Blood coagulation and fibrinolysis after long-duration treadmill exercise controlled by individual anaerobic threshold

For rehabilitation training it is recommended that the intensity of exercise should be clearly below the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). We investigated blood coagulation, particularly endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) and fibrinolysis following a standardized treadmill (TR) ergometer test at 90% IAT for 60–120 min. Sixteen healthy male non-smokers underwent the TR test. Blood samples were taken after a 30-min rest, immediately after exercise, and 2 h after exercise completion. Extrinsic and intrinsic total (TTP_ex+in) and endogenous (ETP_ex+in) thrombin potential, prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-2-antiplasmin complex (PAP), D-dimer, tissue plasminogen activator antigen and activity (tPA-AG and tPA-ACT) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 antigen and activity (PAI-1-AG and PAI-1-ACT) were measured. Immediately after TR, F1+2, TAT and TTP_ex+in were increased (P<0.05) while ETP_ex+in remained unchanged. In contrast, PAP, D-dimer, tPA-AG, tPA-ACT (P<0.05) were distinctly enhanced while PAI-1-ACT was decreased (P<0.05) immediately after exercise. The changes in tPA-AG, tPA-ACT, and PAI-1-ACT were reversed to nearly baseline while the enhancement in PAP and D-dimer was prolonged by more than 2 h after exercise. Long-duration exercise between 60 and 120 min controlled by IAT (90%) on a TR ergometer only implicates a small increase in thrombin generation markers and total (free and ₂-macroglubulin-bound thrombin), but not in endogenous (free) thrombin potential alone. In contrast, fibrinolysis is distinctly increased after this type of exercise. Endurance exercise with an intensity below 90% IAT and a duration below 2 h generates a more favourable condition for fibrinolysis than for blood coagulation in healthy young subjects. Data are given as mean (SD).     

Testicular cancer susceptibility in the 129.MOLF-Chr19 mouse strain: additive effects,gene interactions and epigenetic modifications

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are the most common solid cancers affecting young men. Although the evidence for genetic predisposition to TGCTs in humans is compelling, the genetic control of susceptibility is poorly understood. The 129S1/SvImJ (129/Sv) inbred strain of mice is an excellent model for studying TGCT susceptibility. We previously reported a new mouse strain, the 129.MOLF-Chr19 chromosome substitution strain, which develops spontaneous TGCTs at a high frequency (70-80%) as compared with the much lower rate in the 129/Sv strain (5%). To characterize the genetic control of TGCT susceptibility, we created a panel of single- and double-congenic strains derived from 129.MOLF-Chr19. The frequency of TGCTs in these strains suggests that several genes with additive and epistatic effects located at distinct sites on chromosome 19 control susceptibility. However, an alternative interpretation involving epigenesis is based on a striking correlation between TGCT frequency and the length of the MOLF-derived congenic segment, regardless of their chromosomal location on Chr 19 in each congenic strain. We also show that bilateral TGCT cases result from the coincidental co-occurrence of unilateral TGCTs rather than from the action of distinct genes that control susceptibility to bilateral versus unilateral TGCT cases. Finally, we propose that these TGCTs result from disrupted testicular and spermatogenic developmental programs.     

Comparative genomic hybridization analysis of hepatoblastoma reveals high frequency of X-chromosome gains and similarities between epithelial and stromal components

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common liver tumor in childhood and differs in its environmental risk factors and genetic background from hepatocellular carcinoma. HB is associated with inherited conditions such as familial adenomatous polyposis and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, suggesting the importance of genetic abnormalities in the pathogenesis and progression of this disease. It has a very polymorphous morphology. A diverse range of cytogenetic alterations has been reported to date, the most frequent being trisomy 2 and trisomy 20. Thirty-five HB specimens from 31 patients (22 purely epithelial, 4 purely mesenchymal, 9 mixed) were examined by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), a technique that enables us to screen the entire tumor genome for genetic losses and gains. Our aims were as follows: (1) to characterize chromosome abnormalities that appear in this tumor and (2) to identify possible differences between different histologic subtypes of HB. We found significant gains of genetic material, with very little difference in the number and type of alterations between the different histologic components of HB. The most frequent alterations were gains of Xp (15 cases, 43%) and Xq (21 cases, 60%). This finding was also confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization performed on nuclei extracted from 6 specimens. Other common alterations were 1p-, 2q+, 2q-, 4q-, and 4q+. We found no difference between different histologic subtypes, a finding that may be in agreement with the hypothesis of a common clonal origin for the different components. An hitherto-unreported high frequency of X chromosome gains may support the assumption that X-linked genes are involved in the development of this neoplasm.     

Impact of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Virus Infections in a Hematology-Oncology Unit at a Children's Hospital in Nicaragua, 1997 to 1999

The risk of acquiring both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in patients with hematological-oncological disorders has been documented. However, the impact and risk factors for such infections from different geographical areas vary, and the use of both immunological and molecular assays to determine HCV infections has been our approach. Children from a hematology-oncology unit (HOU) in Nicaragua were studied for both HBV and HCV serological markers; studies for the latter used both immunological (anti-HCV) and molecular (HCV RNA) assays. The children from the HOU included patients with leukemia, lymphoma, other neoplasias, and anemia and a smaller group with other hematological diseases. As a control group, children from other units at the same hospital were enrolled, as well as health care workers attending both patient populations. Pertinent clinical and personal data for each child at the HOU were obtained for statistical analysis. Of the 625 children from the HOU enrolled in this study 53.3% were infected with HCV and 29.4% had a prior or present HBV infection. In the child patient control group 3.2% had HBV markers and all were negative for HCV. The group of children with leukemia had the highest infection rate for both HBV and HCV. However, the determination of anti-HCV was found to have an overall low sensitivity in children from HOU, and a retest consisting of a molecular assay to determine HCV RNA was performed to better establish the total number of HCV-infected subjects in this group. The highest independent risk factor for infection was hospitalization. The very high prevalence rates for both HBV and HCV infection in this patient group indicate an urgent need to implement better control of known risk factors and to consider the use of both immunological and molecular assays for HCV diagnostic purposes.     

Weight Status and BMI-Related Traits in Adolescent Friendship Groups and Role of Sociodemographic Factors: The European IDEFICS/I. Family Cohort

BackgroundDuring adolescence, health behaviors and weight status are increasingly influenced by friendship and peer networks. This paper examines resemblances in weight-related characteristics and how they differ by sociodemographic factors.MethodsOver 3,000 friendships were reported by 1,603 adolescents, aged 11–16 years, who participated in the school-based I. Family study in 6 European countries. Each “source child” named 1–10 friends for whom standardized weight-related traits were available in the same survey. The mean value of the friends'' traits weighted by time spent together was calculated, and related to the source child''s trait. Country, age and sex of the source child, parental education, and immigrant background were considered for confounding and moderation.ResultsSource children''s z-scores of body fat percent and BMI were positively associated with their friends'' characteristics, in particular if they had highly educated parents. Positive associations were also found regarding the frequency of fast-food consumption, impulsivity, screen time, preference for sugar-sweetened foods, and hours spent in sports clubs, in increasing order of effect size. Additionally, correlations were observed between friends'' cognitive and school functioning and being bullied. No associations were seen for a preference for high-fat foods, weight concerns, and health-related quality of life. Finally, parental education and immigrant background were associated between friends in all countries except Sweden, where no associations were observed.ConclusionAdolescent friends shared a number of weight-related characteristics. For weight measures per se, positive associations with friends'' characteristics were only observed in adolescents with high parental education. Associations regarding energy-balance behaviors and indicators of school-related well-being did not differ by parental education. Parental education and immigrant background correlated positively in friends in most countries showing that social aggregation is already occurring in adolescence. The wide spectrum of friendship associations in weight-related traits and behaviors suggests that health promotion initiatives in adolescents should be directed towards peer groups in both school-related and leisure-time environments.ISRCTN RegistryPan-European IDEFICS/I. Family children cohort (ID ISRCTN62310987; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN62310987).     

No evidence for humoral autoimmunity against cardiomyocytes,adrenergic or muscarinic receptors in patients with Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy

Background

An association between Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) and underlying malignancies has been observed, suggesting that TTC might be the consequence of paraneoplastic phenomena. This study investigates the presence of autoantibodies against cardiomyocytes as well as adrenergic (β₁, β₂) and muscarinic (M2) receptors in patients with TTC.

SSCP analysis of paraffin wax embedded tissues in a family with an atypical form of Fabry disease

To investigate the distribution of a single base pair mutation within a family with one known case of Fabry disease, DNA from paraffin wax embedded necropsy material was studied using single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. The proband, who presented with an atypical form of Fabry disease, had a G to A transition in exon 6 of the α-galactosidase A gene. This patient had mainly cardiac symptoms and late onset disease. Further cases of coronary disorders occurred in this family, including the proband's brother who died at 42 years of age of a cardiac disorder. Formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded material from the brother and two more distant relatives was available for analysis. SSCP analysis showed that the proband's brother also carried the G to A transition. Thus, the atypical form of Fabry disease and unrelated cardiac diseases with similar clinical symptoms occurred within a single family. The variant form is rare but may account for a few of the numerous cases of cardiac disease in men and should be considered when clusters of cases of cardiac disease occur within a single family.