Prospective open-label study of add-on and monotherapy topiramate in civilians with chronic nonhallucinatory posttraumatic stress disorder

BACKGROUND: In order to confirm therapeutic effects of topiramate on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) observed in a prior study, a new prospective, open-label study was conducted to examine acute responses in chronic, nonhallucinatory PTSD. METHODS: Thirty-three consecutive newly recruited civilian adult outpatients (mean age 46 years, 85% female) with DSM-IV-diagnosed chronic PTSD, excluding those with concurrent auditory or visual hallucinations, received topiramate either as monotherapy (n = 5) or augmentation (n = 28). The primary measure was a change in the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) score from baseline to 4 weeks, with response defined as a ≥ 30% reduction of PTSD symptoms. RESULTS: For those taking the PCL-C at both baseline and week 4 (n = 30), total symptoms declined by 49% at week 4 (paired t-test, P < 0.001) with similar subscale reductions for reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms. The response rate at week 4 was 77%. Age, sex, bipolar comorbidity, age at onset of PTSD, duration of symptoms, severity of baseline PCL-C score, and monotherapy versus add-on medication administration did not predict reduction in PTSD symptoms. Median time to full response was 9 days and median dosage was 50 mg/day. CONCLUSIONS: Promising open-label findings in a new sample converge with findings of a previous study. The use of topiramate for treatment of chronic PTSD, at least in civilians, warrants controlled clinical trials

Interspecific Germline Transmission of Cultured Primordial Germ Cells

In birds, the primordial germ cell (PGC) lineage separates from the soma within 24 h following fertilization. Here we show that the endogenous population of about 200 PGCs from a single chicken embryo can be expanded one million fold in culture. When cultured PGCs are injected into a xenogeneic embryo at an equivalent stage of development, they colonize the testis. At sexual maturity, these donor PGCs undergo spermatogenesis in the xenogeneic host and become functional sperm. Insemination of semen from the xenogeneic host into females from the donor species produces normal offspring from the donor species. In our model system, the donor species is chicken (Gallus domesticus) and the recipient species is guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), a member of a different avian family, suggesting that the mechanisms controlling proliferation of the germline are highly conserved within birds. From a pragmatic perspective, these data are the basis of a novel strategy to produce endangered species of birds using domesticated hosts that are both tractable and fecund

Conjugated Linoleic Acids Alter Body Composition Differently According to Physiological Age in Moulard Ducks

Recent developments in the field of lipid biology have shown conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) to have remarkable yet inconsistent metabolic effects in mice, rats, hamsters, chickens, cows, and humans. In particular, effects on lipogenesis vary with tissue, physiological state, and specie. In this study, sub-adult (7 wk) and adult (11 wk) moulard ducks were grouped by age and fed a standard corn-soy based diet supplemented with either 5% soybean oil (control) or 5% CLA isomer mixture (30% 9c,11t, 30% 10t,12c; CLA). Animals were harvested after 3 wk or 6 wk for assessment of body composition including liver, adipose, viscera, and empty carcass weight. After 3 wk, the sub-adult CLA group exhibited a 24% decrease in dissectible adipose tissue (PP

Colonization of xenogeneic testis (Left panel) GFP positive chicken primordial germ cells in culture on irradiated BRL feeder cells.

<p>(Right panel) To evaluate the incorporation of chicken GFP positive cells into the gonads of guinea fowl, testes were retrieved, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and processed for cryosectioning. GFP expressing cells are present only in the seminiferous tubules suggesting that they have differentiated into spermatogonia. The absence of GFP-expressing cells in the interstitial tissue is consistent with the exclusive commitment of PGCs to the germline. Sizebar denotes 100 µm</p

Evaluation of sperm by flow cytometry and production of GFP-expressing and naked neck offspring from interspecific male guinea fowl chimeras.

<p>The GFP and naked neck loci are heterozygous and therefore, one half of the offspring from the injected PGCs inherit the expressed alleles at these loci. The high rates of fertility indicate that the testis is highly colonized by chicken PGCs in some of the interspecific male guinea fowls. Hybrids appear in the offspring of roosters with lower rates of germline transmission. GFP transmission is calculated from all embryos evaluated including embryos at D7 and chicks at hatch. Naked neck transmission was evaluated in hatched chicks and the hybrid percentage was calculated as a percentage of all offspring including both chicks and hybrids.</p

Xenogeneic offspring from guinea fowl.

<p>Upper panel: Phylogenetic relationship between chicken (Gallus domesticus) and guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). Bottom panel: primordial germ cells migrating through the blood in a 2.5 day old embryo were retrieved and cultured (A) and transfected with a GFP expression construct. GFP positive PGCs (B) were injected into guinea fowl embryos (C). The embryos were hatched (D) and males were raised to sexual maturity (E). The guinea fowl males were mated to White Leghorn females (F) and GFP positive chicken offspring (G) were obtained demonstrating that the chicken PGCs had passed through the germline of the male guinea fowl.</p

Pedigree analysis of offspring.

<p>PCR amplification of genomic DNA from combs of chicks, blood from their wild-type mothers, semen from their interspecific chimeric fathers and the 169.4 PGC and 167.2 cell lines that were incorporated into the testis of the interspecific chimeric males. The GFP locus in the 169.4 and 167.2 is heterozygous and therefore, approximately one half of the offspring from the injected PGCs inherit the locus and express GFP. Top panel, offspring from the 169.4 cell line. Bottom panel; offspring from the 167.2 cell line.</p