Less is more: Caloric regulation of neurogenesis and adult brain function.

Calorie intake is essential for regulating normal physiological processes and is fundamental to maintaining life. Indeed, both extremes of calorie intake result in increased morbidity and mortality. In this review, we discuss the effect of calorie intake on adult brain function, with an emphasis on the beneficial effects of mild calorie restriction. Recent findings relating to the regenerative and protective effects of the gastrointestinal hormone, ghrelin, suggest that it may underlie the beneficial effects of calorie restriction. We discuss the putative cellular mechanisms underlying the action of ghrelin and their possible role in supporting healthy brain ageing.

Both naturally occurring insertions of transposable elements and intermediate frequency polymorphisms at the achaete-scute complex are associated with variation in bristle number in Drosophila melanogaster.

A restriction enzyme survey of a 110-kb region including the achaete scute complex (ASC) examined 14 polymorphic molecular markers in a sample of 56 naturally occurring chromosomes. Large insertions as a class were associated with a reduction in both sternopleural and abdominal bristle number, supporting deleterious mutation-selection equilibrium models for the maintenance of quantitative genetic variation. Two polymorphic sites were independently associated with variation in bristle number measured in two genetic backgrounds as assessed by a permutation test. A 6-bp deletion near sc alpha is associated with sternopleural bristle number variation in both sexes and a 3.4-kb insertion between sc beta and sc gamma is associated with abdominal bristle number variation in females. Under an additive genetic model, the small deletion polymorphism near sc alpha accounts for 25% of the total X chromosome genetic variation in sternopleural bristle number, and the 3.4 kb insertion accounts for 22% of the total X chromosome variation in female abdominal bristle number. The observation of common polymorphisms associated with variation in bristle number is more parsimoniously explained by models that incorporate balancing selection or assume variants affecting bristle number are neutral, than mutation-selection equilibrium models.

Geographic variation in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) has a worldwide distribution. This survey of 20 otolaryngologic practices throughout the United States confirmed a variation in the frequency of AFRS relative to endoscopic sinus procedures performed for all other diagnoses. The highest incidence occurred in Memphis, Tennessee at 23%, with three other southern practices reporting a frequency of at least 10%. In the northern locations the frequency ranged from 0 to 4%. No correlation with mould counts was demonstrated, possibly because of incomplete mould data relative to most of the surgical locations.

Palliative laser surgery for melanoma metastatic to the larynx: report of two cases.

Melanoma metastatic to the larynx is an extremely rare entity. This paper describes two patients previously treated for cutaneous melanoma who developed recurrent melanoma involving their larynges. Surgical excision of these lesions was accomplished with the carbon dioxide laser. Apparently, these two patients are the first reported cases of successful management of melanoma metastatic to the larynx using laser surgery. The paper also discusses the evolving history and diagnosis of laryngeal melanoma, the use of the carbon dioxide laser in the treatment of other laryngeal and tracheobronchial lesions, the incidence of cutaneous and mucosal melanoma of the head and neck, and the diagnostic evaluation and management of melanoma.

Morphological and biochemical changes in the rat parotid gland after compensatory and isoproterenol-induced enlargement.

Enlargement of parotid glands can be induced in rats by treatment with isoproterenol (ISP) or by removal of the submandibular and sublingual glands. In this study, morphological changes in the enlarged parotid glands and qualitative changes in secreted proteins were examined in rats that had been treated with ISP for 10 days or that had been partially sialoadenectomized by removal of the submandibular/sublingual glands 2 weeks prior to killing. After ISP treatment or salivary gland ablation, secretory cells were enlarged and contained enlarged secretory granules that stained differently from granules in normal glands. Isoproterenol treatment induced the greatest enlargement of cells and granules. Even though gland structure was altered in both experimental groups, electrophoresis of saliva showed that submandibular/sublingual gland ablation did not lead to significant qualitative changes in secreted proteins, while ISP treatment induced major changes in the pattern of secreted protein. The results suggest that compensatory enlargement of the parotid glands and changes after ISP treatment are induced by stimulation of different regulatory pathways.

Drug advertising in medical journals.

One hundred different drug advertisements from each of seven leading medical journals have been assessed. Information about drug interactions, adverse reactions, mode of action, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and cost was seldom provided in UK journals. A requirement should exist that drug advertisements include such clinically important information. Only a few pharmaceutical companies are attempting to educate doctors through their marketing and promotional material in advertisements in medical journals.