Quality of life in patients with schizophrenia in five European countries: the EPSILON study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare subjective quality of life (QOL) and objective QOL indicators in patients with schizophrenia from five European sites: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Santander and Verona. METHOD: A representative sample of 404 patients with schizophrenia, in contact with mental health services, was randomly selected and evaluated with the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile (EU). RESULTS: The level of satisfaction in certain domains, religion, family and social relations appears to be associated with local style of living and culture while work, finances, and safety were more independent from local variations. In addition to the severity of symptoms, frequency of contacts with family, friendship and age appear as predictors of QOL, all of them influenced by the characteristics of the surroundings. CONCLUSION: The centres participating in the study presented differences in subjective measures of QOL, objective indicators and also in service provision and styles of living.

Human IGHC locus restriction fragment length polymorphisms in IgG4 deficiency: evidence for a structural IGHC defect.

In man, IgG4 is the least abundant of the four IgG subclasses, and its serum levels vary considerably from one subject to another. Its deficiency has been thought to lead to recurrent infections; nevertheless, it is also commonly found in healthy individuals (1/400 in the Italian population). In 39 subjects with IgG4 serum levels less than 1 microgram/ml, we used 4 different probes (described in the accompanying study, Bottaro et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 1989. 19: 2151) to examine 13 loci within the IGHC region and analyzed the RFLP for 7 of them. No aberrant restriction patterns were identified in any of the subjects, showing the absence of major IGHC structural alterations. The allele frequency of some loci, however, was significantly different from that of a control group of 95 random subjects. This variation was shown to depend on a selective increase in the number of homozygotes for the associated alleles, that reached significant levels for the IGHGP, G2, PG2, PG4 and SG4 loci, but not for SG1 and A2T. The highest value was reached for alleles in the PG4 region, just 5' of SG4. These data indicate that a minor structural IGHC defect is probably the cause of a significant fraction of IgG4 deficiencies. Moreover, the different association levels of the PG4 and SG4 regions suggest that this defect is likely to lie in an upstream regulatory region rather than in the structural G4 gene.

Separation of proteins by microcolumn liquid chromatography based on the reversed-phase and size-exclusion principles.

Slurry-packed fused-silica microcolumns of 250 micron I.D., are characterized for use in high-performance liquid chromatographic studies of proteins. The present work utilizes the reversed-phase and size-exclusion chromatographic modes for the separation of standard protein mixtures. A 5-micron, 300-A octyl material is utilized for the reversed-phase studies, and the size-exclusion studies are accomplished with 5-micron diol material of 60-, 100- and 300-A pore sizes. Column efficiency and packing reproducibility, as well as sample capacity in a micropreparative mode, are discussed. In addition, the inherent mass sensitivity of a microcolumn liquid chromatography system as applied to protein detection is demonstrated.

Quantitative analytical aspects of reversed-phase liquid chromatography with slurry-packed capillary columns.

Conditions for reproducible packing of fused-silica liquid chromatography capillary columns were demonstrated. The plate height vs. velocity curves were determined for successively prepared columns. In addition, the values of separation impedance were calculated. Several liquid chromatography systems were evaluated in conjunction with the slurry-packed capillaries for the retention and peak area reproducibility.

Estriol and its conjugates in late pregnancy determined by extraction with Carbopack B and liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection.

We report a method for measuring estriol and its intact conjugates in urine, serum, and amniotic fluid. A single assay can be done within about 50 min, eight samples assayed in less than 5 h. A 70-microL urine sample is diluted and the estriol conjugates are adsorbed from it onto graphitized carbon black (Carbopack B, Supelco). After two washings, the analytes are desorbed with chloroform/methanol (60/40, by vol) containing tetrapropylammonium bromide. After solvent evaporation, the residue is redissolved in 100 microL of water/acetonitrile and 20 microL is injected into the chromatograph. Or 1 mL of serum or 0.5 mL of amniotic fluid is deproteinized with cold methanol, then passed through the Carbopack column. After three washings, the estriol and its conjugates are desorbed and treated as for urine. Mean analytical recoveries of the analytes in any of these body fluids were within about 92-98%, except for estriol-3-sulfate-16 alpha-glucuronide in serum (mean recovery 88.3%). The limit of sensitivity is well below the concentrations of clinical interest, and the method is not susceptible to substantial interferences.

Improved determination of estriol-16 alpha-glucuronide in pregnancy urine by direct liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

In this relatively simple, rapid assay of estriol-16 alpha-glucuronide in pregnancy urine, the urine sample is diluted 20-fold with phosphate buffer (pH 5.2) containing 360 mL of acetonitrile and 2 g of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide per liter, then directly injected into the chromatograph. A sample can be assayed within 14 min. Day-to-day CVs ranged from 2.3% at 45 mg/L to 2.9% at 4.8 mg/L. The limit of sensitivity is 0.4 mg/L. Results by the present method (y) correlated and compared very well with those by a method involving fractionation of estrogen conjugates and gas chromatography (x) for 24 samples of pregnancy urine (y = 1.09x + 0.303; r = 0.947). This assay is inexpensive and suitable for complete automation.

Reliable measurement of non-esterified long-chain fatty acid pattern in blood plasma.

In this reliable assay for determining the non-esterified long-chain fatty acid pattern in plasma, only 100 microliters of sample are needed and a single assay can be done within 40 min. The isolation procedure was performed by adsorption of fatty acids from plasma onto graphitized carbon black (Carbopack B) using a column method. After desorption and removal of the eluting phase, fatty acids are methylated by diazomethane and quantified by packed column gas chromatography. Analytical recoveries ranged between 91% and 103%. Within-run precision gave coefficients of variation of 2.3% and 11% for fatty acid concentrations of 58.2 and 0.6 mumol/l, respectively. Studies of plasma samples under various storage conditions indicated that reliable measurement of the non-esterified fatty acid fraction can be obtained even after 60 days if specimens are conserved at -18 degrees C in the presence of a suitable phospholipase inhibitor.

Improved assay of unconjugated estriol in maternal serum or plasma by adsorption and liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection.

In this improved assay only a 500-microL sample is needed and a single assay can be done within 30 min, 10 samples within 90 minutes. The sample of serum or plasma is diluted 20-fold with water, and the estriol is adsorbed from it onto graphitized carbon black ( Carbopack B, Supelco ). After two washings the estriol is desorbed with chloroform/methanol (60/40 by vol), which then is evaporated. The residue is redissolved in 50 microL of water/acetonitrile, and 20 microL is injected into the chromatograph. Analytical recovery for estriol-supplemented serum or plasma averaged 98.6%. Day-to-day CVs ranged from 3.9% at 2 micrograms/L to 2.1% at 20 micrograms/L. The limit of sensitivity is 0.3 micrograms/L, which makes this procedure suitable for determination of estriol even in the first half of pregnancy. Our method is inexpensive, and shows that liquid chromatography can be used to determine estriol in pregnancy serum or plasma. It also is more sensitive and precise and requires less sample than other such methods.