[Effectiveness of aftercare treatment after release from prison: A first evaluation of the forensic therapeutic outpatient clinic for serious violent and sexual offenders in Berlin]. / Wirksamkeit ambulanter Nachsorge bei Strafvollzugsentlassenen : Erste Evaluation der Forensisch Therapeutischen Ambulanz für Gewalt- und Sexualstraftäter in Berlin.

BACKGROUND: The Forensic Therapeutic Outpatient Clinic (FTA) in Berlin targets the professional aftercare treatment of classified high-risk violent and sexual offenders released from prison or forensic psychiatric hospitals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comparison sample (n = 32) matched to the patients of the FTA (complete survey n = 32) according to similar criminal histories and diagnoses (ICD-10) was collected from offenders released from prison and forensic psychiatry at a time before the FTA was established. The focus of the study was on recidivism measured by complaints received by police departments during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Sexual recidivism occurred significantly later in the case of released offenders with aftercare treatment compared to those without. Moreover, for the duration of aftercare treatment the general risk of recidivism was approximately 85 % lower; however, after termination of treatment the recidivism rates of both samples converged to almost the same level. CONCLUSION: Individually adapted measures should be maintained after finishing aftercare treatment; however, because prisoners released from prison are frequently less prepared than patients from forensic psychiatric hospitals, the therapeutic work often reaches its limits in these cases. Therefore, social work should be taken into account right from the start.

Nonlinear spectra of ZnO: reverse saturable, two- and three-photon absorption.

We present a broadband (460 - 980 nm) analysis of the nonlinear absorption processes in bulk ZnO, a large-bandgap material with potential blue-to-UV photonic device applications. Using an optical parametric amplifier we generated tunable 1-kHz repetition rate laser pulses and employed the Z-scan technique to investigate the nonlinear absorption spectrum of ZnO. For excitation wavelengths below 500 nm, we observed reverse saturable absorption due to one-photon excitation of the sample, agreeing with rate-equation modeling. Two- and three-photon absorption were observed from 540 to 980 nm. We also determined the spectral regions exhibiting mixture of nonlinear absorption mechanisms, which were confirmed by photoluminescence measurements.

Stable enhancement of near-band-edge emission of ZnO nanowires by hydrogen incorporation.

We report on the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanowires treated with a mild Ar plasma. The nanowires exhibited stable and strong enhancement of the near-band-edge emission and quenching of the deep level emission. The low temperature PL revealed a strong hydrogen donor-bound-exciton line in the plasma-treated samples indicating unintentional incorporation of hydrogen during the plasma treatment. To confirm the results, hydrogen was implanted into the ZnO nanowires with a low ion energy of 600 eV and different fluences. The observed result can be related to the passivation of deep centers by hydrogen. The absolute photoluminescence intensity measured by an integrating sphere showed stable and strong UV emission from the treated samples even after several weeks.

[Psychotherapy in intellectual disability. Theoretical background and implementation]. / Psychotherapie bei Menschen mit Intelligenzminderung. Theoretischer Hintergrund und praktische Umsetzung.

BACKGROUND: Every third person with intellectual disability suffers from additional mental health problems, among others phobic disorders. Yet we do not know whether psychotherapeutic methods that are effective in the normal population are applicable to people with intellectual disabilities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We give a survey of the development and the present state of the art of psychotherapy, particularly with regard to phobic disorders in intellectual disability. Therapeutic recommendations described in the literature will be evaluated in a case study of one patient. RESULTS: The confrontation with the phobic stimulus is the basis of behavior therapy for people with intellectual disability as well. However, with respect to the special needs of these people, some modifications need to be considered in the treatment strategy. In addition to some general rules like simple language or the use of visual materials, some techniques of intervention turned out to be particularly effective, e.g., graduated in vivo exposure, involving significant others, contingency management, and coping strategies. CONCLUSION: Specific phobias in intellectual disability can be treated with behavior therapy as well. However, the special needs of these people need to be considered.

Highly ordered catalyst-free and mask-free GaN nanorods on r-plane sapphire.

Self-organized and highly ordered GaN nanorods were grown without catalyst on r-plane sapphire using a combination of molecular beam epitaxy and metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. AlN nucleation centers for the nanorods were prepared by nitridation of the sapphire in a metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy reactor, while the nanorods were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. A coalesced two-dimensional GaN layer was observed between the nanorods. The nanorods are inclined by 62 degrees towards the [Formula: see text]-directions of the a-plane GaN layer. The high degree of ordering and the structural perfection were confirmed by micro-photoluminescence measurements.

Correlations between surface-excitonic emission bands in ZnO nanowires.

We report on the investigation of correlated spectral properties of two different surface-related photoluminescence bands in ZnO nanowires. We show that the spectral position and the temperature-dependent intensity of the surface-related emission band A are directly correlated with the emission of the surface-exciton band SX. We measure the thermal activation energies of both emission bands and present time-resolved photoluminescence data to deduce the photoluminescence decay time of the A emission band. We propose a model to explain the experimental observations and assign the A emission band to excitons bound to structural defects in the surface layer of the nanowires.

[Urolithiasis in the Long-Term GnRH Agonist Treatment of Patients with Paraphilia: 3 Case Studies]. / Urolithiasis bei der Langzeitherapie mit GnRH-Agonisten bei Paraphilien ­ 3 Fallberichte.

The outpatient forensic aftercare department of the Charité Berlin treated 32 paraphilic sex offenders with GnRH analogues within the past 5 years. Out of those patients, three men suffered from urolithiasis and were in need of treatment. All 3 patients had previously developed osteopenia/osteoporosis while on antiandrogen treatment.This article describes these 3 cases and suggests an intense consideration of the possible occurrence of urolithiasis in sex offenders on antiandrogen treatment.

p53 represses SV40 transcription by preventing formation of transcription complexes.

There is now much evidence to suggest that the p53 tumour suppressor protein functions to monitor the integrity of the genome. When DNA damage is detected, p53 suppresses cell growth to allow repair or directs the cell into apoptosis. The mechanism of action of p53 is as yet unclear but recent evidence has accumulated to suggest that p53 might act by regulating gene expression. Consistent with this model, p53 can both activate and repress a number of viral and cellular promoters. p53 has also been shown to bind to the CCAAT-binding Factor and TATA-binding protein (TBP), and there is direct evidence that p53 represses in vitro transcription by preventing TBP from binding DNA. We now provide evidence that p53 can repress transcription from the SV40 promoter by disrupting DNA/protein complexes involving transcription factor Sp1.

Primary structure differences of human surfactant-associated proteins isolated from normal and proteinosis lung.

The primary structures of human pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins SP-A, SP-B and SP-C isolated from lung lavage of patients with alveolar proteinosis exhibit significant differences from lung surfactant proteins isolated from lungs of healthy individuals. In contrast to SP-A from normal lungs, proteinosis SP-A was shown by SDS gel electrophoresis to contain large amounts of unreducibly cross-linked beta chains. Specific primary structure modifications of SP-C and SP-B proteins were established by direct molecular weight and structural analysis, using [252Cf]plasma desorption mass spectrometry (PD/MS) as the principal method. In comparison to normal lung surfactant SP-B, proteinosis SP-B showed a significantly increased molecular weight by approx. 500 Da for the unreduced protein dimer. SP-C proteins from normal lungs were identified to possess a bis-cysteinyl-5,6-(thioester)palmitoylated structure, and to contain a frayed N-terminus resulting in two sequences of 34 and 35 amino acid residues. In contrast, SP-C from proteinosis patients was modified by (i) partial or even complete removal of palmitate residues and (ii) additional N-terminal proteolytic degradation. These results indicate the presence of pathophysiological structure modifications, which are likely to occur in the alveolar space, and may lead to a reduced surfactant function.

Localization of flexible sites in thread-like molecules from electron micrographs. Comparison of interstitial, basement membrane and intima collagens.

A computer method for detecting kinks and flexible sites in thread-like molecules was developed. The method is based on the determination of the local curvature along the digitized electron micrographs of the molecules. The root-mean-square curvature provided a measure for the local flexibility, which is related to the persistence length. The influence of various error sources was assessed using computer-simulated thread molecules. "Flexibility profiles" showing the variation of flexibility along molecules were calculated for interstitial, basement membrane and intima collagens. Approximately uniform stiffness corresponding to a persistence length of 60 nm was found for the triple helices of interstitial and monomeric intima collagen. A highly flexible site in interstitial collagen could be assigned to a non-triple helical segment in the sequence surrounding the linkage site of the N-terminal propeptide. A flexible site in the triple helix of collagen I corresponds to a segment of the sequence lacking proline residues. Flexibility varies strongly along the collagen IV molecule. This is consistent with the fact that a series of non-triple helical interruptions have already been found in the not yet completed amino acid sequence of basement membrane collagen. Most of the detected flexible sites allow random bending about the mean zero, but in one case, at the border of the 7S domain of polymeric collagen IV, a flexible site with a preferential angle of 40 degrees was found.

Macromolecular organization of natural and recombinant lung surfactant protein SP 28-36. Structural homology with the complement factor C1q.

The macromolecular structure of the pulmonary surfactant apolipoprotein SP 28-36 has been determined. For SP 28-36 isolated from dog lung lavage, a flower bouquet-like hexameric structure with six globular domains connected by short stalks to a common stem was revealed by electron microscopy, using the rotary shadowing technique. This structure is very similar to that published for the subcomponent C1q of the first component of complement C1. The lavage material was compared with the homologous human recombinant SP 28-36 by the same technique. Mostly smaller aggregates like di-, tri- and tetramers as well as very high aggregates were observed. Mild reduction of the recombinant material revealed the lollipop-shaped monomers composed of a globular domain and a tail with a discrete kink in the middle portion. The collagenous nature of the tail was demonstrated by circular dichroism spectroscopy. This implies that the mammalian expression system assembles the monomeric subunits correctly. Assembly into the hexameric structures, however, does not proceed quantitatively.

IGF-I causes an ultrasensitive reduction in GH mRNA levels via an extracellular mechanism involving IGF binding proteins.

IGF-I-dependent decreases in endogenous GH mRNA expression were studied in individual rat MtT/S somatotroph cells using in situ hybridization. It was first shown that increasing IGF-I concentrations (0-90 nM) decreased GH mRNA levels in a ultrasensitive manner when averaged over the entire population, such that the decrease occurred over a narrow range of IGF-I concentration with an EC50 of 7.1 nM. The degree of ultrasensitivity of the population average was expressed by calculating the Hill coefficient (nA), which had a value of -2.0. GH mRNA levels in individual dispersed cells from these cultures were then measured. These results were first summed for all cells to show that the average response of the population remained ultrasensitive (nA = -2.6, EC50 = 8.1 nM). Then, parameters for individual cells of the population were calculated using mathematical modeling of the distribution of individual cell GH mRNA levels after treatment with 0-90 nM IGF-I. Solution of the data from the individual cells yielded a Hill coefficient (nI = -0.65) and a heterogeneity coefficient (mI = -1.2) indicative of individual cell responsiveness to IGF-I that was not ultrasensitive and very heterogeneous. These results suggested that ultrasensitivity in the population may likely be caused by an extracellular mechanism regulating IGF-I concentrations, such as IGF binding proteins. Increasing concentrations of long (Arg)3IGF-1, an analog that binds the IGF type-1 receptor but not IGF binding proteins, showed a linear inhibition of GH mRNA levels. Treatment with IGF binding protein ligand inhibitor, an IGF-I analog that binds to IGF binding proteins but not the IGF type-1 receptor, decreased GH mRNA levels in the absence of exogenous IGF-I. Thus, IGF binding proteins provide the extracellular sequestration of IGF-I necessary for the precise and ultrasensitive regulation of GH mRNA levels in the entire cell population, although expression within individual cells is regulated in a graded fashion.

Spectroscopic characterization of rhinoviral protease 2A: Zn is essential for the structural integrity.

Recently, protease 2A of human rhinovirus 2 (HRV2 2A) was shown to require a zinc ion for the formation of an active enzyme although zinc is not involved mechanistically. The data presented clearly show that the zinc ion bound to a picornaviral-specific motif represents an essential component of the native structure, probably representing a new Zn-binding motif. This structure, containing mostly beta-strand elements as shown by CD spectroscopy, changes drastically upon removal of zinc. The zinc-depleted form does represent an intermediate with mostly unchanged secondary structure, but not a fully denatured random coil as obtained by guanidinium hydrochloride. This is indicated by the blue-shifted fluorescence spectra and by CD. The native protein exhibited a cooperative phase transition at 53 degrees C. In contrast, the zinc-depleted form did not show any transition at all, again demonstrating the stabilizing role of the zinc ion. A structural intermediate was observed during thermal and pH denaturation that may represent a molten globule, as suggested by its ANS binding.

Completion of a cDNA sequence from a tobamovirus pathogenic to crucifers.

Turnip vein-clearing virus (TVCV) is a tobamovirus related to ribgrass mosaic virus. We report the nucleotide (nt) sequences of the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and the 3'-half of the TVCV genome (the 3' region of the 182-kDa protein-encoding gene, as well as the movement protein and coat protein genes and the 3'-UTR). The determination completes the nt sequence of the cDNA of TVCV.

Organisation and maturation of the human thalamus as revealed by CD15.

The distribution of the CD15 antigen (CD15, 3-fucosyl-N-acetyl-lactosamine, Lewis x) has been studied immunohistochemically in the fetal human thalamus. Its changing patterns could be related to three successive, but overlapping, periods primarily due to its association with radial glial cells, neuropil, and neural cell bodies, respectively. From 9 weeks of gestation (wg), a subset of CD15-positive radial glial cells distinguished the neuroepithelium of the ventral thalamus, a characteristic also seen in the developing mouse. Distal processes of the radial glial cells converged at the root of the forebrain choroid tenia, which was also CD15 positive. From 13 wg until approximately 20 wg, CD15-positive neuropil labeling marked the differentiation areas of prospective nuclei within the dorsal thalamus and progressively outlined their territories in a time sequence, which appeared specific for each nucleus. CD15 labeling of differentiating nuclei of the ventral, medial, anterior, and intralaminar thalamic divisions showed a transient topographic relationship with restricted areas of the ventricular wall. After 26 wg, CD15 immunoreactivity was observed in subpopulations of glial cells and neurons. Transient CD15 immunoreactivity was also found in delimited compartments within the subventricular region. The time of CD15 expression, its location, and cellular association suggest that CD15 is involved in segmentation of diencephalon, in the specification of differentiating nuclear areas and initial processes regarding the formation of intercellular contacts and cellular maturation.

Genomic distribution and functional characterisation of two distinct and conserved Plasmodium falciparum var gene 5' flanking sequences.

Approximately 50 highly diverse var genes distributed throughout the haploid genome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum code for PfEMP1 variants located on the surface of infected erythrocytes. PfEMP1 is involved in cytoadherence of parasitised red blood cells and undergoes antigenic variation through differential expression of var genes. Members of the var gene family are located in chromosome-internal positions on chromosomes 4, 7, 8 and 12, and in subtelomeric regions of all chromosomes. Here we show that there are two distinct and conserved types of 5' upstream regions (var17-type and 5B1-type) of var genes, and suggest that most subtelomeric var genes are flanked by a var17-type 5' upstream sequence. In contrast, 5B1-type 5' upstream are localised to chromosomes that have been shown to contain var genes within chromosome-internal regions. Transcriptional analysis using RT-PCR revealed that var genes flanked by either type of 5' upstream sequence are transcribed in in vitro cultured trophozoite stage parasites. In addition, we have shown that the 5' flanking sequences of four different var genes are able to drive transient expression of the cat reporter gene. Our results suggest that at least the minimal regulatory sequences required for transcription of var genes are conserved among both subgroups of the var gene family. Furthermore, these sequences provide new markers for the investigation of the chromosomal organisation of var genes.

GH mRNA levels are elevated by forskolin but not GH releasing hormone in GHRH receptor-expressing MtT/S somatotroph cell line.

The MtT/S somatotroph cell line should be a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)-responsive model system for the study of physiological control of growth hormone (GH) transcription because GH secretion from these cells is stimulated by GHRH. To examine the GH transcriptional activity of these cells, endogenous GH mRNA levels were measured using a ribonuclease protection assay following treatment under a variety of hormonal conditions. While omission of serum led to reduction of GH mRNA to 22% of control levels by 2 days and to 8% by 5 days (P<0.05 for both), GH mRNA levels were maintained at control values in serum-free medium containing 5 nM dexamethasone and 30 pM triiodothyronine (TDM). However, the addition of 10 nM GHRH under any treatment condition did not significantly alter GH mRNA levels. Characterization of the MtT/S cells showed that GHRH-receptor (GHRH-R) mRNA was detectable by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification. Measurement of extracellular cAMP showed that the MtT/S cells have basal levels of > or =20 nmol/10(6) cells per h in both serum-containing and serum-free media, and that GHRH had no effect on cAMP levels, suggesting constitutive activation. To rule out the possibility of autocrine stimulation by GHRH produced endogenously, GHRH mRNA was not detectable in MtT/S cells using RT-PCR amplification. The stimulatory G-protein alpha subunit, mutations of which are known to activate adenylate cyclase constitutively in acromegaly, was sequenced but found not to differ from normal pituitary in the regions most commonly mutated. Finally, treatment with 10 microM forskolin, to directly activate adenylate cyclase, increased GH mRNA to 140% of controls in TDM, and to 163% in serum-free medium after 2 days, and to 166% in TDM-treated cells and 174% in serum-free culture after 5 days (all P<0.05). Taken together, these data indicate that although MtT/S cells express the GHRH-R, GHRH cannot stimulate adenylate cyclase to increase GH transcription due to constitutive elevation of cAMP levels, by a means that may be similar to that in cases of acromegaly not caused by oncogenic gsp mutations.

Mouse growth hormone transcription factor Zn-16: unique bipartite structure containing tandemly repeated zinc finger domains not reported in rat Zn-15.

Rat Zn-15 is a transcription factor activating GH gene expression by synergistic interactions with Pit-1, named for 15 DNA-binding zinc fingers, including fingers IX, X, and XI that are responsible for GH promoter binding. In this study, a mouse cDNA for Zn-15 was characterized. The predicted 2192-amino acid mouse protein is 89% identical to rat (r) Zn-15 overall, and is 97% similar in the C-terminal domain necessary for binding the GH promoter. However, the mouse cDNA encodes 16 zinc fingers, and sequences of rZn-15 pituitary cDNAs were the same as the mouse (m) Zn-16; the rat sequence in GenBank has a one nucleotide offset of a 17-bp segment in the finger V region. The mouse and corrected rat sequences contain four tandemly repeated fingers in the N-terminus, each separated by seven amino acids, typical of zinc finger proteins of the transcription factor IIIA-type. Analysis of mZn-16 expression by RT-PCR showed that the mRNA is, produced at similar levels in normal and GH-deficient Ames dwarf (Prop-1 ) mouse pituitaries at postnatal day 1. Mouse Zn-16 mRNA also was detected by ribonuclease protection assay in the pre-somatotrophic mouse cell line GHFT1-5. The Zn-16 protein is bipartite in that the N-terminal half displays tandem spacing typical of most zinc finger proteins, while the C-terminal portion contains long linkers between fingers that cooperatively bind to a DNA response element. Expression in early postnatal pituitary and in pre-somatotrophic cells suggests that Zn-16 could play a role in pituitary development prior to somatotroph differentiation.

Evidence for a retroviral trigger in Graves' disease.

An apparently high frequency of Graves' disease encountered in New Orleans, Louisiana, prompted an investigation for a possible infectious agent that might be triggering the disease in genetically susceptible individuals. We studied 40 patients with Graves' disease, and compared them to the following groups of controls: age and gender matched healthy subjects; patients with multinodular goiter (non-autoimmune thyroid controls); patients with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (autoimmune thyroid disease controls) and additional organ or tissue specific autoimmune controls exclusive of thyroid autoimmunity, including patients with Type I diabetes and other endocrine autoimmune complex disorders. Serum antibodies against a prototypic strain of a human intracisternal A-type retroviral particle type 1 (HIAP-1) were detected by a sensitive and specific immunoblotting assay. In 87.5% (35/40) of the Graves' disease patients there was a positive reaction against several HIAP-1-associated proteins, predominantly 97 Kd and 80 Kd, with only 5 showing no reactivity to any. In contrast, 2% (2/105) of sera from normal controls showed positive reactivity. Furthermore, only 10% (1/10) of sera from multinodular goiter control patients and 10% (1/10) of Hashimoto's patients showed reactivity (p < 0.0005). Sera from 3 of 20 (15%) of Type I diabetic patients none of whom had Graves' disease, showed reactivity but there was no reactivity in 9 other patients with one or more of the endocrine autoimmune complex disorders, including Addison's disease, vitiligo, myasthenia gravis and pernicious anemia. In addition we studied two individuals with Graves' disease from each of two families residing outside Louisiana, all of whom were positive for these antibodies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Minimization of indomethacin-induced reduction in renal function by misoprostol.

A prospective, randomized, open-label, triple crossover comparison of the effects of indomethacin, misoprostol, or the combination, on renal function was performed to assess the ability of an oral prostaglandin E analogue, misoprostol, to minimize indomethacin-induced decline in renal function in middle-aged women. Twelve healthy women (mean age: 60.5 +/- 1.6 yr) with normal renal function (serum creatinine: 81 +/- 9 umol/L) were studied; six women were normotensive, and six women were hypertensive with their blood pressure controlled with 50-mg hydrochlorothiazide daily. All patients were placed on a 2-g sodium daily diet for 2 weeks before initiation of the study. The subjects were prospectively randomized to receive each of three 4-day treatments of indomethacin (25 mg q 6hr), misoprostol (200 mcg q 6hr), or the combination of drugs with a 4-day washout between each treatment period. Measurements of GFR (urine accumulation of 99mTc-DTPA) and RPF (serum disappearance 131I-Hippuran), and urine collections for electrolytes were obtained before the first treatment period and on the fourth day of each treatment period. Three of the six hypertensive patients and three of the six normotensive patients had a decrease (greater than 10%) in GFR associated with indomethacin therapy. When misoprostol was given with the indomethacin, four of these six patients did not experience a decline in GFR (baseline GFR for six patients: 75.4 +/- 6.6 mL/min/1.73m2, GFR after indomethacin: 57.8 +/- 9.5 mL/min/1.73m2, GFR with combination of indomethacin and misoprostol: 69.7 +/- 3.5 mL/min/1.73m2. RPF was not consistently altered by subacute/chronic dosing of indomethacin, misoprostol, or the combination of the drugs. The authors conclude that misoprostol ameliorates indomethacin-induced renal dysfunction in salt-restricted and diuretic-treated middle-aged women with normal serum creatinine.