Urofacial (Ochoa) syndrome

Between 1965 and 1986 we saw 36 children with enuresis and urinary tract infection in association with “inversion” of facial expression when laughing. Urologic work-up of these patients disclosed characteristic findings of mild neuropathic bladder in all cases, with severe urinary tract damage in most of them. The clear association of distortion in facial expression and neuropathic bladder with resultant damage to the genitourinary tract should prompt urological evaluation of individuals with “inversion” of facial expression. About two thirds of the patients also had moderate to severe constipation. We suggest the term urofacial syndrome for this disorder. The occurrence of the disorder in multiple sibs, normal parents, increased parental consanguinity, and equal sex ratio indicate autosomal recessive inheritance.     

Mild Brachmann–de Lange syndrome: Changes of phenotype with age

We present a girl with mild manifestations of the Brachmann-de Lange syndrome (BDLS) with gradual change of the phenotype. Her findings support the hypothosis of variability of the phenotypic spectrum of the disorder.     

Whole chromosome 17 loss in ovarian cancer

Chromosomal deletions, associated with the loss of normal function of tumour suppressor genes, have been identified in a variety of both familial and sporadic human cancers. Although the molecular pathology of ovarian cancer is not understood, several studies have reported deletions in chromosome 17 in ovarian tumours. We have used 13 restriction site polymorphic, microsatellite, and variable number tandem repeat markers to make a detailed analysis of chromosome 17 deletions in 12 benign and 19 malignant ovarian tumours. Two benign and 11 malignant tumours were informative for at least one marker on each arm of the chromosome. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was detected in both arms (by all informative markers) in 5 malignant tumours from four women (three with the disease at FIGO stage la). In a further bilateral ovarian tumour a partial LOH affecting 17q22-q25 was present in one ovary only. By contrast to a number of previous studies, none of the 19 malignant and 12 benign tumours showed ERBB2 (17q12ndash;22) amplification. The data presented show that the loss of a whole copy of chromosome 17 is a frequent and relatively early event in the development of some ovarian cancers. This suggests the possible involvement of multiple chromosome 17 loci in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Equally plausible is that the loss of a whole chromosome copy could be the product of chromosomal instabilities induced by loss of the normal allele of tumour suppressors, such as TP53, located on this chromosome. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Studies of the transport of polyclonal IgA antibody from blood to bile in rats.

Bile or thoracic duct lymph, collected from rats 7-9 days after suspensions of B. abortus, S. typhi or SRBC had been injected into the Peyer''s patches, contained high titres of specific agglutinins. Samples of these fluids were injected i.v. into unimmunized, syngeneic recipients and the partitioning between blood and bile of the injected antibodies was studied and found to depend on the source and class of the antibody. IgA antibodies from lymph plasma disappeared rapidly from the recipients'' blood and half of the dose was recovered in the bile within 2 h of its injection. IgA antibodies which had been collected from bile and so had previously traversed the liver and acquired secretory component, appeared in the recipients'' bile much less rapidly so that less than half of the dose entered the bile over a period of 40 h. Passively administered IgG antibodies did not enter the recipients'' bile to any significant extent and specific haemolysins never appeared in the bile after either passive or active immunization.     

Terminal bronchioles harbor a unique airway stem cell population that localizes to the bronchoalveolar duct junction

Cellular mechanisms contributing to renewal of terminal bronchioles remain poorly defined. Our previous studies identified pollutant-resistant Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP)-expressing stem cells that localize to the neuroepithelial body (NEB) and contribute to renewal of the proximal bronchiolar epithelium. However, activation of NEB-associated stem cells is unlikely to contribute to renewal of terminal bronchiolar epithelium because of the paucity of NEBs at this location. Goals of this study were to determine the location and properties of cells contributing to renewal of terminal bronchioles after Clara cell depletion. Pollutant-resistant CCSP-expressing cells were identified that localized to the bronchoalveolar duct junction (BADJ) and contribute to restoration of a phenotypically diverse epithelium. CCSP-expressing cells comprise the predominant proliferative population in initial terminal bronchiolar repair and include a population of label-retaining cells suggesting that they maintain characteristics of a stem cell population. Furthermore, immunohistochemical co-localization studies involving CCSP and the NEB-specific marker calcitonin gene-related peptide indicate that BADJ-associated CCSP-expressing stem cells function independently of NEB microenvironments. These studies identify a BADJ-associated, NEB-independent, CCSP-expressing stem cell population in terminal bronchioles and support the notion that regiospecific stem cell niches function to maintain epithelial diversity after injury.     

Mass spectrometric identification of mtb81, a novel serological marker for tuberculosis

We have used serological proteome analysis in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry to identify and sequence a novel protein, Mtb81, which may be useful for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), especially for patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Recombinant Mtb81 was tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies in 25 of 27 TB patients (92%) seropositive for HIV as well as in 38 of 67 individuals (57%) who were TB positive alone. No reactivity was observed in 11 of 11 individuals (100%) who were HIV seropositive alone. In addition, neither sera from purified protein derivative (PPD)-negative (0 of 29) nor sera from healthy (0 of 45) blood donors tested positive with Mtb81. Only 2 of 57 of PPD-positive individuals tested positive with Mtb81. Sera from individuals with smear-positive TB and seropositive for HIV but who had tested negative for TB in the 38-kDa antigen immunodiagnostic assay were also tested for reactivity against Mtb81, as were sera from individuals with lung cancer and pneumonia. Mtb81 reacted with 26 of 37 HIV(+) TB(+) sera (70%) in this group, compared to 2 of 37 (5%) that reacted with the 38-kDa antigen. Together, these results demonstrate that Mtb81 may be a promising complementary antigen for the serodiagnosis of TB.     

Searching for answers: How well do depression websites answer the public’s questions about treatment choices?

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate websites providing information on treatment for depression to the public, and to evaluate changes in the quality of website information over time.

Molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a large urban hospital over a 5-year period

To investigate the dissemination of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) in a 728-bed tertiary-care hospital, all clinical VREF isolates recovered from June 1992 to June 1997 were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and the transfer histories of the patients were documented. A total of 413 VREF isolates from urine (52%), wounds (16%), blood (11%), catheter tips (6%), and other sites (15%) were studied. VREF specimens mostly came from patients on wards (66%) but 34% came from patients in an intensive care unit. The number of VREF isolates progressively increased over time, with higher rates of isolation during the winter months and lower rates in the late summer months. Four distinct banding patterns were detected by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis among 316 samples (76%). Strain A (122 samples; 30%) appeared in June 1992 as the first VREF strain and was found until December 1994 throughout the entire hospital. Type B (92 samples; 22%) was initially detected in January 1994 and disappeared in November 1996. Strain C (10 samples; 2%) was limited to late 1996 and early 1997. Strain D (92 samples; 22%) showed two major peaks during March 1996 to August 1996 and January 1997 to February 1997. Unrelated strains (97 samples; 24%) appeared 1 year after the appearance of the first VREF isolate, and the numbers increased slightly over the years. Nosocomial acquisition (i.e., no known detection prior to admission and first isolation from cultures performed with samples retrieved >/=2 days after hospitalization) was found for 316 (91%) of 347 patients. Despite the implementation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the proportion of related strains and high number of nosocomial cases of infection indicate a high transmission rate inside the hospital. The results imply an urgent need for stringent enforcement of more effective infection control measures.     

Radioimmunodetection of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with 111In-labeled T101 monoclonal antibody

T101 monoclonal antibody recognizes a pan-T-cell antigen present on normal T cells and also found in high concentrations in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. We used this antibody, radiolabeled with 111In, in gamma-camera imaging to detect sites of metastatic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in 11 patients with advanced disease. In all patients, [111In]T101 concentrated in pathologically or clinically detected nodes, including those in several previously unsuspected nodal regions. Concentrations (per gram of tissue) ranged from 0.01 to 0.03 percent of the injected dose and were consistently 10 to 100 times higher than previously reported on radioimmunodetection. Focal uptake was seen in skin tumors and heavily infiltrated erythroderma but not in skin plaques. The specificity of tumor targeting was documented by control studies with [111In]chloride or [111In]9.2.27 (anti-melanoma) monoclonal antibody. Increasing the T101 dose (1 to 50 mg) altered distribution in nontumor tissues. These studies suggest that imaging with [111In]T101 may be of value in identifying sites of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In contrast to the targeting of solid tumors, the mechanism of localization appears to be related to binding to T cells, which can then carry the radioactivity to involved sites.     

Excess thymidine induces folate sensitve fragile sites

Folate sensitive fragile sites on human chromosomes have been found to be inducible in cultured lymphocytes by high levels of thymidine but not by high levels of BrdU. The biochemical interpretation of events leading to fragile site expression has been revised since it is now clear that low levels of either thymidylate or deoxycytidine triphosphate will result in this phenomenon. A model for the DNA at a fragile site, composed of alternating repeating polypurine/polypyrimidine sequences is proposed.