cagA-Positive Helicobacter pylori Populations in China and The Netherlands Are Distinct

The aim of this research was to study whether and to what extent Chinese cagA-positive Helicobacter pylori isolates differ from those in The Netherlands. Analysis of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR-assessed DNA fingerprints of chromosomal DNA of 24 cagA-positive H. pylori isolates from Dutch (n = 12) and Chinese (n = 10) patients yielded the absence of clustering. Based on comparison of the sequence of a 243-nucleotide part of cagA, the Dutch (group I) and Chinese (group II) H. pylori isolates formed two separate branches with high confidence limits in the phylogenetic tree. These two clusters were not observed when the sequence of a 240-bp part of glmM was used in the comparison. The number of nonsynonymous substitutions was much higher in cagA than in glmM, indicating positive selection. The average levels of divergence of cagA at the nucleotide and protein levels between group I and II isolates were found to be high, 13.3 and 17.9%, respectively. Possibly, the pathogenicity island (PAI) that has been integrated into the chromosome of the ancestor of H. pylori now circulating in China contained a different cagA than the PAI that has been integrated into the chromosome of the ancestor of H. pylori now circulating in The Netherlands. We conclude that in China and The Netherlands, two distinct cagA-positive H. pylori populations are circulating.     

Antithrombotic properties of trillium coated connectors

Trillium coating (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN) offers, in addition to the presence of heparin, endothelium-like properties of its negatively charged surface. Its thromboresistant properties on coated connectors are tested here and compared with uncoated standard connectors, as well as with the Carmeda BioActive surface (CBAS) heparin surface coating. A partial cardiopulmonary bypass bovine model (body weight 68 +/- 5 kg) was selected, and the surfaces were exposed to the blood stream (pump flow 3.5 L/min) for up to 350 minutes without systemic heparinization. Thereafter, another set of samples was exposed to stagnant blood for 20 minutes. Besides hemodynamic, hematologic, and biochemical analyses, the macroscopic appearance of 45 blood exposed surface samples were graded semiquantitatively on a scale of 0 to 10: no macroscopic deposits = grade 0, one spot (1 mm diameter) = grade 1, two spots = grade 2, five or more spots = grade 5, 10% of the surface covered with clots = grade 6, 100% covered = grade 10. When exposed to blood flow, Trillium and CBAS coatings showed a statistically significant (p = 0.03) better thromboresistance (score: 0 +/- 0 for both) than uncoated connectors (score: 0.8 +/- 1.5) in this nonheparinized model. The same holds true when the connectors were exposed to stagnant blood (score: 0 +/- 0 for both coatings vs 4.3 +/- 2.8 for controls; p = 0.03). Therefore, Trillium coating exhibits significant antithrombotic properties that outperform standards for connectors used in clinical perfusion.     

Amphiphysin IIm, a novel amphiphysin II isoform, is required for macrophage phagocytosis

Phagocytosis of pathogens by macrophages initiates the innate immune response, which in turn orchestrates the adaptive immune response. Amphiphysin II participates in receptor-mediated endocytosis, in part, by recruiting the GTPase dynamin to the nascent endosome. We demonstrate here that a novel isoform of amphiphysin II associates with early phagosomes in macrophages. We have ablated the dynamin-binding site of this protein and shown that this mutant form of amphiphysin II inhibits phagocytosis at the stage of membrane extension around the bound particles. We define a signaling cascade in which PI3K is required to recruit amphiphysin II to the phagosome, and amphiphysin II in turn recruits dynamin. Thus, amphiphysin II facilitates a critical initial step in host response to infection.     

The seroepidemiology of human T-lymphotropic viruses: types I and II in Europe: a prospective study of pregnant women

BACKGROUND: Up to 20 million persons are infected with the human retroviruses human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I and HTLV-II globally. Most data on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Europe are from studies of low-risk blood donors or high-risk injection drug users (IDUs). Little is known about the general population. METHODS: A prospective anonymous study of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among 234,078 pregnant women in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom was conducted. Maternal antibody status was determined by standard methods using sera obtained for routine antenatal infection screens or eluted from infant heel prick dried blood spots obtained for routine neonatal metabolic screens. RESULTS: Anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies were detected and confirmed in 96 pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.5-5.2). Of these, 73 were anti-HTLV-I, 17 were anti-HTLV-II, and 6 were specifically anti-HTLV but untyped. The seroprevalence ranged from 0.7 per 10,000 in Germany to 11.5 per 10,000 in France. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women better reflect the general population than blood donors or IDUs. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Western Europe is 6-fold higher among pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000) than among blood donors (0.07 per 10,000). These data provide a robust baseline against which changes in HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence in Europe can be measured.     

Leaf trajectory verification during dynamic intensity modulated radiotherapy using an amorphous silicon flat panel imager

An independent verification of the leaf trajectories during each treatment fraction improves the safety of IMRT delivery. In order to verify dynamic IMRT with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID), the EPID response should be accurate and fast such that the effect of motion blurring on the detected moving field edge position is limited. In the past, it was shown that the errors in the detected position of a moving field edge determined by a scanning liquid-filled ionization chamber (SLIC) EPID are negligible in clinical practice. Furthermore, a method for leaf trajectory verification during dynamic IMRT was successfully applied using such an EPID. EPIDs based on amorphous silicon (a-Si) arrays are now widely available. Such a-Si flat panel imagers (FPIs) produce portal images with superior image quality compared to other portal imaging systems, but they have not yet been used for leaf trajectory verification during dynamic IMRT. The aim of this study is to quantify the effect of motion distortion and motion blurring on the detection accuracy of a moving field edge for an Elekta iViewGT a-Si FPI and to investigate its applicability for the leaf trajectory verification during dynamic IMRT. We found that the detection error for a moving field edge to be smaller than 0.025 cm at a speed of 0.8 cm/s. Hence, the effect of motion blurring on the detection accuracy of a moving field edge is negligible in clinical practice. Furthermore, the a-Si FPI was successfully applied for the verification of dynamic IMRT. The verification method revealed a delay in the control system of the experimental DMLC that was also found using a SLIC EPID, resulting in leaf positional errors of 0.7 cm at a leaf speed of 0.8 cm/s.     

Effects of 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid on human lymphocyte sheep erythrocyte rosette formation and response to concanavalin A associated with HLA system

The lipoxygenase product hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HPETE) has immunosuppressive properties in vitro and in vivo. It was observed that 15-HPETE inhibit the sheep red blood cell rosette formation and the concanavalin A-induced blast transformation of human lymphocytes. This inhibition was HLA-linked. HLA-B12 subjects were less sensitive than non-B12 subjects. It is likely that HPETE acids are macrophage mediators which inhibit some lymphocyte functions.     

Aging and the prudential lifespan account

Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy - As individuals grow older, they usually require assistance with the daily tasks of self-care. This type of assistance, ancillary care, is essential to...     

Age Differences in Work-Disability Duration Across Canada: Examining Variations by Follow-Up Time and Context

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation - Purpose This study aimed to understand age differences in wage-replacement duration by focusing on variations in the relationship across different periods...     

Experimental Induction of Emotional and Sexual Intimacy: Exploring the Validity of the German Fast Friends Procedure in Individuals with and without Childhood Maltreatment

The Fast Friends Procedure (FFP) is a widely used experimental paradigm to induce emotional intimacy. Besides exploring the validity of a German translation of the paradigm (n?=?46), we developed an extension of the FFP that induces sexual intimacy and assessed heart rate, high-frequency heart rate variability, and electrodermal activity responses to the FFP and its extension. Furthermore, we examined its applicability to individuals with childhood maltreatment (n?=?56), who frequently suffer from intimacy-related difficulties. Intimacy, positive affect, liking, and attraction increased during the FFP and partly during the sexual intimacy extension in both study groups. Moreover, both groups showed physiological responses consistent with positive social interactions. The use of the German FFP and its sexual intimacy extension can thus be recommended for research in the general population and in individuals with childhood maltreatment, although more studies are needed to further validate the paradigms.