The Ca2(+)-dependent neutral proteases calpain I and II as well as their specific inhibitor, calpastatin, were isolated from normal and Alzheimer-degenerated frozen human brain tissue. In the Alzheimer group calpain I activity was higher in cortex than in mesencephalon. The calpastatin activity was lower in cortex in both groups. This may implicate a higher Ca2(+)-dependent proteolysis in cortex compared to mesencephalon. In the Alzheimer group the cortical calpain II level decreased with an increasing degree of neuropathological changes. In the control group, the level of calpastatin decreased as the number of plaques and tangles increased. Evidence was obtained for a correlation of net calpain activity and the extent of neuropathological changes in cortex.

Aged↗

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Wound dressings: use and selection.

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Bandages↗

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Two cultures, one epidemic.

HIV infection is a global epidemic, and health care providers involved in HIV/AIDS care must be aware of how communities with different cultures, values, beliefs, and resources are coping. This article describes a 3-month volunteer experience with the Shona people of Zimbabwe, Africa. Similarities and uniqueness between an urban setting in an industrial country and a rural environment in a developing country are explored.

Attitude to Health↗

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Geochronology, stratigraphy and geochemistry of Cindery Tuff in Pliocene hominid-bearing sediments of the Middle Awash, Ethiopia.

Cindery Tuff is a subalkaline, rhyolitic air-fall deposit that was probably produced by a mixed-magma eruption. It is a distinctive, datable, regional isochronous marker bed within the Pliocene sediments of the Middle Awash district, and is stratigraphically situated between two new fossil hominid discoveries. Based on 40Ar/39Ar analyses of plagioclase, rhyolitic glass and basaltic glass, as well as fission-track analyses of zircons, we estimate its age to be 3.8-4.0 Myr. This implies that associated hominid skull fragments are at least 3.9 Myr old.

Animals↗

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The feet in Apert's syndrome.

Apert's syndrome (acrocephalosyndactyly type 1) is characterised by anomalies of the cranium, hands, and feet. The cranial and hand anomalies have been investigated, and the management of these is well established. In contrast, the anomalies affecting the feet and their management has previously received little attention. Forty-three children with Apert's syndrome underwent investigation of the anomalies affecting their feet. This consisted of history, clinical examination, and where possible, radiographic examination to establish the anomalies present, how these altered during development, and their clinical significance. The conclusion of the study is that there are widespread anomalies of the feet, with defects including both predictable dysmorphic changes and progressive fusions of the skeletal components during skeletal maturity. These fusions and their effect on growth combine to produce increasing deformity during childhood. The clinical significance of the anomalies is that walking is often delayed, and the increasing deformity results in difficulty obtaining footwear. This is the most common reason for surgery to the feet being undertaken during childhood to improve the shape of the feet to facilitate the provision of footwear. The unexpectedly high incidence of surgery in this study suggests that the management of foot deformities may require surgery more frequently than current literature would suggest.

Acrocephalosyndactylia↗

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Identification of a median thalamic system regulating seizures and arousal.

This study better defines the way in which the thalamus controls expression of experimental generalized seizures. The effects of small intrathalamic injections of the direct GABA agonist muscimol on the thresholds of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures and on spontaneous behavior were determined in the rat and compared with the effects of injections of gamma-vinyl-GABA (GVG), an irreversible inhibitor of GABA transaminase. Muscimol injections produced neuronal inhibition in a relatively small area of thalamus, whereas GVG injections produced inhibition in a much larger area. Muscimol injections in the midline thalamus in the vicinity of the paraventricular, paratenial, interanteromedial, intermediodorsal, and central medial nuclei facilitated PTZ myoclonic and clonic seizures and also produced sedation. These effects on seizure thresholds were attributable both to a lower PTZ threshold dose for initiation of electroencephalographic (EEG) seizure activity and to an increased probability of this EEG activity being expressed as behavioral seizures. Midline injections located more posteriorly in the thalamus also inhibited tonic seizures. Muscimol injections placed laterally, dorsally, or ventrally to this midline thalamic region had much less effect on behavior or seizures. In contrast, GVG injections in the anterior medial thalamus elevated the threshold for all PTZ seizure types and for associated EEG seizure activity but had little effect on spontaneous behavior. These findings demonstrate the existence of an important seizure regulatory system in the midline of the thalamus and a direct anatomic link between the mechanisms for regulating arousal and seizure production which may help explain the association between sleep and seizure facilitation in humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗

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Auditory imperception.

The diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of learning disabilities involves many disciplines. The Otolaryngologist can play an important role in reducing the psychosocial-educational effects of perceptual hanicaps by being active in early diagnosis. This paper presents: 1) an overview of significant information pertaining to auditory perceptual problems and 2) suggestions for the clinican interested in identifying children with auditory perceptual defects.

Auditory Perception↗

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Stapedial reflex decay in retrocochlear and cochlear lesions. Review of procedures and methods for conducting SRD tests.

The procedures for conducting and interpreting Stapedial Reflex Decay (SRD) are discussed. A modification of currently used procedures and interpretations in which testing is conducted at 750 and 1500 Hz as well as 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz is also discussed. Abnormal decay is defined as fatigue to half-life in less than 6.2 seconds. The SRD test patterns of 464 ears with cochlear lesions and 68 ears with retrocochlear lesions are presented and discussed. The findings are strongly supportive of SRD testing using the proposed procedures and interpretations.

Auditory Threshold↗

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[Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva].

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Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Who controls the nursing profession? Role of the professional association.

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Education, Nursing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The hands in Saethre-Chotzen syndrome.

The hand radiographs of fifteen patients with a diagnosis of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome were reviewed by a radiologist with an interest in skeletal dysplasia along with the craniofacial team. Eleven patients exhibited a range of bone abnormalities of the following sites: thumbs, fingers, metacarpals, and the radius. The epiphysis of the distal phalanx of the thumb was most commonly involved site with 7 of the 15 patients affected. In addition to the structural abnormalities all cases before puberty (14 out of 15 patients in this series) showed variable delay of the bone age.

Acrocephalosyndactylia↗