Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “somatic”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources

Retroviruses as probes for mammalian development: allocation of cells to the somatic and germ cell lineages.

Preimplantation mouse embryos were infected with a recombinant retrovirus, which serves as a genetic marker for the progeny of an infected blastomere. Quantitative analysis of proviruses carried in mosaic animals indicated that the molarity of individual proviral bands was equal in almost all tissues. The cells that give rise to the embryo proper must therefore intermingle extensively before final tissue allocation to ensure equal contribution of founder cells to all somatic tissues. The distribution of molarities of individual proviruses suggested that somatic lineages are derived from at most eight founder cells. About half of the proviruses were present in the germ line and the somatic tissues of mosaic animals, while the remaining proviruses were found either in the germ line or in the somatic tissues, but not in both. Our results suggest that at least three cells form the germ line and are set aside prior to somatic tissue allocation.

Animals↗

The epidemiology and treatment of depression when it coexists with somatoform disorders, somatization, or pain.

This article reviews the relationship between depressive disorders and somatoform disorders, somatization, and pain. These disorders and symptoms are clinically interrelated, yet the nature of the interrelation is not well understood. This review of the literature from 1975 through mid-year 1990 addresses the epidemiology and treatment of these conditions and/or symptoms when they occur together. When robust criteria are used to determine which publications are included, only 14 are available that address depressive disorders, somatoform disorders, and somatization. Similarly, there are only 13 that address depressive disorders and pain. Taken together, these studies indicate that 1) in somatization disorder patients, there is a high prevalence of depression; 2) in patients with major depression, there are substantial levels of hypochondriacal and somatizing symptoms; 3) that depression in the face of coexisting somatization disorder can be successfully treated; 4) in chronic pain patients, there is a high prevalence of depressive disorders; 5) in patients with major depression, pain is a frequent complaint; 6) and finally, that pain improves with the treatment of depression. What is most striking from this review, however, is the very limited number of studies that address these important problems. This lack of research-based data calls for new aggressive research efforts in this area.

Antidepressive Agents↗

Admission patterns of persistent somatization patients.

Persistent somatization patients put a serious burden on the health care system with multiple admissions, tests, surgeries, and medications. This study reports on factors relevant to the health-seeking behavior of somatizing patients and aspects of the health care system that facilitate their overutilization of health resources. Individuals (age 17-49 years) from the general population of two Danish municipalities with at least 10 general admissions during an 8-year period were studied comparing persistent somatizers with other high utilizers of medical admissions. Results are reported on geographical mobility, change in family doctors, route and distribution of admissions by time of day or week, discharges against medical advice, physical disease overlooked, and distribution of admissions to specialties. Although the health-seeking behavior of persistent somatizers may in part explain their overutilization of health care resources, such overutilization could be reduced and much suffering avoided if physicians displayed the same enthusiasm in diagnosing somatization as in ruling out organic pathology.

Adolescent↗

Mutagenic effects of some water-soluble metal compounds in a somatic eye-color test system in Drosophila melanogaster.

Nickel, cadmium, lead, arsenic, manganese and chromium salts as well as MeHgOH were screened for mutagenicity, using a sensitive somatic eye-color test system in Drosophila melanogaster. The test is based on the insertion of a mobile element which causes instability in the white locus that is somatically enhanced by mutagens. This white locus expression is combined with a mutation, zeste, in another gene, to produce a light yellow eye color. Larval feeding with mutagens causes somatic mutations in the eye imaginal disc cells that develop into easily detectable red spots in the yellow eyes of adult males. Survival tests showed large differences in the toxicity of different metals, but only hexavalent chromium increased the frequency of somatic mutations above the control level. When combined treatments were carried out with MMS and various metals, sodium arsenite caused a reduction of the MMS-induced mutation frequency while methylmercury increased the frequency of somatic spots.

Animals↗

Somatic hypermutagenesis in immunoglobulin genes. II. Influence of neighbouring base sequences on mutagenesis.

A new approach for the analysis of hotspots of mutations is described. It is based on the classification of hotspot site sequences. Using this approach, the consensuses RGYW and TAA of hotspot sites were revealed in the V gene. Correlation between somatic mutations and these consensuses is investigated by the statistical weight method in 323 somatic substitutions in 14 V genes. Assuming the absence of any correlation, the probability of observing such data in the sample would be very low (0.0003). These results support the idea that emergence of somatic mutation is significantly influenced by neighbouring base sequences. This idea was also supported by the analysis of 296 somatic mutations in flanking sequences of V genes. It is supposed that this influence is an important feature of somatic hypermutagenesis.

Animals↗

Differential neuropeptide expression after visceral and somatic nerve injury in the cat and rat.

The expression of neuropeptides galanin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and substance P was compared after injury to somatic (sciatic, pudendal) and visceral (pelvic) nerves. Studies in normal rats and the mutant rat 'mutilated foot' suggested that galanin increases in sensory but not sympathetic fibres after sciatic nerve injury, while VIP appears to increase in both sensory and sympathetic fibres, and substance P to decrease in sensory fibres. A direct comparison of neuropeptide changes after somatic and visceral nerve injury was made in the cat dorsal sacral spinal cord, where both pudenal (somatic) and pelvic (visceral) afferents terminate. Four weeks after pudendal nerve transection in the cat there was an increase of VIP and galanin but decrease of substance P in the dorsal sacral cord, similar to the changes in lumbar dorsal cord after sciatic nerve section in the rat. In contrast, 4 weeks after pelvic nerve transection in the cat, galanin was unchanged in the ipsilateral dorsal sacral spinal cord, whereas VIP is known to decrease markedly and substance P to remain unchanged. There is thus differential peptide expression before and after injury in somatic and visceral systems, which may be regulated in part by the target organ. We have proposed that the neuropeptide changes occur in neurons that regulate development, maintenance and repair after injury, processes that may differ in somatic and visceral systems.

Animals↗

Proteolysis of somatic type histones in transforming rat spermatid chromatin.

Elongated rat spermatid nuclei have been isolated on the basis of their resistance to sonication in 0.32 M sucrose containing 1.5 mM CaCl2. Chemical analyses indicate that approx. 35% of the DNA in these nuclei is associated with somatic type histones, while the remainder represents sperm histone-DNA complex. In contrast to nuclei of somatic cells, when elongated spermatid nuclei are incubated under appropriate conditions, somatic type histones but not sperm histone are rapidly degraded. Differential extraction of elongated spermatid nuclei with 5 mM HCl and then with various concentrations of NaCl followed by 0.2 M HCl has revealed that they contain two kinds of proteases. The protease in the 5 mM HCl extract is acrosin (EC 4.3.21.10). Rapid degradation of somatic type histones is, however, observable upon incubation of elongated spermatid nuclei which have been treated with 5 mM HCl and are therefore free of acrosin or upon incubation of elongated spermatid chromatin where the majority of acrosin is removed, suggesting that the observed proteolysis of somatic type histones is not due to acrosin. Proteases which may represent the enzymes responsible for the histone degradation are extractable from acrosin-free spermatid nuclei with NaCl (0.9 M) and by subsequent treatment of the salt-extracted nuclei with 0.2 M HCl. The proteases in the NaCl and the 0.2 M HCl extract possess identical properties and appear to be the same enzyme which may exist in spermatid chromatin in two different forms.

Animals↗

Differential distribution of calbindin-D28k and parvalbumin in somatic and visceral sensory neurons.

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether calbindin-D28k and parvalbumin are distributed to different subpopulations of somatic and visceral sensory neurons. Immunofluorescent and retrograde techniques were combined to examine the distribution of calbindin- and parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity in the cell bodies of somatic and visceral primary afferent neurons in dorsal root ganglia L1-S1 of rats. Calbindin and parvalbumin were differentially distributed to essentially non-overlapping subpopulations of primary sensory neurons that could be distinguished by their segmental and size distributions, as well as by their innervation of somatic and visceral structures. Calbindin-like immunoreactivity was found in a population of smaller-sized cell bodies comprising approximately 14%of all dorsal root ganglion cells examined, with the proportions being greatest in L6 and S1. In contrast, parvalbumin was found in a population of larger-sized cells that made up about 11% of dorsal root ganglion cells and that were most concentrated in L4 and L5. Sensory neurons were further characterized by retrograde transport following the application of the neuroanatomical tracer FluoroGold to somatic (sural and gastrocnemius) and visceral (hypogastric and pelvic) nerves. Somatic tissues were innervated by a population of calbindin-containing as well as a separate population of parvalbumin-containing sensory neurons. In contrast, afferent neurons innervating visceral structures contained only a subpopulation of calbindin-containing neurons and very few parvalbumin-positive cells.

Animals↗

Characterization of a highly unstable mouse minisatellite locus: evidence for somatic mutation during early development.

A highly unstable mouse minisatellite locus, Ms6-hm, has been identified in mouse DNA fingerprints produced by cross-hybridization with human minisatellite probe 33.6. A 7-kb allele of Ms6-hm was cloned from a C57BL/6J mouse and collapsed to a 400-bp plasmid insert on propagation in Escherichia coli due to loss of the majority of minisatellite repeat units. Sequence analysis revealed that Ms6-hm has evolved by amplification within a member of the MT (mouse transcript) family of interspersed repetitive elements. Linkage analysis localized Ms6-hm near the brown coat color gene (b) on chromosome 4. Multiallelism and heterozygosity at this locus within inbred strains result from a high germline mutation rate to new-length alleles (2.5% per gamete). Mice mosaic for cells carrying a nonparental allele in somatic tissue, and in some cases also in the germline, provide evidence for additional, somatic, mutation events at Ms6-hm. In two mosaic mice the fraction of cells containing the nonparental allele has been shown to be indistinguishable in different adult tissues. These somatic mutation events at Ms6-hm must therefore occur very early in development, preceding the allocation of somatic lineages, and the same pool of primitive ectoderm cells must contribute equally to all somatic tissues. Under low-stringency hybridization conditions the collapsed subclone of Ms6-hm cross-hybridizes to other unstable loci in the mouse genome to generate a novel and highly individual specific mouse DNA fingerprint.

Alleles↗

Cocaine exposure during the brain growth spurt: studies of neonatal survival, somatic growth, and brain development.

Neonatal Sprague-Dawley rat pups were assigned to one of five groups. Three cocaine-treated groups were injected SC with either 40, 60, or 80 mg/kg/day of cocaine from postnatal day (PND) 4 through 9. Control groups were either injected with equivalent volumes of sterile dH2O (vehicle control) or received no injections (normal control) from PND 4 through 9. This early postnatal period, corresponding to the third trimester of pregnancy in humans, is characterized as a period of rapid development within the central nervous system (CNS), generally termed the brain growth spurt. The survival rate, somatic growth, and brain development in response to the various dosages of postnatal cocaine administration were assessed. There was a dose-dependent relationship between cocaine administration and survival rate. Furthermore, significantly reduced somatic growth, assessed in terms of body weight, was found in animals given 80 mg/kg cocaine daily, as compared with controls. With respect to brain weight, no significant differences were obtained among the various doses of cocaine-treated and control animals and there was no evidence of regional vulnerability (forebrain, cerebellum, or brainstem) to the cocaine insult. Additionally, neither an effect of gender, nor the interactions of gender with various doses of cocaine treatment was found on somatic growth and brain development. Taken together, the present results suggest that the brain exhibits a greater resistance to the cocaine insults than does somatic growth. Several possible explanations regarding the somatic growth retardation are discussed.

Animals↗

Structural constraints of inhibitors for binding at two active sites on somatic angiotensin converting enzyme.

Angiotensin converting enzyme active sites from rat plasma, lung, kidney and testis were assessed by comparative radioligand binding studies under physiological chloride conditions. Displacement of [125I]Ro 31-8472 from somatic and plasma angiotensin converting enzyme by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors of different structure indicated two binding sites (perindoprilat: high affinity carboxyl site, KDC 18 +/- 6 pM), and a single high affinity binding site on testis angiotensin converting enzyme (KDC 20 +/- 1 pM). Displacement of [125I]351A from plasma, somatic and testis angiotensin converting enzyme occurred at a single high affinity binding site. Reduction in affinity at the amino binding site of somatic angiotensin converting enzyme was related to an increased side chain size (lung KDA (pM): Ro 31-8472 175 +/- 38, lisinopril 2205 +/- 1832, and 351A 2271 +/- 489), or hydrophobicity of the competing unlabelled angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (lung KDA (pM): quinaprilat 1267 +/- 629 and perindoprilat 824 +/- 6). This trend was reversed at the carboxyl binding site of plasma, somatic and testis angiotensin converting enzyme. Bradykinin hydrolysis by lung angiotensin converting enzyme was inhibited in a similar manner by cilazaprilat or quinaprilat (F = 0.64, F-test based on the extra sum-of-squares principle; P > 0.05), indicating the angiotensin converting enzyme carboxyl active site predominates in bradykinin cleavage. The data demonstrate that the two binding sites on native plasma and somatic angiotensin converting enzyme are of potentially different functional and structural nature, suggesting they may have different substrate specificities.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Gender- and morphine dose-linked expression of spontaneous somatic opiate withdrawal in mice.

The opiate withdrawal syndrome powerfully motivates opiate seeking and abuse. Development of effective medications for opiate withdrawal symptoms is thus a primary research goal and heavily relies on improved experimental models. This study was carried out to establish a clinically relevant paradigm to assess somatic opiate withdrawal in mice. Female and male C57BL/6J mice were treated with saline or increasing morphine doses (10-50mg/kg or 20-100mg/kg) during 6 consecutive days and tested for the spontaneous expression of somatic opiate withdrawal signs 8, 32, 56 and 80 h after last drug administration. Contrary to opioid receptor antagonist-precipitated procedures, the spontaneous opiate withdrawal paradigm used here revealed interesting gender- and morphine dose-linked differences. In particular, 56 h after last morphine administration elevated global opiate withdrawal scores were still evident in female but not in male mice treated with 20-100mg/kg. The severity of somatic opiate withdrawal directly correlated with the prior cumulative morphine exposure. Timing of expression of somatic opiate withdrawal signs also varied as a function of both gender and morphine dose. For example, expression of paw tremors and wet dog shakes was earlier in opiate-withdrawn male than in female mice. Overall, these findings highlight the possibility to detect gender- and opiate dose-linked differences in the expression and duration of somatic opiate withdrawal using a clinically relevant research model. The behavioral paradigm described here may represent a more appropriate tool to investigate the neurobiological bases of opiate withdrawal as opposed to opioid receptor antagonist-precipitated opiate withdrawal procedures.

Animals↗

Brain serotonin1A receptor binding in major depression is related to psychic and somatic anxiety.

BACKGROUND: The anxious phenotype of the 5-HT1A receptor knockout mouse and the anxiolytic properties of 5-HT1A agonists suggest that the 5-HT1A receptor modulates anxiety. We investigated the relationship of anxiety expressed in major depressive disorder (MDD) to regional 5-HT1A binding. METHODS: Positron emission tomography with [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100635 was used to estimate regional 5-HT1A binding potential (BP) in 28 medication-free MDD subjects. Stepwise linear regression assessed the predictive capacity of three anxiety components, derived from a larger MDD sample and termed psychic, somatic, and motoric anxiety, on regional 5-HT1A BP. RESULTS: Higher psychic (beta >or= .63) and lower somatic (beta <or= -.70) anxiety predicted over 50% of the variance in 5-HT1A BP in multiple cortical regions, but not in amygdala, hippocampus, or autoreceptors of the raphe nuclei. The psychic and somatic anxiety components were not related to depression severity. Comorbid panic disorder was associated with lower cortical and subcortical 5-HT1A BP. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-HT1A receptor in the same brain regions has different relationships to psychic anxiety versus somatic anxiety. Lower 5-HT1A BP in panic disorder may be accounted for by higher somatic and lower psychic anxiety. Further study of the pathobiology of these anxiety components may identify distinct therapeutic targets or mechanisms.

Adult↗

Colorectal distension-induced suppression of a nociceptive somatic reflex response in the rat: modulation by tissue injury or inflammation.

Inhibition of somatic nociception by conditioning noxious visceral stimulation was studied under pathophysiological conditions in rats. Viscero-somatic inhibition was enhanced following visceral inflammation and reduced by a somatic heat injury. The enhancement was reversed by an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. These changes in viscero-somatic inhibition may be explained by corresponding changes in excitatory drives evoked by conditioning and test stimulation, although disinhibition may contribute to reduction of inhibition following somatic injury.

Animals↗

Somatization, dissociation and general psychopathology in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

The etiology of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) remains uncertain. Previous studies have shown that PNES patients are characterized by high levels of somatization, dissociation and general psychopathology but a correlation of measures of these features and PNES severity or outcome has never been demonstrated, although this would strengthen a possible etiological link. This study measured somatization (Screening Test for Somatoform Symptoms-2), dissociation (Dissociative Experience Scale, DES), and general psychopathology (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, SCL-90) in 98 patients with PNES and 63 patients with epilepsy. All mean scores were raised in the PNES compared to the epilepsy group. However, only measures of somatization and general psychopathology discriminated between patients with PNES and epilepsy in a logistic regression model (even when patient gender was controlled for). In PNES patients, high somatization scores correlated with poor outcome and greater seizure severity even after correction was made for dissociation and psychopathology. Dissociation and psychopathology scores were not independently associated with outcome or severity. The results suggest that, as a group, patients with PNES are best characterized by their tendency to express psychosocial distress by producing unexplained somatic symptoms which are brought to medical attention. Although dissociation may be relevant in some individuals it does not appear to be an independent factor across the whole PNES patient group.

Adult↗

Brain responses to visceral and somatic stimuli in irritable bowel syndrome: a central nervous system disorder?

In healthy subjects, the brain regions most consistently activated in visceral and somatic pain are the key regions in the central pain matrix,including the mid/anterior insula, subregions of the ACC, PFC, thalamus,and in some cases, pontine regions such as the dorsal pons and PAG. Functional neuroimaging studies have demonstrated evidence of altered regional brain activation responses during visceral and somatic stimuli in IBS that have been associated with perceptual differences. Although perceptual studies have shown increased sensitivity to rectosigmoid distension in IBS, most somatic pain studies have demonstrated normal or decreased sensitivity compared with controls; however, a recent study showed increased sensitivity to thermal heat. Altered brain responses in IBS,particularly to visceral stimuli, include activation of regions concerned with attentional processes and response selection, corticolimbic regions concerned with emotional and autonomic responses to stimuli, and subcortical regions receiving cortical projections from the latter and afferent input from the soma and viscera. Altered activations of these regions also may be present in the absence of a noxious visceral stimulus. Changes in rCBF of some of these regions have been associated with treatment response in IBS. With regard to differences in cortical processing of visceral versus somatic stimuli in IBS, there have been only two studies. Greater activations of the dorsal ACC, thalamus, and PFC have been shown with visceral stimuli compared with somatic stimuli in IBS. A plausible hypothesis for the observations from brain imaging studies is that IBS patients demonstrate a compromised activation of pain inhibition circuits including those of the cortico-pontine circuit but increased activation of limbic and paralimbic circuits that may be related to pain facilitation.

Brain↗

Psychic and somatic anxiety differentially predict response to light therapy in women with seasonal affective disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether psychic and/or somatic anxiety predict responsiveness to light therapy in women with winter Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). DESIGN: Eighty-one women with SAD were administered a standard 10-day trial of light therapy administered for one-half hour in the early morning. Using a multiple regression model, baseline somatic and psychic anxiety item scores were used to predict percentage change scores on the 29-item SIGH-SAD post treatment. Baseline scores for weight gain, hypersomnia and the total SIGH-SAD were also included as predictor variables. RESULTS: The regression model was highly significant (F=4.63, df=5,75; p=.001; model R(2)=.236), with both psychic anxiety and somatic anxiety contributing significantly to the model. Consistent with prior work using anti-depressant medication in non-seasonal depression, psychic anxiety was positively correlated with outcome, while somatic anxiety negatively predicted outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In SAD, psychic and somatic anxiety scores at baseline appear to be independent and opposite predictors of light therapy response. These effects were independent of baseline scores for weight gain and hypersomnia, two previously established predictors of response to light. These findings may be an important consideration in the design and interpretation of light therapy studies of SAD.

Adolescent↗

Neighborhood quality and somatic complaints among American youth.

PURPOSE: This study examines the relationship between the social context of neighborhood and somatic complaints in a national probability sample of adolescents. METHODS: Structural equation modeling is used to estimate paths of influence between neighborhood quality and somatic complaints. An analysis of variance highlights the relationship between demographic characteristics and neighborhood quality. RESULTS: Neighborhood quality appears to play an indirect role in producing somatic complaints in adolescents. Linkages between correlates of somatic complaints, such as stressful life events, family environment, psychological distress, and measures of neighborhood quality are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: These findings emphasize the need to conceptualize adolescent somatization as contextually dependent and to use an ecological perspective when intervening with somaticizing teens.

Adolescent↗