Can E-selectin be a reliable marker of inflammation in lumbar disc disease?

The cause of sciatica and low back pain associating with lumbar disc herniation has not been clearly identified until now. Inflammation has been shown to occur via immunohistochemical and biochemical methods in herniated disc tissues. The important prognostic role of E-selectin has recently been substantiated by other studies in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). The important role of adhesion molecules in the initiation and progression of the inflammatory response is well known for infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. In our study, we aimed to show the role of E-selectin as an inflammatory marker and the correlation of inflammation with straight-leg raise (SLR) test findings and subtype of disc herniation. We found that the cases with positive SLR test had higher rates of immunostaining with E-selectin. This led us to think that E-selectin might play an important role in the activity status of the disease, meaning patients with more limited movement capacity might benefit from E-selectin antagonist therapy. Among the many studies performed to identify the relationship between the inflammation markers and activity of lumbar disc herniation, this is the first investigation held with E-selectin.     

Transposition of the great vessels in western Africa. Apropos of 17 cases observed at the Institute of Cardiology in Abidjan

During the last 10 years, 17 children with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) were admitted to the Cardiology Institute of Abidjan: 1 case between March 1978 and December 1985, 16 cases between January 1986 and December 1989. The average age was 58 days (range 5 to 270 days) at the first consultation, and 90 days (5 to 270 days) at the time of admission. The diagnosis was confirmed by echocardiography and hemodynamic investigation in 12 cases. There were 9 simple forms of TGA, 7 with ventricular septal defects (VSD) and 1 with VSD and pulmonary stenosis. Two children were taken back by their parents before any treatment was given. A Rashkind atrial septostomy was carried out in 11 children which increased aortic oxygen saturation from 35 +/- 18 percent to 57 +/- 19 percent; there were 3 unsuccessful procedures in children aged 2, 3 and 5 months with 2 deaths. Five patients later underwent surgical correction by a Senning procedure in 4 cases and anatomical correction in 1 case with VSD. All are well after an average 15 months follow-up (1 to 48 months). One of the 8 children awaiting surgery died. Therefore, TGA is not a rare abnormality in Black Africa; it represents 2 percent of the 887 cases of congenital heart disease observed during the same period. The inadequacy of means of diagnosis is certainly the cause of the relatively low incidence of this malformation, of the considerable delay in under specialist care and, as a consequence, of the greater difficulties in treatment, especially with regards to atrial septostomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Quantitative evaluation of liver-specific promoters from retroviral vectors after in vivo transduction of hepatocytes

Hepatic gene therapy could be used to treat a number of inherited blood diseases such as hemophilia or thrombophilia. Although liver-directed retroviral transduction can result in long-term gene expression in vivo, the low level of protein production has limited its clinical application. We reasoned that the insertion of liver-specific promoters into retroviral vectors would increase gene expression in vivo. The 347- bp human alpha 1-antitrypsin (hAAT), the 810-bp murine albumin (mAIb), the 490-bp rat phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (rPECK), and the 596- bp rat liver fatty acid binding protein promoters were inserted into a Moloney murine leukemia retroviral backbone containing the hAAT reporter gene. Vectors that produced appropriately sized RNA and hAAT protein in vitro were tested in vivo by transducing regenerating rat livers. Long-term serum expression of the hAAT reporter gene was normalized to retroviral transduction efficiency as determined by using a polymerase chain reaction-based assay of genomic DNA from transduced rat livers. The hAAT, mAIb, and rPEPCK promoters were, respectively, 35- , 8-, and 0.02-fold as strong as the previously studied constitutive Pol-II promoter. We conclude that the hAAT promoter resulted in the highest expression from a retroviral vector and may result in therapeutically significant expression of other clinically significant blood proteins.     

Human Sleep Apneas and Animal Diving Reflexes: The Comparative Link

Adaptations to survive periods of limited access to oxygen should have been favored along the evolution of vertebrates. Paradigmatic examples of this adaptation are the diving animals, which can sustain prolonged and repetitive periods of anoxia. These animals support what would be considered a severe gas imbalance in their internal environment thanks to three main strategies: increased oxygen stores, resistance to asphyxia, and reduced metabolic expenditure during the apneic intervals. However, diving animals developed their abilities from very old life-sustaining responses that should have been used on many other occasions. Humans with sleep apneas perhaps share many physiological adaptations with diving animals. We review here the extent of such similarities and offer clear evidence of its existence and suggest possible research lines that could improve the clinical knowledge about this condition.     

Epidemiological aspects and prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in genital infections in Abidjan: analysis of 1742 samples

The authors report a study about the investigations of N. gonorrhoeae in 1 742 samples from genital. Epidemiological aspects and the prevalence of gonococcal infections are precised: 10% in vulvovaginitis; 73% in acute anterior urethritis.     

海马区星形胶质细胞培养上清液体外诱导人脂肪基质细胞向神经元样细胞的分化

目的:观察海马区星形胶质细胞培养上清液能否在体外诱导人脂肪基质细胞向神经元样细胞分化。方法:实验于2004-10/2005-06在华北煤炭医学院中心实验室完成。在无菌条件下从Wistar乳鼠分离出海马组织,从分离的海马组织中获得星形胶质细胞,并收集其培养上清液。取外科手术获得的人腹部皮下脂肪组织进行人脂肪基质细胞的原代培养。30例患者均知情同意。取第3代人脂肪基质细胞接种到培养孔中,预先放置无菌盖玻片的24孔培养板,制备细胞爬片或者接种到培养瓶中,细胞生长达50%～60%融合时,去除培养液,换为海马区星形胶质细胞培养上清诱导液进行诱导,对照组培养液为无血清培养基。倒置相差显微镜下连续观察细胞生长情况和形态变化,应用免疫细胞化学、鉴定神经前体细胞的特异性标志神经巢蛋白、神经细胞的特异性标志神经元特异性烯醇化酶、微管联合蛋白2和神经胶质细胞的特异性标志胶质纤维酸性蛋白的表达。结果:①诱导培养第3天,部分人脂肪基质细胞开始变形,从原先的细长梭状细胞变成神经元样细胞,可见细胞伸出突起,多为双极或多极细胞。②刚分离接种的人脂肪基质细胞镜下呈圆形,悬浮状态,接种后24h内贴壁,并开始伸展,多呈梭形。1周后细胞融合成单层,排列出现方向性,但有少量圆形及卵圆形细胞混杂生长。③第4,5代人脂肪基质细胞在诱导48h后形态即开始发生变化,扁平的胞体较预诱导后逐渐回缩,向外伸出突起,72h后扁平的胞浆向胞核收缩,突起继续延长,以后随时间进展,具有典型神经细胞形态特点的细胞数量逐渐增多,形成双极或多极细胞。④免疫细胞化学检测人脂肪基质细胞诱导5d后发现有(10.5±3.7)%神经巢蛋白、(38.4±5.2)%胶质纤维酸性蛋白、(15.7±2.3)%神经元特异性烯醇化酶表达,未见微管联合蛋白2的表达。结论:海马区星形胶质细胞培养上清液可以在体外诱导人脂肪基质细胞向神经元样细胞方向分化。     

Thrombosis in inflammatory bowel disease: clinical setting, procoagulant profile and factor V Leiden

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an increased frequency of thromboembolism, and microvascular thrombosis has been proposed as a contributory pathogenic factor. The mechanism of enhanced procoagulant activity is not understood. We examined the clinical setting of thromboembolic events in 52 patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, and assessed the procoagulant laboratory profile, including Factor V Leiden, in a subset of 20 patients to identify procoagulant risk factors. Patients who developed thrombosis tended to be young; 60% of thrombotic events occurred in patients under 50 years. Multiple thromboembolic episodes occurred in 13% and unusual sites of thrombosis (e.g. intracardiac, cerebral, inominate veins) in 11%. No risk factor was identifiable in 52% of cases and two-thirds of thromboses occurred in an out-patient setting. The mortality rate was 8%. Evidence for inflammatory disease activity was found in only 45% of patients with ulcerative colitis at the time of the thromboembolic event, in contrast to 89% of those with Crohn's disease. Assays for specific coagulation defects were negative in all cases tested (protein S, C were normal in 17/17; anti-thrombin III, anti-phospholipid antibodies and activated protein C resistance were negative in 20/20, and only 1/20 patients was found to be heterozygous for Factor V leiden. Thrombosis in inflammatory bowel disease is important because it occurs in a young population, often in unusual sites, and has a high mortality. The development of thrombosis is related to active inflammatory disease in most patients with Crohn's disease but apparently not in those with ulcerative colitis. Since approximately half of the patients had no other identifiable risk factor, there remains a substantial group of patients with IBD who develop thrombosis for unknown reasons.      

Comments on evolution of sleep and the palliopallial connectivity in mammals and birds

This commentary is referred to the review signed by Rattemborg [N.C. Rattenborg, Evolution of slow wave sleep and palliopallial connectivity in mammals and birds. A hypothesis. Brain Res. Bull. 69 (2006) 20-29]. We propose that the review missed important aspects in relation to the characteristics of sleep in poikilotherm vertebrates and in the evolution of sleep. Poikilotherms continuously show an EEG dominated by slow waves, but its highest amplitude appears not during sleep, but during active waking. In addition, they show an arousal reaction which consists in an increase in EEG amplitude and synchrony, opposite to mammals and birds. As a consequence, most of the conclusions proposed in the review should be rejected.