Non-A, non-B hepatitis in persistent carriers of hepatitis B virus

There are reports in the literature that infection with hepatitis A virus in hepatitis B carriers can result in resolution of the carrier state. In an attempt to induce clearance of the carrier state of hepatitis B virus in two persistently infected chimpanzees, the chimpanzees were infused with documented non-A, non-B infectious material. Biochemical and histopathological evidence of hepatitis was accompanied by the unique abnormalities of endoplasmic reticulum associated with non-A, non-B hepatitis in the chimpanzees. Elevation of alanine aminotransferase was accompanied by fourfold reduction in one chimpanzee and sixfold reduction in the other in the plasma levels of HBV-associated DNA polymerase activity and simultaneously by twofold reduction in the concentration of hepatitis B surface antigen in both chimpanzees. A mediator may account for these changes in markers of hepatitis B virus infection, and this mechanism may also explain the occurrence of spontaneous regression in some persistently infected carriers. The significance of transient red cell anaemia in non-A, non-B hepatitis, which was observed in one of the chimpanzees, is yet to be established.     

非悬滴开放式培养法在鸡胚背根节体外培养中的应用

本研究针对悬滴培养法在操作和应用上存在的问题和局限性，改用操作简便、适用范围广的非悬滴开放式培养法培养鸡胚背根节。将数个鸡胚背根节按一定间隔种植在内置生长基质盖玻片的35mm培养皿中，加人适量培养液，置于CO2。孵箱中进行培养。结果显示.从培养24h至60h各时期，培养皿中背根节生长状况均良好，神经突起明显增长，表明用非悬滴开放式培养法培养鸡胚背根节是可行且可靠的。     

Individual-specific risk factors for anorexia nervosa: a pilot study using a discordant sister-pair design

BACKGROUND: The aim of this pilot study was to examine which unique factors (genetic and environmental) increase the risk for developing anorexia nervosa by using a case-control design of discordant sister pairs. METHODS: Forty-five sister-pairs, one of whom had anorexia nervosa and the other did not, were recruited. Both sisters completed the Oxford Risk Factor Interview for Eating Disorders and measures for eating disorder traits, and sib-pair differences. Blood or cheek cell samples were taken for genetic analysis. Statistical power of the genetic analysis of discordant same-sex siblings was calculated using a specially written program, DISCORD. RESULTS: The sisters with anorexia nervosa differed from their healthy sisters in terms of personal vulnerability traits and exposure to high parental expectations and sexual abuse. Factors within the dieting risk domain did not differ. However, there was evidence of poor feeding in childhood. No difference in the distribution of genotypes or alleles of the DRD4, COMT, the 5HT2A and 5HT2C receptor genes was detected. These results are preliminary because our calculations indicate that there is insufficient power to detect the expected effect on risk with this sample size. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors increases the risk of developing anorexia nervosa. It would, therefore, be informative to undertake a larger study to examine in more detail the unique genetic and environmental factors that are associated with various forms of eating disorders.     

Sclerochoroidal calcification associated with Gitelman syndrome and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition

Sclerochoroidal calcification is an uncommon condition. Metabolic evaluation and clinical examination are important to exclude associated systemic conditions such as the Bartter and Gitelman syndromes. It has been suggested that the lesions seen in sclerochoroidal calcification are calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals. This report describes the first documented case in the UK of sclerochoroidal calcification associated with Gitelman syndrome and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition.     

Identification of testis development and spermatogenesis-related genes in human and mouse testes using cDNA arrays

We have constructed cDNA microarrays from the human testis large insert cDNA library, containing 9216 genes, together with several housekeeping genes. The cDNA microarrays were used to identify gene expression differences between human fetal and adult testes. Of >8700 hybridized clones, 731 exhibited significant differential expression characteristics. About 7500 genes were identified when the same cDNA microarrays were used for hybridization with cDNA probes from mouse testis, with 256 genes having significant differential expression between the age of 1-4 weeks. Among these genes, 101 were identified as critically related to testis development and possibly to spermatogenesis since they were found in both human and mouse testes, and expressed differentially at different stages of testis development. Of the 101 development-related genes, 59 full-length cDNAs have been sequenced previously, while the full-length cDNAs of the other 42 genes have not been published. We have obtained 11 full-length sequences of the 42 genes and deposited them in the GenBank. The conserved testis development-related genes found in both human and mouse testes may include genes that are likely to be involved in testicular functions, especially spermatogenesis, thus providing a basis for further functional characterization of the genes in mouse models.     

Substance P potentiates 5-HT3 receptor-mediated current in rat trigeminal ganglion neurons

The present study aimed to investigate the interaction between the coexistent SP receptor and 5-HT3 receptor in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons using whole-cell patch clamp technique. The majority of the neurons examined responded to 5-HT with an inward current (I5-HT) (78.2%, 79/101) that could be blocked by 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ICS-205,930. The I5-HT was potentiated by preapplication of SP (10(-10) to 10(-8) M) in most 5-HT-sensitive cells(78.5%, 62/79). Coapplication of SP and GR-82334, antagonist of NK1 receptor, had no enhancing effect on I5-HT. The concentration-response curves for 5-HT with and without SP preapplication show that: (1) the threshold 5-HT concentrations with and without SP preapplication are basically the same, while SP preapplication increased the maximal value of I5-HT by 38.0% of its control; (2) the EC50 values of the curves with and without SP pretreatment are very close, i.e. 1.89 x 10(-5) M and 2.08 x 10(-5) M (P > 0.1; n = 9), respectively. Intracellular dialysis of GDP-beta-S, a non-hydrolyzable GDP analog, and GF-109203X, a selective protein kinase C inhibitor, removed the SP potentiation of I5-HT. These results may offer a clue to understanding the mechanism underlying the generation and/or regulation of peripheral pain caused by tissue damage inflammation, etc.     

Interaction between a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma gene polymorphism and dietary fat intake in relation to body mass

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) is a critical regulator of adipogenesis. PPAR gamma+/- mice are resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity and thus PPAR gamma may mediate physiological responses to dietary fat in other mammals. The aim of this study was to determine whether the human PPAR gamma proline to alanine substitution polymorphism (Pro12Ala) modifies the association between dietary fat and adiposity and plasma lipids. Subjects (n=2141) were controls selected for three case-control studies nested within the Nurses' Health Study, a large ongoing prospective cohort study. Associations between intake of total fat, fat subtypes and BMI were different in PPAR gamma 12Ala variant allele-carriers compared with non-carriers. Among homozygous wild-type Pro/Pro individuals, those in the highest quintile of total fat intake, had significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI) compared with those in the lowest quintile (27.3 versus 25.4 kg/m2, respectively; P-trend<0.0001) whereas among 12Ala variant allele-carriers there was no significant trend observed between dietary fat intake and BMI (P-trend=0.99; P-interaction=0.003). In contrast, intake of monounsaturated fat was not associated with BMI among homozygous wild-type women but was inversely associated with BMI among 12Ala variant allele-carriers (mean in lowest quintile=27.6 versus mean in highest quintile=25.5 kg/m2; P-trend=0.006; P-interaction=0.003). The relationship between dietary fat intake and plasma lipid concentrations also differed according to PPAR gamma genotype. These data suggest that PPAR gamma genotype is an important factor in physiological responses to dietary fat in humans.     

Complex karyotypic abnormality in ovarian fibroma associated with Gorlin syndrome

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma (NBCC) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by distinctive congenital malformations and a variety of benign and malignant neoplasms, including ovarian fibromas. We describe pathologic and cytogenetic findings in a large unilateral ovarian fibroma from a 12-year-old female with NBCC syndrome. The pathologic findings were characteristic for ovarian fibroma, but were unusual for the ovarian fibromas associated with NBCC syndrome because of the absence of calcification, the lack of bilaterality, and the presence of focal hypercellularity. The karyotype of tumor tissue showed complex numerical and structural abnormalities. Although there is frequent loss of heterozygosity of 9q22.3 and mutations in the PTCHgene in Gorlin syndrome, the ovarian fibroma in this case did not have cytogenetically detectable abnormalities of chromosome 9.     

Comparison of different PCR approaches for characterization of Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia isolates.

In this study, we evaluated three PCR methods for epidemiological typing of Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia--PCR-ribotyping, arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC-PCR)--and compared them with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The analysis was performed with 31 isolates of B. cepacia, comprising 23 epidemiologically unrelated isolates and 8 isolates collected from the same patient during two episodes of bacteremia. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, ERIC-PCR, and AP-PCR identified 23 distinct types among the 23 unrelated isolates, while PCR-ribotyping only identified 12 strain types, even after AluI digestion of the amplification products. Among the eight isolates collected from the same patient, all typing techniques revealed two clones of strains. The day-to-day reproducibilities of PCR-ribotyping and ERIC-PCR were good, while greater day-to-day variations were noted in the fingerprints obtained by AP-PCR. We conclude that all three PCR techniques are useful for rapid epidemiological typing of B. cepacia, but ERIC-PCR seems to be more reproducible and discriminative.     

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the fusion glycoprotein gene of human parainfluenza virus type 2

A cDNA clone containing a 2.0-kb insert was identified as the human parainfluenza virus type 2 (PI2) fusion glycoprotein gene by hybridizing with a viral RNA probe and a synthetic oligonucleotide derived from a conserved sequence found in other paramyxovirus fusion protein genes. The complete nucleotide sequence of the glycoprotein gene was determined by the dideoxynucleotide sequencing procedure and found to contain a single, large open reading frame encoding a protein of 551 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 59,664. Comparison of the P12 fusion protein with those of other paramyxoviruses indicated similarities in overall length, N-terminal signal peptide sequence (amino acids 7 to 25), C-terminal membrane-spanning region (amino acids 486 to 513), and a highly conserved fusion sequence region at the N-terminus of the F1 subunit (amino acids 107 to 132).