Modeling the growth of Yersinia enterocolitica in donated blood

BACKGROUND: Sepsis and death subsequent to the transfusion of blood containing Yersinia enterocolitica is an increasing problem. The organisms probably originate from bacteremia in the donor and can subsequently multiply at low temperature. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Reported here are experiments with a strain of Y. enterocolitica associated with a case of transfusion-associated bacteremia. RESULTS: It was found that the rapid early killing of Y. enterocolitica injected into donated blood does not require viable phagocytes and can be explained by complement-mediated killing. Complement resistance in Y. enterocolitica is known to be plasmid-coded. It is expressed at 37 degrees C, but not at 20 degrees C, and is favored by calcium-deficient culture media. Y. enterocolitica organisms induced to express complement resistance were still killed in donated blood, though the initial rate was slower. Such organisms multiplied in plasma at 37 degrees C, but were killed after 6 hours of incubation at 20 degrees C, presumably because complement resistance genes are switched off at this temperature. CONCLUSION: This experiment is thought to reflect the natural history of Y. enterocolitica contamination of blood, in which complement-resistant organisms in the donor blood encounter lower temperatures after donation. These observations suggest that the practice of plasma depletion may have contributed to the increased incidence of mortality due to Y. enterocolitica contamination of donated blood.     

Renal vein thrombosis in patients with nephrotic syndrome: CT diagnosis

A retrospective evaluation of the computed tomography (CT) findings in 50 patients with the nephrotic syndrome was undertaken. In four patients with clinical manifestations of acute renal vein thrombosis (RVT) on initial examination, the diagnosis was confirmed by CT findings. Three patients had left RVT, one had right RVT, and all four had thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC) at the level of the renal veins. Of the remaining 46, otherwise asymptomatic patients, one had bilateral RVT, two had left RVT, and five had isolated IVC thrombus. The abnormalities noted on CT scans were widened renal vein(s) containing thrombus, thrombus in the IVC, renal enlargement, thickened Gerota fascia and formation of pericapsular venous collaterals, and an abnormal renal parenchymal enhancement pattern consisting of prolonged corticomedullary discrimination, delayed and/or persistent paraenchymal opacification, and delayed or absent pyelocalyceal visualization.     

二羟丙氧甲基乌嘌呤抗单纯疱疹病毒Ⅰ型的实验研究

二羟丙氧甲基鸟嘌岭(DHPG),在组织培养中对单纯疱疹病毒Ⅰ型(HSV-1)KOS株抑制50%空斑形成的浓度(IC_(50))为0.1μg/ml。DHPG与环胞苷联合应用的抗HSV活性呈协同作用;DHPG分别与无环鸟苷、酞丁安合用有相加作用。0.1和0.05%DHPG溶液滴眼对家兔实验性浅层单纯疱疹病毒角膜炎有显著治疗作用,浓度降低至0.025和0.0l%无明显疗效。对实质层型单疱角膜炎,0.1%DHPG溶液滴眼治疗有效。     

Intranasal administration of growth hormone-releasing hormone(1–29)-NH2 in children with growth hormone deficiency: effects on growth hormone secretion and growth

The growth-promoting potential of growth hormone-releasing hormone(1— 29)-NH, (GHRH(1–29)- NH,) in a new formulation for intranasal use was examined in a 6-month pilot study of eight short prepubertal children. The maximal plasma concentration of growth hormone (GH) was below 12 μg/l in two stimulation tests (arginine, insulin), but above 12 (24–90) μg/l after intravenous GHRH, 1 μglkg. GHRH, 50 μg/kg, was insufflated intranasally three times per day over 6 months. On day 1, GHRHinsufflations were followed by distinct GHRH and GH plasma peaks, ranging from 1.2 to 5.4 μg/l and from 10 to 85 mIU/l, respectively. Peak amplitudes were variably reduced after 6 weeks in most patients, and further reduced at 6 months. GHRH antibodies (initially negative) were positive in three patients after 6 weeks. The mean knemometric growth rate rose from 0.24 to 0.48 mm/week after 6 weeks of treatment ( p = 0.03) and then rapidly declined; the mean 6-month stadiometric height velocity did not increase. Local tolerance was good in one patient; most others reported sneezing immediately after insufflation, rhinorrhoea and mild mucosal burning. Treatment was discontinued in two patients after 6 and 12 weeks. It is concluded that intranasal GHRH, though non-invasive, is not suitable in its present form for use in children, because of decreasing absorption and effectiveness with concomitant development of antibodies and local reactions.     

Chromosomal abnormalities in untreated patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: associations with histology, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcome. The Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group

We describe the chromosomal abnormalities found in 104 previously untreated patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and the correlations of these abnormalities with disease characteristics. The cytogenetic method used was a 24- to 48-hour culture, followed by G- banding. Several significant associations were discovered. A trisomy 3 was correlated with high-grade NHL. In the patients with an immunoblastic NHL, an abnormal chromosome no. 3 or 6 was found significantly more frequently. As previously described, a t(14;18) was significantly correlated with a follicular growth pattern. Abnormalities on chromosome no. 17 were correlated with a diffuse histology and a shorter survival. A shorter survival was also correlated with a +5, +6, +18, all abnormalities on chromosome no. 5, or involvement of breakpoint 14q11-12. In a multivariate analysis, these chromosomal abnormalities appeared to be independent prognostic factors and correlated with survival more strongly than any traditional prognostic variable. Patients with a t(11;14)(q13;q32) had an elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Skin infiltration was correlated with abnormalities on 2p. Abnormalities involving breakpoints 6q11-16 were correlated with B symptoms. Patients with abnormalities involving breakpoints 3q21-25 and 13q21-24 had more frequent bulky disease. The correlations of certain clinical findings with specific chromosomal abnormalities might help unveil the pathogenetic mechanisms of NHL and tailor treatment regimens.     

The direct effect of Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK), dominant-negative FAK, FAK-CD and FAK siRNA on gene expression and human MCF-7 breast cancer cell tumorigenesis

Background  

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that plays an important role in survival signaling. FAK has been shown to be overexpressed in breast cancer tumors at early stages of tumorigenesis.     

莫达非尼治疗帕金森患者白天嗜睡的双盲安慰剂对照试验

研究背景: 过度白天嗜睡 (EDS)通常使得帕金森(PD)患者的病情更为复杂。EDS的病因是多因素的,多巴胺药物治疗可能会使之恶化。莫达非尼(modafinil)是一种促醒药物,被批准用于发作性嗜睡的治疗,但是却经常被用于各种嗜睡状态的治疗。     

The human homologue of rat NG2, a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, is not expressed on the cell surface of normal hematopoietic cells but is expressed by acute myeloid leukemia blasts from poor-prognosis patients with abnormalities of chromosome band 11q23

In our efforts to produce monoclonal antibodies that recognize cell- surface antigens expressed by hematopoietic precursor and stromal cells, we generated a monoclonal antibody, 7.1, which recognizes a 220- to 240-kD cell-surface protein whose N-terminal amino acid sequence is identical to the rat NG2 chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan molecule. This chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, previously reported to be expressed by human melanoma cells, was not found to be expressed by normal hematopoietic cells, nor was it expressed on the cell surface of cell lines of hematopoietic origin including cell lines with 11q23 abnormalities. It was found on the cell surface of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts and cell lines derived from nonhematopoietic tissues. Samples of leukemic marrow from 166 children with AML enrolled on Childrens Cancer Group protocol 213 were evaluated for cell-surface expression of this proteoglycan molecule. In 18 of 166 (11%) patient samples, greater than 25% of leukemic blasts expressed the NG2 molecule. These 18 patients had a poorer outcome with respect to survival (P = .002) and event-free survival (P = .035) with an actuarial survival at 4 years of 16.7%. Blast cell expression of the NG2 molecule was strongly associated with French-American-British M5 morphology (P < .0001) and abnormalities in chromosome band 11q23, site of the MLL gene. These results show that the NG2 molecule is expressed by malignant hematopoietic cells that have abnormalities in chromosome band 11q23, suggesting that antibody 7.1 may be useful in the rapid identification of this group of poor-prognosis patients.