Paramyosin is the Schistosoma mansoni (Trematoda) homologue of antigen B from Taenia solium (Cestoda)

Antigen B, a major antigen of the cestode parasite Taenia solium, has been purified and a portion of amino acid sequence obtained. Paramyosin of the trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni, an immunogenic protein that has shown promise as a vaccine candidate, has several biochemical and immunological properties in common with antigen B. A full-length cDNA clone of S. mansoni paramyosin has been obtained and the predicted translation product contains a sequence that is highly homologous to the sequence obtained for antigen B. The predicted amino acid composition and isolectric point of paramyosin are nearly identical to those established for antigen B. Recombinant S. mansoni paramyosin, expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with beta-galactosidase, was recognized by antisera against T. solium antigen B. We conclude from these results that S. mansoni paramyosin and T. solium antigen B are homologous proteins. Since S. mansoni paramyosin is thought to be a muscle protein and T. solium antigen B a secreted glycoprotein with anti-complement activity, this conclusion raises some interesting questions regarding the role of this class of proteins in the host-parasite relationship.     

Gastric carcinoma presenting as an exacerbation of ulcers during pregnancy. A case report

Gastric cancer is unusual during pregnancy. Also, because of the physiologic changes that occur with pregnancy, it is rare to see a worsening of peptic ulcers during pregnancy. A patient with an exacerbation of peptic ulcers presented with gastric carcinoma during pregnancy.     

Excitatory amino acid antagonists depress acoustic startle after infusion into the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus or paralemniscal zone

Rats were implanted with bilateral cannulas in an area just medial to the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, an obligatory relay along the acoustic startle pathway. Bilateral infusions of excitatory amino acid transmitter antagonists into this region (10, 25 or 50 nmol per side) produced a rapid, dose-dependent depression of acoustic startle. gamma-D-Glutamylglycine, gamma-D-glutamylaminomethyl sulfonate and 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate were equally effective in depressing the startle response over this dose range. These results indicate that excitatory amino acid transmitters play an important role in the expression of acoustic startle at this part of the startle pathway.     

Corneal microsporidiosis. A case report including ultrastructural observations

Stromal keratitis and iritis developed in the left eye of a healthy 45-year-old man with no history of ocular disease, trauma, or contact lens wear. The clinical course over a 2-year period was characterized by progressive central disciform keratitis, recurrent anterior stromal patchy infiltration, and iritis which was partially controlled with topical corticosteroids and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Results of bacterial, viral, fungal, and chlamydial cultures were negative. Results of histopathologic examination of a corneal biopsy specimen and, later, a penetrating keratoplasty specimen showed many extracellular and intracellular spores in degenerating keratocytes. By electron microscopy there were encapsulated oval structures measuring approximately 3.5 to 4 microns in length x 1.5 microns in width. Mature spores had well-developed cell walls that contained two abutted nuclei (diplokaryon) and a redundant polar tubule with six coils. These structures are characteristic of a protozoa in the genus Nosema.     

CT of the pancreas with a fat-density oral contrast regimen

Visualization of the head of the pancreas by CT was prospectively evaluated in two groups of 100 patients who did not have pancreatic disease. Patients were given either a fat-density oral contrast material (12.5% corn-oil emulsion and metoclopramide) or a conventional high-density oral contrast material (barium suspension or iodinated solution). There was no statistically significant difference in the subjects' tolerance to the two regimens. There was, however, a significant improvement in ability to distinguish the head of the pancreas from the duodenal C-loop when the fat-density contrast material was given. When pancreaticoduodenal discrimination was graded, patients given corn-oil emulsion and metoclopramide received an average score of 0.94, whereas those given the high-density agent received an average score of 0.74, with 1.00 being the highest possible score (p less than .005). These data suggest that for routine CT evaluation of the head of the pancreas, a combination of corn-oil emulsion and metoclopramide may be superior to the conventional high-density oral contrast agents given without metoclopramide.     

Metaplastic cystitis complicated with Von Brunn nests, cystitis cystica, and intestinal type of glandular metaplasia

It is well documented that under certain stimuli the bladder epithelium can undergo metaplasia. The origin of glandular epithelium, which may be found in the bladder, is somewhat controversial. Endoscopic and histopathologic features of an eighty-one-year-old white man with proliferative metaplastic cystitis are presented. This case demonstrates that glandular differentiation was due to progressive cystitis rather than congenital intestinal rest.     

T lymphocytes expressing HECA-452 epitope are present in cutaneous acute graft-versus-host disease and erythema multiforme, but not in acute graft-versus-host disease in gut organs.

Lymphocytes in formalin-fixed skin biopsies from patients with cutaneous acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) were studied with HECA-452 (an antibody recognizing lymphocytes with skin-homing properties) and a panel of antibodies recognizing pan-B (L26 [CD20]), pan-T (L60 [CD43] and A6 [CD45RA]), and T-helper subset (OPD4) antigens in paraffin sections. Biopsies from patients with erythema multiforme (EM) were similarly studied for comparison. In both conditions, T lymphocytes stained by OPD4 were predominantly confined to the dermis, whereas those stained by HECA-452 were concentrated in the epidermis; however, there was considerable variation between cases, and overlap between findings in the dermis and epidermis. Lymphocytes similarly studied in paraffin sections of liver, salivary gland, and gut affected by aGVHD were essentially unreactive with HECA-452, although they were largely stained by pan-T markers and showed some comparable reactivity with OPD4. The findings suggest that aGVHD of the skin is mediated by a different set of lymphocytes than in gut organs, and may have a similar immunologic mechanism to EM.     

Nocturnal growth hormone secretion in schizophrenic patients and healthy subjects.

Plasma growth hormone concentrations were measured at hourly intervals between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. the next morning in 15 drug-free chronic schizophrenic male inpatients and 14 healthy males. Growth hormone secretion was significantly lower in the patients as compared with the controls. Growth hormone release peaked around 1 a.m. in the controls, but a growth hormone peak was absent in the patient group. Increased dopamine activity, increased serotonin activity, or both could explain the absence of a nocturnal growth hormone surge in the schizophrenic patients.