Comparison of elicitor-based effects on metabolic responses of Taxus × media hairy roots in perfluorodecalin-supported two-phase culture system.

KEY MESSAGE: Two lines of Taxus × media hairy roots harbouring or not the TXS transgene demonstrated diverse gene expression and taxane yield during cultivation in PFD-supported two liquid-phase culture system. Two lines of Taxus × media hairy roots were subjected to single or twice-repeated supplementation with methyl jasmonate, sodium nitroprusside, L-phenylalanine, and sucrose feeding. One line harboured transgene of taxadiene synthase (ATMA), while the second (KT) did not. Both hairy root lines were cultured in two-phase culture systems containing perfluorodecalin (PFD) in aerated or degassed form. The relationship between TXS (taxadiene synthase), BAPT (baccatin III: 3-amino, 3-phenylpropanoyltransferase), and DBTNBT (3'-N-debenzoyl-2-deoxytaxol-N-benzoyltransferase) genes and taxane production was analysed. The ATMA and KT lines differed in their potential for taxane accumulation, secretion, and taxane profile. In ATMA biomass, both paclitaxel and baccatin III were detected, while in KT roots only paclitaxel. The most suitable conditions for taxane production for ATMA roots were found in single-elicited supported with PFD-degassed cultures (2 473.29 ± 263.85 µg/g DW), whereas in KT roots in single-elicited cultures with PFD-aerated (470.08 ± 25.15 µg/g DW). The extracellular levels of paclitaxel never exceeded 10% for ATMA roots, while for KT increased up to 76%. The gene expression profile was determined in single-elicited cultures supported with PFD-degassed, where in ATMA roots, the highest taxane yield was obtained, while in KT the lowest one. The gene expression pattern in both investigated root lines differed substantially what resulted in taxane yield characterized particular lines. The highest co-expression of TXS, BAPT and DBTNBT genes noted for ATMA roots harvested 48 h after elicitation corresponded with their higher ability for taxane production in comparison with the effects observed for KT roots.

Local properties and phase transitions in Sn doped antiferroelectric PbHfO3 single crystal.

Pb(Hf1-x Sn x )O3 single crystals with x = 0.23 were characterized using single-crystal x-ray diffraction in the wide temperature range. The information on the structure of two intermediate phases, situated between low temperature antiferroelectric and high temperature paraelectric phases, has been obtained. The lower-temperature intermediate AFE2 phase is characterized by incommensurate displacive modulations in the Pb sublattice. The higher temperature intermediate IM phase is characterized by rotations of oxygen octahedra, primarily in the form of anti-phase tilts, which are also present in the lower-temperature AFE2 phase. For the same crystal, 119Sn Mossbauer effect in the temperature range from 300 K to 600 K has been used to study phase transitions mechanism. Two kinds of quadruple splitting have been found. It implies that two different environments of the central Sn ion exist. The observed two kinds of quadruple splitting do not disappear in the whole investigated temperature range which confirm that even far above T C the structure of paraelectric phase is locally non-centrosymmetric.

Major conservation policy issues for biodiversity in Oceania.

Oceania is a diverse region encompassing Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, and Polynesia, and it contains six of the world's 39 hotspots of diversity. It has a poor record for extinctions, particularly for birds on islands and mammals. Major causes include habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, and overexploitation. We identified six major threatening processes (habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, climate change, overexploitation, pollution, and disease) based on a comprehensive review of the literature and for each developed a set of conservation policies. Many policies reflect the urgent need to deal with the effects of burgeoning human populations (expected to increase significantly in the region) on biodiversity. There is considerable difference in resources for conservation, including people and available scientific information, which are heavily biased toward more developed countries in Oceania. Most scientific publications analyzed for four threats (habitat loss, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution) are from developed countries: 88.6% of Web of Science publications were from Australia (53.7%), New Zealand (24.3%), and Hawaiian Islands (10.5%). Many island states have limited resources or expertise. Even countries that do (e.g., Australia, New Zealand) have ongoing and emerging significant challenges, particularly with the interactive effects of climate change. Oceania will require the implementation of effective policies for conservation if the region's poor record on extinctions is not to continue.

Does EEG (visual and quantitative) reflect mental impairment in subcortical vascular dementia?

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to determine if the results of visual and quantitative EEG (QEEG) parameters reveal a correlation with mental impairment in subcortical vascular dementia (SVD), one of the most frequent causes of cognitive impairment in the elderly. In SVD, like in Alzheimer's disease disturbances were found in cholinergic transmission. The cholinergic deficit as manifested in changes of synaptic potentials is reflected in EEG signals. MATERIAL: 31 patients with probable SVD (according to NINCDS-AIREN and T. Erkinjuntii's criteria) and mean age 72.3 yrs;(M--43%, F--57%) and 14 healthy control subjects with mean age of 72.3 yrs (M-57%, F-43%). According to the Mini Mental Scale Examination (MMSE) the SVD group was divided into two subgroups with mild and moderate dementia, their EEGs being recorded with a Medelec and Neuroscan 4.2 system. Visual EEG findings were classified with the use of eight-degree scale of pathological changes by the presence of slow waves. Then QEEGs were made. The following parameters were calculated: alpha/slow wave power ratios, the mean wave frequency in all and in some selected derivations. RESULTS: A significant difference was found between QEEGs in SVD subgroups with mild and moderate dementia (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between visual EEGs. A significant correlation between QEEG parameters such as alpha/slow wave ratio or mean wave frequency and mental impairment (according to MMSE results) was found (p<0.001), but there was no significant correlation between degree of EEG abnormalities in visual analysis and MMSE results. CONCLUSION: Only QEEGs are correlated with mental impairment in SVD. Visual EEG technique as a less precise tool does not reflect the mental impairment in SVD due to cholinergic deficit.

The Role of Elements in Anxiety.

Elements (bioelements) are necessary factors required for the physiological function of organisms. They are critically involved in fundamental processes of life. Extra- and intracellular message and metabolic pathway factors as well as structural components include one or many elements in their functional structure. Recent years have seen an intensification in terms of knowledge gained about the roles of elements in anxiety disorders. In this chapter we present a review of the most important current data concerning the involvement of zinc, magnesium, copper, lithium, iron, and manganese, and their deficiency, in the pathophysiology and treatment of anxiety.

Evaluation of analgesic agents in recurring headache compared with other clinical pain models.

The efficacy of three preparations (placebo, analgesic agent, and analgesic plus antihistaminic agent) were compared in a double-blind crossover study in subjects with recurring headaches. It was confirmed that headache as a pain model does not show the usual return of pain with as the effects of a single analgesic dose wear off. Consequently, there is no "peak effect," and the rationale for comparing treatments by "area under the curve" calculations is weakened. Greater efficacy was demonstrated for the analgesic over the placebo and for the analgesic and antihistaminic combined over the analgesic alone in several parameters. Slopes of straight lines derived as a quadratic function of pain versus time data proved to be a more effective discriminator between treatments than area under the curve calculations from the same data.

Oral zolmitriptan is effective in the acute treatment of cluster headache.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of oral zolmitriptan 5 mg and 10 mg and placebo in cluster headache. METHODS: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, three-period, crossover, outpatient study. Adult patients received placebo and zolmitriptan 5 mg and 10 mg orally for the acute treatment of episodic or chronic cluster headache. Headache intensity was rated by a five-point scale: none, mild, moderate, severe, or very severe. Patients only treated moderate to very severe headaches. The primary efficacy measure was headache response (two-point or greater reduction from baseline in the cluster headache rating scale) at 30 minutes. Secondary efficacy measures included proportion of patients with initial headache relief within 15 and 30 minutes, mild or no pain at 30 minutes, meaningful headache relief, and use of escape medication. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients took at least one dose of study medication, with 73% having episodic and 27% chronic cluster headache. For the primary endpoint, there was a treatment-by-cluster-headache-type interaction (p = 0.0453). Therefore, results are presented separately for chronic and episodic cluster headache. In patients with episodic cluster headache, the difference between zolmitriptan 10 mg and placebo at 30 minutes reached significance (47% versus 29%; p = 0.02). Mild or no pain at 30 minutes was reported by 60%, 57%, and 42% patients treated with zolmitriptan 10 mg, zolmitriptan 5 mg, and placebo (both p

Effect of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I on progression of ALS. A placebo-controlled study. The North America ALS/IGF-I Study Group.

The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of recombinant human insulinlike growth factor-I (rhIGF-I) in the treatment of sporadic ALS. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of 266 patients was conducted at eight centers in North America. Placebo or rhIGF-I (0.05 mg/kg/day or 0.10 mg/kg/day) was administered for 9 months. The primary outcome measure was disease symptom progression, assessed by the rate of change (per patient slope) in the Appel ALS rating scale total score. The Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), a patient-perceived, health-related quality of life assessment, was a secondary outcome variable. Progression of functional impairment in patients receiving high-dose (0.10 mg/kg/day) rhIGF-I was 26% slower than in patients receiving placebo (p = 0.01). The high-dose treatment group was less likely to terminate the study due to protocol-defined markers of disease symptom progression, and members in this group exhibited a slower decline in quality of life, as assessed by the SIP. Patients receiving 0.05 mg/kg/day of rhIGF-I exhibited trends similar to those associated with high-dose treatment, suggesting a dose-dependent response. The incidence of clinically significant adverse experiences was comparable among the three treatment groups. Recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I slowed the progression of functional impairment and the decline in health-related quality of life in patients with ALS with no medically important adverse effects.

Eletriptan.

Eletriptan (Relpax, Pfizer) is one of a group of anti-migraine medications commonly referred to as 'triptans'. It is a potent serotonin agonist at the 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor and is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine headaches. Eletriptan is administered orally. It is rapidly absorbed and has a bioavailability of 50% compared to 14% for sumatriptan. The relatively high lipophilicity of eletriptan compared to sumatriptan may explain its faster oral absorption and shorter time to onset of action. Results from comparative studies between oral eletriptan and sumatriptan indicate that eletriptan 80 mg was superior to sumatriptan 100 mg in onset of action, headache response rate, pain free response rate and relief of associated migraine symptoms at the 1 or 2 h time intervals. Although there was a modest increase in adverse events with eletriptan 80 mg than with sumatriptan 100 mg, eletriptan received a high patient acceptability rating (84%).

The specific activity of platelet monoamine oxidase varies with platelet count during severe exercise and noradrenaline infusion.

During severe exercise or noradrenaline infusion in healthy male volunteers, the platelet count first rose and then fell. Platelet monoamine oxidase activity per unit protein rose and fell in parallel and the correlation with the platelet count was highly significant (P less than 0.001). The increase in observed specific monoamine oxidase activity might be due to the release of a population of platelets with higher specific activity, and the decrease to their selective removal.

Cardiopulmonary bypass, rewarming, and central nervous system dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: During cardiopulmonary bypass a nasopharyngeal temperature greater than 38 degrees C at the end of rewarming may indicate cerebral hyperthermia. This could exacerbate an ischemic brain injury incurred during cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: In a cohort of 150 aortocoronary bypass patients neuropsychologic test scores of 66 patients whose rewarming temperature exceeded 38 degrees C were compared with those who did not. There were no differences between groups with respect to demographic and intraoperative variables. RESULTS: A trend was seen for hyperthermic patients to do worse on all neuropsychologic tests in the early postoperative period but not at 3-month follow-up. By analysis of covariance hyperthermic patients did worse on the visual reproduction subtest of the Weschler memory scale at 3 months (p = 0.02), but this difference was not found by linear regression (p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to demonstrate any significant deterioration in patients rewarmed to greater than 38 degrees C in the early postoperative period. The poorer performance in the visual reproduction subtest of the Wechsler memory scale at 3 months in the group rewarmed to more than 38 degrees C is interesting but far from conclusive. Caution with rewarming is still advised pending more in-depth study of this issue.

Pathological laughing and crying in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: an association with prefrontal cognitive dysfunction.

Pathological laughing and crying (PLC) frequently occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The etiology of the syndrome is unclear, but frontal-subcortical circuits are implicated, given their known association with mood and affect regulation. Ten ALS patients with PLC, eight patients without, and ten healthy controls were compared on a number of psychometric measures. Three indices of prefrontal cortical function were given: the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST), the novel 'Gambling task' and a measure of olfactory discrimination. Global cognitive ability, psychiatric symptoms, and illness variables were also examined. No significant between-groups differences emerged with respect to global cognitive ability, mood, olfaction, and performance on the Gambling task. On the WCST, however, patients with PLC made significantly more total errors than the other two groups, and showed a strong trend in a similar direction for perseverative errors. A discriminant function analysis revealed that the WCST variable 'total errors' correctly predicted the presence or absence of pathological affect in 75% of cases. Thus, PLC appears to be associated with impairment in the functional integrity of the prefrontal cortex. Although this was not found for all prefrontal measures, further investigation of this area appears warranted.

Occurrence of palytoxin in the trigger fish Melichtys vidua.

The trigger fish Melichtys vidua, collected at Pingelap Atoll in Ponape in The Federated States of Micronesia, contained a potent toxin in the viscera, flesh, and digestive tracts with contents. The toxic principle appeared identical to palytoxin on the basis of toxicity and chromatographic properties.

The diagnostic value of EEG in Alzheimer disease: correlation with the severity of mental impairment.

The aim of our study was to analyze EEG changes in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and to determine how closely EEG reflects the progression of mental impairment in people with AD. Ninety-five patients with probable AD according to National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria treated in our Clinic for Memory Disorders were selected for this study. Patients were divided into three subgroups with mild, marked, and severe dementia according to the results of psychometric scales. The EEG findings were classified using an eight-degree scale according to the background activity, presence and amount of theta and delta waves, focal changes, lateralization of focal changes, synchronization, and presence of sharp and spike waves. A significant correlation between the degree of EEG abnormalities and cognitive impairment was found. We did not observe any correlation between the presence of delta waves and the results of neuropsychological tests. Our study revealed an important diagnostic value of EEG in the estimation of the severity of dementia parallel to psychometric scales.

Coping, social support, and depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

Social support, depressive symptoms, and three methods of coping were assessed in 45 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 24 comparably disabled controls. The PD subjects employed significantly fewer cognitive and behavioral coping strategies compared with the controls. Fewer depressive symptoms were related to increased cognitive coping in PD subjects. Behavioral coping strategies were associated with lesser depression among controls. Avoidance coping methods showed a marginally significant positive association with depressive symptoms in PD subjects. Social support was related to the significant coping predictors in each group, but was not related to depressive symptoms. Although correlational, these results might suggest that active (cognitive and behavioral) coping strategies are superior to avoidance strategies in attenuating the affective distress expected from chronic deteriorative illnesses.

Depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease: a comparison with disabled control subjects.

A high incidence of depressive symptoms has been observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). PD involves a loss of central monoamines, and a decrease of monoamines has been implicated in depression; therefore, it is possible that depressive symptoms in PD result from the loss of endogenous neurotransmitters. However, it is equally possible that depressive symptoms represent a reaction to the chronic disabling course of PD. By comparing depressive symptoms in PD patients to those in matched patients with other chronic disabling diseases not involving a loss of central monoamines, it may be possible to decide between these alternatives. Thus, depressive symptoms were assessed in 45 patients with PD and 24 disabled controls that did not differ from the PD subjects on a measure of functional disability. Results showed that PD subjects obtained significantly higher total scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) than controls. PD subjects scored significantly higher than controls on BDI items grouped to reflect cognitive-affective and somatic depressive symptoms. The BDI scores of PD subjects were not reliably related to age, sex, duration of PD, or clinical ratings of PD symptom severity or functional disability. Self-rated disability and the number of recent medical problems were the greatest predictors of depressive symptoms. These findings supported the hypothesis that depressive symptoms in PD may not represent solely a reaction to disability.

The new triptans.

In the past 10 years, new compounds have been developed for the acute treatment of migraine. Studies of a group of compounds called the triptans are summarized. The triptans are derived from the serotonin molecule and act on the 5-hydroxytryptamine 1B/1D receptors. The receptors are on the blood vessels, trigeminal neurons and trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Activation of these receptors causes constriction of extracerebral intracranial vessels, abolition of the dural extravasation and neurogenic inflammation, and inhibition of trigeminal neuronal discharge. The drugs are sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan and eletriptan. Their pharmacology and clinical properties are reviewed and compared.

A systematic review of the use of triptans in acute migraine.

OBJECTIVE: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken, to consolidate evidence concerning the efficacy and safety of triptans currently available in Canada (sumatriptan, rizatriptan, naratriptan, zolmitriptan), and to provide guidelines for selection of a triptan. METHODS: Data from published, randomized, placebo-controlled trials were pooled and a combined number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) was generated for each triptan. Direct comparative trials of triptans were also examined. RESULTS: The lowest NNT for headache response/pain-free at one/two hours is observed with subcutaneous sumatriptan. Among the oral formulations, the lowest NNT is observed with rizatriptan and the highest NNT with naratriptan. The lowest NNH is observed with subcutaneous sumatriptan. CONCLUSIONS: Triptans are relatively safe and effective medications for acute migraine attacks. However, differences among them are relatively small. Considerations in selecting a triptan include individual patient response/tolerance, characteristics of the attacks, relief of associated symptoms, consistency of response, headache recurrence, delivery systems and patient preference.

A comparison of bromocriptine (Parlodel) and levodopa-carbidopa (Sinemet) for treatment of "de novo" Parkinson's disease patients.

Fifty-one patients were enrolled in a double-blind, parallel group, multicentre study conducted to assess short-term efficacy and tolerance of bromocriptine (Parlodel) or L-DOPA/carbidopa (Sinemet) in patients never treated with amantadine, ergot alkaloids or L-DOPA-based drugs. An attempt to use the lowest effective dose was made. The responder rate for each group was approximately 78%; the mean daily dose for responders was 22.5 mg of bromocriptine or 250 mg of L-DOPA/carbidopa. The overall clinical improvement in each group was 62% (bromocriptine) and 55% (L-DOPA/carbidopa) for neurological assessment and 36% (bromocriptine) and 31% (L-DOPA/carbidopa) for functional disability. Comparison between groups did not show any significant difference for both neurological and disability assessments. The most frequent side effect was nausea (L-DOPA, N = 3; bromocriptine, N = 6).

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of flunarizine to propranolol in the prophylaxis of migraine.

This study was designed to compare flunarizine, a cerebro-specific calcium channel antagonist, and propranolol in the prophylaxis of migraine with or without aura. Following a 1 month single-blind placebo baseline period, 94 patients were equitably randomised under double-blind conditions to take flunarizine 10 mg daily or propranolol 80 mg twice daily for 4 months. Both treatments led to a significant reduction in the frequency of migraines and use of rescue analgesics with a significantly greater decrease in number of attacks for flunarizine after 1 and 4 months. Neither treatment affected the severity nor duration of migraines. Overall, 67% of flunarizine patients and 51% of propranolol patients responded positively. Propranolol significantly reduced blood pressure and heart rate; flunarizine had no effect on cardiovascular function. Weight gain was noted with both treatments. Flunarizine is at least as effective as propranolol in the prophylactic treatment of migraine and may have a better safety profile.