Fibre type specific expression of Leu19-antigen and N-CAM in skeletal muscle in various stages after experimental denervation

Leu-19 antigen, which seems to be identical with neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), plays a major role in the innervation of muscle cells, and in adult muscle appears after denervation and during regeneration of muscle fibres, where it acts as part of a signalling system increasing the probability of re-innervation. This combined enzyme-histochemical and immunohistochemical study examined whether this signalling process was regulated in a uniform or differential pattern for type 1 and type 2 muscle fibres. The subscapular nerve of 18 rabbits was transsected with subsequent complete denervation of the supraspinatus muscle. Leu19 and N-CAM immunohistochemistry was performed 2 to 64 days after surgery. Whereas in normal muscle there are virtually no Leu-19/N-CAM positive muscle fibres; from day 2 after denervation an increasing proportion of fibres expressed Leu-19/N-CAM, prior to any neurogenic atrophy. In the early stage of denervation Leul9/N-CAM expression was confined to type 1 fibres. After 11 days nearly all fibres were Leul9/N-CAM positive irrespective of their fibre type. Sixty-four days after denervation type 1 fibres became Leu19/N-CAM negative, while atrophic type 2 fibres showed intensive staining. Thus, expression of Leu-19 antigenity is differently regulated in both fibre types.     

Cellular and molecular analyses of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restricted and non-MHC-restricted effector cells recognizing renal cell carcinomas: problems and perspectives for immunotherapy

 Renal cell carcinomas belong to the small group of tumors that are able to induce antitumor responses. Here we describe two general types of cytotoxic effector lymphocytes that can eliminate autologous tumor cells and discuss the role that major histocompatibility complex encoded molecules play in governing their specificities. Improved understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of renal cell carcinoma recognition opens new avenues of research with the potential to develop better immunotherapies for patients with metastatic disease. Received: 24 July 1996 / Accepted: 1 November 1996     

Cardiomyopathy associated with Leigh's disease

Summary Clinical and postmortem findings in a female infant, suffering from Leigh's disease and cardiomegaly are described. The cardiac enlargement was due to symmetrical thickening of both ventricular walls and the septum. On light microscopy a widespread fibre disarray with a slight predilection for the ventricular septum was observed. Ultrastructural changes included an extreme reduction in the number of myofibrils and an excess of mitochondria. Abnormalities of the mitochondrial structure with tubular and myelinic transformation of the cristae suggested that a mitochondriopathy is responsible for the cardiomegaly in Leigh's disease.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Waldemar Hort on the occasion to his 60th birthday     

Serotonin transporter binding in Tourette Syndrome

Recent studies provided evidence for an involvement of the dopaminergic system in the pathophysiology of Tourette Syndrome (TS). However, little is known about possible impairment of other neurotransmitter systems. In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a common comorbidity in TS, it is suggested that the serotonergic system plays a major role in the pathogenesis. We, therefore, used [I-123]2[beta]-carbomethoxy-3[beta]-(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([123I]beta-CIT) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to investigate serotonin transporter (SERT) binding capacity in 12 patients with TS with various degrees of associated obsessive compulsive behaviour (OCB) and 16 age-matched healthy controls. Binding ratios in TS patients not receiving serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) (n=8) were significantly reduced compared to age-adjusted ratios from normal controls (2.8 versus 3.2, p=0.003). Treatment with SSRI resulted in a significant reduction of SERT availability. Performing linear regression analysis for this small group, SSRI-free patients indicated trends for a negative correlation between [123I]beta-CIT binding on SERT and OCB (r=-0.78, p=0.023) as well as complex motor tics (r=-0.68, p=0.064). In healthy controls, but not in the TS group, we found an age-related decline in SERT binding capacity (0.28% decrease per year, p=0.038). Our data are in agreement with previous results suggesting an impairment of the serotonergic system in TS. It can be speculated that the reduction in SERT binding capacity is associated with the degree of comorbid OCB.     

Disseminated infection with Nattrassia mangiferae in an immunosuppressed patient

Disseminated infection with the coelomycetous fungus Nattrassia mangiferae is a very rare disease affecting only the immunocompromised host. We report the first case of a disseminated infection with spondylodiscitis and granular skin lesions due to N. mangiferae in a renal transplant patient.     

The Bioperl toolkit: Perl modules for the life sciences

The Bioperl project is an international open-source collaboration of biologists, bioinformaticians, and computer scientists that has evolved over the past 7 yr into the most comprehensive library of Perl modules available for managing and manipulating life-science information. Bioperl provides an easy-to-use, stable, and consistent programming interface for bioinformatics application programmers. The Bioperl modules have been successfully and repeatedly used to reduce otherwise complex tasks to only a few lines of code. The Bioperl object model has been proven to be flexible enough to support enterprise-level applications such as EnsEMBL, while maintaining an easy learning curve for novice Perl programmers. Bioperl is capable of executing analyses and processing results from programs such as BLAST, ClustalW, or the EMBOSS suite. Interoperation with modules written in Python and Java is supported through the evolving BioCORBA bridge. Bioperl provides access to data stores such as GenBank and SwissProt via a flexible series of sequence input/output modules, and to the emerging common sequence data storage format of the Open Bioinformatics Database Access project. This study describes the overall architecture of the toolkit, the problem domains that it addresses, and gives specific examples of how the toolkit can be used to solve common life-sciences problems. We conclude with a discussion of how the open-source nature of the project has contributed to the development effort.     

Experimental double infection of Biomphalaria glabrata snails with Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Schistosoma mansoni

Summary Two groups of Biomphalaria glabrata snails primarily infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis were secondarily exposed to infection with Schistosoma mansoni. To investigate any antagonistic effect of a first infection on a superimposed one and to compare to singly and non-infected snails, a series of experiments was undertaken in which snails were individually exposed, variously, to 1,000 and 2,000 first-stage larvae of A. cantonensis and then to 5 and 10 miracidia of S. mansoni 1 day and 3 weeks later.Snails became infected with S. mansoni in both groups of snails with double infections and shed cercariae after the same incubation period as in the singly infected groups. The number of snails shedding cercariae simultaneously was similar in single and double infection groups during the first two weeks of shedding, after which this number decreased somewhat in doubly infected groups. Snails with double infection showed higher cumulative mortality rates than in snail groups with single infection with either A. cantonensis or S. mansoni. Therefore, initial infection of B. glabrata with A. cantonensis produced no inhibitory or retarding effect on subsequent infection of snails with S. mansoni.

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Zusammenfassung Zwei Gruppen der Süßwasserschnecke Biomphalaria glabrata, die zuvor mit 1000 bzw. 2000 ersten Larven von Angiostrongylus cantonensis pro Schnecke infiziert worden waren, wurden zur Feststellung eines eventuellen antagonistischen Effekts zwischen beiden Parasiten, einen Tag und drei Wochen später mit 5 bzw. 10 Miracidien von Schistosoma mansoni infiziert. Nicht infizierte und mit jeweils nur einer der beiden Parasitenarten infizierte Schnecken dienten als Kontrolle.In beiden doppelt infizierten Gruppen ging die S. mansoni-Infektion sehr gut an, und die Ausscheidung von Cercarien begann nach der gleichen Entwicklungszeit wie bei den nur mit S. mansoni infizierten Kontrollgruppen. Die Anzahl Cercarien ausscheidender Schnecken war in den beiden ersten Wochen bei den jeweils einzeln und doppelt infizierten Gruppen sehr ähnlich, während sie sich in der Folgezeit in den doppelt infizierten Gruppen rasch verminderte. In Gruppen mit Doppelinfektion zeigte sich eine höhere Mortalität als bei den jeweils nur mit A. cantonensis oder S. mansoni infizierten Schnecken. Eine Beeinflussung der Entwicklung von S. mansoni durch die vorausgegangene Nematodeninfektion konnte nicht nachgewiesen werden.

     

Polymere imidazolcarbonsäuren, 2. Über das schwermetallionenbindungsvermögen von chelatharzen mit 4,5-sicarboxyimidazolyl-gruppen

The swelling behaviour, the time-dependence of the uptake of Cu²⁺-ions, and the pH-dependence of the uptake of Cu²⁺-, Ni²⁺-, Cd²⁺-, Zn²⁺- and Mg²⁺-ions of crosslinked poly[1-(4,5-dicarboxy-1-imidiazolyl)ethylene] ( 1 ) and poly{1-[p-(4,5-dicarboxy-2-imidazolyl)phenyl]ethylene} ( 2 ) were investigated. Both resins have a high selectivity for heavy metal ions. For resins 1 the uptake of heavy metal ions in the presence of an excess of EDTA was studied. Furthermore the possibility to remove Hg²⁺-ions from aqueous alkalichloride solutions by resin 1 was investigated.     

Über poly[1-N-(4-isothiocyanatophenyl)carbamoyloxy-methyläthylen-co-1-hydroxymethyläthylen]e als träger zur immobilisierung von papain

Poly[1-N-(4-isothiocyanatophenyl)carbamoyloxymethylethylene-co-1-hydroxymethylethylene]s ( 5a – c ) were obtained by reaction of poly(allyl alcohol) ( 2 ) with 4-isothiocyanatophenyl isocyanate ( 3 ). In some cases 1,4-phenylenediisocyanate ( 4 ) was used as crosslinking agent. These reactive carriers were found to be suitable to immobilize enzymes by covalent bonds. The binding abilities of these polymers 5a – e for butylamine, 3,4-dichloroaniline, peptone (from lactalbumin), and papain were investigated. The enzymatic activity, the pH-optimum, the apparent Michaelis-constant K_M(app), and the activity dependance on temperature were determined for the immobilized papain.     

Amphotere ionenaustauscher, 5

Amphoteric ion exchangers with uniform structure were obtained by copolymerization of aziridinyl monomers followed by alkaline saponification of the ester groups of the polymers. The following compounds were copolymerized: Diethyl 2,4-di(1-aziridinyl)glutarate ( 1 ) with either diethyl (1-aziridinyl)succinate ( 4 ), diethyl (1-aziridinyl)fumarate ( 5 ) or dimethyl (1-aziridinylmethyl)succinate ( 6 ); diethyl ester of 3,3′-(1,4-phenylene) and 3,3′-(1,3-phenylene)di[3-(1-aziridinyl)propionic acid] ( 2a ) and ( 2b ), respectively, with either methyl (1-aziridinyl) acetate ( 7 ) or methyl (1-aziridinyl)propionate ( 8 ); dimethyl 3,6-di(1-aziridinyl)cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate ( 3 ) with dimethyl 6-(1-aziridinyl)cyclo-2-hexene-1,2-dicarboxylate ( 9 ). Further the dioctylester of 3,3′-(1,4-phenylene)di[3-(1-aziridinyl)propionic acid] ( 10 ) was homopolymerized. The properties of the amphoteric resins were investigated. In particular the binding ability for Cu^2⊕, Ni^2⊕, Zn^2⊕, and Mg^2⊕ ions and the swelling ability were studied as function of the pH of the solution. The uptake of CU²⁺ ions was determined as a function of time. An average capacity for Cu²⁺ ions of 2,5 to 3,75 mmol/g of dry resin was found at pH 5,5–6.