Determination of the parent of origin in nine cases of prenatally detected chromosome aberrations found after intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Prenatal cytogenetic analysis of 71 fetuses conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) resulted in the detection of nine (12.7%) chromosome aberrations including two cases of 47,XXY, four cases involving a 45,X cell line and three autosomal trisomies. Molecular analysis of the parental origin of the deleted or supernumerary chromosome was performed by using polymorphic microsatellite markers. Six cases involving a sex chromosome abnormality were found to be of paternal origin while the two trisomic cases that could be analysed were of maternal origin. Two cases involved the same infertile couple who had two consecutive ICSI pregnancies terminated because of a chromosome abnormality. The replaced embryos in both cases originated from a single batch of ICSI fertilized oocytes of which part was used to initiate the first pregnancy and part was cryopreserved and used to initiate the second pregnancy.      

Changes in immunoregulatory lymphocyte populations in patients with histoplasmosis

Circulating T-lymphocyte subpopulations were enumerated in 65 patients with histoplasmosis and correlated with the different clinical manifestations of the disease. Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, rheumatologic, disseminated, and chronic inflammatory manifestations of histoplasmosis were all associated with a significant elevation above normal of OKT₈+ (suppressor-cytotoxic) lymphocytes and a significantly lower than normal OKT₄+ (helper-inducer)-lymphocyte to OKT₈+-lymphocyte ratio. In contrast, cavitary disease was associated with an increase in OKT₄+ lymphocytes, a decrease in OKT₈+ lymphocytes, and a higher than normal OKT₄/OKT₈ ratio. Clinical recovery was associated with normalization of these values. Functional activity determined by coculture techniques correlated closely with T-lymphocyte subset measurements. These distinct subset abnormalities may help monitor immunological aspects of disease activity.     

The protective effects of hyperimmune anti-murine cytomegalovirus antiserum against lethal viral challenge: the case for passive-active immunization

The administration of 0.2 ml of hyperimmune anti-mouse cytomegalovirus (CMV) antiserum intraperitoneally (ip) or intravenously provided complete protection against lethal challenge (10(5.8) PFU ip) with murine CMV. Antiserum protection was complete when the antiserum was administered as long as 24 hr after viral challenge. The administration of antiserum had little effect on the titers of virus in the organs of these animals. Ammonium sulfate-treated antiserum provided similar complete protection. Animals rechallenged with 10(6)-10(6.5) PFU of murine CMV 1 month after initial challenge, at a time when the administrated antiserum was no longer detectable, all survived. We conclude that hyperimmune antiserum can provide significant protection against otherwise lethal murine CMV infection, that the protecting material lies within the immunoglobulin fraction, and that long-term immunity results from the combined exposure to virus and antiserum. Such passive-active protection could be useful in protecting against human CMV infection.     

Association between total serum calcium and the A986S polymorphism of the calcium-sensing receptor gene

Serum calcium is under tight physiological control, but it is also a quantitative trait with substantial genetic regulation. Mutations of the CASR gene cause familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia or autosomal dominant hypoparathyroidism, depending on whether they decrease or increase, respectively, ligand binding to the receptor protein. We described an association between ionized calcium and a common polymorphism (A986S) found in the cytoplasmic tail of this G protein-coupled receptor. We report here on an independent study of 387 healthy young women. Genotyping was performed by allele-specific amplification and serum chemistries were measured by automated clinical assay. Frequencies of SS, AS, and AA genotypes were 6, 107, and 274, respectively, yielding a 986S allele frequency of 15.4%. Mean total serum calcium (Ca(T)) was significantly higher in the SS (9.88 +/- 0.29 mg/dL, P = 0.015) and AS groups (9.45 +/- 0.05 mg/dL, P = 0.002), than in the AA group (9.23 +/- 0.04 mg/dL). In multiple regression modeling, the A986S genotype remained an independently significant predictor of Ca(T) (P < 0.0001) when serum albumin, globulin, inorganic phosphate, and creatinine covariates were included. These data are the first to show significant association between a common polymorphism and concentrations of a serum electrolyte. The A986S polymorphism is also a potential predisposing factor in disorders of bone and mineral metabolism.     

Molecular Insights into the Histogenesis and Pathogenesis of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) have long been problematic in terms of classification and determination of prognosis. Recent studies have suggested that GISTs differentiate toward a phenotype resembling the interstitial cells of Cajal. This has led to the important discovery that activating mutations in the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase play an important role in the pathogenesis of GISTs. These findings have helped clarify the distinction between GISTs and other mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract and may translate into an improved ability to predict biologic behavior, as well as suggesting possible avenues for rational drug design for the treatment of GISTs. Int J Surg Pathol 8(1):5-10, 2000     

Characterization of platelet-derived growth factor beta-receptor expressing cells in the vasculature of human rheumatoid synovium.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) beta-receptor expression in normal and rheumatoid synovia was investigated by double immunofluorescence staining of frozen sections and by in situ hybridization. In the inflamed synovia, PDGF beta-receptor mRNA was present in vascular cells, as well as in discrete stromal cells. PDGF beta-receptor expressing cells in rheumatoid synovia were characterized by double immunofluorescence staining using the PDGFR-B2 monoclonal antibody at a concentration at which this antibody merely stained granular accumulations of PDGF beta-receptors. Granular accumulations of PDGF beta-receptors were articulate in blood vessel cells, but also appeared in discrete stromal cells. Thus, the overall distribution of cells having granular accumulations of PDGF beta-receptors was similar to the distribution of cells expressing PDGF beta-receptor mRNA. Double immunofluorescence stainings showed that: (a) a majority (greater than 90%) of resident macrophages did not express granular PDGF beta-receptor staining, but macrophages were often juxtaposed to PDGF beta-receptor-positive cells; (b) T lymphocytes did not express PDGF beta-receptors, but these cells were frequently found in the proximity of cells stained by PDGFR-B2; (c) in some blood vessels both HLA-DR expressing cells and PDGF beta-receptor expressing cells could be visualized, whereas in other blood vessels, cells expressing only one of these activation markers could be detected; (d) smooth muscle cells in blood vessels contained PDGF beta-receptors; and (e) capillary endothelial cells in the inflamed synovia recurrently displayed granular PDGF beta-receptor staining. The granular accumulations of PDGF beta-receptors may reflect internalization of the receptor as a result of paracrine or autocrine ligand stimulation. In support of such a possibility are the findings that elevated levels of PDGF B chain mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization in the inflamed synovia, and that cells expressing PDGF B chain mRNA were distributed similarly to cells expressing PDGF beta-receptor mRNA. Taken together, the results indicate that PDGF has a role in the inflammatory process in rheumatoid synovitis, most likely by stimulating proliferative events in the vasculature.     

Initial evaluation of a continuous speech recognition program for radiology

The aims of this work were to measure the accuracy of one continuous speech recognition product and dependence on the speaker's gender and status as a native or nonnative English speaker, and evaluate the product's potential for routine use in transcribing radiology reports. IBM MedSpeak/Radiology software, version 1.1 was evaluated by 6 speakers. Two were nonnative English speakers, and 3 were men. Each speaker dictated a set of 12 reports. The reports included neurologic and body imaging examinations performed with 6 different modalities. The dictated and original report texts were compared, and error rates for overall, significant, and subtle significant errors were computed. Error rate dependence on modality, native English speaker status, and gender were evaluated by performing ttests. The overall error rate was 10.3 +/- 3.3%. No difference in accuracy between men and women was found; however, significant differences were seen for overall and significant errors when comparing native and nonnative English speakers (P = .009 and P = .008, respectively). The speech recognition software is approximately 90% accurate, and while practical implementation issues (rather than accuracy) currently limit routine use of this product throughout a radiology practice, application in niche areas such as the emergency room currently is being pursued. This methodology provides a convenient way to compare the initial accuracy of different speech recognition products, and changes in accuracy over time, in a detailed and sensitive manner.     

Pathogenesis of bloodstream invasion with Haemophilus influenzae type b

Possible route(s) by which encapsulated bacteria invade the blood from the nasopharynx include (i) the direct invasion of submucosal blood vessels and (ii) clearance via lymphatics to regional nodes followed by bloodstream invasion. These possibilities were investigated in rats after intranasal inoculation with 10(5) Haemophilus influenzae type b. Within 24 h of inoculation, 10 of 42 rats with sterile blood cultures had similar numbers of H. influenzae b recovered from both cervical (local) and periiliac (distant) lymph nodes, which suggested early bacteremic spread. When virtually continuous blood cultures were obtained for 30 min after inoculation with 10(8) H. influenzae b, early transient bacteremia was documented in four of eight rats. Also, we found no significant difference in bacteremia among rats whose cervical lymph nodes had been removed surgically compared with sham-operated rats. These findings favor the hypothesis of a rapid, perhaps direct invasion of pharyngeal blood vessels as an initial determinant of the systemic spread of H. influenzae b.     

Xenoserum-induced cytolytic "T" cells: polyclonal specificity with an apparent "anti-self" component, and cooperative induction.

Mice were primed in vivo by injection of fetal calf serum (FCS) and their spleen cells were incubated in vitro for 5 days in medium containing 10% FCS. This resulted in the development of cytolytic activity, which was most probably due to "T" cells, since effector cells 1) were sensitive to anti-Thy 1 antiserum or monoclonal antibodies in the presence of complement, 2) were not retained on Ig-anti Ig columns, 3) did not develop from "nude" spleen cells. Further arguments for the T cell nature of these effector cells came from their specificity. Blocking experiments using unlabeled competitor cells demonstrated that FCS-induced cytolysis was polyclonal, with clones recognizing allogeneic or syngeneic determinants possibly related to allo or self H-2. In keeping with polyclonality, cytolysis tested on any given target cell was greatly increased by adding Concanavalin A during the cytolysis test. Experiments were made to investigate whether in particular the anti-self cytolytic activity was directed against FCS determinants. We feel that this possibility, although not formally excluded, was made unlikely. The polyclonal specificity at the effector stage stood in sharp contrast to the serum specificity at the induction stage (reported elsewhere). We demonstrated that these two sets of specificities corresponded to two sets of specific cells. A first population of FCS-primed cells had "promoter" activity, in the sense that it could trigger a second population of "precursor" cells to differentiate into polyclonally cytolytic T cells.