Fine mapping of the hereditary sensory neuropathy type I locus on chromosome 9q22.1-->q22.3: exclusion of GAS1 and XPA

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the natural course of HPV infection is still limited. In this study we investigated the presence of HPV DNA after treatment and clinical clearance of infection. METHODS: Eighty-two women treated for genital HPV infection at the STD clinic in Uppsala were consecutively selected for the study. After treatment with podophyllotoxin, and in some cases laser vaporization, a cell sample was taken at the follow-up visit 6-12 months after clinical clearance of the lesions as evaluated by colposcopy. Samples were analysed with PCR to detect HPV DNA. As a reference group, women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) with laser surgery, either with cone biopsy or vaporization, were followed-up after 6 months for the presence of HPV DNA. RESULTS: Six to 12 months after clinical clearance of HPV infection, 39 (48%) of the women showed detectable HPV DNA in cell samples from the cervix. Of these, 26 (67%) were found to harbor high risk HPV, six (15%) low risk, and seven (18%) either had more than one HPV type or HPV that could not be classified. All but three of the women treated for CIN (90%) were negative for HPV DNA. CONCLUSION: After clinical clearance of genital HPV infection half of the women had detectable HPV DNA. This does not necessarily imply that transmission to a new partner may occur, but indicates this possibility. Only 10% of the CIN treated women harbored HPV DNA in the cell samples in spite of showing high risk HPV infection before treatment.     

Prophylaxis of neurological manifestations of lumbar osteochondrosis: intermediate results, unsolved problems and some methodologic aspects

Issues of prophylaxis and rehabilitation are considered as regards neurologic manifestations of spinal osteochondrosis (NMSO). NMSO primary prophylaxis requires investigation and quantitative evaluation of the disease risk factors, epidemiologic determination of both incidence and prevalence in different groups of population in various periods of time. The standard risk group of NMSO in Byelorussian consists of population of 40-49-year-olds. Some professions may be risk factors for both onset and relapse of NMSO. Secondary prophylaxis of NMSO concerns elevated relapse risk, screening for individuals with either subclinic or early clinic manifestations of the disease. The computer screening-system has been created to identify a group at high risk of NMSO onset or relapse, to keep records, to print documents. It also gives chance to carry out individual prophylaxis of the high risk in the course of mass examination of employees.     

下一代IP网与第五代路由器

目前人们面临网络建设方向的选择，QoS、安全性和可信任性、IP网的可运营性等关键技术成为未来网络发展重点。下一代IP网络将采用IP网的核心技术。结合电信网的设计理念，建设一个可管理、可运营的网络，为运营商提供一个可以达到电信网服务质量保证的IP网，建立可赢利的商业模型。第五代路由器由于采用有智能的网络处理器(NP)，可以灵活加进对用户的管理等多种功能，完全适应下一代IP网的发展要求。     

The effect of mammalian anxiety factors on insects. The action of the corticoliberin 2-4 fragment on the behavior of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor

The effect of the corticoliberin 2-4 fragment--tripeptide Pro-Pro-Ile (PPI) inducing increase in epileptiform activity of mammal on T. molitor males behaviour has been studied. The "open field" method modified for insects has been used. PPI in doses of 30, 60, 100, 1000 micrograms/kg was injected in hemolymph of the beetles. The horizontal activity (HA), number of turns (TN) and other parameters were registered during 6 min. The tripeptide in dose 30 micrograms/kg was non-effective. PPI in doses 100 and, especially, 1000 micrograms/kg evoked stable decrease in HA that was observed as early as 0.5 h after injection. This effect lasted throughout 4-24 hrs and, apparently, induced by nonspecific action of high doses of the peptide. PPI in dose 60 micrograms/kg produced the significant intensification of stressogenic influence of experimental situation: in 2-4 hrs after injection the level of HA and TN increased. It is suggested that PPI can be regarded as an anxiogenic factor of insects.     

Optimization of the scintigraphic segmental anatomy of the lungs

Accurate and reproducible reporting of lung scintigraphy is predicated on a sound knowledge of the segmental anatomy of the lungs. A limited amount of hard data exists about the true segmental anatomy of the lungs. A virtual model of human lungs was created using a CT-based dataset and a Monte Carlo simulation technique to examine the optimal projections for the visualization of each segment in the lungs. METHODS: Segmental anatomy of the lungs was modeled using CT, cadaveric lungs and standard anatomical texts. The emission, scatter and attenuation of photons was modeled within these virtual lungs and the surrounding tissues. Single segmental lesions were created in eight projections and submitted for blinded reporting to four experienced nuclear medicine physicians to obtain the best views for each segment. RESULTS: The anterior and posterior oblique projections yielded the best views for 10 of 18 segments, with the laterals contributing four views, the anterior contributing two views and the posterior contributing one view. The majority of basal segments (six of nine) were best seen in the anterior and posterior oblique projections. CONCLUSION: This model overcomes the major problems associated with experimentation in the normal human and has the potential to provide answers to the major problems of scatter, attenuation and "shine-through" in lung scintigraphy.     

Ploidy and liquid-holding recovery in yeasts sensitive to radiation and nitrous acid

The effects of genome ploidy and posttreatment incubation on inactivation by nitrous acid (NA) were studied in normal, radio- and nitrous acid-sensitive strains of yeast. In normal yeast cells the increase of ploidy (haploid to triploid) resulted in "the protective effect", i.e. haploid cells were the most sensitive, triploid -- the most resistant. This "protective effect" is absent in polyploid yeast homozygous for the xrs1-5 (rad 54) mutation; in this case the NA-sensitivity rises with the increase of ploidy, i.e. haploid cells are the most resistant ones. The effect of liquid holding (LH) after the NA treatment depends on the genetic background and ploidy of treated cells. Posttreatment incubation in buffer has practically no effect on the survival of wild-type Berkeley's yeast strains (1n, 2n, 3n). The highly homozygous haploid strains from Zakharov' collection, both wild type and xrs1-5 mutant, exhibit no LH-recovery too. However the death of wild-type cells drastically rises in LH-condition as the ploidy increases. 24 hours incubation in buffer results in at least a ten-fold decrease in survival of wild type 2n, 3n, 4n cells. The loss of viability is proportional to the time of incubation, but the cell titer being constant. The strains (2n, 3n, 4n) homozygous for the xrs1-5 mutation (rad 54) show considerable LH-recovery. It is supposed that the xrs1-5 mutation results in the derepression of the prereplicative pathway of LH-recovery which eliminates the NA-INDUCED DAMAGE OF DNA.     

External respiration as an index of the individual physiological characteristics of higher nervous activity in rats

The signals for targeting and assembly of porin, a protein of the mitochondrial outer membrane, have not been clearly defined. Targeting information has been hypothesized to be contained in the N-terminus, which may form an amphipathic alpha-helix, and in the C-terminal portion of the protein. Here, the role of the extreme N- and C-termini of porin from Neurospora crassa in its import into the mitochondrial outer membrane was investigated. Deletion mutants were constructed which lacked the N-terminal 12 or 20 residues or the C-terminal 15 residues. The porins truncated at their N-termini were imported in a receptor-dependent manner into the outer membrane of isolated mitochondria. When integrated into the outer membrane, these preproteins displayed an increased sensitivity to protease as compared to wild-type porin. In contrast, mutant porin truncated at its C-terminus did not acquire protease resistance upon incubation with mitochondria. Thus, unlike most other mitochondrial preproteins, porin appears to contain important targeting and/or assembly information at its C-terminus, rather than at the N-terminus.     

Lyme disease in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil: report of three clinical cases, including the first of Lyme meningitis in Brazil

The authors report the occurrence of the first three clinical cases of Lyme disease in Mato Grosso do Sul State, including the first case of Lyme meningitis in Brazil. These were identified by clinical and laboratorial criteria. Anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibody search was carried out through ELISA and Western Blotting techniques, the former providing identification of IgG class antibodies alone, in one only of those cases. Through Immunoblotting, the following features were found in serum: 5 IgG and 2 IgM bands for the first case; 7 IgG and 2 IgM bands for the second; and 5 IgG and 6 IgM bands for the third. In the latter, presence fo specific antibodies was searched in liquor, due to lymphomonocitary meningitis occurrence, and one IgM band was detected. After antibiotic therapy, all patients exhibited significant clinical and laboratorial improvement in their conditions along with symptom regression to the present moment.     

Childhood absence epilepsy with tonic-clonic seizures and electroencephalogram 3-4-Hz spike and multispike-slow wave complexes: linkage to chromosome 8q24

Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), a common form of idiopathic generalized epilepsy, accounts for 5%-15% of childhood epilepsies. To map the chromosomal locus of persisting CAE, we studied the clinical and electroencephalographic traits of 78 members of a five-generation family from Bombay, India. The model-free affected-pedigree member method was used during initial screening with chromosome 6p, 8q, and 1p microsatellites, and only individuals with absence seizures and/or electroencephalogram 3-4-Hz spike- and multispike-slow wave complexes were considered to be affected. Significant P values of .00000-.02 for several markers on 8q were obtained. Two-point linkage analysis, assuming autosomal dominant inheritance with 50% penetrance, yielded a maximum LOD score (Zmax) of 3.6 for D8S502. No other locus in the genome achieved a significant Zmax. For five smaller multiplex families, summed Zmax was 2.4 for D8S537 and 1.7 for D8S1761. Haplotypes composed of the same 8q24 microsatellites segregated with affected members of the large family from India and with all five smaller families. Recombinations positioned the CAE gene in a 3.2-cM interval.     

The serum mannose-binding protein and the macrophage mannose receptor are pattern recognition molecules that link innate and adaptive immunity

The innate immune system evolved to protect the host in the early phases of an infectious challenge. The soluble mannose binding protein, and the cell surface mannose receptor are two key pattern recognition molecules of innate immunity. The ligand binding specificity of these molecules enables them to differentiate 'self' from 'non-self'. These pattern recognition capabilities are coupled to effector functions, which enable them to interact with other molecules of the immune system. In this way, these pattern recognition molecules are able to serve as a link between the innate and adaptive immune systems.