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Biomedical subjects

M Abraham

Publications and source records attributed to M Abraham.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) gonadotropic beta subunits (I and II) cDNA sequences and expression during oogenesis.

We have cloned two cDNAs from the pituitary gland of blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus), coding for the beta subunits of the gonadotropin hormones GtH-I and GtH-II. The two cDNAs were sequenced and subjected to sequence analysis. We have found that the deduced amino acid sequences of both cDNAs were most similar to their striped bass counterparts. The beta GtH-I subunits of blue gourami and striped bass shared 73% of their residues, and the beta GtH-II subunits 84%. The cloning of the cDNAs of beta GtH-I and beta GtH-II has enabled us to measure the expression of their respective mRNAs in the pituitaries of female blue gourami at different stages of the reproductive cycle. The highest levels of beta GtH-I and beta GtH-II mRNA were found in specimens classified as high vitellogenic and in females that were at the final stages of oocyte maturation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Predictors of smoking among US college students.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored predictors of smoking among a large, representative national sample of students enrolled in American 4-year colleges. METHODS: A sample of undergraduate students, randomly selected from 140 colleges, was sent a detailed questionnaire that included questions about smoking status. RESULTS: The 30-day smoking prevalence was 22.3%; 25% of the participants were former smokers. Multivariate analyses suggested that, among college students, men are less likely to smoke than women. In addition, high-risk behaviors (e.g., marijuana use) and lifestyle choices (e.g., nonparticipation in athletics) increased the likelihood of being a smoker. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings have important implications for health education and promotion among college populations.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Facilitated reduction of beta-amyloid peptide precursor by synthetic oligonucleotides in COS-7 cells expressing a hammerhead ribozyme.

Synthetic deoxyoligonucleotides and phosphorothioate-capped oligonucleotides targeted to bases 112-128 of beta-amyloid peptide precursor (beta APP) mRNA were analyzed for their ability to reduce steady-state beta APP in COS-7 cells and in pMEP4-Rz1 cells that express a hammerhead ribozyme targeted to bases beta APP mRNA 133-148. Cells, incubated in the presence of 10 or 25 microM oligonucleotide, remained viable and morphologically identical to untreated control cells for up to 5 days. Antisense deoxyoligonucleotides beta 112C, beta 114C, and beta 116C specifically lowered beta APP in pMEP4-Rz1 cells compared to noncognate and scrambled oligonucleotide controls. The extent of the beta APP reduction did not depend on oligonucleotide length, although it did depend on the presence and proximity of the ribozyme to the oligonucleotides. beta 117N, a phosphorothioate-capped antisense oligonucleotide, also reduced beta APP levels in pMEP4-Rz1 cells; however, in this case the sense control, beta 117S, affected beta APP similarly, indicating that the observed reduction may be nonspecific. These data imply that deoxyoligonucleotides targeted immediately upstream of a ribozyme binding site can work cooperatively in vivo. Localizing the oligonucleotides and ribozyme and substrate targets to the same cellular pools further confirmed this possibility.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed1997

Eating disorder symptomatology in major depression.

This study evaluated the relationship between eating disorder symptomatology and severity of depression in depressed outpatients before and after antidepressant treatment and assessed the effect of treatment on eating disorder symptomatology. One hundred thirty-nine outpatients (82 women and 57 men) with major depressive disorder (MDD) filled out the eating disorder inventory (EDI) before and after 8 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine 20 mg/day. Diagnoses of MDD and possible comorbid eating disorders were made with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R-Patient Edition. Several EDI subscales correlated significantly with severity of depression both at baseline and endpoint. Additionally, all EDI subscales showed a statistically significant decrease following fluoxetine treatment, and changes in depression severity following treatment were significantly related to changes in EDI bulimia, ineffectiveness, perfectionism, and interpersonal distress subscale scores. These results suggest that several symptoms characteristic of eating disordered patients are linked to the severity of depressive symptoms. Decreases in eating disorder symptomatology following antidepressant treatment may be related to changes in depressive symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Environmental isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans from Vellore.

We have isolated C. neoformans from various environmental niches, including our hospital environment. Twenty one samples of weathered pigeon droppings and 86 samples of Eucalyptus bark and debris were collected from various sites around the hospital and college. C. neoformans var. neoformans was isolated from 14 of the 21 (67%) samples of weathered droppings of pigeons collected from the ledges of windows of wards and departmental buildings in the hospital. C. neoformans was not isolated from any of the Eucalyptus samples. These findings document for the first time the presence of C. neoformans var. neoformans in the hospital environment. Although ubiquitous in the environment, its presence in hospital surroundings stresses the need for systematic cleaning of sites inhabited by pigeons. However, we failed to isolate C. neoformans from the limited number of Eucalyptus samples examined.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

An outbreak of food poisoning in Tamil Nadu associated with Yersinia enterocolitica.

An outbreak of food poisoning in a Tamil Nadu village, affecting 25 of 48 individuals who participated in a feast, was investigated. The risk of developing illness was associated with consumption of buttermilk (relative risk 3.8). None of the food items consumed during the feast was available for analysis. Toxin-producing Y. enterocolitica (serotype 3, biotype 4) was grown from 1 of 11 stool samples from affected individuals, as well as from a water sample from the source used to dilute the buttermilk. High titres of antibody of Yersinia were detected in 2 of 12 patients but in neither of the two groups of controls. Toxin production was noted in buttermilk incubated for 6 h with Y. enterocolitica. This is the first report from India of a food poisoning outbreak associated with this organism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Gender differences in Axis I comorbidity among depressed outpatients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to assess gender differences in Axis I comorbidity in patients with a primary diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), as well as gender differences in age of onset of MDD. METHODS: The presence of MDD, including age of onset, and of comorbid Axis I disorders were assessed in 396 depressed outpatients. RESULTS: Women were significantly more likely than men to meet criteria for comorbid bulimia nervosa and for simple phobia, while men were significantly more likely than women to meet criteria for lifetime history of alcohol abuse/dependence and other substance abuse/dependence. No other significant gender differences in those comorbid Axis I disorders examined were observed. In addition, the age of onset of the first episode of MDD was significantly lower in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies showing a greater prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse and dependence in men and of eating disorders in women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Comparison between endocardial and great vessel endothelial cells: morphology, growth, and prostaglandin release.

The release of vasoactive mediators by vascular (VEC) and endocardial endothelial cells (EEC) has not been directly compared. In this study, in vitro morphological and cell growth characteristics and the rate of prostanoid release were compared in cultured sheep endothelial cells from great vessels (VEC; pulmonary artery and aorta) and endocardium (EEC; right and left ventricles) harvested from the same animals. Morphologically, in flasks, VEC demonstrated the classic cobblestone pattern, whereas EEC developed numerous cytoplasmic interdigitations and overlaps. Rate of cell proliferation was greater for EEC than for VEC (P < 0.05): doubling time was shorter for EEC (34 +/- 3 h) than for VEC (45 +/- 5 h). Under static (no-flow) conditions, in response to arachidonic acid and calcium ionophore A-23187, the rate of prostacyclin (PGI2) and prostaglandin E2 release by VEC and EEC was not different. In contrast, in response to flow and acute hypoxia (O2 tension = 35 Torr), the rate of PGI2 release was greater in EEC than in VEC (P < 0.0001). After 2 h of perfusion, the rate of PGI2 release was 19-fold greater for EEC than for VEC during normoxia and 34-fold greater during hypoxia. Thus our study showed anatomic site of origin-dependent heterogeneity in prostanoid release between VEC and EEC. Endocardial endothelium is a greater source of PGI2 than great vessel endothelium; in vivo, endocardial endothelial PGI2 may inhibit local platelet aggregation and modulate downstream vascular tone.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1995

The Mini-Mental State Examination among adult outpatients with major depressive disorder.

One hundred forty-eight patients, ages 18-65, with major depression were administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) prior to 8 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine; 75 of these patients were readministered the MMSE following treatment. MMSE scores were not related to pretreatment severity of depression or to reported concentration problems and were not predictive of antidepressant response. Non- and partial responders had lower posttreatment MMSE scores than responders, men had lower posttreatment scores than women, and subjects over 50 had lower pretreatment scores than younger subjects, although in all cases, the magnitude of the differences was small and unlikely to be clinically important. Our results suggest that while the MMSE has been shown to be useful among geriatric and other depressed inpatients, it is not a sensitive indicator of depression severity, concentration problems, or likelihood of treatment response among otherwise healthy adults with major depression in an outpatient setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Gender differences in personality disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in personality disorders. Since heterogeneity of axis I diagnoses could introduce variability in the assessment of axis II diagnoses, the authors studied a group of patients with a primary diagnosis of major depression. METHOD: A total of 316 patients were evaluated with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised, a self-rating measure, or the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II), a clinician-rated instrument, or both. Axis II disorders were assessed with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised for 288 patients with major depression. The SCID-II was administered to 117 subjects, with an additional 95 subjects receiving the SCID-II for cluster B diagnoses only. RESULTS: The mean 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores for 108 men (mean age = 39.28 years) and 208 women (mean age = 39.11) were 19.0 (SD = 3.8) and 19.6 (SD = 6.9), respectively. Men were significantly more likely than women to meet criteria for narcissistic, antisocial, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders as measured by the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised and for narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders as measured by the SCID-II. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with those of previous studies showing a greater prevalence of antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders in men. In contrast with other investigations, however, neither the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised nor the SCID-II revealed a higher prevalence of any personality disorder in women.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Testicular germ cell tumors of adults show deletions of chromosomal bands 11p13 and 11p15.5, but no abnormalities within the zinc-finger regions and exons 2 and 6 of the Wilms' tumor 1 gene.

We have studied the involvement of chromosomal bands 11p13 and 11p15.5 in 15 testicular seminomas (SE) and 18 testicular nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NS). No allelic imbalances were found in 40% of the SE and 44% of the NS. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 11p15.5 was seen in 21% of the SE and 47% of the NS; the corresponding frequencies for 11p13 were 47% and 44%. Both regions were deleted in 13% of the SE and 44% of the NS, indicating that all NS with a complete LOH of 11p13 also lost the 11p15.5 region. In one (out of two) SE and in five (out of eight) NS, this was due to at least two separate deletions. Loss of the whole p-arm was likely in one SE and two NS. No gross genomic changes of the Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) tumor suppressor gene were found using a cDNA probe (WT33). Nor were aberrations found in the zinc-finger regions and exons 2 and 6 of this gene, using polymerase chain reaction amplification, single stranded DNA polymorphism analysis, and sequencing. We suggest that loss of genetic information from the short arm of chromosome 11, without affecting the WT1 gene in the regions studied, is relatively frequent but not crucial in the pathogenesis of testicular germ cell tumors of adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Origin and biology of a testicular Wilms' tumor.

A pure triphasic testicular Wilms' tumor, without teratomatous elements, was studied using multiple techniques. Carcinoma in situ (CIS), the characteristic precursor of testicular germ cell tumors of adults (TGCTs), was found in the adjacent parenchyma. Flow cytometric analysis showed a single hypotriploid tumor stem line. Karyotyping of the tumor revealed some numerical and structural abnormalities, including an i(12p), the chromosomal marker of TGCTs. In situ hybridization supported the karyotypic findings, and showed a similar numerical distribution in CIS and the tumor. Molecular analysis of the tumor illustrated that all short arms of chromosome 12, including i(12p), were of maternal origin. No 12q deletions were detected. In spite of complete loss of the paternal 11p13 band, the zinc finger regions and exons 2 and 6 of the WT1 gene contained no aberrations. Therefore, this tumor suppressor gene is not inactivated due to aberrations in the studied regions. In addition, all four WT1 alternative transcripts were expressed in the tumor. No aberrations were found in chromosomal bands 11p15.5, 16q22.1, and 16q24. Both parental alleles of the human imprinted genes H19 and IGF2 were expressed in the tumor. This is the first report on the chromosomal and molecular characterization of an extrarenal Wilms' tumor. Its germ cell origin was unequivocally demonstrated.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Can nimodipine affect progression of motor neuron disease? A double-blind pilot study.

Recently, there has been some evidence suggesting that exposure to neuroexcitotoxic amino acids, culminating in excessive neuronal calcium influx, may cause nerve cell destruction in motor neuron disease (MND). We therefore hypothesized that central calcium channel blockade with nimodipine might slow-down progression of MND. Two patients with sporadic MND were treated in a double-blind placebo controlled cross-over study with oral nimodipine (120 mg/day) for 5 months. Disease progression was assessed by repeated computerized measurements of isometric force from 20 muscle groups, and calculation of global force score. Global force deterioration slopes during the 5-month periods of nimodipine or placebo therapy were highly linear and almost identical. Nimodipine therefore does not seem to be effective in changing the course of MND. The observed remarkable linearity of disease course also confirms that cross-over methodology and serial measurements of muscle force are constructive tools in the clinical evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies for this devastating disease.

Administration, Oral↗