The DE loop of the domain III of the envelope protein appears to be associated with West Nile virus neutralization

The envelope (E) protein of WNV plays an important role in the virus neutralization. Using a mAb 5E8, a neutralizing epitope on the domain III of the E of the New York strain of WN virus was characterized. Results from neutralization-escape mutants and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that the 5E8 epitope is a highly conformation dependent epitope consisting of at least residues E330, E332 and E367 on the domain III. Besides known critical neutralizing epitopes E330 and E332, our results indicate that residue E367, a component of DE loop on the domain III, appeared to be associated with neutralization but little with neuroinvasion of the virus, as reported previously (Beasley et al., 2002).     

Combined hepatic and splenic abscesses in a patient with ulcerative colitis

Liver abscesses are very rare complications of ulcerative colitis, and furthermore, there has been only one case of splenic abscess in a patient with ulcerative colitis reported in the English literature. We recently encountered a patient with ulcerative colitis accompanied by both hepatic and splenic abscesses. The patient was treated with abscess drainage as well as sulfasalazine and antibiotics. Follow-up sonography of the abdomen showed complete resolution of the lesions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of combined case of multiple liver abscesses combined with splenic abscess in a patient with ulcerative colitis.     

Syringocystadenocarcinoma papilliferum: a case report

Syringocystadenocarcinoma papilliferum (SCACP) is a rare form of adenocarcinoma of the skin. This is the malignant counterpart of syringocystadenoma papilliferum (SCAP) and usually develops on the scalp in a long-standing lesion identified clinically as SCAP. We describe a 65-yr-old Korean man with a nodule on the right supra-pubic area with a 2-yr duration. Histologically this tumor had a similar overall configuration as in SCAP, but the tumor was asymmetric and poorly circumscribed, extending into the deep dermis and showed cytologic atypia. The tumor cells showed positive reaction to GCDFP-15, but negative reaction to CEA and HMFG-1. We established the diagnosis of SCACP in the patient, and a wide excision was performed to remove the tumor. The patient has been well without relapse or metastasis for 2 yr.     

A case of herpes zoster with abducens palsy

Only a few reports have focused on ocular motor paralysis in herpes zoster ophthalmicus. We report a case of ocular motor paralysis resulting from herpes zoster. The patient, an 80-yr-old woman, presented with grouped vesicles, papules, and crusting in the left temporal area and scalp, with diplopia, impaired gaze, and severe pain. Her cerebrospinal fluid analysis was positive for varicellar zoster virus IgM. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to rule out other diseases causing diplopia; there were no specific findings other than old infarctions in the pons and basal ganglia. Therefore, she was diagnosed of abducens nerve palsy caused by herpes zoster ophthalmicus. After 5 days of systemic antiviral therapy, the skin lesions improved markedly, and the paralysis was cleared 7 weeks later without extra treatment.     

Core-shell silica nanoparticles as fluorescent labels for nanomedicine

Progress in biomedical imaging depends on the development of probes that combine low toxicity with high sensitivity, resolution, and stability. Toward that end, a new class of highly fluorescent core-shell silica nanoparticles with narrow size distributions and enhanced photostability, known as C dots, provide an appealing alternative to quantum dots. Here, C dots are evaluated with a particular emphasis on in-vivo applications in cancer biology. It is established that C dots are nontoxic at biologically relevant concentrations, and can be used in a broad range of imaging applications including intravital visualization of capillaries and macrophages, sentinel lymph node mapping, and peptide-mediated multicolor cell labeling for real-time imaging of tumor metastasis and tracking of injected bone marrow cells in mice. These results demonstrate that fluorescent core-shell silica nanoparticles represent a powerful novel imaging tool within the emerging field of nanomedicine.     

Simultaneous dynamic optical and electrical properties of endothelial cell attachment on indium tin oxide bioelectrodes

This study quantifies the dynamic attachment and spreading of porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PPAECs) on optically thin, indium tin oxide (ITO) biosensors using simultaneous differential interference contrast microscopy (DICM) and electrical microimpedance spectroscopy. A lock-in amplifier circuit monitored the impedance of PPAECs cultivated on the transparent ITO bioelectrodes as a function of frequency between 10 Hz and 100 kHz and as a function of time, while DICM images were simultaneously acquired. A digital image processing algorithm quantified the cell-covered electrode area as a function of time. The results of this study show that the fraction of the cell-covered electrode area is in qualitative agreement with the electrical impedance during the attachment phase following the cell settling on the electrode surface. The possibility of several distinctly different states of electrode coverage and cellular attachment giving rise to similar impedance signals is discussed.     

Transforming growth factor-beta1 accelerates resorption of a calcium carbonate biomaterial in periodontal defects

BACKGROUND: In a previous study, recombinant human transforming growth factor-beta1 (rhTGF-beta(1)) in a calcium carbonate carrier was implanted into critical-size, supraalveolar periodontal defects under conditions for guided tissue regeneration (GTR) to study whether rhTGF-beta(1) would enhance or accelerate periodontal regeneration. The results showed minimal benefits of rhTGF-beta(1), and a clear account for this could not be offered. One potential cause may be that the rhTGF-beta(1) formulation was biologically inactive. Several growth or differentiation factors have been suggested to accelerate degradation of biomaterials used as carriers. The objective of this study was to evaluate possible activity of rhTGF-beta(1) on biodegradation of the calcium carbonate carrier. METHODS: rhTGF-beta(1) in a putty-formulated particulate calcium carbonate carrier was implanted into critical-size, supraalveolar periodontal defects under conditions for GTR in five beagle dogs. Contralateral defects received the calcium carbonate carrier combined with GTR without rhTGF-beta(1) (control). The animals were euthanized at week 4 post-surgery and block biopsies of the defect sites were collected for histologic and histometric analysis. Radiographs were obtained at defect creation and weeks 2 and 4 after defect creation. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed in new bone formation (bone height and area) among the treatments. However, total residual carrier was significantly reduced in sites receiving rhTGF-beta(1) compared to control (P = 0.04). Similarly, carrier density was considerably reduced in sites receiving rhTGF-beta(1) compared to control; the difference was borderline statistically significant (P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the study, it may be concluded that rhTGF-beta(1) accelerates biodegradation of a particulate calcium carbonate biomaterial, indicating a biologic activity of the rhTGF-beta(1) formulation apparently not encompassing enhanced or accelerated periodontal regeneration.