Neurochemical characterisation of lamina II inhibitory interneurons that express GFP in the PrP-GFP mouse

Background Inhibitory interneurons in the superficial dorsal horn play important roles in modulating sensory transmission, and these roles are thought to be performed by distinct functional populations. We have identified 4 non-overlapping classes among the inhibitory interneurons in the rat, defined by the presence of galanin, neuropeptide Y, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and parvalbumin. The somatostatin receptor sst2A is expressed by ~50% of the inhibitory interneurons in this region, and is particularly associated with nNOS- and galanin-expressing cells. The main aim of the present study was to test whether a genetically-defined population of inhibitory interneurons, those expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the PrP-GFP mouse, belonged to one or more of the neurochemical classes identified in the rat.<p></p> Results The expression of sst2A and its relation to other neurochemical markers in the mouse was similar to that in the rat, except that a significant number of cells co-expressed nNOS and galanin. The PrP-GFP cells were entirely contained within the set of inhibitory interneurons that possessed sst2A receptors, and virtually all expressed nNOS and/or galanin. GFP was present in ~3-4% of neurons in the superficial dorsal horn, corresponding to ~16% of the inhibitory interneurons in this region. Consistent with their sst2A-immunoreactivity, all of the GFP cells were hyperpolarised by somatostatin, and this was prevented by administration of a selective sst2 receptor antagonist or a blocker of G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channels.<p></p> Conclusions These findings support the view that neurochemistry provides a valuable way of classifying inhibitory interneurons in the superficial laminae. Together with previous evidence that the PrP-GFP cells form a relatively homogeneous population in terms of their physiological properties, they suggest that these neurons have specific roles in processing sensory information in the dorsal horn.<p></p&gt

Persistent pain after caesarean section and its association with maternal anxiety and socioeconomic background

Background: Pain, both from the surgical site, and from other sources such as musculoskeletal backache, can persist after caesarean section. In this study of a predominantly socially deprived population we have sought to prospectively examine the association between antenatal maternal anxiety and socioeconomic background and the development of persistent pain of all sources after caesarean section. Methods: Demographic details and an anxiety questionnaire were completed by 205 women before elective caesarean section. On the first postoperative day, pain scores were recorded, and at four months patients were asked to complete a Brief Pain Inventory and an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score. Results: Of 205 parturients recruited, 186 records were complete at the hospital admission phase and 98 (52.7%) were complete at the four-month follow-up phase. At recruitment, 15.1% reported pain. At four months 41.8% (95% CI 32.1 to 51.6%) reported pain, of whom pain was a new finding in 35.7% (95% CI 26.2 to 45.2%). Antenatal anxiety was not a significant predictor of severity of new pain at four months (P=0.43 for state anxiety, P=0.52 for trait anxiety). However, four-month pain severity did correlate with social deprivation (P=0.011), postnatal depression (P<0.001) and pain at 24 h (P=0.018). Conclusion: Persistent pain from a variety of sources after caesarean section is common. Our findings do not support the use of antenatal anxiety scoring to predict persistent pain in this setting, but suggest that persistent pain is influenced by acute pain, postnatal depression and socioeconomic deprivation

Semiclassical Treatment of Diffraction in Billiard Systems with a Flux Line

In billiard systems with a flux line semiclassical approximations for the density of states contain contributions from periodic orbits as well as from diffractive orbits that are scattered on the flux line. We derive a semiclassical approximation for diffractive orbits that are scattered once on a flux line. This approximation is uniformly valid for all scattering angles. The diffractive contributions are necessary in order that semiclassical approximations are continuous if the position of the flux line is changed.Comment: LaTeX, 17 pages, 4 figure

Maximum nullity and zero forcing of circulant graphs

The zero forcing number of a graph has been applied to communication complexity, electrical powergrid monitoring, and some inverse eigenvalue problems. It is well-known that the zero forcing number of agraph provides a lower bound on the minimum rank of a graph. In this paper we bound and characterizethe zero forcing number of various circulant graphs, including families of bipartite circulants, as well as allcubic circulants. We extend the de nition of the Möbius ladder to a type of torus product to obtain boundson the minimum rank and the maximum nullity on these products. We obtain equality for torus products byemploying orthogonal Hankel matrices. In fact, in every circulant graph for which we have determined thesenumbers, the maximum nullity equals the zero forcing number. It is an open question whether this holds forall circulant graphs

Enumeration of many-body skeleton diagrams

The many-body dynamics of interacting electrons in condensed matter and quantum chemistry is often studied at the quasiparticle level, where the perturbative diagrammatic series is partially resummed. Based on Hedin's equations for self-energy, polarization, propagator, effective potential, and vertex function in zero dimension of space-time, dressed Feynman (skeleton) diagrams are enumerated. Such diagram counts provide useful basic checks for extensions of the theory for future realistic simulations.Comment: 5 pages including 4 figure

Detection of avascular necrosis on routine diffusion-weighted whole body MRI in patients with multiple myeloma.

OBJECTIVE:Current therapies for multiple myeloma, which include corticosteroids, increase risk of avascular necrosis. The aim of this study was to assess incidental detection of femoral head avascular necrosis on routine whole body MRI including diffusion weighted MRI. METHODS:All whole body MRI studies, performed on patients with known multiple myeloma between 1 January 2010 to 1 May 2017 were assessed for features of avascular necrosis. RESULTS:650 whole body MR scans were analysed. 15 patients (6.6%) had typical MR features of avascular necrosis: 2/15 (13.3%) had femoral head collapse, 4/15 (26.7%) had bilateral avascular necrosis and 9/15 (60%) were asymptomatic. CONCLUSION:This is the first report of avascular necrosis detected on routine whole body MRI in patients with multiple myeloma. Targeted review of femoral heads in multiple myeloma patients undergoing whole body MR is recommended, including in patients without symptoms. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE:Whole body MR which includes diffusion-weighted MRI is extremely sensitive for evaluation of bone marrow. Although whole body MRI is primarily used for evaluation of multiple myeloma disease burden, it also presents an unique opportunity to evaluate the femoral heads for signs of avascular necrosis which can predate symptoms

Experience with Community‐Based Amphotericin B Infusion Therapy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90368/1/phco.25.5.690.63591.pd

Restoration of CD28 Expression in CD28− CD8+ Memory Effector T Cells Reconstitutes Antigen-induced IL-2 Production

The control of many persistent viral infections by Ag-specific cytolytic CD8+ T cells requires a concurrent virus-specific CD4+ Th cell response. This reflects in part a requirement of activated effector CD8+ T cells for paracrine IL-2 production as a growth and survival factor. In human CMV and HIV infection, the majority of differentiated virus-specific CD8+ T cells notably lose the ability to produce IL-2 but also lose expression of CD28, a costimulatory molecule. Analysis of the fraction of memory CD8+ T cells that continue to express CD28 revealed these cells retain the ability to produce IL-2. Therefore, we examined if IL-2 production by CD28− CD8+ T cells could be restored by introduction of a constitutively expressed CD28 gene. Expression of CD28 in CD28− CD8+ CMV- and HIV-specific CD8+ T cells reconstituted the ability to produce IL-2, which could sustain an autocrine proliferative response after Ag recognition. These results suggest that the loss of CD28 expression during differentiation of memory/effector CD8+ T cells represents a decisive step in establishing regulation of responding CD8+ T cells, increasing the dependence on CD4+ Th for proliferation after target recognition, and has implications for the treatment of viral disease with adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells

Macrolide‐resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in transplantation: Increasingly typical?

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the most common bacterial causes of pneumonia. Macrolide‐resistant M pneumoniae (MRMP) was documented in 7.5% of isolates in the United States. Resistance portends poor outcomes to macrolide therapy, yet patients respond well to fluoroquinolones or tetracyclines such as minocycline. However, MRMP may be under‐appreciated because M pneumoniae generally causes relatively mild infections in non‐immunosuppressed adults that may resolve without effective therapy and because microbiological confirmation and susceptibility are not routinely performed. We report two cases of pneumonia due to MRMP in kidney transplant recipients. Both patients required hospital admission, worsened on macrolide therapy, and rapidly defervesced on doxycycline or levofloxacin. In one case, M pneumoniae was only identified by multiplex respiratory pathogen panel analysis of BAL fluid. Macrolide resistance was confirmed in both cases by real‐time PCR and point mutations associated with macrolide resistance were identified. M pneumoniae was isolated from both cases, and molecular genotyping revealed the same genotype. In conclusion, clinicians should be aware of the potential for macrolide resistance in M pneumoniae, and may consider non‐macrolide‐based therapy for confirmed or non‐responding infections in patients who are immunocompromised or hospitalized.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163484/2/tid13318.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163484/1/tid13318_am.pd