Life expectancy in British Marfan syndrome populations

A total of 206 patients with Marfan syndrome were ascertained throughout genetic clinics in Wales and Scotland during the period 1970–1990. There were 45 deaths representing 22% of the cohort. Mean age at death was 45.3 ± 16.5 years. 50% median cumulative survival in the total cohort (n = 206) was 53 years for males and 72 years for females. Multivariate analysis confirmed severity as the best independent indicator of survival. These findings and survival curves will assist in the counselling of British families and individuals with Marfan syndrome.     

Nuclear receptor NR2E3 gene mutations distort human retinal laminar architecture and cause an unusual degeneration

Mutations in the nuclear receptor gene, NR2E3, cause a disorder of human retinal photoreceptor development characterized by hyperfunction and excess of the minority S (short wavelength or blue) cone photoreceptor type, but near absence of function of the majority rod receptor. NR2E3 disease can also progress to blindness. How the human retina accommodates mis-specified types and numbers of neurons and advances to retinal degeneration are unknown. We studied the retinal organization in vivo of patients with NR2E3 mutations. Early human NR2E3 disease with S cone hyperfunction showed thickened retinal layers within an otherwise normally structured retina. With visual loss, however, lamination was coarse and there was a strikingly thick and bulging appearance to the retina, localized to an annulus encircling the central fovea. This pattern was not found in other retinal degenerations. The abnormal laminar retinal architecture of early NR2E3 disease may be due in part to larger cells with an S cone phenotype in place of rods that failed to differentiate. The later-stage dysplastic appearance suggests a previously unrecognized proliferative response in human retinal degeneration.     

Antiviral activity of HPMPC (cidofovir) against orf virus infected lambs

(S)-1-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]cytosine [corrected] (HPMPC, cidofovir, CDV, Vistide) is an acyclic nucleoside analogue with a potent and selective activity against a broad spectrum of DNA viruses including the poxviruses. In this study we present the results of different treatment regimens in lambs experimentally infected with orf virus with different cidofovir formulations prepared in Beeler basis and Unguentum M. Our results show that choice of excipient, concentration of codofovir [corrected] and treatment regimen were all important to the clinical outcome of the therapy. Whilst one particular regimen appeared to exacerbate the lesion, treatment with 1% (w/v) cidofovir cream, prepared in Beeler basis, for 4 consecutive days did result in milder lesions that resolved in milder lesions that resolved [corrected] more quickly than untreated lesions. Furthermore the scabs of the treated animals contained significantly lower amounts of viable virus meaning there should be less contamination of the environment with virus than would normally occur.     

妥卡尼对豚鼠心室肌细胞钙电流和钾电流的抑制作用

利用酶分散的成年豚鼠心室肌细胞和全细胞电压钳技术,研究了妥卡尼(tocainide)对心室肌细胞钙电流(I_ca)、延迟整流钾电流(I_k)和ATP敏感性钾电流(Ik,ATP)的作用。结果表明,妥卡尼对I_ca和I_k均显示浓度相关的抑制作用,妥卡尼50umol·L^-1对I_ca和I_k的抑制率分别为16%和3%。这可能是妥卡尼有效抑制室上性心动过速和缩短心肌动作电位平台期的重要机制。     

A new heparin fragment decreases liver ischemia-reperfusion injury

<正>To the Editor:Ischemia-reperfusion injury following surgery and transplantation can lead to irreversible multiorgan failure.Intracellular calcium overload is associated to cellular death during ischemiareperfusion.A recently discovered heparin fragment (HF),trisulfated disaccharide (TD),that acts on sodium-calcium exchanger(NCX) decreasing intracellular Ca²⁺,showed effectiveness on protecting hepatocytes from ischemia-reperfusion injury [1],     

Differences in genomic architecture between two distinct geographical strains of the blood fluke Schistosoma japonicum reveal potential phenotype basis

The Chinese (SjC) and Philippine (SjP) strains of the blood fluke Schistosoma japonicum have been shown to present clearly different phenotypes in fecundity, pathology, drug sensitivity and immunology. We used microarray based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) to investigate structural differences in the genomes of the two strains and identified seven distinct regions of the S. japonicum genome that present differential aCGH representing either deletion or duplication regions in SjP. Within these regions, genes predicted to be associated with the recognised phenotypic differences were identified and that may provide new insights into the biology and evolution of the two strains, with implications for the epidemiology and control of schistosomiasis japonica in China and the Philippines.