Sj?gren''s syndrome in patients with newly diagnosed untreated non-Hodgkin''s lymphoma

A prfA gene encoding polypeptide release factor RF1 was cloned from Thermus thermophilus. T thermophilus RF1 shares 68% homology with Escherichia coli RF1, and its overproduction reduced readthrough translation of UAG, not of UGA, in the lacZ gene. Rapid purification of T thermophilus RF1 was achieved by T7-RNA polymerase driven overexpression of T thermophilus RF1 protein with a C-terminal histidine tag.     

Long-term outcome in acute myocardial infarction patients admitted to hospitals with and without on-site cardiac catheterization facilities. MITI Investigators. Myocardial Infarction Triage and Intervention

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have documented the strong association between availability of on-site cardiac catheterization facilities and increased use of coronary angiography in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although these studies have shown little influence of the availability of catheterization labs on hospital mortality, no long-term follow-up has been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a cohort of 12,331 AMI patients admitted to 19 Seattle area hospitals, we compared long-term outcome in 7985 patients admitted to hospitals with and 4346 patients admitted to hospitals without on-site catheterization labs. During the index hospitalization, patients admitted to hospitals with on-site catheterization were more likely to undergo coronary angiography (67.1% versus 39.3%, P<.0001), coronary angioplasty (32.5% versus 13.2%, P<.0001), or coronary bypass surgery (12.5% versus 9.5%, P<.0001). At 3-year follow-up, patients admitted to hospitals with on-site catheterization labs were more likely to undergo postdischarge angiography (19.2% versus 15.2%, P=.0001) and coronary angioplasty (11.6% versus 8.2%, P<.0001). This was associated with approximately $2500.00 per patient in higher cumulative costs. Despite this higher rate of procedure use, there was no association between admission to a hospital with on-site catheterization facilities and lower long-term mortality (multivariate hazard ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.1., the hazard being associated with admission to hospitals with on-site catheterization facilities). CONCLUSIONS: In an urban area with unconstrained patient transfer mechanisms and high overall cardiac procedure use rates, AMI patients admitted to hospitals without on-site catheterization facilities were managed with fewer procedures during hospitalization and follow-up. This more conservative treatment approach was not associated with any observed increase in long-term mortality.     

The crucial role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in resistance to Salmonella dublin infections in genetically susceptible and resistant mice

Macrophages are considered to be the mediators of resistance to extra-intestinal Salmonella infections. Nevertheless, the initial cellular response to Salmonella infections consists primarily of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). To determine whether PMN serve an important function for the infected host, we made mice neutropenic with the rat mAb to RB6-8C5 and infected them i.v. with approximately 10(3) Salmonella dublin or an isogenic derivative that lacks the virulence plasmid (LD842). We infected BALB/c mice, which have a point mutation in the macrophage-expressed gene Nramp1 that makes them susceptible to Salmonella, and BALB/c.D2 congenic mice, which have the wild-type Nramp1 gene that makes them resistant to Salmonella. Both mouse strains were resistant to LD842, and neutropenia made only the BALB/c strain susceptible to this infection. Neutropenic congenic mice, however, were susceptible only to wild-type S. dublin (plasmid+). These results show a complex interplay between plasmid-virulence genes in Salmonella, host macrophages, and PMN. Mice with normal macrophages need PMN to defend against nontyphoid Salmonella that carry a virulence plasmid but not against Salmonella without virulence plasmids. Mice with a mutant Nramp1 gene need PMN to defend against all Salmonella, even those that lack virulence plasmids. These results, plus the evidence that PMN kill Salmonella efficiently in vitro, suggest that Salmonella have adapted to grow inside macrophages where they are relatively sheltered from PMN. The adaptations that allow Salmonella to survive in macrophages do not protect them from PMN.     

Integrated physical and transcript map of 5q31.3-qter

The disposition of S-2-[4-(3-methyl-2-thienyl)phenyl]propionic acid (CAS 155680-07-2, S-MTPPA, code: M-5011) was studied after oral administration to rats, dogs and monkeys using the 14C-labeled drug. After oral dosing, S-MTPPA was well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, to the extent of 97.7% in rats. The concentration of S-MTPPA in rat plasma reached a peak (Cmax: 13.07 micrograms/ml) at 15 min (tmax) after dosing and declined with a half-life (t1/2) of 2.5 h. The values of the parameters tmax, Cmax and t1/2 for dogs were 30 min, 26.2 micrograms/ml and 7.0 h, and those for monkeys were 15 min, 12.8 micrograms/ml and 3.0 h, respectively. The radioactivity was widely distributed in tissues and almost completely excreted in urine and feces within 48 h after oral administration to rats. The excretion of radioactivity in bile, urine and feces within 48 h after oral administration of 14C-S-MTPPA to bile duct-cannulated rats amounted to 75.0, 18.6 and 1.4% of the dose, respectively. The drug was metabolized mainly by oxidation of the thiophenyl moiety and by glucuronidation of the carboxyl group in rats and monkeys. The major urinary and fecal metabolite in dogs was identified as the taurine conjugate of MTPPA.