Compact, low-cost Ti:Al2O3 laser for in vivo ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography.

A compact, low-cost, prismless Ti:Al2O3 laser with 176-nm bandwidth (FWHM) and 20-mW output power was developed. Ultrahigh-resolution ophthalmic optical coherence tomography (OCT) ex vivo imaging in an animal model with approximately 1.2-microm axial resolution and in vivo imaging in patients with macular pathologies with approximately 3-microm axial resolution were demonstrated. Owing to the pump laser, this light source significantly reduces the cost of broadband OCT systems. Furthermore, the source has great potential for clinical application of spectroscopic and ultrahigh-resolution OCT because of its small footprint (500 mm x 180 mm including the pump laser), user friendliness, stability, and reproducibility.

[The influence of psychosocial factors on the immune system (psychoneuroimmunology) and their role for the incidence and progression of cancer]. / Der Einfluss psychosozialer Faktoren auf das Immunsystem (Psychoneuroimmunologie) und ihre Bedeutung für die Entstehung und Progression von Krebserkrankungen.

Psychoneuroimmunological research investigates the influence of psychosocial factors on the immune systems. We reviewed clinical studies dealing with the following three topics: life events, psychological/psychopathological factors and social support, and their influence on cellular and humoral immune activity. There is strong evidence that stressful life events (especially losses) have a decreasing effect on immunity. Depression has a similar effect and may be the mediator between life events and the immune systems. Results dealing with the influence of social support on immune functions are still inconclusive. In the second part, we reviewed prospective studies concerning the role of psychosocial factors on cancer incidence and progression. Most of the life event studies reviewed have methodological problems, thus the results are heterogenous. There is some evidence that psychological/psychopathological factors can promote cancer progression. This is even more obvious in case of insufficient social support.

Daily psychosocial stressors interfere with the dynamics of urine neopterin in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: an integrative single-case study.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by flare-ups, the causes of which are not known. In accordance with new concepts in stress research, this study investigated whether daily psychosocial stressors interfere with immunological processes in SLE. Because such processes are unique to each individual, single-case design using time-series analysis (Box and Jenkins) was applied. METHODS: A 40-year-old woman with SLE (last flare-up September 1995) was interviewed initially to determine major life events and difficulties (using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule) in the previous 2 years. She was then observed for 63 days. Urine neopterin, an immunological parameter demonstrated to parallel disease activity in SLE patients, was measured in daily overnight urine. Daily incidents were identified weekly by the Incidents and Hassles Inventory and independently rated. Intervening factors, including infections, medication, and lifestyle, were controlled. RESULTS: Retrospectively, data obtained from the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule indicated that major life events and difficulties had preceded the patient's last flare-up in 1995. Although there were no clinical signs of SLE during this prospective study of 63 days, cross-correlational analyses revealed that "moderately" stressful incidents associated with higher levels of emotional irritation (lag 0: +0.271, p < .05) predicted an increase in urine neopterin the following day (lag 1: +0.441, p < .05). Moreover, a 7-day cyclicity in neopterin levels that corresponded to the weekly examinations and interviews was found. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a causal relationship between psychosocial stressors and urine neopterin concentrations that may be related to SLE disease activity. Furthermore, the workability of an integrative approach using single-case design and time-series analysis in psychoneuroimmunology was demonstrated for the first time.

Characterization of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked molecule CD55/decay-accelerating factor as the receptor for antibody SC-1-induced apoptosis.

The human monoclonal antibody SC-1 induces apoptosis of stomach carcinoma cells and is currently used in a clinical Phase II trial. The antibody binds to a target molecule that is preferentially expressed on diffuse- and intestinal-type stomach cancer cells and shows a very restricted expression on other normal and malignant tissues. In this paper, we show that the SC-1 receptor is a stomach carcinoma-associated isoform of CD55 [membrane-bound decay-accelerating factor (DAF)-B] with a relative molecular mass of approximately 82 kDa. The antigenic site of SC-1 is an N-linked carbohydrate residue. Cross-linking of the DAF receptor increases apoptotic activity. SC-1 binding induces tyrosine phosphorylation of three proteins of approximately 60, 75, and 110 kDa, whereas a serine residue of an approximately 35-kDa protein is dephosphorylated. Expression of caspase-3 (CPP32) and caspase-8 (FLICE) is elevated, and activation of these caspases occurs. These data show that a tumor-specific variant form DAF is involved in apoptosis and can be used for adjuvant therapeutical purposes on gastric carcinoma.

Cocaine toxicity in an infant following intranasal instillation of a four percent cocaine solution.

An 11-week-old infant experienced toxicity following the intranasal instillation of a four percent cocaine solution in preparation for an examination to rule out choanal stenosis. The child recovered fully but required the use of anticonvulsants and admission to the hospital. To our knowledge, this is the first case report where cocaine toxicity was experienced following this routine practice. We present our case and a review of the literature involving other instances where there have been complications with the use of topical cocaine. This report should alert the medical community to the potential complications of using topical cocaine for its anesthetic properties.

[Comparative clinical studies of myocardial blood flow in coronary heart disease with two nifedipine preparations]. / Klinische Vergleichsuntersuchungen zur Myokarddurchblutung bei koronarer Herzerkrankung mit zwei unterschiedlichen Nifedipin-Zubereitungen.

Clinical, ergometric and scintigraphic examinations were performed before and after oral administration of a commercially available nifedipine preparation used as a standard (reference preparation; dosage: 3 x 10 mg/d) in 21 patients with angiographically verified coronary artery disease. In an open comparison study the same parameters were investigated after a 4 week course of a different nifedipine preparation as a test preparation (Corotrend; dosage: 3 x 10 mg/d). The study was performed in order to determine whether there were quantitative differences in myocardial microperfusion when different galenical preparations of nifedipine were used. There were no statistically significant differences between the two nifedipine preparations in the test parameters recorded. Both substances were associated with highly significant increases in microperfusion as compared to findings in the washout phase. Clinical effects on incidence of chest pain and on reductions in blood pressure were comparable. Patients demonstrated slightly better exercise tolerance with the reference agent, and computerised impulse-rate analysis of the tomoscintigrams demonstrated somewhat better microperfusion with this drug, though the differences between the two agents did not attain statistical significance. As the result of this analysis the two drugs would appear to be equivalent in clinical potency.