Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) induces apoptosis in thymus, spleen, lung, and gut by an endotoxin and TNF-independent pathway

OBJECTIVES: To explore the use of 99technetiumm-hexamethyl propylene amine oxime single photon computed tomography (HMPAO-SPECT) of the brain as a means of detecting nervous tissue damage in divers and to determine if there is any correlation between brain image and a diver's history of diving or decompression illness (DCI). METHODS: 28 commercial divers with a history of DCI, 26 divers with no history of DCI, and 19 non-diving controls were examined with brain HMPAO-SPECT. Results were classified by observer assessment as normal (I) or as a pattern variants (II-V). The brain images of a subgroup of these divers (n = 44) and the controls (n = 17) were further analysed with a first order texture analysis technique based on a grey level histogram. RESULTS: 15 of 54 commercial divers (28%) were visually assessed as having HMPAO-SPECT images outside normal limits compared with 15.8% in appropriately identified non-diver control subjects. 18% of divers with a history of DCI were classified as having a pattern different from the normal image compared with 38% with no history of DCI. No association was established between the presence of a pattern variant from the normal image and history of DCI, diving, or other previous possible neurological insult. On texture analysis of the brain images, divers had a significantly lower mean grey level (MGL) than non-divers. Divers with a history of DCI (n = 22) had a significantly lower MGL when compared with divers with no history of DCI (n = 22). Divers with > 14 years professional diving or > 100 decompression days a year had a significantly lower MGL value. CONCLUSIONS: Observer assessment of HMPAO-SPECT brain images can lead to disparity in results. Texture analysis of the brain images supplies both an objective and consistent method of measurement. A significant correlation was found between a low measure of MGL and a history of DCI. There was also an indication that diving itself had an effect on texture measurement, implying that it had caused subclinical nervous tissue damage.     

Endocrine changes with the aromatase inhibitor fadrozole hydrochloride in breast cancer

Fadrozole hydrochloride is a potent aromatase inhibitor with proven clinical effectiveness. However, its optimal dose and its effects on serum aldosterone levels/electrolyte balance have been disputed. To resolve these issues, a double-blind randomised endocrine study of three doses of fadrozole hydrochloride [0.5 mg twice daily (bd); 1.0 mg bd; 2.0 mg bd] was conducted in 80 (68 evaluable) postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer over a period of 3 months. There were substantial falls in the serum levels of oestradiol, oestrone and oestrone sulphate. For oestrone only, there was a significant effect of dose (on-treatment means: 0.5 mg, 38.0 pmol/l; 1.0 mg, 25.0 pmol/l; 2.0 mg, 23.9 pmol/l). All oestrogens showed a similar pattern in relation to time, with the 3-month mean being higher than those at 1 and 2 months, and this was significant for oestradiol (P = 0.012). There was an indication that complete suppression of oestradiol and oestrone was not maintained throughout the 12-h dosing period, but the data and its interpretation are complicated by a minor diurnal rhythm in these parameters. There were significant increases in 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione which may be due to a block of 11 beta-hydroxylase. There was a statistically non-significant fall in aldosterone levels (P = 0.06) during treatment (median pretreatment, 446 pmol/l; median decrease, 125 pmol/l). However, the concurrent significant fall in the plasma sodium: potassium ratio indicated that changes in aldosterone secretion did occur. None of these effects on adrenal pathways was of a degree which is likely to have clinically relevant consequences. It is concluded that fadrozole hydrochloride achieves near maximal suppression of oestrogens at 1 mg bd, and that its effects on aldosterone synthesis are unlikely to be of clinical significance.     

Genomic diversity among Streptococcus agalactiae isolates detected by a degenerate oligonucleotide-primed amplification assay

A random-amplified polymorphic DNA assay using partially degenerate oligonucleotides as primers was used for the characterization of 78 epidemiologically related and unrelated clinical isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae belonging to different serotypes. Thirty distinct amplification profiles were obtained among 52 unrelated S. agalactiae isolates assigned to nine groups by serotyping (including 3 nontypeable strains), uncovering the extent of genomic heterogeneity existent within serotypes. This method was particularly useful in providing evidence for or against vertical transmission of a given clone of this microorganism, as well as for relapsing or reinfection in related cases, and suggested clonal relatedness between unrelated S. agalactiae isolates associated with some invasive infections. Thus, this simple methodology represents a suitable tool for the epidemiologic study of S. agalactiae infections.     

Express diagnosis of eye adenovirus infection by fluorescent antibody method

The human selenium status in 10 locations of Irkutsk region (n = 216) is estimated using serum and hair selenium as biological markers. Extremely low serum selenium was typical for the inhabitants of Angara area (63-84 mcg/l). Hair selenium varied from 504 mcg/kg to 718 mcg/kg, the lowest values being found in Shelehov and Angarsk, the highest--in Karam and Mama. Low selenium concentrations were found also in the main food products: cereals--49-89 mcg/kg, meat--234-489 mcg/kg of dry weight, bread--106-180 mcg/kg of dry weight.     

Transduction by adeno-associated virus vectors in the rabbit airway: efficiency, persistence, and readministration

The ability of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to integrate into the host genome and to transduce nondividing cells makes them attractive as vehicles for gene delivery. In this study, we assessed the ability of several AAV vectors to transduce airway cells in rabbits by measuring marker gene expression. AAV vectors that transferred either a beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) or a human placental alkaline phosphatase (AP) gene were delivered to one lobe of the rabbit lung by use of a balloon catheter placed under fluoroscopic guidance. We observed vector-encoded beta-gal or AP staining almost exclusively in the epithelial and smooth muscle cells in the bronchus at the region of balloon placement. The overall efficiency of transduction in the balloon-treated bronchial epithelium was low but reached 20% in some areas. The majority of the staining was in ciliated cells but was also observed in basal cells and airway smooth muscle cells. We observed an 80-fold decrease in marker-positive epithelial cells during the 60-day period after vector infusion, whereas the number of marker-positive smooth muscle cells stayed constant. Although treatment with the topoisomerase inhibitor etoposide dramatically enhanced AAV transduction in primary airway epithelial cells in culture, treatment of rabbits did not improve transduction rates in the airway. Vector readministration failed to produce additional transduction events, which correlated with the appearance of neutralizing antibodies. These results indicate that both readministration and immune modulation will be required in the use of AAV vectors for gene therapy to the airway epithelium.     

Investigations on human lutropin from pituitary gland and urine

Eight commercial insect repellents were tested against Ornithodoros parkeri (Acari: Argasidae), Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae), Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), and Xenopsylla cheopis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Patterns of tolerance to the test materials were distinctive for each test species. Levels of tolerance were coded as character state 0 (sensitive), 1 (intermediate), or 2 (tolerant) and mapped on a cladogram reflecting the accepted classification of the test species. Character state 0 was regarded as primitive, as indicated by the ontology of repellent tolerances in ticks. Aedes aegypti was least evolved and X. cheopis was most evolved in tolerance to repellents. Multiple parallelism of the arachnid and X. cheopis lines occurred in the evolution of the observed tolerances.     

Microbial keratitis as the manifestation of trigeminal amyloidoma at initial presentation

A primary malignant pulmonary hemangiopericytoma was diagnosed in a 45-year-old woman who complained of 10 months of cough and exertional dyspnea. One year after resection of the mass, a metastatic lesion was removed from the contralateral lung. The literature on this unusual pulmonary lesion is reviewed.