Cytopathic astrovirus isolated from porcine acute gastroenteritis in an established cell line derived from porcine embryonic kidney.

A cytopathic astrovirus was isolated from pigs with acute diarrhea in an established cell line that was derived from porcine embryonic kidneys with the aid of trypsin. The virus showed a distinct cytopathic effect characterized by an enlargement of cells and the appearance of fine granules in the cytoplasm. Porcine astrovirus was shown to have an RNA genome, as determined by the effect of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine on its replication, and five polypeptides with molecular masses of 13,000, 30,000, 31,000, 36,000, and 39,000 daltons; and it was shown to be stable to lipid solvents and heating at 50 degrees C for 30 min but somewhat labile to acid (pH 3.0). The buoyant density of the isolate determined in CsCl was 1.35 g/ml. Seroconversion to the virus was evident in the paired serum specimens obtained from pigs with diarrhea that were housed at the farm where the disease occurred. The neutralization test on serum specimens collected randomly from 128 adult pigs of eight herds revealed that 50 of the serum specimens were positive for antibody to porcine astrovirus, although there was considerable variation in the prevalence among herds, ranging from 0 to 83%. Hysterectomy-produced, colostrum-deprived, 4-day-old pigs developed mild diarrhea after oral exposure to porcine astrovirus propagated in the cell culture; and the virus was isolated again from diarrheal stool specimens.     

11q trisomy detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization

Takano T, Yamanouchi Y, Kawashima S, Date M, Hashira S, Kida M, Abe T, Nakahori Y, Nakagome Y. 11q trisomy detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Clin Genet 1993: 44: 324–328. © Munksgaard, 1993 A patient with psychomotor developmental delay, multiple minor anomalies, congenital heart disease and left inguinal hernia is reported. His karyotype was 45,X/46,X,+mar (3 : 37 cells), and the marker chromosome was identified as t(Y;11) (q12;q14?) using fluorescence in situ hybridization and fluorescent chromosome painting. He was diagnosed as mosaic for de novo 11q trisomy.     

Lack of synergism among DMAB, BOP, and MNU in induction of carcinomas of the rat ventral prostate.

The present experiment was undertaken to investigate possible synergism in induction of rat prostate tumor. F344 rats were repeatedly administered the prostate carcinogens 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl (DMAB),N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine(BOP), and N-methylnitrosourea (MNU) sequentially or together at times of hormonal castration induced regenerative cell proliferation of prostate epithelial cells. Group 1 animals received two 100 mg/kg doses of DMAB, two 20 mg/kg applications of BOP, and two times 15 mg/kg of MNU. Groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively, received each of the carcinogen treatment alone. Group 5 was given 6 applications of all three in combination, each at one-third the dose administered to the other groups. The results showed a clear synergism in enhanced tumor development in the colon but not in the prostate, in which the incidence of lesions induced by the three carcinogens was similar to that with DMAB alone.     

MARKED EPITHELIAL HYPERPLASIA OF THE RAT GLANDULAR STOMACH INDUCED BY LONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF IODOACETAMIDE

Iodoacetamide (IAA), an ulcerogenic compound, was continuously given to male Wistar rats for up to 74 weeks. No carcinomas developed but marked glandular hyperplasias were frequently observed accompanied by chronic ulcer or erosion in the fundic region. They showed pseudo-invasive growth into the submucosa, the granulomatous tissue and even into the muscle layer, but no cellular and nuclear atypia was observed in their glands. Characteristically the mucosal damage caused by chronic IAA treatment was restricted to the fundic mucosa along the limiting ridge. Abnormally regenerated mucosa in the damaged area showed pyloric gland type metaplasia, demonstrated histo-chemically by paradoxical concanavalin A-staining and high-iron diamine-Alcian blue staining for mucin. No intestinal metaplasia was observed in these mucosa.     

Pathogenicity of avian nephritis virus in chicks previously infected with infectious bursal disease virus

Pathogenicity of avian nephritis virus (ANV) was studied in 7‐day‐old chicks previously infected with infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) at 1 day of age. Three IBDV+ANV infected chicks were found dead with no apparent clinical signs within 10 days of inoculation with ANV and they had marked urate deposits throughout the body. All of the surviving IBDV+ANV infected chicks had reduced body weight gain, unlike the ANV‐only infected, IBDV‐only infected and non‐infected control chicks.

In a chronological study, all of the ANV‐infected chicks revealed interstitial nephritis accompanied by tubular cell degeneration and lymphoid cell infiltration. Avian nephritis virus antigen was detected with equal sensitivity by fluorescent antibody and immunoperoxidase techniques and was widely distributed in the degenerated epithelial cells. The concentration of serum uric acid in IBDV+ANV infected chicks was higher than that in ANV‐only infected chicks. The antibody against ANV in ANV‐only infected chicks was first detected 8 dpi and its titre increased gradually. In contrast, the antibody in the IBDV+ANV infected chicks was very low and was detected in only three out of seven chicks 16 dpi; the titre was 1:4 in one chick and 1:8 in the other 2 chicks. Coincident with serological results, the number of lgG‐ and IgM‐containing cells in the kidneys and spleen were less in IBDV + ANV‐infected chicks than in ANV‐only infected chicks. These finding suggested that IBDV infection in chicks might influence the immunological response and susceptibility to subsequent ANV infection.     

Nutritional Assessment in Adult Patients with Dysphagia: A Scoping Review

Malnutrition negatively affects the quality of life of patients with dysphagia. Despite the need for nutritional status assessment in patients with dysphagia, standard, effective nutritional assessments are not yet available, and the identification of optimal nutritional assessment items for patients with dysphagia is inadequate. We conducted a scoping review of the use of nutritional assessment items in adult patients with oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched to identify articles published in English within the last 30 years. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Seven nutritional assessment categories were identified: body mass index (BMI), nutritional screening tool, anthropometric measurements, body composition, dietary assessment, blood biomarkers, and other. BMI and albumin were more commonly assessed in adults. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM), defining new diagnostic criteria for malnutrition, includes the categories of BMI, nutritional screening tool, anthropometric measurements, body composition, and dietary assessment as its required components, but not the blood biomarkers and the “other” categories. We recommend assessing nutritional status, including GLIM criteria, in adult patients with dysphagia. This would standardize nutritional assessments in patients with dysphagia and allow future global comparisons of the prevalence and outcomes of malnutrition, as well as of appropriate interventions.     

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Due to Iatrogenic Amyloidosis After Domino Liver Transplantation From Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis: A Case Report

BackgroundCarpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compression syndrome of the peripheral nerve. Transthyretin amyloidosis and dialysis-related β2-microglobulin amyloidosis are known causes of carpal tunnel syndrome.Case ReportA Japanese woman showed carpal tunnel syndrome 16 years after a domino liver transplantation (DLT) from the donor with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. DLT indication was congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and the patient had been put on maintenance hemodialysis because of chronic kidney disease 6 years before DLT. Moreover, the amyloid precursor protein of the patient was histologically confirmed not to be β2-microglobulin, but transthyretin.ConclusionsThe existence of amyloid was speculated when the patient who underwent DLT from hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis showed carpal tunnel syndrome. Additionally, elucidating the amyloid precursor protein when the patient has another cause of amyloidosis is necessary.     

A digest of the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Nephrotic Syndrome 2020

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology -     

Therapeutic effects of the combined androgen blockade therapy versus luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog monotherapy in patients with hormone naïve metastatic prostate cancer: a multi-institutional comparative analysis

BackgroundThe clinical benefit of the combined androgen blockade (CAB) therapy over luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog (LH-RHa) monotherapy for hormone naïve metastatic prostate cancer (mHNPC) is unclear. Therefore, we retrospectively compare the effectiveness of CAB with the LH-RHa monotherapy on the prognosis of Japanese patients with mHNPC.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated the prognosis of 517 patients diagnosed with mHNPC between August 2001 and May 2017. The patients’ data were obtained from the Michinoku Urological Cancer Research Group database and Hirosaki University-related hospitals. Patients were divided into the CAB and LH-RHa monotherapy groups based on primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and castrate-resistant prostate cancer-free survival (CRPC-FS) were compared between the two groups using the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted Cox hazard proportional analyses was performed to investigate the effect of primary ADT on oncological outcomes.ResultsThe median age was 73 years old. The numbers of patients in the CAB and LH-RHa monotherapy groups were 447 and 70, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed no significant differences in either 5-year OS (56.7% vs. 52.5%, P=0.277), CSS (61.1% vs. 56.4%, P=0.400), and CRPC-FS (33.1% vs. 31.1%, P=0.529) between the groups. IPTW-adjusted multivariate Cox hazard proportional analyses showed no significant differences in OS, CSS, and CRPC-FS between the two groups.ConclusionsNo significant differences in oncological outcomes were observed between the CAB and LH-RHa monotherapy groups in patients with mHNPC.