Proliferative potential after DNA damage and non-homologous end joining are affected by loss of securin.

The faithful repair of DNA damage, especially chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs), is crucial for genomic integrity. We have previously shown that securin interacts with the Ku70/80 heterodimer of the DSB non-homologous DNA end-joining (NHEJ) repair machinery. Here we demonstrate that securin deficiency compromises cell survival and proliferation, but only after genotoxic stress. Securin(-/-) cells show a significant increase in gross chromosomal rearrangements and chromatid breaks after DNA damage, and also reveal an altered pattern of end resection in an NHEJ assay in comparison with securin(+/+) cells. These data suggest that securin has a key role in the maintenance of genomic stability after DNA damage, thereby providing a previously unknown mechanism for regulating tumour progression.

Trastornos alimentarios y perfiles del MMPI en una muestra española

Objetivo: Este estudio compara los perfiles del MMPI en subtipos de pacientes don trastornos alimentarios. Método: 112 mujeres: 24 con anorexia nerviosa restrictiva (ANR), 35 con anorexia nerviosa bulímica (ANB) y 53 con bulimia nerviosa purgativa (BN) (según criterios diagnósticos del Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales (DSM-IV), (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), y un grupo control de 34 mujeres sin patología, fueron evaluadas con la versión de 566 ítems el MMPI. Resultados: Las pacientes con un TA evidenciaron significativamente más psicopatología que las controles. Respecto a las pacientes con un TA, fue hallada más patología en las pacientes con conductas purgativas. Discusión: Estos hallazgos son consistentes con estudios previos y sugieren que el tratamientos de los TA debería ser complementado con intervenciones dirigidas a la psicopatología (AU)

Age-related changes in blood capillary endothelium of human dental pulp: an ultrastructural study.

AIM: To describe the ultrastructural changes that occur in pulpal blood capillaries as a result of ageing. METHODOLOGY: Thirty samples of healthy dental pulps were obtained from functional human permanent teeth. Two age groups were examined: young (10-17 years) and old (>60 years). The teeth were extracted under local anaesthesia using mepivacaine without adrenaline (Scandonest 3%, Septodont, Saint-Maur des Fossés, France) and split longitudinally in a bench press. The pulps were gently removed, immersed in fixative solution, sectioned and processed by conventional transmission electron microscopic techniques. Micrographs were taken from the endothelium, and the whole capillary area of each vessel was examined. RESULTS: In young pulps, the endothelial cell layer was characterized by the presence of numerous pinocytotic vesicles and microvesicles, RER cisterns, free ribosomes, a small Golgi complex, centrioles, microtubules, microfilaments and mitochondria. In the endothelial cell cytoplasm of older pulpal vessels, pinocytotic vesicles and microvesicles, as well as microfilaments, were more numerous. In addition, lipid-like vacuoles, monogranular glycogen granules and extensive Golgi complexes with dilated cisterns were also present. Weibel-Palade bodies were observed in both age groups without showing variations related with age. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in capillaries of aged pulpal tissue suggest that the endothelium experiences morphological changes that could be associated with advancing age.

Longitudinal study of the stability of expressed emotion in families of schizophrenic patients: a 9-month follow-up.

The goal of this paper is to study attitude stability in schizophrenics' relatives, as reflected in the expressed emotion (EE) construct. For this purpose, the EE of 32 families of schizophrenic patients was assessed by means of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI, Brown, Birley, & Wing, 1972; Vaughn & Leff, 1976b), both initially and at a 9-month follow-up. The results obtained indicate that EE is stable in fathers, whereas in mothers, high EE seems to be influenced by stressful situations, because, when assessed in crisis, EE was not stable, but in-between crises, it was. These results are discussed, as well as their relevance in family interventions aimed at reducing EE, where clinicians should take into account that mothers' EE may drop because of its instability, and not because of the intervention. On the other hand, clinicians should focus especially on fathers, because their high EE is constant, which is stressful to the patient during the follow-up.

Imagen corporal y trastornos alimentarios en estudiantes del País Vasco: un estudio piloto / Body shape and eating disorders in a sample of students in the Basque Country: a pilot study

Objetivo. Estudiar el grado de insatisfacción con la imagen corporal (IC) y los síntomas de trastornos alimentarios (TA) en estudiantes del país vasco.Método. Una muestra intencional formada por 969 estudiantes de 11-18 años, 508 chicas y 461 chicos, cumplimentaron el Body Shape Questionnaire (Cooper, Taylor, Cooper y Fairburn, 1987), el Eating Attitudes Test (Garner y Garfinkel, 1979) y la escala de insatisfacción corporal del Eating Disorders Inventor (Garner, Olmstead y Polivy 1983). Resultados. La prevalencia de síntomas de trastornos alimentarios hallada es del 7,1 por ciento de las chicas y el 2,4 por ciento de los chicos. La preocupación por la imagen corporal aparece en el 32,5 por ciento de las chicas, aumentando con la edad, y el 8,9 por ciento de los chicos. En ambos sexos la relación entre la preocupación por la IC y el índice de masa corporal (IMC) es positiva. Discusión. Estos resultados confirman estudios anteriores y reafirman la necesidad de evaluar sistemáticamente estos aspectos en la población preadolescente y adolescente, cara a realizar campañas de prevención (AU)

El clima familiar en hogares con niños con trastornos del habla y del lenguaje / Family environment in households with children with language and speech disorders

Objetivo. estudiar el clima familiar en hogares con niños con trastornos del habla y del lenguaje. Método: una muestra de 104 familias (30 con un hijo con trastorno del habla (TH), 34 con un hijo con trastorno del lenguaje (TL) y un grupo "control" (n=40) de similares características sociodemográficas fue evaluada con el Peabody picture vocabulary test-r, el test de Illinois de aptitudes psicolingüísticas, la prueba de articulación de fonemas, el registro fonológico inducido y la escala de clima social de la familia (FES). Resultados: las familias con hijos con TH y TL presentan mayores desviaciones del rango normativo en las escalas de la FES que el grupo control. Las madres del grupo TL perciben menos autonomía e intereses socio-recreativos en sus familias que en el grupo control. Discusión. las diferencias en el clima familiar pueden ser causa o consecuencia del trastorno del hijo, en ambos casos las intervenciones, familiares a nivel preventivo o terapéutico, nos parecen indicadas (AU)

Improved diagnostic value of combined time and frequency domain analysis of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Time domain analysis (TD) of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) presents a higher incidence of false positives in inferior myocardial infarction (MI), whereas spectral turbulence analysis (STA) suffers from a higher incidence of false positives in anterior MI. We investigated the hypothesis that a combined TD and STA (TD+STA) analysis of the SAECG could improve its predictive accuracy for major arrhythmic events (MAE) after MI. METHODS: Signal-averaged electrocardiograms were prospectively recorded 10.1 +/- 2.6 days after acute MI in 602 patients. Time domain analysis and STA were performed using standard parameters and criteria for abnormality. For the combined TD+STA model, stepwise discriminant analysis was utilized to optimize prediction of MAE. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to optimize cutoff values for each SAECG parameter separately, and also for the combined TD+STA model. RESULTS: During a one-year follow-up period, 38 patients had MAE: 14 sustained ventricular tachycardia, 2 resuscitated ventricular fibrillation and 22 sudden cardiac deaths. The total predictive accuracy of combined TD+STA (89.9%) was significantly higher than TD (75.1%) or STA (77.6%). The negative predictive accuracy of all three analyses was high (98%). The positive predictive accuracy of TD (19.6%) or STA (18.3%) was quite low, and significantly improved to 35.8% by combined TD+STA analysis. The positive predictive accuracy of TD+STA improved to 51.2% in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <40%. CONCLUSIONS: Combined TD + STA analysis of the SAECG significantly improves its prognostic ability for MAE in post-MI patients compared with TD or STA analyzed separately.

Abnormal filling pattern of the left ventricle and outcome in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The pattern of left ventricular filling by Doppler examination is frequently abnormal in myocardial infarction. PURPOSE: To relate the different patterns of left ventricular filling to the clinical course of acute myocardial infarction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have studied 133 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Three different patterns of mitral flow were defined by Doppler examination: Type I has an E/A ratio lesser than one, and a deceleration time of the E wave longer than 180 ms; Type II has either an E/A ratio greater than one or a deceleration time shorter than 180 ms; Type III has an E/A ratio greater than 1.6 and a deceleration time shorter than 180 ms. We also determined the pulmonary wedge pressure through a pulmonary artery catheter simultaneously with the Doppler examination on 22 occasions in 11 patients. RESULTS: Mortality rate was 13%, 9% and 35% respectively in Type I, II and III (P=0.007). After logistic regression analysis of determinants of death, including all eight variables related with mortality on an univariate analysis, only Killip class and the presence of a Type III pattern of the mitral flow remained significant (P=0.0004 and P=0.019 respectively). Pulmonary wedge pressure was 8.4+/-6.1 mmHg in Type I, 21.0+/-7.3 mmHg in Type II, and 22.4+/-7.1 mmHg in Type III (P=0.0017). CONCLUSION: Type III pattern of left ventricular filling is an independent predictor of death. Type I and II had no significant differences on prognosis. Type I is associated with a normal pulmonary wedge pressure.

Oral autopsy of unidentified burned human remains. A new procedure.

Forensic dentistry plays an increasingly important role in medicolegal investigation and identification procedures. The oral examination may be difficult because of postmortem changes, especially those of carbonized corpses. We present a new technique of oral autopsy that includes a new means of access to the oral cavity designed for application on unidentified burned human remains. This technique preserves the facial configuration of the cadaver, allowing visual recognition by family members or other persons that is fundamental if the antemortem dental records do not exist or are not available. Also, this technique permits adequate work productivity by the forensic team members and can be used in difficult working conditions, such as mass-disaster scenarios.

G6P-DH Santa Clara and G6P-DH Villa Clara: two new Cuban variants.

Two new glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase G6P-DH variants designated G6P-DH Santa Clara and G6P-DH Villa Clara were identified in a Cuban family. These variants belong to class III. Their electrophoretic and kinetic properties allow the conclusion that G6P-DH Santa Clara and G6P-DH Villa Clara are probably two new variants.