A Novel Sulfonamide, 4-FS, Reduces Ethanol Drinking and Physical Withdrawal Associated With Ethanol Dependence

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is abundant in glial cells in the brain and CA type II isoform (CA II) activity in the hippocampus plays an important role in buffering extracellular pH transients produced by neural activity. Chronic ethanol exposure results in respiratory and metabolic acidosis, producing shifts in extracellular pH in the brain and body. These neurophysiological changes by ethanol are hypothesized to contribute to the continued drinking behavior and physical withdrawal behavior in subjects consuming ethanol chronically. We explored whether chronic ethanol self-administration (ethanol drinking, 10% v/v; ED) without or under the influence of chronic intermittent ethanol vapor (CIE-ED) experience alters the expression of CA II in the hippocampus. Postmortem hippocampal tissue analyses demonstrated that CA II levels were enhanced in the hilus region of the hippocampus in ED and CIE-ED rats. We used a novel molecule-4-fluoro-N-(4-sulfamoylphenyl) benzenesulfonamide (4-FS)-a selective CA II inhibitor, to determine whether CA II plays a role in ethanol self-administration in ED and CIE-ED rats and physical withdrawal behavior in CIE-ED rats. 4-FS (20 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced ethanol self-administration in ED rats and physical withdrawal behavior in CIE-ED rats. Postmortem hippocampal tissue analyses demonstrated that 4-FS reduced CA II expression in ED and CIE-ED rats to control levels. In parallel, 4-FS enhanced GABAA receptor expression, reduced ratio of glutamatergic GluN2A/2B receptors and enhanced the expression of Fos, a marker of neuronal activation in the ventral hippocampus in ED rats. These findings suggest that 4-FS enhanced GABAergic transmission and increased activity of neurons of inhibitory phenotypes. Taken together, these findings support the role of CA II in assisting with negative affective behaviors associated with moderate to severe alcohol use disorders (AUD) and that CA II inhibitors are a potential therapeutic target to reduce continued drinking and somatic withdrawal symptoms associated with moderate to severe AUD.

Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding interleukin 11, a stromal cell-derived lymphopoietic and hematopoietic cytokine

Hematopoiesis occurs in close association with a complex network of cells loosely termed the hematopoietic microenvironment. Analysis of the mechanisms of microenvironmental regulation of hematopoiesis has been hindered by the complexity of the microenvironment as well as the heterogeneity of hematopoietic stem cells and early progenitor cells. We have established immortalized primate bone marrow-derived stromal cell lines to facilitate analysis of the interactions of hematopoietic cells with the microenvironment in a large animal species. One such line, PU-34, was found to produce a variety of growth factors, including an activity that stimulates the proliferation of an interleukin 6-dependent murine plasmacytoma cell line. A cDNA encoding the plasmacytoma stimulatory activity was isolated through functional expression cloning in mammalian cells. The nucleotide sequence contained a single long reading frame of 597 nucleotides encoding a predicted 199-amino acid polypeptide. The amino acid sequence of this cytokine, designated interleukin 11 (IL-11), did not display significant similarity with any other sequence in the GenBank data base. Preliminary biological characterization indicates that in addition to stimulating plasmacytoma proliferation, IL-11 stimulates the T-cell-dependent development of immunoglobulin-producing B cells and synergizes with IL-3 in supporting murine megakaryocyte colony formation. These properties implicate IL-11 as an additional multifunctional regulator in the hematopoietic microenvironment.

[Risk factors for acute infantile diarrhea in a rural community in Chiapas, Mexico. A strategy for intervention]

A community-based, case-control study was conducted during the summer peak season for diarrhea in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, to identify risk and protective factors associated with acute diarrhea in children less than 6 years of age. To estimate the diarrheal morbidity rate, the community was divided into 13 sectors, each of about 20 households. A resident (volunteer mother) made daily visits to every household in her sector to identify new cases of diarrhea. During 3 weeks of surveillance, 63 children with diarrhea and 48 control children were identified. The diarrheal attack rate during this period for children less than 6 years of age was 30%. Analysis of 29 neighborhood-matched case-control pairs showed that children with diarrhea were more likely than their controls to have had a mother with diarrhea in the 2 weeks preceding the onset of the child's diarrhea (P less than 0.05; relative risk = 10). The association of childhood diarrhea with maternal diarrhea may serve as a focus for more detailed studies as well as an intervention that may be appropriate and effective for this community.

Clinical prediction of cervical spine injuries in children. Radiographic abnormalities

During the seven-year period from 1976 through 1982, 2133 cervical spine radiographs were obtained for children less than 18 years of age at two hospitals in Tucson. Twenty-five children (1.2%) had x-ray evidence of a cervical spine injury, with a male to female ratio of 4:1. Vehicular accidents accounted for 36% of cervical spine radiographic abnormalities, and sports or playground accidents accounted for an additional 36%. In an attempt to find clinical predictors that might identify x-ray abnormalities, we reviewed the medical records of these 25 children with abnormalities and 713 randomly selected children without x-ray evidence of cervical spine injuries for the following: method of injury, presenting complaints, physical examination findings, therapy, and complications. No single clinical predictor had a sensitivity of 100% when considered in isolation, but clinical assessment consisting of EITHER a complaint of neck pain OR involvement in a vehicular accident with head trauma would have correctly identified all 25 cases of cervical spine injury. If this information had been used prospectively, the number of cervical spine radiographs ordered would have been reduced by 32%. We conclude that the use of this clinical "marker" would have positively identified all children with cervical spine injuries and would have reduced by one third the cost and radiation exposure associated with cervical spine radiographs. Because of the serious consequences of missing a cervical spine injury, we suggest that other studies confirm these results before this information is accepted as a recommendation.

Reduced growth velocity in exclusively breast-fed infants

A number of recent studies have reported reduced growth velocity among breast-fed infants, as compared with standard growth curves. Contradictions between these and previous studies of breast-feeding have been difficult to resolve because of methodological problems, particularly supplementation of breast-feeding with other nutrients. In the present study, 33 term infants, exclusively breast-fed for six months, showed significantly slower rates of growth compared with data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Between birth and 6 months of age, these infants lost an average of 20 percentiles in weight for age and 30 percentiles in length in relation to the NCHS population. We discuss these findings in terms of the appropriateness of the NCHS data as standards and the adequacy of exclusive breast-feeding for providing optimum growth through 6 months of age.