A staphylococcal radioimmunoassay for detection of antibodies toMycoplasma pneumoniae

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) which depends on the property of protein A ofStaphylococcus aureus to combine with the Fc-fragment of immunoglobulins was developed.This technique was employed to measure antibodies in human and various animal sera. It could be demonstrated that the staphylococcal RIA was at least as sensitive as the previously described radioimmunoprecipitation technique in detecting antibodies toM.pneumoniae in human sera. In addition, antibodies toM.pneumoniae could be demonstrated in sera of hamsters intranasally inoculated with the organisms. Antibodies could also be demonstrated in rabbit sera after immunization withM.pneumoniae. The test proved to be considerably more sensitive than conventional tests for detection of antibodies to the organisms. The test requires only small amounts of reagents and is relatively inexpensive.The results were presented in a preliminary form at the annual meeting of the Local Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, Frankfurt, March 1976 and the 77th ordinary meeting of the Society for General Microbiology, Glasgow, September 1976     

Evaluation of hyperforin analogues for inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase

The acylphloroglucinol hyperforin, a constituent of the herb Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort), was recently identified as potent and direct inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of proinflammatory leukotrienes. In this study, naturally occurring analogues of hyperforin, isolated from H. perforatum, as well as a series of synthetic derivatives obtained by chemical modification of hyperforin by acylation, alkylation or oxidation, were analysed for the inhibition of 5-LO. The efficacies of these compounds were evaluated in intact human polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but also the inhibitory effects on isolated recombinant human 5-LO were investigated. Our data show that some of the oxidised hyperforin derivatives possess even improved efficacy, whereas alkylation and acylation have detrimental effects.     

Homozygous microdeletion of chromosome 4q11-q12 causes severe limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2E with joint hyperlaxity and contractures

Microdeletion syndromes are commonly transmitted as dominant traits and are frequently associated with variably expressed pleiotropic phenotypes. Nonlethal homozygous microdeletions, on the other hand, are very rare. Here, we delineate the fifth and so far largest homozygous microdeletion in nonmalignancies of approximately 400 kb on chromosome 4q11-q12 in a large consanguineous East-Anatolian family with six affected patients. The deleted region contains the beta-sarcoglycan gene (SGCB), the predicted gene SPATA18 (spermatogenesis associated 18 homolog) and several expressed sequence tags. Patients presented with a severe and progressive Duchenne-like muscular dystrophy phenotype, a combination of hyperlaxity and joint contractures, chest pain, palpitations, and dyspnea.     

Effects of a diet rich in Q-3 fatty acids on left ventricular geometry and dynamics in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Summary The aim of the present study was to investigate the chronic effects of a dietetic antihypertensive treatment on blood pressure, ventricular dynamics and geometry of the pressure loaded heart. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) received a standard diet enriched with 10% mackerel oil, containing 30% polyunsaturated Q-3 fatty acids, over a period of 70 days. As described previously the diet reduced blood pressure permanently by 40-50 mm Hg. Despite this reduction, the degree of left ventricular hypertrophy was only slightly (statistically insignificantly) reduced. This was probably a result of an increase in sympathetic tone as indicated by a raised pulse rate. On the other hand, the treatment prevented the development of eccentric hypertrophy, typical to the SHR, without changing the elastic material properties of the myocardium. Since the age-matched controls did not show significant degenerative alterations, protective effects at the level of myocardial tissue could not be demonstrated. Furthermore, future investigations need to investigate why myocardial contractility of the treated animals diminishes as observed in this study.     

Siderophore production by Vibrio vulnificus

Previous studies in our laboratory, as well as clinical evidence, have suggested that increased iron levels in the host may be important in infections caused by the halophilic pathogen Vibrio vulnificus. To study iron acquisition, we induced siderophore production by growth in a low-iron medium, and biochemical testing indicated the production of both hydroxamate- and phenolate-type siderophores. The siderophores were extracted from growth filtrates with ethyl acetate (for phenolates) and phenol-chloroform-ether (for hydroxamates). These extracts enhanced the growth of V. vulnificus when the bacterium was grown in iron-limited medium. The ability of these siderophores to stimulate the growth of Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 enb-7 (a mutant deficient in the biosynthesis of enterochelin) and Arthrobacter flavescens JG-9 (a hydroxamate auxotroph) supported the conclusion that V. vulnificus produces both hydroxamate- and phenolate-type siderophores.     

Colonization of in vitro-formed cervical human papillomavirus- associated (pre)neoplastic lesions with dendritic cells: role of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of CD1a+ Langerhans/dendritic cells (LCs/DCs) to infiltrate human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated (pre)neoplastic lesions of the uterine cervix. Migration of LCs/DCs in the presence of keratinocytes derived from normal cervix and HPV-transformed cell lines was evaluated in Boyden chambers and in organotypic cultures and correlated with granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) production by the cells, as determined by ELISA. Conditioned media of HPV-transformed keratinocytes contained lower amounts of GM-CSF and induced a decreased motile response of LCs/DCs in the Boyden chamber assay compared with those of normal cervical keratinocytes. The migration of LCs/DCs in the presence of conditioned media from normal keratinocytes could be blocked by an anti-GM-CSF antibody, and the migration of LCs/DCs in the presence of conditioned media from HPV-transformed keratinocytes could be increased by supplementing the media with recombinant GM-CSF. GM-CSF was also a potent factor in enhancing the colonization of LCs/DCs into organotypic cultures of HPV-transformed keratinocytes, as the infiltration of LCs/DCs in the in vitro-formed (pre)neoplastic epithelium was minimal under basal conditions and dramatically increased after the addition of GM-CSF to the cultures. These results suggest that GM-CSF could play an important role in the recruitment of LCs/DCs into the HPV-transformed (pre)neoplastic cervical epithelium and be useful as a new immunotherapeutic approach for cervical (pre)cancers.     

Multicontrast MRI of remyelination in the central nervous system

Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents the most sensitive tool for the detection of white matter abnormalities in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the heterogeneity of MS placques severely hampers the elucidation of specific pathophysiological processes. In order to identify putative MRI markers for de- and remyelination, we employed the cuprizone mouse model which leads to a selective and reversible demyelination of the corpus callosum with little or no axonal damage. Apart from histopathology, animals were studied with high-resolution three-dimensional MRI in vivo using multiple contrasts. While individual MRI findings significantly correlated with electron microscopy, the differentiation of regions with normal, demyelinated or remyelinated white matter by one contrast alone was less specific than by histology or electron microscopy. However, an accurate MRI prediction of the in vivo myelin status was achieved by a discriminant function analysis using a combination of T1, T2 and magnetization transfer contrast. With a correct assignment of 95% of all animals examined, the procedure will allow for the survey of new therapeutic approaches aiming at improved remyelination.     

Metachronous and multiple aneurysmal bone cysts: a rare variant of primary aneurysmal bone cysts

In 1942, Jaffe and Lichtenstein introduced the term aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC). Primary ABC is characterized by the presence of spongy or multi-cameral cystic tissue filled with blood. The process is benign, but it is locally destructive and has a high propensity for recurrence. In this paper, we present the third case of multiple metachronous primary ABCs as a rare variant of ABC. We describe the 10-year history of a 12-year-old boy with metachronous multiple primary ABCs at five different sites (right proximal humerus, right ulna, bilateral distal radius and right lateral clavicle). Furthermore, our patient suffered from vascular malformations, such as aortic isthmus stenosis, hypoplastic thoraco-abdominal aorta and bilateral renal artery stenosis. To date, in contrast to solitary ABC, the multiple lesions have been found more frequently in male individuals. Using interphase cytogenetics, we analyzed three of five of the patients ABCs and one of these was also analyzed by GTG-banding. No chromosomal abnormalities were found. Significantly, we excluded the missense mutation of codon 201 in guanine nucleotide-binding protein 1 gene consistently found in McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) and in non-MAS cases of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone with or without secondary ABC.     

Untersuchungen zur Genese von Makrophagen in der Blutzellenkultur

Zusammenfassung In Blutzellkulturen aus menschlichem Venenblut mit unterschiedlicher Zellzusammensetzung ist bei Anwendung morphologischer, cytochemischer und quantitativer Kriterien festzustellen, daß die Makrophagen aus Monocyten und nicht aus Lymphocyten entstehen. Die neutrophilen Granulocyten liefern Material zur Phagocytose, beeinflussen jedoch nicht die Zahl der Makrophagen.

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Summary After use of morphological, cytochemical and quantitative methods in blood cell cultures of human venous blood is to find out that the Macrophages descent from monocytes and not from lymphocytes. The granulocytes supply some material for Phagocytosis but don't have an influence upon the number of the Marcrophages.