Arsenic methylation by micro-organisms isolated from sheepskin bedding materials

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been associated with the volatilization of arsenic, antimony or phosphorus compounds from infants' bedding material by micro-organisms, the so-called 'toxic gas hypothesis'. The volatilization of arsenic by aerobic micro-organisms isolated from new sheepskin bedding material, as well as on material used by a healthy infant and by an infant who perished of SIDS, was examined. Three fungi were isolated from a piece of sheepskin bedding material on which an infant perished of SIDS, which methylated arsenic to form trimethylarsenic(V) species, precursors to volatile trimethylarsine. These three fungi were identified as Scopulariopsis koningii, Fomitopsis pinicola and Penicillium gladioli by their 26S-ribosomal RNA polymerase chain reaction products. These fungi were not previously known to methylate arsenic. The volatilization of arsenic by these three fungi was then examined. Only P. gladioli volatilized arsenic and only under conditions such that the production of sufficient trimethylarsine to be acutely toxic to an infant is unlikely. S. brevicaulis grew on the sheepskin bedding material and evolved a trace amount of trimethylarsine. Known human pathogens such as Mycobacterium neoaurum and Acinetobacter junii were isolated from used bedding.     

Chronic lymphoid hemopathies in adults: chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and the phase of dissemination of small cell lymphomas

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is the most frequent haematological cancer in adult patients, and its incidence raises with aging. Diagnosis needs several clinical and biological data, but hemogram together with the morphological and immunophenotypic analysis of the lymphoid cells take the major place. If the diagnosis is performed easily in about 65% of the patients, various clinicobiological entities were reported in the past few years that must be identified, at least because some are of adverse prognosis. Moreover, the other chronic lymphoid neoplasms, corresponding to the various low and intermediate grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (mainly of follicular type, marginal zone, mantle cell zone), may disseminate within the blood and the bone marrow. Those circulating lymphoma cells must be identified at diagnosis in order to perform the accurate diagnosis and to avoid an erroneous diagnosis of atypical chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Up to 90% of lymphoid malignancies are B cell disorders, contrasting with only a few cases of T cell origin: some of those latter cases cannot be neglected however, as they may be observed in Western countries. Most recent classifications (REAL and WHO) defined all hematological malignancies: each entity referred to clinical, morphological, immunological, cytogenetic, and molecular findings. The basis of these classifications is pathophysiological, trying in each disorder to define a normal counterpart to the pathological clone. Reviewing main steps of the immune response in the normal patient, corresponding to those involving B cells, it is possible indeed to localize and demonstrate a function for many of the cells that expand in lymphoid malignancies.     

Anaplastic temporal ganglioglioma with spinal metastasis

We report the case of a 26-year-old male who was operated on after an acute episode complicating a long history of seizures. The resected temporal lesion was an anaplastic ganglioglioma. Ganglioglioma is a tumor of children and young adults, characterized by two cell components, neuronal and glial. It is usually a benign lesion. The present case is remarkable in several aspects. Hemorrhage led to the discovery of a supra-tentorial tumour. Microscopic examination revealed anaplastic foci in an otherwise typical lesion. There was a long past medical history but outcome was rapidly unfavorable after surgical resection and associated with dissemination along the spinal cord.     

Value of investigation in the diagnosis of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis: results of a prospective study

The authors report a prospective study in which the aim was to analyse the usefulness of different criteria in optimizing the diagnosis of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. From 1995 to 1998, 165 patients were operated on for chronic rhinosinusitis. Investigations used in this study for the diagnosis of allergic Aspergillus rhinosinusitis consisted of an analysis of clinical, radiological, immuno-allergic criteria. Fourteen patients presented with allergic Aspergillus rhinosinusitis. One hundred and fifty-one patients did not present any of the necessary criteria for the diagnosis of allergic Aspergillus rhinosinusitis. The results show that the characteristic macroscopic appearance, the maxillary sinus localization, and the presence of positive specific IgE to Aspergillus fumigatus are arguments that reinforce the diagnostic certitude of allergic fungal sinusitis. No specific clinical or radiological criteria orients a diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis toward that of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. The other immuno-allergic tests do not contribute to the diagnosis of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. pathological, mycological, and     

In vivo model mimicking natural history of dog prostate cancer using DPC-1, a new canine prostate carcinoma cell line

BACKGROUND: Dog prostate cancer is usually considered to be highly relevant to human prostate cancer. We report the isolation of a new canine prostate cancer epithelial cell line designated DPC-1. METHODS: Primary cultures were established from a canine poorly differentiated prostatic adenocarcinoma. Population doubling time was determined by counting nuclei after cell lysis. Tumorigenicity was assessed in nude mice and in one adult immunodeficient dog. Immunoscintigraphy was performed in both models using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) raised against the [44-62] sequence of human PSMA. RESULTS: DPC-1 cells have a rapid growth in vitro (doubling time, 27 hr) which is not stimulated by androgens. In addition, DPC-1 displays immunoreactivity to human PSA and PSMA. DPC-1 was found to be highly tumorigenic not only in nude mice but also for the first time after orthotopic seeding in an immunodeficient dog. This allograft mimicked, in a compressed form, the aggressive biological behavior of spontaneous dog prostate adenocarcinoma. Immunoscintigraphy using a (131)Iodine-labeled PSMA mAb clearly visualized induced tumors in nude mice and in the dog allograft. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that DPC-1 may constitute a powerful model for assessing new diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools in the management of prostate cancer.     

Effect of cyclosporine on mycophenolic acid area under the concentration-time curve in pediatric kidney transplant recipients

Mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active compound of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), shows substantial interindividual and intraindividual variability. It was recently shown that in vitro calcineurin inhibitors alter the bioavailability of MPA by dose-dependent inhibition of MPA glucuronidation. The authors retrospectively analyzed full 10-point profiles for both MPA and cyclosporine (CyA) in 23 pediatric patients receiving MMF and cyclosporine microemulsion (Neoral; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada; Dorval, Quebec, Canada). Mycophenolic acid was measured using a commercially available EMIT (Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Canada) assay. As the majority of patients were treated with low doses of cyclosporine after adding MMF, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for cyclosporine showed a wide scatter ranging from 296 to 6400 ng x h/mL. The mean cyclosporine dose was 100 +/- 76 mg/m2 per day (range: 28 to 331). There was no correlation between MPA AUC and MPA dose, and there was substantial interindividual variation. However, there was a significant negative correlation between dose-normalized MPA AUC and cyclosporine AUC ( r2 = 0.23, p < 0.0220). When dividing the MPA profiles into two groups (11 and 12 patients) with a CyA AUC less than or greater than 1600 ng x h/mL, there was a significantly higher 8-hour concentration in the patients with the lower CyA AUC, secondary to a higher second peak. The data demonstrate that the cyclosporine AUC is a determining factor for the MPA AUC and that MPA dose should be reduced when cyclosporine dose is reduced to achieve the same MPA AUC. The significantly higher peak in the group with a lower CyA profile supports the concept of a dose-dependent cyclosporine-induced inhibition of MPA glucuronidation.     

Prevention of recurrence and prolonged survival in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients treated with adjuvant high-dose methylprednisolone

Five patients at risk for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) recurrence were treated with high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) to prevent 'trafficking' of malignant lymphocytes into the central nervous system (CNS). HDMP was chosen because of its ability to stabilize the 'blood brain barrier (BBB)'. Three men with newly diagnosed PCNSL, ages 62, 76 and 78y, whose survival was projected to be 6.6 months, began treatment after achieving complete response (CR) to initial radiation therapy alone and survived 27, 37 and 59 months after treatment. In none was death from recurrent disease in CNS but one patient did die of systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) five years after PCNSL diagnosis. A 20 y old man was treated with HDMP after successful combined modality therapy and is alive 75+ months after initial diagnosis without evidence of disease recurrence. A 34 y old man relapsed after combined modality initial treatment and failed to respond to HDMP when treatment was begun after unsuccessful salvage therapy; he died of disease 12 months after initial diagnosis. There were no treatment complications. The promising results in this pilot study from the basis for a North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) 96-73-51, a Phase 2 clinical trial of brain radiotherapy and HDMP for PCNSL patients 70y of age and older, a group of patients at high risk for toxicity from intensive combined modality therapy.     

Obesity and cardio-metabolic risk factors in urban adults of Benin: Relationship with socio-economic status,urbanisation, and lifestyle patterns

Background  

There is a dearth of information on diet-related chronic diseases in West Africa. This cross-sectional study assessed the rate of obesity and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a random sample of 200 urban adults in Benin and explored the associations between these factors and socio-economic status (SES), urbanisation as well as lifestyle patterns.