Complete nucleotide sequence of mouse mammary tumor virus from jyg chinese wild mice: Absence of bacterial insertion sequences in the cloned viral gag gene

Mammary tumors of a newly isolated strain of Chinese wild mouse (JYG mouse) harbor exogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). The complete nucleotide sequence of exogenous JYG-MMTV was determined on the proviral 5' long terminal repeat (LTR)(partial)-gag-pol-env-3' LTR (partial) fragment cloned into a plasmid vector and the cDNA sequence from JYG-MMTV producing cells. Similarly to the other MMTV species the LTR of JYG-MMTV contains an open reading frame (ORF). The amino acid sequence of the JYG-MMTV ORF resembles that of SW-MMTV (92% identity) and endogenous Mtv-7 (93% identity) especially at the C-terminal region. Thus, a functional similarity in T-cell receptor V beta recognition as a superantigen is implicated among these MMTV species. Analysis of the viral gag nucleotide sequence revealed that this gene is not disrupted by the bacterial insertion sequence IS1 or IS2, which have been reported to be present in the majority of the plasmids containing the gag region. Comparison of amino acid sequences of JYG-MMTV with those of BR6-MMTV showed that over 96% of the amino acids of gag, pol, protease and env products are identical. These results suggest the intact nature of the nucleotide sequence of the near full-length MMTV genome cloned in the plasmid.     

Prognosis of the Lennox Syndrome—Long-Term Clinical and Electroencephalographic Follow-up Study, Especially with Special Reference to Relationship with the West Syndrome

The long-term clinical and electroencepha-lographic follow-up studies were carried out for more than three years, up to 14 years in the longest, on 116 cases with Lennox syndrome. And the results of systematic study on changing patterns and outcome have been reported. The follow-up examination was performed also on West syndrome which is closely related with Lennox syndrome; especially the relationship between both syndromes regarding prognosis has been clarified.

• 1 According to the long-term follow-up on 116 cases with Lennox syndrome, there were 98 cases (84.5%) having mental defect. The remaining of seizure was observed in 71 cases (61.2%) and persisted as Lennox syndrome except for one case.
• 2 Generally speaking, the cases with age of onset before two years old showed unfavorable outcome.
• 3 There were 42 cases (36.2%), which were converted from West syndrome and showed markedly unfavorable prognosis in regard to intelligence as well as the remaining of seizure. (31 cases, 77.5%)
• 4 On the other hand, in 23 idiopathic cases, which showed no developmental retardation before onset of seizure, had favorable outcome, and the remaining of seizure was observed in eight cases (34.8%). However, even in such cases, it was noticed that those displaying mental defect at the follow-up attained 14 cases (60.9%). That is to say, it was clarified that persistence of even minor seizures induced mental deterioration.
• 5 The cases with favorable prognosis showed usually a typical slow spike-and-wave pattern electroencephalographically, whereas those with poor prognosis showed mostly an asymmetric or disorganized slow spike-and-wave pattern.
• 6 In many cases displaying signs of brain atrophy with pneumoencephalogram and accompanying overt neurological signs at the initial examination, prognosis is obviously poor.
• 7 From the follow-up examination on 94 cases with West syndrome for three to 15 years, there were 51 cases (54.3%) which was transformed into Lennox syndrome. Among them, those cases with the remaining of seizure at the time of follow-up were 44 (46.8%) out of 94 cases, of which 37 cases (83.8%) had remaining seizure as Lennox syndrome.
• 8 From the above results, it is emphasized that Lennox and West syndromes show close relationship with each other and that a study should be done on the interrelation between their prognosis.

     

A study in cases of Brugada-type electrocardiogram and its management proposals in health examination]

In 1992, Brugada et al. reported a characteristic electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern and ST-segment elevation in leads V1 to V3 associated with sudden death in patients without demonstrable structural heart disease. That disease is now called Brugada Syndrome. The diagnostic criteria for the Brugada Syndrome have still not been decided on, and the prevalence of Brugada type ECG (B-ECG) varies widely in Japan. Therefore, we should consider B-ECG according to the consensus statement from the European Society of Cardiology and we proposed its management in health examinations. There were 35 B-ECG cases (0.9%), all male out of 3,875 Postal Service Trainees. There were 5 cases of Type I (Coved) (0.13%), 21 cases of Type II (0.54%), and 9 cases of Type III (0.23%), Only one case (0.026%) of Brugada Syndrome was found, and eventually, he received an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). Type I (Coved) may be a more important electrocardiographic factor having a stronger causal relation to Ventricular Arrhythmia. Therefore, in management of health examinations, Type I patients with syncope or a family history of sudden cardiac death should visit a cardiologist for ICD-implantation, and even without any cardiac symptoms (syncope and a family history of sudden death), they are advised to visit a cardiologist for a program electrical stimulation (PES). Type II and III patients with any cardiac symptoms are advised to visit a cardiologist for PES or a drug challenge.     

Protein-Bound Uremic Toxins: New Culprits of Cardiovascular Events in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Although great advances have recently been made in the pathophysiology and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, CKD remains a major global health problem. Moreover, the occurrence rates of cardiovascular events among CKD patients increase even in cases in which patients undergo hemodialysis, and the mechanisms underlying the so-called “cardiorenal syndrome” are not clearly understood. Recently, small-molecule uremic toxins have been associated with cardiovascular mortality in CKD and/or dialysis patients. These toxins range from small uncharged solutes to large protein-bound structures. In this review, we focused on protein-bound uremic toxins, such as indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate, which are poorly removed by current dialysis techniques. Several studies have demonstrated that protein-bound uremic toxins, especially indoxyl sulfate, induce vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and vascular calcification, which may explain the relatively poor prognosis of CKD and dialysis patients. The aim of this review is to provide novel insights into the effects of indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.     

Comparison of α2-Macroglobulin Synthesis by Juvenile vs. Mature Rats after Identical Inflammatory Stimulation

Synthesis of α₂-macoglobulin (α2M) by 3-week-old juvenile rats was compared to that of mature 7- and 11-week-old rats. Serum concentrations of α2M, interleukin (IL)-6- and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The area under the concentration vs. time curve (AUC) for α2M was significantly different among the three groups. The synthesis of α2M increased in an age-dependent manner. No significant difference was observed for the AUC of IL-6, but that of CINC-1 in 3-week-old rats was significantly lower than that in 7- or 11-week-old rats. These results suggest that synthesis of α2M was increased in mature compared to juvenile rats, possibly due to differences in liver function. The maximum concentration of CINC-1 in 3-week-old rats was observed 6 h after turpentine oil injection. The serum concentrations of IL-6 and CINC-1 increased more quickly in juvenile rats than in mature rats after inflammatory stimulation.     

Effect of an impaired oral stage on swallowing in patients with Parkinson's disease

We investigated the swallowing function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using deteriorated tongue control because patients with PD frequently exhibit an impaired oral stage of swallowing and the tongue movement affects oral and pharyngeal stage. In total, 201 patients with PD (106 men, 95 women; mean age 70·6 ± 8·0 years; median Hoehn‐Yahr Stage III) were studied. The patients swallowed 10 mL of liquid barium under videofluorography, and their oral transit time (OTT) was measured. Based on 20 healthy controls (mean age 70·3 ± 7·8 years) with an OTT + 2 standard deviation (0·89 + 2 × 0·46) of 1·81 s, the patients with PD were divided into 167 patients with an OTT < 1·81 s and 34 patients with an OTT ≥ 1·81 s. Swallowing function was compared between the groups and assessed using logistic regression analysis. The following factors were significantly associated with oral stage impairment in both groups: tongue‐to‐palate contact, tongue root‐to‐posterior pharyngeal wall contact, premature spillage into the pharynx, aspiration and onset of swallowing reflex. Logistic regression analysis showed that tongue root‐to‐posterior pharyngeal wall contact, onset of swallowing reflex and aspiration were independent factors. PD patients with prolonged OTT displayed poor lingual control and decreased range of motion of the tongue due to bradykinesia and rigidity. Such problems in the oral stage affected the subsequent pharyngeal stage of swallowing with aspiration. Lingual movement in the oral stage thus appears to play an important role in the sequential movement of swallowing in PD.     

Contrast‐enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography for differential diagnosis of localized gallbladder lesions

Background and Aim

Differential diagnosis of localized gallbladder lesions is challenging. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of contrast‐enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CH‐EUS) for diagnosis of localized gallbladder lesions.

Methods

One hundred and twenty‐five patients with localized gallbladder lesions were evaluated by CH‐EUS between March 2007 and February 2014. This was a single‐center retrospective study. Utilities of fundamental B‐mode EUS (FB‐EUS) and CH‐EUS in the differentiation of gallbladder lesions and sludge plug were initially compared. Thereafter, these two examinations were compared with respect to their accuracy in the diagnosis of malignant lesions. Five reviewers blinded to the clinicopathological results evaluated microcirculation patterns in the vascular and perfusion images.

Results

In the differentiation between gallbladder lesions and sludge plug, FB‐EUS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 82%, 100%, and 95%, respectively, whereas CH‐EUS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 100%, 99%, and 99%, respectively. FB‐EUS‐based diagnosis of carcinomas based on tumor size and/or shape had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 61–87%, 71–88%, and 74–86%, respectively. Additional information regarding irregular vessel patterns in the vascular image and/or heterogeneous enhancement in the perfusion image on CH‐EUS increased the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the diagnosis of carcinomas to 90%, 98%, and 96%, respectively. There was a significant difference between FB‐EUS and CH‐EUS in terms of carcinoma diagnosis.

Conclusion

CH‐EUS was useful for the evaluation of localized gallbladder lesions.