Presence of multiple "Helicobacter heilmannii" strains in an individual suffering from ulcers and in his two cats

Circumstantial evidence suggests that "Helicobacter heilmannii" infection is an example of zoonosis. The presence of "H. heilmannii" strains in a human subject with acute gastric erosions, in his two cats, and in two unrelated cats was analyzed, and the genetic relatedness of the human and feline strains was assessed. A 580-bp, PCR-amplified sequence of "H. heilmannii" urease B gene (ureB) obtained from biopsies from the human subject and his two cats was restricted with AluI and cloned for sequencing. Analysis of the restriction fragment length polymorphism of the ureB-amplified product suggested the presence of different individual "H. heilmannii" strains in the cats and of three distinct strains in the human subject. One of the "H. heilmannii" ureB sequences amplified from the human subject's biopsies was identical to that derived from one of his cats. The degree of similarity between the other "H. heilmannii" human and feline nucleotide sequences was higher than 97%. Most of the base substitutions were conservative. We conclude that human and animal "H. heilmannii" strains are closely related and that humans can be infected by more than one "H. heilmannii" strain, as has been observed for Helicobacter pylori.     

Heat-shock-proteins-antibodies in patients with Helicobacter pylori associated chronic gastritis

Twenty eight patients (15 F, 13 M mean age 37.7 SD +/- 9.93 range 22-55) affected by Helicobacter Pylori infection associated gastritis were studied. HSP 70 Antibodies were found in 21.4% of patients and their mean values were significantly higher in the patients than in the subjects affected by gastritis HP negative used as controls (p = 0.05). This datum was confirmed by Western blotting. The presence of HSP 70 antibodies in the sera of those patients may support the link between the protein and the development and persistence of chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa.     

Severe expression of corpus gastritis is characteristic in gastric cancer patients infected with Helicobacter pylori

BACKGROUND: Cancer of the skin may be difficult to diagnose clinically if there are minimal skin findings on examination. OBJECTIVE: To remind physicians that the symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) may precede physical signs of the tumor. METHODS: Perineural invasion of SCC was confirmed by histologic examination of surgical specimens. RESULTS: We present two patients whose initial presentation of SCC was facial pain due to extensive perineural invasion. Their diagnoses were delayed until skin lesions eventually became evident months later. CONCLUSION: Early detection can be lifesaving, thus emphasizing the importance of including skin cancer in the differential for facial pain or paresthesia.     

Evidence that secretory IgA antibody is associated with daily mood.

In this study, we examined the secretory immune system, the body's first line of defense against invading organisms, and its relation to daily fluctuations of mood. Specifically, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) was studied. Unlike other psychoimmunity studies that examined all sIgA protein regardless of specificity to invading organisms, ours examined an antigen-specific sIgA response to the oral administration of harmless protein (rabbit albumin) and monitored the antibody produced in response to the protein. Dental students recorded their daily mood thrice weekly for 8? weeks, and parotid saliva was obtained from subjects during these contacts. Using a within-subjects analyses strategy, we found that antibody response was lower on days with high negative mood relative to days with lower negative mood, and conversely, sIgA antibody response was higher on days with high positive mood relative to days with lower positive mood. Results from total sIgA protein were in the opposite direction, although not significantly so. These results extend our knowledge of immunological changes and mood, and they suggest that minor life events' role in health may be mediated by the secretory immune system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characterization of Alu repeats that are associated with trinucleotide and tetranucleotide repeat microsatellites

The association of subclasses of Alu repetitive elements with various classes of trinucleotide and tetranucleotide microsatellites was characterized as a first step toward advancing our understanding of the evolution of microsatellite repeats. In addition, information regarding the association of specific classes of microsatellites with families of Alu elements was used to facilitate the development of genetic markers. Sequences containing Alu repeats were eliminated because unique primers could not be designed. Various classes of microsatellites are associated with different classes of Alu repeats. Very abundant and poly(A)-rich microsatellite classes (ATA, AATA) are frequently associated with an evolutionarily older subclass of Alu repeats, AluSx, whereas most of GATA and CA microsatellites are associated with a recent Alu subfamily, AluY. Our observations support all three possible mechanisms for the association of Alu repeats to microsatellites. Primers designed using a set of sequences from a particular microsatellite class showed higher homology with more sequences of that class than probes designed for other classes. We developed an efficient method of prescreening GGAA and ATA microsatellite clones for Alu repeats with probes designed in this study. We also showed that Alu probes labeled in a single reaction (multiplex labeling) could be used efficiently for prescreening of GGAA clones. Sequencing of these prescreened GGAA microsatellites revealed only 5% Alu repeats. Prescreening with primers designed for ATA microsatellite class resulted in the reduction of the loss of markers from approximately 50% to 10%. The new Alu probes that were designed have also proved to be useful in Alu-Alu fingerprinting.     

Evidence that loss of chromosome 18q is associated with tumor progression

Toxicological investigation of suspected cocaine-related deaths routinely involves the identification of cocaine (COC) and its metabolites including benzoylecgonine (BE) and ecgonine methyl ester (EME) in postmortem specimens. We utilized solid-phase extraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of cocaine and eight cocaine-related analytes. These analytes included anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME), a unique product formed during cocaine smoking, and cocaethylene (CE), formed by transesterification of cocaine in the presence of ethanol. Thirteen pairs of postmortem heart blood and urine specimens were analyzed from cases of death due to acute cocaine intoxication, multiple drug intoxication, or other non-drug related causes. COC, EME, and BE were detected in all specimens. The range of concentrations in blood were: COC, 23-2088 ng/mL; BE, 215-9195 ng/mL; and EME, 220-7275 ng/ mL. AEME was identified in 2 blood and 10 urine specimens, and CE was identified in 1 blood specimen and 4 urine specimens. The identification of AEME in the specimens indicated that "crack" cocaine had been smoked, and the presence of CE indicated co-administration of cocaine and ethanol. The presence of these unique cocaine analysis in postmortem specimens provides valuable information regarding the cause and manner of death.     

Complications associated with rapid caffeine application to cardiac myocytes that are not voltage clamped

The rapid application of caffeine to cardiac myocytes is commonly used to assess changes in the Ca2+ content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and to study other parameters of intracellular Ca2+ regulation. Here we examined the effects of rapid caffeine application on membrane potential, intracellular Ca2+, and cell shortening in ventricular myocytes (rat, rabbit, guinea pig, dog) and atrial myocytes (rabbit) that were not voltage clamped. Conditioning pacing was used to achieve a steady-state level of SR Ca2+ loading prior to caffeine (10 mM) application. Caffeine transiently depolarized myocytes as expected from activation of forward Na+-Ca2+ exchange. However, we also found in each species (50% rat, 36% rabbit ventricular, 53% rabbit atrial, 56% guinea pig, 31% dog) that the caffeine-induced depolarization could also trigger an action potential. Caffeine-triggered potentials were completely blocked by thapsigargin (1 microM). The Ca2+ transient and contraction that accompanied caffeine-triggered action potentials had a larger magnitude and slower rate of decline (or relaxation) than occurred during caffeine-induced subthreshold depolarizations. Thus, the use of rapid caffeine application to study SR function and [Ca2+]i regulation in myocytes that are not voltage clamped can yield erroneous results.     

Serum antibodies against Helicobacter pylori proteins VacA and CagA are associated with increased risk for gastric adenocarcinoma

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is associated with the development of gastric cancer. To study whether the infection with H. pylori strains expressing the vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) and/or the cytotoxin-associated protein (CagA) is associated with an increased risk of developing gastric adenocarcinoma, sera of 90 patients with gastric cancer and 90 matched controls with cardiovascular diseases were investigated for the presence of antibodies to VacA and CagA by immunoblot. Although no significant difference in the overall H. pylori seropositivity was found between cancer patients and controls, antibodies against VacA or CagA were significantly more frequent in cancer patients than in control subjects. Seventy-five (97.4%) of 77 H. pylori-positive patients in the cancer group, but only 60 (84.5%) of 71 H pylori-positive control patients had antibodies against either VacA or CagA (chi 2 = 6.63; relative risk, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-3.39; P = 0.01). The presence of antibodies against VacA or CagA alone was also associated with an increased cancer risk (92.2% vs 80.3%; chi 2 = 5.30; relative risk, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.78; P = 0.021, for VacA; and 87.0% vs 74.6%; chi 2 = 4.90; relative risk, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.45; P = 0.037, for CagA). The relative risk for gastric cancer was mainly elevated in patients under 65 years, but not in patients at or over 65 years. There is evidence that infection with VacA- or CagA-producing H. pylori strains increases the risk of developing gastric cancer, especially in younger patients.     

Evidence that plasma leptin and insulin levels are associated with body adiposity via different mechanisms

OBJECTIVE: Like insulin, the adipocyte hormone, leptin, circulates at levels proportionate to body adiposity. Because insulin may regulate leptin secretion, we sought to determine if plasma leptin levels are coupled to body adiposity via changes in circulating insulin levels or insulin sensitivity and whether leptin secretion from adipocytes is impaired in subjects with NIDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used multiple linear regression to analyze relationships between BMI (a measure of body adiposity) and fasting plasma levels of leptin and insulin in 98 nondiabetic human subjects (68 men/30 women) and 38 subjects with NIDDM (27 men/11 women). The insulin sensitivity index (Si) was also determined in a subset of nondiabetic subjects (n = 38). RESULTS: Fasting plasma leptin concentrations were correlated to both BMI (r = 0.66, P = 0.0001) and fasting plasma insulin levels (r = 0.65, P = 0.0001) in nondiabetic men and women (r = 0.58, P = 0.0009 for BMI; r = 0.47, P = 0.01 for insulin). While the plasma leptin level was also inversely related to Si (r = -0.35; P = 0.03), this association was dependent on BMI, whereas the association between insulin and Si was not. Conversely, the relationship between plasma leptin and BMI was independent of Si, whereas that between insulin and BMI was dependent on Si. The relationship between plasma leptin levels and BMI did not differ significantly among NIDDM subjects from that observed in nondiabetic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 1) body adiposity, sex, and the fasting insulin level are independently associated with plasma leptin level; 2) because NIDDM does not influence leptin levels, obesity associated with NIDDM is unlikely to result from impaired leptin secretion; and 3) insulin sensitivity contributes to the association between body adiposity and plasma levels of insulin, but not leptin. The mechanisms underlying the association between body adiposity and circulating levels of these two hormones, therefore, appear to be different.     

Childhood socioeconomic status is associated with psychosocial resources in African Americans: The Pittsburgh Healthy Heart Project.

Objective: To determine whether lower childhood socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with fewer psychosocial resources independent of adult SES, and whether these associations differed by race/ethnicity. Method: Cross-sectional study of 342 middle-aged (M = 60.5 ± 4.7) African American (n = 49) and Caucasian (n = 293) adults. Childhood SES and adult SES were assessed via highest parental education and participant education, respectively. Participants completed: (a) 6 days of ecological momentary assessment via electronic diaries to assess social support and the number of social interactions and (b) self-report measures of social support, social network diversity, and coping—specifically, active, planning, and emotion focused coping. Results: The interaction term for childhood SES and race/ethnicity significantly predicted several psychosocial resources. Lower childhood SES was associated with less perceived social support in daily life, a less diverse social network, and more limited use of proactive coping strategies in adulthood among African Americans, regardless of adult SES. Comparable associations were not observed among Caucasians. Conclusions: Childhood SES is associated with psychosocial resources in adulthood among African Americans, independent of SES in adulthood. Given emerging associations between childhood SES and health in adulthood, future studies to disentangle the role of psychosocial resources as a mediating pathway and to further examine racial/ethnic variations across these associations are warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence that childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with an infectious agent linked to hygiene conditions

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children has shown temporal and geographic variation during the 20th century, with higher rates in developed nations appearing in the first half of the century, but with persisting low rates in developing nations. We sought to assess the relation of childhood ALL with hygiene conditions, an aspect of socioeconomic development affecting rates of exposure to infectious agents. METHODS: Infection patterns for hepatitis A virus (HAV), an agent with a fecal-oral route of transmission, were used to indicate hygiene conditions in different populations, with emphasis on instructive United States and Japanese data. A catalytic model was fit to these data, estimating the HAV force of infection and age-specific seroprevalence rates over time. These analyses were used to assess the temporal relationship of changes in HAV infection rates to changes in childhood leukemia mortality and incidence rates. RESULTS: We observed an inverse relationship between HAV infection prevalence and rates of childhood leukemia. Further, decreases in the HAV force of infection in the United States and Japan appear to have preceded increases in childhood leukemia rates. We describe a model based on a putative leukemia-inducing agent with a change in infection rate over time correlated with that of HAV that describes well the temporal trends in childhood leukemia rates for White children in the US and for Japanese children. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that improved public hygiene conditions, as measured by decreased prevalence of HAV infection, are associated with higher childhood ALL incidence rates. The model that we present supports the plausibility of the hypothesis that decreased childhood exposure to a leukemia-inducing agent associated with hygiene conditions leads to higher rates of ALL in children by increasing the frequency of in utero transmission caused by primary infection during pregnancy (or by increasing the number of individuals infected in early infancy because of lack of protective maternal antibodies).     

Evidence that human cardiac allograft acceptance is associated with a decrease in donor-reactive helper T lymphocytes

We have reported that acute cardiac allograft rejection is associated with increased numbers of donor-reactive helper T lymphocytes (HTL) in the peripheral blood of patients. Further, increased frequencies of circulating donor-reactive HTL may predict allograft rejection episodes diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy. The present study evaluates the relationship between donor-reactive HTL and allograft "acceptance" in cardiac transplant recipients bearing long-term allografts (> 1 year). Patients were categorized as either long-term acceptors or persistent rejecters based on the number of rejection episodes and the ability to withdraw steroid therapy. Limiting dilution analysis for IL-2-producing HTL was utilized, with cadaver donor splenocytes as a source of donor alloantigens. Donor-reactive HTL frequencies were determined from peripheral blood samples obtained before transplant, and at 1 month and 1 year after transplant. Individuals who accommodated their allografts and were withdrawn from steroid therapy had reduced numbers of donor-reactive HTL at 1 year after transplant as compared with earlier time points. Further, PBMC obtained from these individuals at 1 year after transplant responded weakly to donor alloantigens in a mixed lymphocyte response (MLR). This relationship between donor-reactive HTL and allograft accommodation was exemplified in a cardiac/liver transplant patient who was diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and removed from all immunosuppression. No subsequent rejection episodes were diagnosed. Donor-reactive HTL were not detectable and this individual failed to mount an MLR to donor alloantigens. However, a vigorous donor-reactive response was observed when MLR cultures were supplemented with exogenous IL-2. Therefore, nonresponsiveness to the allograft appeared to be due to a deficit in IL-2 production. In contrast, patients who experienced persistent rejection episodes and required continued steroid therapy maintained large numbers of donor-reactive HTL at 1 year after transplant. PBMC from these individuals responded vigorously to donor alloantigens in an MLR. Hence, monitoring donor-reactive HTL may identify individuals who have accommodated their graft and may tolerate a reduction in immunosuppression.     

CENP-G: a new centromeric protein that is associated with the alpha-1 satellite DNA subfamily

Lead is a highly toxic metal, the main source of which is contamination from combustion of unleaded petrol. The aims of this work were to detect the degree of lead exposure in a large sample of children; determine the relationship between blood lead levels (BPb) and age, sex, habitat and season of the year; and correlate BPb with zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) values. A cross-sectional study was carried out. Blood from routine extractions drawn at our centre was used. BPb and ZPP were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and haematofluorimetry, respectively. We analysed 1158 blood samples from children. BPb (mean +/- SEM): 0.22 +/- 0.04 mumol l-1. Correlation BPb-age: BPb = 0.19 + 0.086 x age (months), r = 0.129, P < 0.0001. BPb was greater in boys (0.23 +/- 0.007 versus 0.20 +/- 0.006 mumol l-1, P < 0.0002). No differences were observed between habitats (urban versus rural). BPb were higher in the warm months (0.24 +/- 0.013 versus 0.21 +/- 0.007 mumol l-1, P < 0.0001). Prevalence of lead intoxication (BPb > 0.48 mumol l-1) was 4.2%. No differences in prevalence were found among the different groups. The correlation between BPb and ZPP showed r = 0.0969, P = 0.0024. Utility for screening: sensitivity of 53.7% and specificity of 59.3% (cut-off point of 60 mumol ZPP mol-1 haem). We can conclude that lead exposure in children in our sample was in the range reported in similar studies in other areas and countries, and below the toxic limit. None of the factors analysed significantly influenced lead intoxication prevalence. There was no good correlation between ZPP and BPb in our samples and the ZPP cut-off point used did not present good specificity and sensitivity values.     

Identification of brain dysfunction syndromes in children through profile analysis: Patterns associated with so-called "minimal brain dysfunction."

Administered a battery of neuropsychological tests (e.g., a test of visual reaction time and the WISC) to 90 7-12 yr olds, 53 of whom had either verified brain lesions (BD) or suspected "minimal brain dysfunction" (MBD). The battery was factor analyzed, resulting in the identification of 16 oblique factors. Comparison of group means revealed that significant variability on a number of factors could be accounted for by membership in the BD or MBD groups. Profiles on the 16 factors for the combined BD and MBD groups were intercorrelated using R. B. Cattell's "coefficient of profile similarity." The correlation matrix was cluster analyzed, resulting in the identification of 8 clusters or "syndromes." The cluster compositions are discussed in terms of behavioral and neuropathological communalities of individual cluster members. Similarities were demonstrated between some Ss with MBD and others whose behavior deficits were associated with actual brain damage. Other homogeneous behavioral subtypes showed little communality with Ss with known brain pathology. A unitary MBD syndrome was contraindicated. Suggestions are made for further behavioral and neurophysiological analyses. (45 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)