Measurement of the dipole polarizability of the unstable neutron-rich nucleus 68Ni.

The E1 strength distribution in 68Ni has been investigated using Coulomb excitation in inverse kinematics at the R3B-LAND setup and by measuring the invariant mass in the one- and two-neutron decay channels. The giant dipole resonance and a low-lying peak (pygmy dipole resonance) have been observed at 17.1(2) and 9.55(17) MeV, respectively. The measured dipole polarizability is compared to relativistic random phase approximation calculations yielding a neutron-skin thickness of 0.17(2) fm. A method and analysis applicable to neutron-rich nuclei has been developed, allowing for a precise determination of neutron skins in nuclei as a function of neutron excess.

Reductions in physical pain predict lower risk of relapse following alcohol treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Physical pain is considered a potential predictor of relapse in alcohol-dependent individuals after treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether reductions in pain level during the follow-up period after treatment were associated with lower relapse risk. METHOD: A sample of 366 participants was recruited from alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. At baseline, information was obtained about pain level, demographics, childhood abuse, impulsivity, depressive symptoms, severity of alcohol and sleep problems. After finishing the alcohol treatment program, patients were followed for 12 months and alcohol drinking (relapse) as well as pain severity were evaluated. RESULTS: In the followed-up group, 29.5% of patients confirmed that they drank any alcohol during past 4 weeks. Comparing follow-up to baseline pain, 48.6% of subjects reported an increased severity of pain, 28.8% reported the same level of pain, 22.6% reported decreased level of pain. There was a significant association between the decrease in level of pain and the lower risk of relapse. Other factors associated with relapse during 4 weeks prior to the follow-up were baseline severity of depressive symptoms, low baseline social support and number of drinking days during 4 weeks prior to entering treatment. In multivariate analysis, a decrease in pain level was associated with a lower likelihood of relapse (OR=0.159; 95%CI:0.04-0.62; p=0.008) even when controlled for other factors associated with relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Decreases in pain level following treatment for alcohol dependence are associated with, and may contribute to, a lower risk of alcohol relapse.

History of sexual abuse and suicide attempts in alcohol-dependent patients.

History of child abuse is considered one of the important risk factors of suicide attempt in general population. At the same time it has been shown that suicide attempts appear significantly more frequently in alcoholics than in healthy individuals. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between history of childhood sexual abuse and suicide attempts in a sample of Polish alcohol dependent patients. A sample of 364 alcohol-dependent subjects was recruited in alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. Information was obtained about demographics, family history of psychiatric problems, history of suicide attempts, sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adulthood and severity of alcohol problems. When analyzed by gender, 7.4% of male and 39.2% of female patients had a lifetime history of sexual abuse; 31.9% of the study group reported at least one suicide attempt during their lifetime. Patients who reported suicide attempts were significantly younger (p=0.0008), had greater severity of alcohol dependence (p=0.0002), lower social support (p=0.003), and worse economic status (p=0.002). Moreover, there was a significant association between history of suicide attempts and family history of psychiatric problems (p=0.00025), suicide attempts in the family (p=0.0073), childhood history of sexual abuse (p=0.009) as well as childhood history of physical abuse (p=0.002). When entered into linear regression analysis with other dependent variables history of childhood sexual abuse remained a significant predictor of suicide attempt (OR=2.52; p=0.035). Lifetime experience of sexual abuse is a significant and independent risk factor of suicide attempts in alcohol-dependent individuals.

Evidence for pygmy and giant dipole resonances in 130Sn and 132Sn.

The dipole strength distribution above the one-neutron separation energy was measured in the unstable 130Sn and the double-magic 132Sn isotopes. The results were deduced from Coulomb dissociation of secondary Sn beams with energies around 500 MeV/nucleon, produced by in-flight fission of a primary 238U beam. In addition to the giant dipole resonance, a resonancelike structure ("pygmy resonance") is observed at a lower excitation energy around 10 MeV exhausting a few percent of the isovector E1 energy-weighted sum rule. The results are discussed in the context of a predicted new dipole mode of excess neutrons oscillating out of phase with the core nucleons.

[Fatal course of measles infection in a patient with a low-grade malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma]. / Fatal verlaufene Maserninfektion bei niedrig-malignem Non-Hodgkin-Lymphom.

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 35-year-old man, for 6 years known to have non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was admitted because of deteriorating general condition, drowsiness and 11 days of flu-like symptoms. A generalized rash had been noted 5 days after onset of symptoms. His 2-year-old son had fallen ill with measles a few days earlier. The patient had reportedly had measles as a child. On admission a generalized rash was found, he had a fever of 40.5 degrees C, tachypnoea, conjunctivitis and possible meningismus. INVESTIGATIONS: Lactate dehydrogenase activity was raised to 458 U/ml, and C-reactive protein to 240 mg/ml. Cerebrospinal fluid contained 8/3 cells and protein of 269 mg/l. The chest radiogram revealed opacification in the left upper lobe. Computed tomography of the skull demonstrated a pansinusitis. DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE: As measles encephalitis seemed unlikely he was treated for the measles superinfection of bacterial pneumonitis (measles RNA in the bronchoalveolar lavage) and the sinusitis with broad-spectrum antibiotics. After initial improvement artificial ventilation had to be be gun on day 3 because of an acute respiratory distress syndrome, diagnosed both clinically and radiologically. Despite additional antiviral and intensive medical treatment he died on day 11. CONCLUSION: Patients with impaired immunocompetence due to NHL may lose their immunological "memory" for a previous measles infection. Prevention of exposure may therefore be necessary, in addition to early hyperimmunoglobulin administration.

Characterization of the phosphodiesterase inhibition by 2-(3-methoxy-5-methylsulfinyl-2-thienyl)-1H-imidazo-(4,5-c)-pyridine HCl and its sulfide- and sulfone derivatives in myocardial preparations from failing human hearts.

The effects of HN-10200 (2-(3-methoxy-5-methylsulfinyl-2-thienyl)-1H-imidazo(4,5-c)-pyridine HCl) and its derivatives HN-10201-sulfide and HN-10202-sulfone on the activities of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzyme activities isolated from ventricular myocardium of failing human hearts (end-stage myocardial failure, NYHA IV) were investigated. Four PDE isoenzymes (PDE I-IV) were separated by DEAE-sepharose chromatography. Milrinone, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), and a derivative of pimobendan (2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-(5-methyl-3-oxo-4,5-dihydro-2H-6-pyridazinyl)- benzimidazole HCl, PiD) were studied for comparison. Furthermore, the influence of HN-10200 on force of contraction and cAMP content of ventricular trabeculae of these hearts were determined. HN-10200 inhibited the activities of PDE I-IV concentration-dependently. The IC50 values were (mumol/l): 218.7, 283.1, 119.6, and 85.8 for PDE I-IV, respectively. The IC50 values of its derivatives were in the same range, i.e. the parent compound or its derivatives inhibited the PDE isoenzymes nonselectively. IBMX also inhibited PDE I-IV nonselectively, but was about ten times more potent based on IC50 values. In contrast, PiD was the most selective and potent PDE III inhibitor tested. Milrinone inhibited both, PDE III and IV, up to two orders of magnitude more potently than PDE I and II, HN-10200 (30 mumol/l) only marginally and insignificantly increased force of contraction and cAMP content of the ventricular trabeculae. Thus, HN-10200 and it's derivatives HN-10201-sulfide and HN-10202-sulfone are nonselective inhibitors of myocardial PDE I-IV. HN-10200 revealed only neglectable positive inotropic effects in preparations from failing human heart.

Effects of isomazole on force of contraction and phosphodiesterase isoenzymes I-IV in nonfailing and failing human hearts.

The phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor isomazole increased the force of contraction to 278.3 +/- 89.1% (n = 7) of the predrug value in ventricular trabeculae carneae isolated from nonfailing human hearts. This effect can be attributed mainly to a PDE III or a combined PDE III/IV inhibition since at the concentration of the maximal positive inotropic effect of isomazole, PDE III and PDE IV were completely inhibited. In explanted failing human hearts (end-stage myocardial failure, NYHA IV), isomazole increased the force of contraction only marginally to 110.1 +/- 10.7% of the predrug value. The lack of a distinct positive inotropic efficacy of isomazole in failing human hearts could not be explained by an impairment of PDE inhibition since the properties of the PDE I-IV isoenzymes separated by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography and the inhibitory effects of isomazole did not differ in both preparations. The positive inotropic effect of the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline was also reduced in failing hearts. However, in the presence of isomazole, the diminished positive inotropic effect of isoprenaline was restored to values obtained with isoprenaline alone in nonfailing hearts. Thus, the decreased effect of inotropic drugs like isoprenaline or isomazole in preparations from failing human heart might be explained mainly by a diminished cAMP formation due to a defect in receptor-adenylate cyclase coupling.

Phosphodiesterase inhibition by enoximone in preparations from nonfailing and failing human hearts.

The effects of enoximone (MDL 17043, Perfan, CAS 77671-31-9) on the activities of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzymes I-IV and on force of contraction were investigated in ventricular preparations isolated from failing (end-stage myocardial failure, NYHA IV) and non-failing human hearts. In both tissues four PDE isoenzymes (PDE I-IV) with similar properties were separated by DEAE-sepharose chromatography. The effects of enoximone on PDE I-IV activities did not differ between non-failing and failing human hearts. As compared to PDE I (IC50 2100 mumol/l) and II (IC50 2900 mumol/l) enoximone is a selective PDE III (cGMP-inhibited PDE, IC50 5.9 mumol/l) and PDE IV (cGMP-insensitive PDE, IC50 21.1 mumol/l) inhibitor. Milrinone, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) and UD-CG 212 Cl, a derivative of pimobendan, were studied in the failing heart for comparison. Milrinone inhibited PDE I-IV activities similar to enoximone, revealing IC50 values for inhibition of PDE III and IV (1.2 and 3.3 mumol/l) which were about two orders of magnitude lower than that of PDE I and II (173 and 306 mumol/l). UD-CG 212 Cl was the most potent (IC50 0.05 mumol/l) and most selective PDE III inhibitor tested (IC50 for PDE I, II and IV were 175, 181 and 40.8 mumol/l, resp.), whereas IBMX inhibited PDE I-IV nonselectively (IC50 15.3, 26.2, 5.6, 5.8 mumol/l, respectively). In trabeculae carneae from nonfailing and failing human hearts enoximone increased force of contraction only marginally by 18.0 +/- 9.1% (n = 8) and 24.5 +/- 8.7% (n = 9) of the predrug value.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)