Increase in CFC-11 emissions from eastern China based on atmospheric observations.

The recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer relies on the continued decline in the atmospheric concentrations of ozone-depleting gases such as chlorofluorocarbons1. The atmospheric concentration of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), the second-most abundant chlorofluorocarbon, has declined substantially since the mid-1990s2. A recently reported slowdown in the decline of the atmospheric concentration of CFC-11 after 2012, however, suggests that global emissions have increased3,4. A concurrent increase in CFC-11 emissions from eastern Asia contributes to the global emission increase, but the location and magnitude of this regional source are unknown3. Here, using high-frequency atmospheric observations from Gosan, South Korea, and Hateruma, Japan, together with global monitoring data and atmospheric chemical transport model simulations, we investigate regional CFC-11 emissions from eastern Asia. We show that emissions from eastern mainland China are 7.0 ± 3.0 (±1 standard deviation) gigagrams per year higher in 2014-2017 than in 2008-2012, and that the increase in emissions arises primarily around the northeastern provinces of Shandong and Hebei. This increase accounts for a substantial fraction (at least 40 to 60 per cent) of the global rise in CFC-11 emissions. We find no evidence for a significant increase in CFC-11 emissions from any other eastern Asian countries or other regions of the world where there are available data for the detection of regional emissions. The attribution of any remaining fraction of the global CFC-11 emission rise to other regions is limited by the sparsity of long-term measurements of sufficient frequency near potentially emissive regions. Several considerations suggest that the increase in CFC-11 emissions from eastern mainland China is likely to be the result of new production and use, which is inconsistent with the Montreal Protocol agreement to phase out global chlorofluorocarbon production by 2010.

Decreased diversity of nasal microbiota and their secreted extracellular vesicles in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis based on a metagenomic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory process in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, and bacteria have been considered to be a cause. Indeed, recent evidence indicates that bacteria-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) appear to be an important causative agent of inflammatory diseases. Here, we aimed to evaluate the diversity of nasal microbiota and their secreted EV in patients with CRS. METHODS: Nasal lavage (NAL) fluid samples were obtained from five patients with CRS with polyposis, three patients with CRS without polyposis, and three non-CRS controls. After preparation of bacteria and EV from samples using differential centrifugation, genomic DNA was extracted and 16S-rDNA amplicons were subjected to high-throughput pyrosequencing on a Roche 454 GS-FLX platform. RESULTS: Metagenomics showed that bacteria composition was positively correlated with EV composition. Samples from patients with CRS had greater bacterial abundance and lower diversity, both from bacteria and the EV portion of samples, compared with non-CRS samples. At each phylogenetic level, Bacteroidetes decreased while Proteobacteria increased in the CRS group at the phylum level. At the genus level, Prevotella spp. decreased in the CRS group, while Staphylococcus spp. increased from both bacteria and EV. Moreover, Staphylococcus aureus and its secreting EV compositions were higher in samples from CRS with polyps compared with CRS without polyps. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that patients with CRS have altered nasal microbiota and decreased diversity in bacterial compositions as well as increased S. aureus abundance in those patients with polyps.

The humoral immune response to the inactivated influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Korea.

AIMS: We evaluated the antibody response to a single-dose adjuvanted, inactivated, pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccination in patients with diabetes and assessed factors associated with the failure to induce antibody responses. METHODS: Eighty-two patients with Type 2 diabetes were vaccinated and antibody responses were determined with haemagglutination inhibition assay and anti-haemagglutinin antibody ELISA. RESULTS: Among 70 antibody-negative patients at baseline, 34 (48.6%) achieved seroconversion; 28 (60.9%) in the young adults group and six (25%) in the elderly group acquired H1N1-specific antibodies. Patients in the older age range or with longer duration of diabetes had a lower seroconversion rate. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show low cross-reactive antibody carrying rate and low seroconversion rate in patients with diabetes. Until larger-scale, case-controlled trials become available, older patients and patients with a longer duration of diabetes should be considered for the two-dose vaccination or have antibody titres measured after the first vaccination.

The effect of rosiglitazone on insulin sensitivity and mid-thigh low-density muscle in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: We examined the effect of rosiglitazone on insulin sensitivity, abdominal fat and mid-thigh intramuscular fat distribution, and plasma concentrations of adipocytokines in patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Rosiglitazone was administered at a daily dose of 4 mg to 42 Type 2 diabetes patients [age 32-70 years, body mass index (BMI) 17.5-32.6 kg/m(2), 15 women, 27 men] for 12 weeks. Various anthropometric and metabolic profiles, plasma adiponectin, leptin, and resistin levels were measured, and insulin resistance was calculated from the short insulin tolerance test. Body fat composition was assessed by computed tomography. RESULTS: Twelve weeks' rosiglitazone treatment resulted in improved insulin resistance despite increases in body weight and BMI. There was a significant decrease in abdominal visceral adipose tissue area (145 +/- 65.6 vs. 129 +/- 73.1 cm(2), P = 0.049). Mid-thigh low-density muscle area (TLDMA) increased from 23 +/- 9.6 to 26 +/- 8.2 cm(2) (P = 0.009). There were significant changes in plasma adipocytokines, but they were not significantly correlated with changes in insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Rosiglitazone treatment resulted in an improvement of insulin responsiveness in Type 2 diabetic subjects, which was associated with the redistribution of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue, an increase in TLDMA, and changes in serum adipocytokine levels. Further studies are needed to elucidate the insulin sensitizing mechanism of rosiglitazone on peripheral skeletal muscles.

Assessment of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms in a Korean population using a simultaneous multiplex pyrosequencing method to simultaneously detect the CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3, and CYP2C19*17 alleles.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: CYP2C19 is a drug-metabolizing enzyme showing various genetic polymorphisms that may cause marked interindividual and interethnic variability in the disposition of its substrates. We assessed CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms in a Korean population using a newly developed multiplex pyrosequencing method. METHOD: A multiplex pyrosequencing method to simultaneously detect CYP2C19*2, *3, and *17 alleles was designed. We established the frequency of these CYP2C19 alleles in 271 Korean subjects using the multiplex pyrosequencing method. RESULTS: The results showed 100% concordance between single and multiplex pyrosequencing methods. We also validated the polymorphisms identified by pyrosequencing with direct sequencing method. The allele frequencies of CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3, and CYP2C19*17 were 0·284, 0·101 and 0·015 respectively. These frequencies are similar to that reported for other Asian populations including Japanese and Chinese but different from that of Caucasians and Africans. CONCLUSIONS: The multiplex pyrosequencing method to detect CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3, and CYP2C19*17 concurrently, seems to be a rapid and reliable genotyping method for the detection of important CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms. Similar to studies conducted on other Asian populations, this study reported that in the Korean population tested, the CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 alleles were relatively frequently found, whereas the frequency of CYP2C19*17 was very low.

The role of psychological distress in laryngopharyngeal reflux patients: a prospective questionnaire study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of psychological distress in laryngopharyngeal reflux patients and evaluate the correlation between symptoms, laryngeal signs, pH monitoring results and psychological profile. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Hanyang University Hospital, a university teaching hospital and tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and six patients who were diagnosed with laryngopharyngeal reflux by 24-h ambulatory double probe pH monitoring and 119 healthy controls visiting our health promotion center from January 2006 to June 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The psychological profile of laryngopharyngeal reflux patients measured by the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised questionnaire were evaluated and compared with those of healthy controls. The correlation between reflux symptom index, reflux finding score, parameters of pH monitoring and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised profiles were also evaluated. RESULTS: On the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised questionnaire, the total mean T-scores of the nine symptom dimensions and three global indices of the laryngopharyngeal reflux patients were all below 50. The Global Severity Index, which indicates overall psychological distress, was normal in all of the patients. On comparison with the control group, no statistically significant difference was noted in the psychological profile except on the Somatisation scale where laryngopharyngeal reflux patients showed significantly higher scores. Reflux symptom index showed significant positive correlation with the number of reflux episodes, percentage of time which pH fell below 4 in total positions, and DeMeester score of the upper probe. The nine symptom dimensions and three global indices of Symptom Checklist-90-Revised questionnaire did not show any correlation with reflux symptom index, reflux finding score and the parameters of the 24-h ambulatory double probe pH monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngopharyngeal reflux patients did not demonstrate any significant level of psychological distress and their symptom severity showed significant positive correlation with reflux severity.

Altered urinary polyamine patterns of cancer patients under acupuncture therapy.

The reduction of elevated polyamine (PA) levels in biological fluids of cancer patients were known to be correlated with remission following diverse therapeutic treatments. In this study, altered urinary PA levels from three different cancer cases were monitored at different intervals during the long-term weekday acupuncture treatments. Nine urinary PA levels from 16 normal and three cancer patients with different types were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode as N-ethoxycarbonyl-N-pentafluoropropionyl derivatives. Their levels measured at three follow-up stages for each patient were then normalized to the corresponding normal group means and plotted into star symbol patterns. Large alterations of PA levels were observed for each patient. Each normalized concentration displayed elevation of the PA levels in multiples (0.0-57.7) of the respective normal mean values. The normalized PA values were transformed into distorted star patterns which were characteristic of each follow-up stage and of cancer type.

Nitrogen-15 and oxygen-18 characteristics of nitrous oxide: a global perspective.

The global budget of N(2)O shows a significant imbalance between the known rate of destruction in the stratosphere and the estimated rates of natural and anthropogenic production in soils and the ocean. Measurements of the (15)N/(14)N and (18)O/(16)O ratios in two major tropospheric sources of N(2)O, tropical rain forest soils and fertilized soils, show that soil N(2)O from a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica and from sugar-cane fields in Maui is strongly depleted in both (15)N and (18)O relative to mean tropospheric N(2)O. A major source of heavy N(2)O, enriched in both (15)N and (18)O, must therefore be present to balance the light N(2)O from soils. One such source is the back-mixing flux of N(2)O from the stratosphere, which is enriched in (15)N and (18)O by photolysis and chemistry. However these return fluxes of (15)N and (18)O are so great that a large oceanic flux of N(2)O is required to balance the heavy isotope-enriched stratospheric flux. All these effects will be reflected in climatically related isotopic variations in trapped N(2)O in polar ice cores.

Management of airway involvement of oesophageal cancer using covered retrievable nitinol stents.

AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of covered retrievable nitinol stents in oesophageal cancer patients with airway involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under fluoroscopic guidance, covered retrievable nitinol airway stents were placed in 23 oesophageal cancer patients with airway stricture and/or oesophagorespiratory fistula (ERF) over a long period of 12 years. Six patients only had aspiration by ERF and three patients had both airway stricture and asymptomatic ERF. Technical aspects, dyspnoea improvement, and/or resolution of ERF symptoms, complications, reinterventions, and survival data were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 27 airway stents (14 tracheal, 11 bronchial, and two hinged) were placed successfully in 23 patients with airway stricture or ERF. Dyspnoea score decreased significantly after stent placement (p<0.001). ERF were sealed off in all nine patients. Complications included stent migration or expectoration (n=4), haemoptysis (n=2), sputum retention (n=7), and tumour overgrowth (n=1). All three migrated stents were easily removed. Twenty-one patients died, with the median survival period of 76 days (range 2-197 days). CONCLUSION: Placement of covered retrievable expandable nitinol stents was safe and effective for the palliative treatment of airway strictures and/or ERF, with a reasonable range of complications, in patients with advanced oesophageal cancer.

Prognostic factors in FIGO stage IB-IIA small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix treated surgically: results of a multi-center retrospective Korean study.

BACKGROUND: To determine the clinical and pathologic prognostic factors in surgically treated patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB-IIA small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix (SCNEC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 68 patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA SCNEC surgically treated from January 1997 to December 2003 in Korea. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients, 43 had FIGO stage IB1 SCNEC, 15 had stage IB2, and 10 had stage IIA. Seven were treated with radical surgery alone; 11 with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by radical surgery; 24 with radical surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy; and 26 with radical surgery followed by adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation. After a median follow-up of 44 months (range, 6-113 months), the 2-year and 5-year survival rates for all patients were 64.6% and 46.6%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that FIGO stage was predictive of poor prognosis. Patients who received NACT showed poorer prognosis than those who did not receive NACT. Adjuvant chemoradiation did not improve survival compared with adjuvant chemotherapy alone. CONCLUSIONS: FIGO stage may act as a surrogate for factors prognostic of survival. Primary radical surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is the preferred treatment modality for patients with early stage SCNEC.

Relationship between the change in overweight status from childhood to adolescence and metabolic syndrome phenotypes: a 9-year retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how the changes in overweight status from childhood to adolescence are related to metabolic syndrome phenotypes in adolescents. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total 375 adolescents aged 16 years. The overweight status from childhood to adolescence (from 7 years of age to 16 years) was determined by body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) calculated from records of the School Physical Examination data. The change in body weight was classified into four groups: normal weight to normal weight (NW-NW); overweight to normal (OW-NW); normal to overweight (NW-OW); overweight to overweight (OW-OW). Metabolic syndrome phenotypes were examined from a cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: The mean values of all phenotypes except for body fatness (BMI and waist) and the cluster score of phenotypes at 16 years of age were not different between the NW-NW group and the OW-NW group, nor between the NW-OW group and the OW-OW group. However, the score as well as the level of body fatness and blood glucose were significantly different between current overweight and normal adolescents regardless of overweight status during childhood (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was a linear relationship between overweight status during childhood and metabolic syndrome phenotypes in adolescence but current overweight status (adolescence overweight) was more closely related to the adolescent risk of metabolic syndrome than childhood overweight status.

The change of atomic distribution and hardness by nitrogen implantation into aluminum alloy.

Through many studies of the nitrogen implantation into aluminum alloy, researchers have concluded that AlN (aluminum nitride) formation is the key to hardening the aluminum surface. We implanted nitrogen ions into the Al6061, using an ion implanter which has a modified Bernas ion source. We changed the incident ion energies (25 keV, 50 keV) and fluences (1x10(17)-2x10(18) ions/cm(2)). To measure the depth hardness of implanted samples, we used nanoindentation test. The test results showed that the hardness of the implanted sample increased as the incident ion fluence increased until 1x10(18) ions/cm(2). However, the hardness did not increase at the fluence of 2x10(18) ions/cm(2). Furthermore, another result showed that the hardness was slightly decreased. To see the depth distribution of elements, we used Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis with depth profiling. Through the AES analysis, we observed that the nitrogen atomic ratio did not increase; since the atomic ratio reached its maximum point (50%), the depth profile formed a flat curve in the AES. It is determined by the AlN structure (1:1 combination), that is, by the stoichiometrical rule. The nitrogen atoms diffused to the inner and outer sides rather than made a narrowly ranged accumulation. We observed that the flat curve was lowered downward a little at the fluence of 2x10(18) ions/cm(2). Observing the atomic distribution of oxygen in AES, we could conclude that the lowered curve was due to the recoil implantation of oxygen which had been originally combined with the aluminum surface in the aluminum oxide (Al(2)O(3)) layer. Comparing the AES result and the nanoindention result, we concluded that the recoiled oxygen atoms are not effective on hardening the Al surface. In this study, we observed the tendency to stop increasing the samples' hardness over the ion fluence of 1x10(18) ions/cm(2). We observed the saturation of the atomic ratio by the stoichiometrical rule.

Red Blood Cell Distribution Width Is Associated with Carotid Atherosclerosis in People with Type 2 Diabetes.

AIMS: Red cell distribution width (RDW) has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The relationship between RDW and carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, has been inconsistent in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors. In this study, we investigated the relationship between RDW and carotid atherosclerosis in people with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Four hundred sixty-nine people with type 2 diabetes without history of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases were enrolled. Anthropometric measures and various biochemical parameters including RDW were assessed. Ultrasonographic measurement of carotid intima-media thickness was used to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis. RESULTS: The participants were stratified into 3 groups according to RDW. The C-IMT increased gradually according to RDW tertiles (lowest, second, highest RDW tertiles; 0.740 ± 0.120, 0.772 ± 0.138, and 0.795 ± 0.139, respectively; p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that RDW was associated with C-IMT in people with type 2 diabetes, and it remained significant after control for various cardiovascular risk factors including body mass index, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and smoking status in multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: RDW is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis assessed by carotid IMT after control of various covariates in people with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases.

Chemical evidence of inter-hemispheric air mass intrusion into the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes.

The East Asian Summer Monsoon driven by temperature and moisture gradients between the Asian continent and the Pacific Ocean, leads to approximately 50% of the annual rainfall in the region across 20-40°N. Due to its increasing scientific and social importance, there have been several previous studies on identification of moisture sources for summer monsoon rainfall over East Asia mainly using Lagrangian or Eulerian atmospheric water vapor models. The major source regions for EASM previously proposed include the North Indian Ocean, South China Sea and North western Pacific. Based on high-precision and high-frequency 6-year measurement records of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), here we report a direct evidence of rapid intrusion of warm and moist tropical air mass from the Southern Hemisphere (SH) reaching within a couple of days up to 33°N into East Asia. We further suggest that the combination of direct chemical tracer record and a back-trajectory model with physical meteorological variables helps pave the way to identify moisture sources for monsoon rainfall. A case study for Gosan station (33.25°N, 126.19°E) indicates that the meridional transport of precipitable water from the SH accompanying the southerly/southwesterly flow contributes most significantly to its summer rainfall.

The clinical and immunogenetic characteristics of adult-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus in Korea.

Although the HLA class II alleles and immunological abnormalities are associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in all racial groups, there are considerable variations in the genotypes and the prevalence of autoantibodies. In order to investigate the characteristics of the immunogenetic patterns and to use these as an early diagnostic tool and guideline for a therapeutic plan, we examined the clinical characteristics and the patterns of anti-GAD antibody (GADA), IA-2 antibody (IA-2A), HLA-DR and HLA-DQ in Korean adult-onset T1DM patients. Adult-onset patients had higher serum C-peptide levels than child-onset patients. In adult-onset patients, the prevalence of GADA and IA-2A were 59.5% and 15.3% respectively, and increased frequencies of HLADR4 and-DR9 were found. The frequencies of HLADQA1,-DQB1 and-DQ heterodimers were similar to those of the control, but child-onset patients had high frequencies of the HLA-DR3,-DR4,-DR9, DQA1*0301, DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201 genotypes. In conclusion, Korean adult-onset T1DM patients had a lower prevalence of GADA, which was comparable to that found in Caucasian patients. The detection of GADA might help to predict the insulin dependency of adult-onset diabetes. Difference in the frequencies of diabetes associated with HLA type suggests that there might be a heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of diabetes according to the age of onset.

Transformation of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells by Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) induces expression of Ets1 and invasive growth.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has a significant role in initiating EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease and EBV-related malignancies. In view of clinical features related to the type of EBV latency, LMP1 may influence invasiveness of EBV associated tumors categorized as types II and III as represented on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To screen for genes associated with invasion of epithelial cells transformed by LMP1, Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells were transformed by LMP1. Stable transfection of a LMP1 gene into MDCK cells induced morphological change from cobblestone to a long spindle-shape, reduced cell-cell adhesion and caused high cell motility. Parental MDCK cells, which form spherical cysts in three-dimensional collagen gel matrix, form branching tubules following exposure to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). MDCK cells transformed by LMP1 showed invasive growth to form branching tubules into collagen gel without HGF-treatment. mRNA differential display and Northern hybridization identified plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA) and ets1 as genes upregulated during transformation by LMP1. Expression of a dominant negative type of Etsl in LMP1-transformed cells downregulated uPA expression and cell motility. Deletion of LMP1 cytoplasmic carboxy-terminal activating region 1 (CTAR1) domain abolished transformation, but a deletion mutant lacking CTAR2 domain still retained transforming and uPA-inducing ability. Expression of Ets1 was immunolocalized in tumor cells of NPC tissue which frequently express LMP1. Taken together, it is suggested that LMP1 induces expression of Ets1 which may contribute to invasion of NPC by stimulating cell motility and uPA expression.

Chromatographic, capillary electrophoretic and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of urinary modified nucleosides as tumor markers.

Modified nucleosides are formed posttranscriptionally in RNA. During RNA turnover free modified nucleosides are formed which circulate in the blood stream and are excreted in the urine. Their levels are increased in a number of malignant diseases, and they can be used in clinical chemistry as tumor markers. The analysis includes the isolation of the nucleosides from urine with phenylboronate gel and their separation and quantitation by HPLC on C18 columns or by capillary electrophoresis on uncoated columns applying a sodium dodecyl sulfate-borate-phosphate buffer. Identification of the nucleosides is performed with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry including post source decay spectra. In two clinical studies the diagnostic value of urinary modified nucleosides is investigated, in a study on children with leukemia and other malignant diseases and a study on women with breast cancer. Candidate markers are pseudouridine, 1-methylguanosine, N2-methylguanosine, 3-methyluridine and 1-methyl-inosine.

Age-dependence of urinary normal and modified nucleosides in childhood as determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Modified nucleosides have been characterized as tumor markers for a number of malignant diseases. In order to use these markers in children, the age-dependence of the nucleoside levels in healthy children has to be established and taken into account in diagnostic decisions. In this study, the levels of 12 normal and modified nucleosides in urine of 166 healthy children and adolescents with an age between 1 day and 19 years are determined by reversed-phase HPLC, and age-dependent reference ranges are defined. The urinary nucleoside concentrations are related to the creatinine concentrations, which allows the use of randomly collected urine samples. All nucleoside levels in urine of children decrease with age, most pronounced during the first 4 years of life, and the age-dependence of the reference values of the individual nucleosides can be approximated by a mathematical function y = b(0) + b(1) (1/x) with the regression coefficients b(0) and b(1,) the nucleoside levels y and the age x between 1 year and 19 years. In the very young children, the shifts in the nucleoside concentrations are more differentiated. Starting with low levels on the first day of life, the concentrations of all studied nucleosides rise up to an age of 1-2 months, when they reach their absolute maximum for all age periods, and then decrease.

Progress of PTSD symptoms following birth: a prospective study in mothers of high-risk infants.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in mothers of high-risk infants progress and identify what factors predict postpartum PTSD. STUDY DESIGN: We prospectively obtained self-reported psychological data from neonatal intensive care unit discharged infants' mothers (NICU mothers) at the infants' corrected ages of 1 (T0), 3 (T1) and 12 months (T2) and mothers of healthy infants (controls). Maternal sociodemographic and infant-related factors were also investigated. RESULT: PTSD was present in 25 and 9% of NICU mothers and controls, respectively. We identified four PTSD patterns: none, persistent, delayed and recovered. The postpartum PTSD course was associated with trait anxiety. Whether the infant was the first child who predicted PTSD at year 1 (adjusted odds ratio=7.62, 95% confidence interval=1.07 to 54.52). CONCLUSION: Mothers of high-risk infants can develop early or late PTSD, and its course can be influenced by factors besides medical status. We therefore recommend regular screenings of postpartum PTSD.

Effects of thyroid hormone on norepinephrine signaling in brown adipose tissue. I. Beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate generation.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis is activated by the sympathetic nervous system. BAT responses to norepinephrine are blunted in hypothyroidism and are rapidly restored by thyroid hormone. We examined in rats the effects of thyroid hormone on BAT beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors (AR) expression and capacity to generate cAMP in response to adrenergic stimulation. Both are reduced in hypothyroidism. The reduction in cAMP generation is equal to or greater than that in beta 1,2-AR; it is the same whether cAMP production is stimulated with norepinephrine, selective beta 3-AR agonists, or forskolin; and it is not affected by the inhibition of phosphodiesterase. Both beta 1,2-AR and the capacity to generate cAMP were slowly corrected by thyroid hormone. T3 normalized beta 1,2-AR between 1 and 2 days, whereas the improvement in cAMP generation lagged 1 or 2 days behind. Within 2 days of acclimation of athyreotic rats at 30 C, the number of beta 1,2-AR reached the euthyroid level, whereas exposure to 4 C decreased these receptors. We reached the following conclusions: 1) BAT beta 1,2-AR and capacity to generate cAMP are reduced in hypothyroidism; 2) the latter, however, is not explained by the reduction in beta 1,2-AR, but, rather, reflects a fault at the postreceptor level; 3) the reduction in beta 1.2-AR number is largely caused by the cold stress derived from the low metabolic rate of the hypothyroid state; and 4) the slow restoration of both receptor number and capacity to generate cAMP after T3 are not consistent with these defects being a significant factor in the previously reported blunted uncoupling protein responses to adrenergic stimulation in hypothyroidism.