Preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Marfan syndrome

Melanoma has a better prognosis in women than in men, may be exacerbated by pregnancy, and has been to reported to respond to hormonal manipulations. Laboratory investigations have demonstrated that both animal and human melanomas may respond to changes in the hormonal milieu. Steroid hormone binding activity has been demonstrated in some human melanomas, but only a small percentage of melanomas respond to hormonal manipulation. Randomized trials suggest a possible role for tamoxifen in combination with chemotherapy for metastatic melanoma and for megestrol acetate as an adjuvant. Nevertheless, it appears that the use of steroid hormones in the management of melanoma is limited.     

Genetic mapping using haplotype, association and linkage methods suggests a locus for severe bipolar disorder (BPI) at 18q22-q23

Manic depressive illness, or bipolar disorder (BP), is characterized by episodes of elevated mood (mania) and depression. We designed a multistage study in the genetically isolated population of the Central Valley of Costa Rica to identify genes that promote susceptibility to severe BP (termed BPI), and screened the genome ot two Costa Rican BPI pedigrees (McInnes et al., submitted). We considered only individuals who fulfilled very stringent diagnostic criteria for BPI to be affected. The strongest evidence for a BPI locus was observed in 18q22-q23. We tested 16 additional markers in this region and seven yielded peak lod scores over 1.0. These suggestive lod scores were obtained over a far greater chromosomal length (about 40 cM) than in any other genome region. This localization is supported by marker haplotypes shared by 23 of 26 BPI affected individuals studied. Additionally, marker allele frequencies over portions of this region are significantly different in the patient sample from those of the general Costa Rican population. Finally, we performed an analysis which made use of both the evidence for linkage and for association in 18q23, and we observed significant lod scores for two markers in this region.     

Laparoscopic excision of benign dermoid cysts with controlled intraoperative spillage

Due to the risk of aseptic peritonitis associated with intraoperative rupture of dermoid cysts, many surgeons are reluctant to remove the lesions laparoscopically. In our series, 12 dermoid cysts were removed laparoscopically. Intraoperative spillage occurred in all cases and was managed with copious lavage. None of the patients experienced postoperative morbidity associated with peritonitis, indicating that intraoperative spillage of dermoid cysts is not associated with morbidity as long as vigorous lavage is performed.     

Isolation, cloning, and characterisation of a trp homologue from squid (Loligo forbesi) photoreceptor membranes

The invertebrate phototransduction system is a valuable model of the ubiquitous inositol lipid signalling system. Taking advantage of the ability to obtain relatively large amounts of retinal material from the cephalopod eye, partial protein sequence data were obtained for a 92-kDa component isolated from a detergent-insensitive cytoskeletal fraction of a squid retinal microvillar membrane preparation. Degenerate oligonucleotides, designed on the basis of these sequence data, were used to isolate a full-length cDNA, encoding the 92-kDa component, using both cDNA library screening and 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE) techniques. Comparison of the amino acid sequence encoded by this cDNA with entries in the OWL composite protein sequence database reveals greatest sequence similarity with the products of the Drosophila trp and trpl genes. Greatest variation from the Drosophila Trp protein is seen in the carboxyl-terminal region, which is considerably truncated in the squid protein and which accounts for most of the substantial difference in molecular weight seen between these proteins. This variation may be significant as the carboxyl-terminal domain has been shown to be in the regulation of several ligand-gated channels. The carboxyl-terminal domain has been expressed and shown to interact with calmodulin in a calcium-dependent fashion, thereby supporting this hypothesis. The likely occurrence of other homologues in a variety of systems suggests that this is a novel and important family of regulated ion channels involved in calcium signalling.     

Stimulation of protective CD8+ T lymphocytes by vaccination with nonliving bacteria

Infectious diseases caused by intracellular microbes are responsible for major health problems, and satisfactory control will ultimately depend on efficient vaccination strategies. The general assumption is that activation of protective immune responses against intracellular microbes dominated by CD8+ T cells are achieved only by live vaccines. In contrast, we here demonstrate stimulation of protective immunity in mice against the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes by vaccination with heat-killed listeriae. Vaccine-induced immunity comprised cytolytic and interferon gamma-producing CD8+ T lymphocytes. CD8+ T cells from vaccinated donor mice transferred protection against listeriosis. Moreover, vaccination with heat-killed listeriae induced production in CD4+ T-cell-deficient, H2-A beta gene-disrupted mutant mice. We conclude that antigens from killed listeriae are introduced into the major histocompatibility complex class I pathway and thus are recognized by CD8+ T cells. The practicability of killed vaccines against human infectious diseases therefore should be reevaluated.     

Methotrexate and misoprostol for early abortion

The Walkabout is a new hip-knee-ankle-foot orthotic (HKAFO) system with a medial single hip joint (MSH-KAFO) invented by S. McKay in 1992. Compared with other HKAFO systems, the hip joint part is compact and removable, so it has distinguishable, real merits: ease in donning and doffing the device, compatibility with a wheelchair, and cosmesis. We clinically tested five patients, paraplegic because of spinal cord injury, using the MSH-KAFO system. All were males, aged 26-36 yr old. Their functional levels were L-1 (2 cases), T-10 (2 cases), and T-5 (1 case). All patients could stand stably without crutches and walk in parallel bars immediately the first time they wore the braces. After a few hours of crutch-walking exercises, all could walk independently with Lofstrand crutches. Their walking velocities ranged from 10 to 37.5 (mean, 19.9) m/min at the follow-up points (mean, 7.1 mo). With four cases, we measured oxygen uptake for predictions of energy consumption. At comfortable walking, predicted energy consumptions were from 1.31 to 3.89 (mean, 2.75) METs. Compared with the data in literature, these seemed to be at the same level with normal walking and lower than the KAFOs walking level. Our results suggest that MSH-KAFO is a very convenient standing and walking device for paraplegics and is compatible with wheelchair use.     

Mathematical Analysis of a Prime Modulus Quantizer MASH Digital Delta–Sigma Modulator

A MASH digital delta-sigma modulator (DDSM) is analyzed mathematically. It incorporates first-order error feedback modulators (EFM) which include prime modulus quantizers to guarantee a minimum sequence length M. The purpose of this analysis is to calculate the exact sequence length of the aforementioned MASH DDSM. We show that the sequence length for an lth-order member of this modulator family M is for all constant inputs, and for all initial conditions, where M is the sequence length of the constituent first-order prime modulus quantizer EFMs.     

Lipopolysaccharide inhibition of rat hepatic microsomal epoxide hydrolase and glutathione S-transferase gene expression irrespective of nuclear factor-kappaB activation

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an endotoxin involved in septic shock syndrome and potentiates toxicant-induced liver injury. The effects of LPS on the constitutive and inducible expression of hepatic microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes were studied in rats. Northern blot analysis showed that treatment of rats with LPS caused suppression in mEH and GST gene expression. The mEH mRNA level was decreased in a time-dependent manner following a single dose of LPS (1 mg/kg, i.v.), resulting in levels of 52%, 22%, 17%, and 94% of those in untreated animals at 2, 6, 12, and 24 hr, respectively. The levels of rGSTA2 and rGSTA3 mRNA were suppressed in response to an LPS injection to the similar extents as observed in mEH mRNA, whereas rGSTM1 and rGSTM2 mRNA levels were less affected. LPS inhibited mEH gene expression at the doses of 1 microg or greater. Whereas treatment of rats with allyl disulfide (ADS), oltipraz (OZ) or pyrazine (PZ) at the dose of 50 mg/kg caused increases in the mEH mRNA level at 12 hr, a concomitant LPS injection (1 mg/kg) resulted in 80%-95% suppression of the inducible gene expression. The inducible rGSTA2, rGSTA3, rGSTM1, and rGSTM2 mRNA levels were also 50%-90% decreased at 12 hr after LPS treatment, with the relative change in rGSTA being greater than that in rGSTM. Three consecutive daily treatments with LPS (10 microg/kg/day) resulted in significant decreases of the constitutive and PZ (50 mg/kg/day, i.p. for 3 days)-inducible mEH and GST mRNA levels, which were consistent with those in the protein levels. Gel shift retardation analysis showed that LPS substantially activated the hepatic nuclear p65/p50 nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) complex with the maximal effect observed at 1 hr at the doses of 1 microg/kg or greater. LPS-induced activation of nuclear NF-kappaB (1 microg/kg, i.v.) failed to be inhibited by concomitant treatment with the mEH and GST inducers, including ADS (300 mg/kg, p.o.), OZ (300 mg/kg, p.o.), and PZ (300 mg/kg, i.p.), indicating that NF-kappaB activation was not required for suppression of the gene expression by LPS. In contrast, GdCl3, an inhibitor of mEH and GST expression, inhibited LPS-induced activation of the p65/p50 NF-kappaB. These gel shift analyses provided evidence that LPS-induced activation of the NF-kappaB was not responsible for alterations in the gene expression. In summary, the results of this research demonstrate that LPS effectively inhibits constitutive and inducible mEH and GST expression with decreases in their mRNA levels, and that LPS suppression in the expression of the detoxifying enzymes is not mediated with its activation of NF-kappaB.