Host cell-induced differences in the O-glycosylation of herpes simplex virus gC-1. II. Demonstration of cell-specific galactosyltransferase essential for formation of O-linked oligosaccharides

By using a lectin-based screening method for cell-dependent variations of O-glycosylation of viral glycoprotein, we found that O-linked oligosaccharides of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoproteins in virus-infected mouse neuroblastoma (C1300) cells differed from those of HSV glycoproteins produced in other cells. Thus, O-linked oligosaccharides of HSV-1-specified glycoprotein C (gC-1), produced in GMK cells and a number of other cells, occurred mainly as trisaccharides or larger structures. In contrast, gC-1, produced in C1300 cells, contained O-linked monosaccharides and very few, if any, larger oligosaccharides of this class. A structural comparison between O-linked oligosaccharides of gC-1 from HSV-1-infected C1300 cells and from GMK cells showed that biosynthesis was interrupted prior to formation of a core disaccharide with terminal galactose, indicating a major early defect in O-glycosylation of glycoproteins in C1300 cells. A comparison of the content of galactosyltransferases between C1300 and GMK cells showed that C1300 cells lacked galactosyltransferases, including the specific enzyme engaged in formation of the core O-linked disaccharide mentioned, while other glycosyltransferases adding terminal sugars to O-linked oligosaccharides were present in equal amounts in both cell lines. These results indicated that HSV-1 is strictly dependent on host cell-specified factors for biosynthesis of O-linked oligosaccharides associated with viral glycoproteins.     

Ectodermal dysplasias: Classification and organization by phenotype,genotype and molecular pathway

An international advisory group met at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in 2017, to discuss a new classification system for the ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) that would integrate both clinical and molecular information. We propose the following, a working definition of the EDs building on previous classification systems and incorporating current approaches to diagnosis: EDs are genetic conditions affecting the development and/or homeostasis of two or more ectodermal derivatives, including hair, teeth, nails, and certain glands. Genetic variations in genes known to be associated with EDs that affect only one derivative of the ectoderm (attenuated phenotype) will be grouped as non‐syndromic traits of the causative gene (e.g., non‐syndromic hypodontia or missing teeth associated with pathogenic variants of EDA “ectodysplasin”). Information for categorization and cataloging includes the phenotypic features, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man number, mode of inheritance, genetic alteration, major developmental pathways involved (e.g., EDA, WNT “wingless‐type,” TP63 “tumor protein p63”) or the components of complex molecular structures (e.g., connexins, keratins, cadherins).     

Midwives' experiences of routine antenatal questioning relating to men's violence against women

OBJECTIVE: to describe and use the experience gained by antenatal-care midwives who routinely questioned pregnant women about personally experienced violence. DESIGN: qualitative, using focus-group discussions. SETTING: antenatal care in a city in south-central Sweden. STUDY POPULATION: 21 midwives. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: the midwives participated in any one of five focus-group discussions held by the same moderator and observer. The discussions were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS: the importance of routine questioning about violence was emphasised in all groups. Midwives felt they had failed in their duty when women were not questioned. The two main obstacles to such questioning were the delicacy of the subject and the routine of inviting the partner to all visits. The perceived delicacy underlined the need to devise a natural setting for the questioning. The midwives wanted to connect questions about abuse with related subjects routinely established in early pregnancy. As the partner was invited to every visit, it was not practicable to establish a procedure whereby the assessment was connected with a particular visit. Other obstacles included the following: time constraints, oversight, a preconceived notion of who might be a victim of abuse and language difficulties. The midwives emphasised the importance of training, easy access to support for abused women, and personal counselling for midwives. They described their role as raising awareness of the problem of male violence, reducing the shame of being abused, informing, giving emotional support and mediating help. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: in order to ensure that the establishment of experience of violence is a routine enquiry in antenatal care, midwives must have a reasonable opportunity of carrying out such questioning. A routine that offers each woman a private consultation will ease the questioning and save time and distress.     

Social differentiation and embodied dispositions: a qualitative study of maternal care-seeking behaviour for near-miss morbidity in Bolivia

Background  

Use of maternal health care in low-income countries has been associated with several socioeconomic and demographic factors, although contextual analyses of the latter have been few. A previous study showed that 75% of women with severe obstetric morbidity (near-miss) identified at hospitals in La Paz, Bolivia were in critical conditions upon arrival, underscoring the significance of pre-hospital barriers also in this setting with free and accessible maternal health care. The present study explores how health care-seeking behaviour for near-miss morbidity is conditioned in La Paz, Bolivia.     

Restriction-mediated differential display (RMDD) identifies pip92 as a pro-apoptotic gene product induced during focal cerebral ischemia.

Studies of gene expression changes after cerebral ischemia can provide novel insight into ischemic pathophysiology. Here we describe application of restriction-mediated differential display to screening for differentially expressed genes after focal cerebral ischemia. This method combines the nonredundant generation of biotin-labeled fragment sets with the excellent resolution of direct blotting electrophoresis, reliable fragment recovery, and a novel clone selection strategy. Using the filament model in mouse with 90 minutes MCA occlusion followed by 2, 6, and 20 hours reperfusion, we have compared gene expression in sham-operated animals to both the ipsi- and contralateral forebrain hemisphere of ischemic mice. Our screening method has resulted in the identification of 70 genes differentially regulated after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), several of which represent unknown clones. We have identified many of the previously published regulated genes, lending high credibility to our method. Surprisingly, we detected a high degree of correspondent regulation of genes in the nonischemic hemisphere. A high percentage of genes coding for proteins in the respiratory chain was found to be up-regulated after ischemia, potentially representing a new mechanism involved in counteracting energy failure or radical generation in cerebral ischemia. One particularly interesting gene, whose upregulation by ischemia has not been described before, is pip92; this gene shows a rapid and long-lasting induction after cerebral ischemia. Here we demonstrate that pip92 induces cell death in primary neurons and displays several hallmarks of pro-apoptotic activity upon overexpression, supporting the notion that we have identified a novel pathophysiological player in cerebral ischemia. In summary, restriction-mediated differential display has proven its suitability for screening complex samples such as brain to reliably identify regulated genes, which can uncover novel pathophysiological mechanisms.     

How well do questionnaires on symptoms in neck-shoulder disorders capture the experiences of those who suffer from neck-shoulder disorders? A content analysis of questionnaires and interviews

Background  

Previous research has indicated neck-shoulder disorders to have a fluctuating course incorporating a variety of symptoms. These findings awoke our interest to make a comparison between symptoms experienced by people affected with the disorder and the content of questionnaires that assess pain and other symptoms in neck-shoulder disorders. Thus the aims of this study were: -to explore the symptoms experienced by people with non-specific neck-shoulder problems, as well as experiences of nuances and temporal variations (fluctuations) of symptoms; -to investigate which sources were used in the development of ten questionnaires for assessing pain and other symptoms in the neck-shoulder; -to analyse the item content of the questionnaires; -to analyse the correspondence between the item content of the questionnaires and the symptoms described by the informants.     

Taking care of their baby at home but with nursing staff as support: The use of videoconferencing in providing neonatal support to parents of preterm infants

The aim was to describe the experiences of parents of preterm infants on the use of real-time videoconferencing between their home and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Ten couples participated in the study. After taking their infant home, parents had access, via video and sound in real-time, to the staff at the NICU. Data were collected by notes and interviews with the parent; thereafter a thematic content analysis was used to analyze the texts. The analysis revealed four categories: security provided by access to the staff; face-to-face supportive meetings; need for control over the use of videoconferencing; other possible uses of videoconferencing. The identified theme was ‘feeling strengthened by having a link between the home and the NICU’. Parents experienced videoconferencing as positive, which empowered them and gave them confidence in their new situation of being at home with their infant.