The health status burden of people with fibromyalgia: a review of studies that assessed health status with the SF-36 or the SF-12.

OBJECTIVE: The current review describes how the health status profile of people with fibromyalgia (FM) compares to that of people in the general population and patients with other health conditions. METHODS: A review of 37 studies of FM that measured health status with the 36-item Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) or the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). RESULTS: Studies performed worldwide showed that FM groups were significantly more impaired than people in the general population on all eight health status domains assessed. These domains include physical functioning, role functioning difficulties caused by physical problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality (energy vs. fatigue), social functioning, role functioning difficulties caused by emotional problems and mental health. FM groups had mental health summary scores that fell 1 standard deviation (SD) below the general population mean, and physical health summary scores that fell 2 SD below the general population mean. FM groups also had a poorer overall health status compared to those with other specific pain conditions. FM groups had similar or significantly lower (poorer) physical and mental health status scores compared to those with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, myofacial pain syndrome, primary Sjögren's syndrome and others. FM groups scored significantly lower than the pain condition groups mentioned above on domains of bodily pain and vitality. Health status impairments in pain and vitality are consistent with core features of FM. CONCLUSIONS: People with FM had an overall health status burden that was greater in magnitude compared to people with other specific pain conditions that are widely accepted as impairing.

A linkage map of hexaploid oat based on grass anchor DNA clones and its relationship to other oat maps.

A cultivated oat linkage map was developed using a recombinant inbred population of 136 F6:7 lines from the cross 'Ogle' x 'TAM O-301'. A total of 441 marker loci, including 355 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers, 40 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), 22 random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), 7 sequence-tagged sites (STSs), 1 simple sequence repeat (SSR), 12 isozyme loci, and 4 discrete morphological traits, was mapped. Fifteen loci remained unlinked, and 426 loci produced 34 linkage groups (with 2-43 loci each) spanning 2049 cM of the oat genome (from 4.2 to 174.0 cM per group). Comparisons with other Avena maps revealed 35 genome regions syntenic between hexaploid maps and 16-34 regions conserved between diploid and hexaploid maps. Those portions of hexaploid oat maps that could be compared were completely conserved. Considerable conservation of diploid genome regions on the hexaploid map also was observed (89-95%); however, at the whole-chromosome level, colinearity was much lower. Comparisons among linkage groups, both within and among Avena mapping populations, revealed several putative homoeologous linkage group sets as well as some linkage groups composed of segments from different homoeologous groups. The relationships between many Avena linkage groups remain uncertain, however, due to incomplete coverage by comparative markers and to complications introduced by genomic duplications and rearrangements.

How to acquire customers on the Web.

Most retailers on the Web spend more to acquire customers than they will ever get back in revenue from them. Many think that sky-high spending on marketing is necessary to stake out their share of Internet space. But is it really? How do retailers know how much to pay? Consider CDnow, which has developed a multifaceted customer-acquisition strategy that reflects a clear understanding of the economics of an on-line business. At the heart of its strategy is affiliate marketing, a concept the company pioneered. Under its BuyWeb program, anyone can put a link to CDnow on his or her Web site, and if a customer uses that link to arrive at CDnow and make a purchase, the referring site owner gets a percentage of the sale. CDnow pays no money if no sale is made, which makes the marketing program completely efficient. But CDnow didn't stop there. Being a Web store, it had complete data on the number of visitors to its site and what they bought, which it used to work out the lifetime value of an average customer. CDnow used that figure to determine how much to wager on the expensive and risky world of traditional advertising to reach a wider audience that wasn't already on-line. CDnow's experience, still a work in progress, contradicts John Wanamaker's oft-quoted lament: "I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half." As the CDnow example demonstrates, there is a way to find out which half really works.

Profile changes associated with maxillary incisor retraction in the postadolescent orthodontic patient.

Maxillary incisor retraction and associated upper lip changes were studied in 30 male and 30 female postadolescent orthodontic patients to determine if a statistically significant correlation and ratio existed between maxillary incisor and lip retraction, dependent on thickness, strain, and length of the upper lip. This analysis attempted to eliminate the effects of growth and gender. Statistically significant correlations were found in both male and female patients who had thin, highly strained lips. Although a ratio for predictive purposes was determined for each of these groups, their absolute value is questionable because no apparent pattern exists between them. Furthermore, as lip thickness increased and lip strain decreased, correlation coefficients fell to nonsignificance, making it more difficult to predict upper lip change resulting from maxillary incisor retraction in these individuals.

Use of a subset of doubled-haploid lines for RAPD interval mapping in barley.

Molecular markers have been used in barley to locate genes and quantitative trait loci. Only a few RAPD markers have been located on barley marker maps. The objectives of this study were (i) to place RAPD markers in specific intervals on the barley linkage map developed from the cross Steptoe (S) x Morex (M), (ii) to examine the distribution of RAPD markers, and (iii) to compare markers amplified by Taq DNA polymerase with those amplified by the Stoffel fragment of Taq DNA polymerase. Screening of DNA from S and M with 362 decamer primers identified 85 that amplified 127 reliable RAPDs. A subset of 15 doubled-haploid (DH) lines from the 150 DH line mapping population was used to place these RAPD markers in intervals on the SM map. This subset can be used for rapid placement of any new markers on the SM linkage map. Most of the RAPD markers were dominant but four codominant RAPDs were identified. The RAPDs were not evenly distributed, with many clustered around the centromeric region of each chromosome. Two of these clusters were located in intervals larger than 15 cM. Testing of 38 to 42 additional DH lines provided more precise placement of eight of the markers in these clusters. Reliable RAPDs were detected with 44% of the primers tested with the Stoffel fragment, but with only 17% of the primers tested with Taq DNA polymerase. These RAPDs provide additional markers for use in barley improvement.

BioSCAN: a network sharable computational resource for searching biosequence databases.

We describe a network sharable, interactive computational tool for rapid and sensitive search and analysis of biomolecular sequence databases such as GenBank, GenPept, Protein Identification Resource, and SWISS-PROT. The resource is accessible via the World Wide Web using popular client software such as Mosaic and Netscape. The client software is freely available on a number of computing platforms including Macintosh, IBM-PC, and Unix workstations.

Maxillary canine impaction in patients with transverse maxillary deficiency.

Extensive literature exists concerning impacted maxillary canines. Tooth-size/arch-size discrepancy (lack of space) is a common etiologic factor of impacted canines. No studies exist documenting transverse maxillary deficiency as a causative factor for impacted canines. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with impacted maxillary canines have transverse deficiency and if other factors, such as arch length, arch perimeter, and arch form contribute to canine impaction. Fifty-seven (57) subjects with eighty-one (81) impacted maxillary canines were compared to one hundred-three (103) nonimpacted subjects. Intermolar (IM) and intercanine (IC) width, arch length (AL), arch perimeter (AP), and arch form were recorded for each subject. The experimental and control groups were compared using a Z test and Chi-square analysis. Results indicate subjects with canine impactions demonstrate profound transverse maxillary deficiency located in the anterior portion of the dental arch: No significant difference in arch form is noted between the experimental and control groups (p > 0.05).

Rapid protein structure classification using one-dimensional structure profiles on the bioSCAN parallel computer.

Rapid growth of protein structures database in recent years requires an effective approach for objective comparison and classification of deposited protein structures. We describe a novel method for structure comparison and classification based on the alignment of one-dimensional structure profiles. These profiles are obtained by calculating the OCCO pseudodihedral angles (formed by O-C-C-O atoms of carbonyl groups of consecutive amino acid residues) from protein three-dimensional coordinates. These angle measurements are then converted into a 24 letter alphabet, and the protein structures are represented by sequences of letter from this alphabet. The BioSCAN parallel computer, designed for primary sequence alignment, is used to rapidly align and classify these one-dimensional structure profiles. We have developed and implemented weighted scoring matrix to identify structural classes based on commonly found structural motifs. The results of our experiments are in good agreement with the traditional protein structure classification schemes. One-dimensional structure profiles significantly improve efficiency of structure comparison and classification.

Pseudotorsional OCCO backbone angle as a single descriptor of protein secondary structure.

Protein secondary structure is conventionally identified using characteristic ranges of two backbone torsional angles phi and psi. We suggest that the secondary structure can be adequately characterized by a single descriptor, the Oi-1Ci-1CiOi (where i is the residue number) pseudotorsional backbone angle. A set of 102 structurally distinct protein chains from the Protein Data Bank was used to evaluate the adequacy of this descriptor. We find that a specific range of OCCO angles corresponds to each major secondary structure. The complete range of OCCO angles (-180 degrees to 179 degrees) was broken into 18 consecutive subranges of 20 degrees each, and each subrange was assigned a letter. Thus, the OCCO profiles for each protein in the database were "translated" into a sequence of letters. The Needleman-Wunsch primary sequence alignment algorithm was then used for secondary/tertiary structure comparison and alignment. Preliminary results indicate that this new approach has a significant potential for rapid identification of fold families in the Protein Data Bank.

Autorotation test abnormalities of the horizontal and vertical vestibulo-ocular reflexes in panic disorder.

Patients with panic disorder often describe dizziness as a disturbing symptom, with more severe episodes reported than in other psychiatric populations. Nineteen patients diagnosed as having a panic disorder were tested for vestibulo-ocular (VOR) abnormalities with the Vestibular Autorotation Test (VAT), a computerized test of the high-frequency (2 to 6 Hz) VOR. The patients were unselected for the presence or absence of balance disorders. Results showed VOR abnormalities, relative to a normal population, in the horizontal and/or vertical VORs of all 19 patients. Vestibulo-ocular reflex asymmetries were commonly present. Because the VAT tested the VOR over a frequency range encountered during common daily activities, the observed abnormalities could result in a perceptually moving visual field (oscillopsia). We hypothesize that the resulting experience of a visual-vestibular disturbance--perhaps in a biologically or psychologically predisposed individual--is catastrophically misinterpreted, leading to more bodily symptoms and anxiety. These could then contribute to more misinterpretation in a positive feedback sense, ultimately leading to a panic attack.

Encephalopathy, myelopathy, optic neuropathy, and anosmia associated with intravenous cytosine arabinoside.

Coma, hemiparesis, unilateral optic neuropathy, and anosmia manifested in a patient with leukemia after he received only three courses of intravenous high-dose cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C). The patient's mental status returned to normal after several days, and his hemiparesis resolved. However, the visual loss persisted, and near complete visual loss in the other eye ensued over the following month. Severe bilateral optic atrophy appeared as the visual loss progressed. Anosmia became evident after resolution of the coma and did not improve. The patient had previously had a thoracic myelopathy 2 weeks after receiving low-dose i.v. ARA-C. The neurotoxicity of high-dose i.v. ARA-C may arise at much lower cumulative doses than has been reported. In addition to cerebellar dysfunction and somnolence, high-dose i.v. ARA-C may produce optic neuropathy, anosmia, and hemiparesis.

Residual Scaling: An Alternative to Correspondence Analysis for the Graphical Representation of Residuals from Log-Linear Models.

The method of correspondence analysis, applied to a contingency table, provides a graphical representation of departures from the independence model. Generalized correspondence analysis has been proposed as a way of graphically representing departures from models other than independence. However, generalized correspondence analysis does not necessarily decompose a chi-square statistic for departures from non-independence models. We propose a method, called residual scaling (RESCAL), that does decompose chi-square and can also be used for decomposing the difference between any two log-linear models. The decomposition is represented graphically for ease of interpretation. RESCAL analysis results differ in interpretation from correspondence analysis results, although the differences have some advantages over correspondence analysis. RESCAL is demonstrated empirically with data concerning earned doctorates conferred in the United States from 1960 through 1982.

Purification and large-scale preparation of antithrombin III.

Cutter Biological, Miles Inc., has implemented large-scale isolation and purification of antithrombin III (ATIII) from human blood plasma. The starting material, Cohn fraction IV-1, is suspended and ATIII separated from other proteins by heparin-affinity chromatography. The concentrate is subsequently heated for 10 hours at 60 degrees C in a solution of 0.5 M sodium citrate to inactivate the causative agents of viral hepatitis B and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. After heating, a second heparin-affinity chromatography step is employed to isolate the active ATIII and to remove heat-denatured protein. The purified solution is compounded with 0.1 M alanine and 0.15 M sodium chloride, filled in vials of 500 or 1,000 IU each, and freeze dried. The final product has a specific activity of not less than 6.4 IU ATIII per mg protein, of which over 90 percent binds to heparin on crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Preclinical and clinical testing have shown this product to be safe for prophylactic and therapeutic administration to persons with congenital deficiency of ATIII.

Absence of HLA linkage in a family with osteitis deformans (Paget's disease of bone).

HLA genotyping was carried out on a two-generation family with familial osteitis deformans. No evidence of major histocompatibility linkage of the disease could be demonstrated.

Healing of skin incision wounds treated with topically applied BAPN free base in the rat.

beta-Aminopropionitrile as free base (BAPN) was applied onto the incised or intact skin of rats at the dose of 5, 20, 100, and 200 microliters for 9 days, twice daily. Breaking strength of the skin wound or intact skin was significantly reduced at doses of 20 microliters and higher; body weight growth was significantly retarded at the two highest dosages. It is concluded that at a given dose (20 microliters) collagen polymerization (evaluated by reduced breaking strength and increased extractability of collagen) was specifically inhibited by BAPN. Furthermore, no evidence of topical or general toxic effects were observed, as reflected in histology, body weight growth, and behavior of the rats. Acute LD50 of BAPN base and fumarate, administered either ip or topically, was determined in mice. While BAPN base in ip administration shows LD50 of 1.15 g/kg, in cutaneous application it is more than 12.8 g/kg. It is suggested that topically applied BAPN base is percutaneously absorbed and affects collagen polymerization in the skin and adjacent tissues.

Histologic analysis of temporomandibular joint adaptation to protrusive function in young adult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

It is generally believed that the adult temporomandibular joint is incapable of a significant adaptive response to forces produced by functional jaw orthopedics. To evaluate this view, twelve young adult female rhesus monkeys were fitted with functional protrusive appliances for periods ranging from 2 to 24 weeks. Histologic analysis of the temporomandibular joint demonstrated that six of the experimental animals exhibited a tissue response that was qualitatively similar to that noted in juvenile animals. However, the response in young adults was greatly reduced in magnitude from that seen in juveniles and was not related to duration of treatment. It must also be noted that three adult animals developed cross-bites in response to appliance placement, and three animals who functioned anteriorly exhibited little or no detectable condylar response. This study indicates that while some adaptive capability may still be present in the temporomandibular joints of young adults, the potential magnitude of the joint response is limited and highly variable in occurrence.

Morphine, beta-endorphin and [D-Ala2] Met-enkephalin inhibit oxytocin release by acetylcholine and suckling.

Morphine inhibits suckling-induced oxytocin (OT) release in lactating mice. Since beta-endorphin and enkephalins have several actions in common with morphine, the action of these opioid peptides on OT release was investigated. In anesthetized lactating rats, OT release was achieved by intraventricular injection of acetylcholine (ACh) or by the physiological stimulus of suckling. The amount of OT released was estimated by comparing milk-ejection responses to these stimuli to those following known amounts of intravenous (IV) OT. Both beta-endorphin and [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalin inhibited ACh-induced and suckling-induced OT release. Naloxone antagonized opiate inhibition in both cases.