Molecular dissection of the Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome region (15q11-13) by YAC cloning and FISH analysis.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS) are distinct mental retardation disorders associated with deletions of proximal 15q (q11-q13) of different parental origin. Yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) clones were isolated for 9 previously mapped DNA probes from this region, and for one newly derived marker, LS6-1 (D15S113). A YAC contig of 1-1.5 Mb encompassing four markers (ML34, IR4-3R, PW71, and TD189-1) was constructed. Multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of interphase nuclei was combined with YAC contig information to provide the following order of markers: cen-IR39-ML34-IR4-3R-PW71-TD189-1-LS6++ +-1-TD3-21-GABRB3-IR10-1-CMW1-tel. FISH analysis was performed on 8 cases of PWS and 3 cases of AS, including 5 patients with normal karyotypes. All eleven patients were deleted for YACs in the interval from IR4-3R to GABRB3. On the proximal side of the deletion interval, 10/10 breakpoints fell within a single ML34 YAC of 370 kb. On the distal side, 8/9 breakpoints fell within a single IR10-1 YAC of 200 kb. These results indicate a striking consistency in the location of the proximal and distal breakpoints in PWS and AS patients. FISH analysis on a previously reported case of familial AS confirmed a submicroscopic deletion including YACs corresponding to LS6-1, TD3-21 and GABRB3 and supports the separation of the PWS and AS critical regions. Since these three YACs do not overlap each other, the minimum size of the AS critical region is > or = 650 kb.     

Molecular characterization of a heme-binding protein of Bacteroides fragilis BE1.

An iron-repressible 44-kDa outer membrane protein plays a crucial role in the acquisition of heme by the anaerobic bacterium Bacteroides fragilis. The DNA sequence of the gene encoding the 44-kDa protein (hupA) was determined. The hupA gene encodes a protein of 431 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 48,189 Da. The hupA gene is preceded by an open reading frame of 480 bp that probably encodes a protein with a calculated molecular mass of 18,073 Da. hupA and this open reading frame are likely organized in an operon, and a sequence homologous to the Escherichia coli consensus Fur box was present in the putative promoter region of the operon. Heme-binding studies showed that HupA binds heme. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed signature heme-binding consensus motifs, characteristic of heme lyases. Subcellular localization studies in E. coli revealed that HupA was mainly found in the cytoplasmic membrane but not in the outer membrane of E. coli. This suggested that B. fragilis uses another strategy for the translocation of this outer membrane protein across its cell envelope than E. coli does. HupA did not have significant homology with other putative bacterial heme receptors.     

Partialfunktionen der Niere bei Cirrhosis hepatis

Zusammenfassung Wir untersuchten 23 Patienten mit laparoskopisch oder bioptisch gesichterter Lebercirrhose (10 Patienten ohne Ascites und 13 Patienten mit Ascites). Es wurde die Inulin- und PAH-Clearance und das tubuläre Transportmaximum für PAH bestimmt.Bei Lebercirrhosen ohne Ascites fand sich sowohl eine Verminderung mäßigen Grades der Inulin- und PAH-Clearance als auch eine Einschränkung der Nierendurchblutung. Das tubuläre Transportmaximum für PAH war normal. Bei Ascites fand sich eine deutliche Herabsetzung der Inulin-Clearance und der PAH-Clearance, eine Verminderung der Nierendurchblutung und eine signifikant erhöhte Wasserrückresorption. Das tubuläre Transportmaximum für PAH war im Bereich der Norm. Die Ursachen der Funktionseinschränkung werden diskutiert.

---

Summary 1. Inulin clearance and PAH clearance was studied in 23 patients withLaennec's cirrhosis, in 13 Patients ascites was demonstrable.2. In patients withLaennec's cirrhosis without ascites, inulin clearance and PAH clearance as well as renal blood flow was lower than normal controls. The maximal rate of tubulär transport for PAH was normal.3. In patients withLaennec's cirrhosis with ascites, inulin clearance, PAH clearance and renal blood flow was very low. Water reabsorption was significant higher than in normal controls. The maximal rate of tubular transport for PAH was normal.4. The results are discussed.

     

Feinstrukturell-morphometrische Befunde an der Kammerwand hypertrophierter menschlicher linker Ventrikel

Zusammenfassung An den KammerwÄnden menschlicher linker Ventrikel, die auf Grund einer Aortenstenose, einer Aorteninsuffizienz oder eines kombinierten Aortenvitium hypertrophiert waren, wurden licht- und elektronenmikroskopisch morphometrische Untersuchungen angestellt. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit denen, die an nicht belasteten menschlichen linken Ventrikeln gewonnen wurden, verglichen.Lichtmikroskopisch unterscheiden sich die Anteile der Volumendichten des Interstitium und der Herzmuskelzellen am gesamten Herzmuskelgewebe nicht statistisch signifikant. Es konnte morphometrisch eine Zellvergrö\erung festgestellt werden, die aus der signifikanten Verringerung der Volumendichte der Zellkerne (P<0,001) und der Anzahl der Zellkerne pro TestflÄche (P<0,0001) gegenüber den beiden Normalkollektiven resultiert. Elektronenmikroskopisch ist eine Zunahme der Volumendichten der Myofibrillen (P<0,0001) auf Kosten des restlichen Cytoplasmas (P<0,001) festzustellen, wÄhrend die Volumendichte der Mitochondrien im Vergleich mit den jungen und alten Patienten abnahm (P<0,0001). Die OberflÄchendichte der Mitochondrien verringerte sich gegenüber den beiden Vergleichskollektiven (P<0,001) ebenso wie die der Cristae mitochondriales (P<0,0001). Diese Ergebnisse finden ihr morphologisches Korrelat in Mitochondriendestruktionen. Eine vermehrte Myolyse hat bei den hypertrophierten Herzen, die alle gewichtsmÄ\ig über dem kritischen Herzgewicht lagen, noch nicht eingesetzt. Bei allen Patienten wurde der herzchirurgische Eingriff mit Erfolg durchgeführt.

---

Ultrastructural morphometric analysis of hypertrophied human myocardial left ventricles

Summary Biopsies of hypertrophied human myocardial left ventricles were investigated morphometrically. The diagnoses of the patients were stenosis of the aortic valve, aortic insufficiency or a combination of both lesions. The results were compared with those from normally loaded human left ventricles.There are no differences on light microscopical level between the volume densities of interstitial tissue and of heart muscle cells in the three groups of patients. A significant diminution of the volume density of the nuclei (P<0.001) and the number of nuclei per test area (P<0.0001) when compared with normal groups suggests an increase in volume of the single heart muscle cell. The ultrastructural study shows marked increase in volume density of myofibrils (P<0.0001), with accompanying decrease in the volume densities of mitochondria (P<0.0001) and the remaining cytoplasm (P<0.001). A gross decrease in the surface area of mitochondria (P<0.001) and of cristae mitochondriales (P<0.0001) is found. The morphological equivalents of this result are numerous stages of mitochondrial destruction including cristolysis. All myocardial weights were beyond the critical heart weight.

Mit dankenswerter Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft über den Sonderforschungsbereich SFB 104     

Serum CK-MB activity in progressive muscular dystrophy: Is it of nosologic value?

Serum creatine-kinase (CK) isoenzyme MB was measured in 53 patients affected by different types of myopathies (20 with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), eight with the Becker form (BMD), ten with the limb-girdle form (LGMD), six with the facioscapulohumeral form (FSH), and nine affected by polymyositis and in 21 normal control subjects). The aim of this study was to compare each group with the control individuals and to assess the nosologic value of CK-MB activity among some clinically similar dystrophies, which may have an important application for genetic counseling. A statistically significant increased CK-MB activity was found only in the Duchenne and Becker patients when compared with control persons (p < 0.05). When the different groups of patients were compared among themselves, no significant difference was found between DMD and BMD or LGMD and polymyositis. However, a significant difference was found between BMD and LGMD. Based on these data, it is possible, through discriminant analysis, to estimate the relative biochemical probability of an isolated male patient belonging to either group.     

Major depression in panic disorder patients with comorbid social phobia

Rates of depression among panic disorder patients are particularly elevated in patients with comorbid social phobia. However, it is unclear whether this association is specific to social phobia, or whether any comorbid anxiety disorder increases the risk of depression. We assessed 100 panic disorder patients and found a significantly higher incidence of lifetime major depression for panic patients with comorbid social phobia or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Panic patients with comorbid social phobia had significantly higher scores on measures of dysfunctional attitudes and lower scores on measures of assertiveness; these variables may mediate the link between social phobia and depression in this population.     

Nonfermentative bacilli: evaluation of three systems for identification.

Three systems for the identification of nonfermentative bacilli were evaluated for their rapidity and accuracy of identification of 217 strains. Two of the systems, API 20E (API) and Oxi/Ferm tube (OxiF), are available as kits; the oxidative attack (OA) system is not commerically available. The overall accuracies of the OA, API, and OxiF systems were 91, 69, and 50%, respectively. Identification within 48 h was achieved for 98% of the strains by OA, for 50% by API, and for 18% by OxiF. Most of the organisms that were either misidentified or not identified by API and OxiF were those nonfermentative bacilli which are relatively more fastidious or rarely encountered or both. All three systems accurately identified nonfermentative bacilli commonly isolated at Olive View Medical Center, namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter anitratus, Pseudomonas maltophilia, Acinetobacter lwoffi, saccharolytic flavobacteria (CDC IIb), moraxellae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas putida. The OA system identified 100% of the above organisms correctly, API identified 99.4%, and OxiF identified 99.3%. Since these organisms comprise 92% of the total number of nonfermentative bacilli isolated at Olive View Medical Center, we conclude that both API and OxiF may be useful alternatives to conventional methods, based on accuracy of identification alone. These two systems were considered substantially inferior to the OA system when both accuracy and rapidity of identification were taken into account.