Using dolls for therapeutic purposes: A study on nursing home residents with severe dementia.

OBJECTIVES: Among the psychosocial interventions intended to reduce the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), doll therapy (DT) is increasingly used in clinical practice. Few studies on DT have been based on empirical data obtained with an adequate procedure; however, none have assessed its efficacy using an active control group, and the scales used to assess changes in BPSD are usually unreliable. The aim of the present study was to measure the impact of DT on people with severe dementia with a reliable, commonly used scale for assessing their BPSD, and the related distress in formal caregivers. Effects of DT on the former's everyday abilities (ie, eating behavior) were also examined. METHOD: Twenty-nine nursing home residents aged from 76 to 96 years old, with severe dementia (Alzheimer's or vascular dementia), took part in the experiment. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group that used dolls or an active control group that used hand warmers with sensory characteristics equivalent to the dolls. Benefits of DT on BPSD and related formal caregiver distress were examined with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. The effects of DT on eating behavior were examined with the Eating Behavior Scale. RESULTS: Only the DT group showed a reduction in BPSD scores and related caregiver distress. DT did not benefit eating behavior, however. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that DT is a promising approach for reducing BPSD in people with dementia, supporting evidence emerging from previous anecdotal studies.

CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 overexpression in motor cortex and spinal cord of sALS patients.

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration and death of upper (UMN) and lower (LMN) motor neurons. In the last decade, it has been shown that Chitinases are an important prognostic indicator of neuro-inflammatory damage induced by microglia and astrocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed microarray datasets obtained from the Array Express in order to verify the expression levels of CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 in motor cortex biopsies of sALS patients with different survival times. We also divided the sALS patients into smokers and non-smokers. In order to extend our analysis, we explored two additional microarray datasets, GSE833 and GSE26927, of post-mortem spinal cord biopsies from sALS patients. RESULTS: The analysis showed that CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 expression levels were significantly upregulated in the motor cortex of sALS patients, compared to the healthy controls. Moreover, their expression levels were negatively correlated with survival time. Interesting results were obtained when we compared the expression levels of Chitinases among smokers. We showed that CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 were significantly upregulated in sALS smokers compared to non-smokers. Furthermore, we found that four genes belonging to the Chitinases network (SERPINA3, C1s, RRAD, HLA-DQA1) were significantly upregulated in the motor cortex of sALS patients and positively correlated with Chitinases expression levels. Similar results were obtained during the exploration of the two-microarray dataset. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 are associated with the progression of neurodegeneration in motor cortex and spinal cord of sALS patients.

Detection of mammary tumor virus env gene-like sequences in human breast cancer.

Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) has been related to human breast cancer (BC) in previous studies. Although suggestive sequence homology to MMTV has been described in BC DNA, the presence of human endogenous retroviruses (HERs) confounded these results. We have selected a 660-bp sequence of the MMTV env gene with very low homology to HER or to any other human or viral gene. We have searched for sequences homologous to it using the polymerase chain reaction. DNA was extracted from fresh or frozen tissues using primers and probes constructed to detect 660 bp; for paraffin-embedded tissues, we sought 250-bp sequences by similar methodology. The 660-bp sequence was detected in 121 (38.5%) of the 314 unselected BC samples, in cultured BC cells, in 2 (6.9%) of 29 breast fibroadenomas and in 2 (1.8%) of 107 breast specimens from reduction mammoplastias. The sequence was not found in normal tissues including breast, lymphocytes from BC patients, nor in other human cancers or cell lines. The 250-bp sequence was detected in 60 (39.7%) of the 151 BCs, and in 1 of 27 normal breast samples assayed from paraffin-embedded sections. Cloning and sequencing of the 660 bp and 250 bp demonstrated that they are 95-99% homologous to MMTV env gene, but not to the known HERs nor to other viral or human genes (< 18%). Southern blot analysis using labeled cloned sequences showed that the 660-bp sequences were present in low copy number as a 7-8-kb EcoRI fragment only in breast cancer samples and two breast cancer cell lines that were positive by PCR. These data indicate that 38-40% of human breast cancers contain gene sequences homologous to the MMTV env gene that are absent from other tumors and tissues. These MMTV env gene-like sequences may play a role in the etiology of a large proportion of human breast cancer.

Formation of lipid-bound oligosaccharides containing mannose. Their role in glycoprotein synthesis.

Incubation of GDP-[(14)C]mannose with liver microsomes and magnesium ions led to the formation of dolichol monophosphate mannose and of other acidlabile compounds that contain oligosaccharides. Formation of these compounds was enhanced by addition of an acceptor lipid in the same fractions of DEAE-cellulose chromatography where bound dolichol is found. Alkaline treatment of the oligosaccharides, obtained by acid methanolysis, followed by paper electrophoresis, gave rise to the formation of two positively charged substances believed to be formed by deacetylation of hexosamine residues. Incubation of the oligosaccharide-containing compounds with liver microsomes and manganese ions resulted in a transfer to endogenous protein. The role of dolichol derivatives in glycoprotein synthesis is discussed.