, it is much easier for him to organize activities with the aim to prevent stress in the work environment. The determination of physiological reactions to chronic stressors may be useful in assessing stressogenic traits of various jobs, understanding morbid effect of stress and recognising persons oversensitive to occupational stress. Physiological examinations of traumatic stress render it possible to identify the mechanism responsible for the development of disorders resulting from traumatic stress, provide indicators for an objective diagnosis of this disorders and help to distinguish and assess their long-term effects which may persist after a subsidence of acute symptoms.

[Prevention of detrimental effect of traumatic effect in the workplace]. / Zapobieganie negatywnym skutkom stresu traumatycznego w miejscu pracy.

The workplace may be the source of chronic and traumatic stresses. The latter may lead to the occurrence of disorders which have been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM) since 1990. In order to avoid this kind of disorders occupational health service workers should promote preventive activities in the workplace. Depending on the prevalence of traumatic episodes in a given workplace the activities should be carried out according to two models. The first model known as 'debriefing' is adjusted to preventing effects of traumatic stress in special services like the police, fire brigades or emergency services. In workplaces where the risk of traumatic episodes is not so high, the prevention should follow the model of crisis prevention developed by M. Braverman. Both models for preventing stress disorders in the workplace are discussed in this paper.

Quantitative trait loci analysis affecting contextual conditioning in mice.

In an extensive backcross of mice between C3H/HeJ (C3H) and C57BL/6J (B6), we sought to map genes that influence learning and memory as measured by performance in a contextual fear-conditioning paradigm. Our results indicate that there are several genetic regions that have a strong influence on performance in this paradigm. The strongest influences map to the proximal and distal ends of chromosome 1 (lod scores of 5.14 and 4.76, respectively). Other chromosomal regions (chromosomes 3, 7, 8, 9 and 18) were also identified as candidates for regions containing genes influencing contextual fear conditioning, with lod scores ranging from 1.8 to 2.7.

Impairment of psychological functions in children environmentally exposed to lead.

The major objective of the study was to determine whether environmental exposure to lead exerts a negative impact upon psychological functions in children. The examined group consisted fo school age children (6-15 years old, x = 9.5, SD = 1.4) living close to copper works. Out of 4548 children with measured blood lead concentrations, two groups were selected one with the highest exposure levels (12.0-27.2 micrograms/dl) and the other drawn from the remaining children, with low blood lead levels. The mean exposure level for the whole examined group equalled 10.18 mu/dl PbB (SD-4.73 micrograms/dl). To assess effects of the exposure, the following variables were measured in the examined children: intelligence, hand-eye coordination, perception, memory, reaction time and accuracy, and behaviour disorders. The moderator variables of sociodemographic character, i.e. parents' education, income, etc., were also controlled. A significant impact of lead upon psychological functions and behaviour was revealed for two variables only: intelligence and attention concentration. An increase in the exposure level by 10 micrograms/dl PbB was associated with deterioration of general IQ by 5.3 points and growth of the number of mistakes in the Simple Reaction Time test by 3.3. It was also revealed that the short-term memory deteriorates with growing level of exposure, the strength of this relationship was close to the level of statistical significance (p < 0.07).

[The effect of stress in the workplace on the risk of ischemic heart diseases--the role of epidemiologic studies]. / Wplyw stresu w miejscu pracy na ryzyko choroby niedokrwiennej serca--rola badan epidemiologiczynch.

Among numerous areas of occupational medicine, the studies of the impact of psychosocial factors on the development of cardiovascular diseases have been progressing most rapidly. The role of epidemiological studies in analysing the effect of this group of stressors on the incidence of ischaemic heart disease is discussed. The most significant outcome of the studies regarding selected psychological reactions referred to Karasek and Theorell's model of psychic burden/control, the role of life events, A type behavior and other selected personality changes. The authors stress that issues such as so called 'selection phenomenon', adequate size of the populations investigated, accurate selection of measurement methods, control of confounding factors and the cause-effect inference based on cross-sectional studies, are the major limitations in epidemiological studies of the effect of occupational stress on the state of health. Further progress in this area depends on how far these limitations could be overcome.

Mixture risk assessment: a case study of Monsanto experiences.

Monsanto employs several pragmatic approaches for evaluating the toxicity of mixtures. These approaches are similar to those recommended by many national and international agencies. When conducting hazard and risk assessments, priority is always given to using data collected directly on the mixture of concern. To provide an example of the first tier of evaluation, actual data on acute respiratory irritation studies on mixtures were evaluated to determine whether the principle of additivity was applicable to the mixture evaluated. If actual data on the mixture are unavailable, extrapolation across similar mixtures is considered. Because many formulations are quite similar in composition, the toxicity data from one mixture can be extended to a closely related mixture in a scientifically justifiable manner. An example of a family of products where such extrapolations have been made is presented to exemplify this second approach. Lastly, if data on similar mixtures are unavailable, data on component fractions are used to predict the toxicity of the mixture. In this third approach, process knowledge and scientific judgement are used to determine how the known toxicological properties of the individual fractions affect toxicity of the mixture. Three examples of plant effluents where toxicological data on fractions were used to predict the toxicity of the mixture are discussed. The results of the analysis are used to discuss the predictive value of each of the above mentioned toxicological approaches for evaluating chemical mixtures.

[Hazards to workers' health caused by work-related psychosocial factors--a challenge to occupational health services]. / Zagrozenie zdrowia pracowników czynnikami psychospolecznymi zwiazanymi Z praca--wyzwanie dla sluzb medycyny pracy.

Health hazards which occur at work are related with exposure to physico-chemical and psychosocial factors. Little concern has been given so far to the latter group of factors by occupational health services in their diagnostic and preventive activities. That resulted from a specific character of psycho-social stimuli and their direct effect on workers' health disorders. A large multitude and variety of psycho-social hazards, a growing exposure to these hazards and health effects induced by them together with economic consequences call for much more attention to be paid to these factors. It will not be an easy task and that is why the authors speak about a challenge to occupational health services.