Infection of human gastrointestinal cells by HIV-1

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infected and replicated in primary cultures of normal human ileal and colonic epithelial cells. Monocyte-tropic strains (ADA, 24, and 36) were better able to replicate in the gastrointestinal (GI) cells than the T-cell-tropic HIV strain HTLV-IIIB. In some cultures, virus replication persisted through several months. Intestinal epithelium may be an initial target and reservoir for HIV and a vector for virus dissemination and transmission.     

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis and Felty's syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether promoter polymorphisms associated with variation in interleukin-10 (IL-10) production are relevant to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Felty's syndrome (FS). METHODS: DNA was obtained from 44 FS patients, 117 RA patients and 295 controls. The promoter region between -533 and - 1120 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and polymorphisms detected by restriction enzyme digest or sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing. RESULTS: We found no significant difference in allele or haplotype frequencies between the groups. CONCLUSION: There is no association between FS or RA and these recently identified IL-10 promoter polymorphisms. Other genetic or environmental factors could explain the alterations in IL-10 levels seen in these conditions.      

Diagnosis of left ventricular thrombi by two-dimensional echocardiography.

Sixteen patients had two-dimensional echocardiographic diagnosis of the presence or absence of left ventricular thrombi and anatomical, radiological, or clinical confirmation of the diagnosis. Eleven patients had positive diagnoses, which were confirmed in 10 and possibly incorrect in one. Five other records were reviewed because the patients had undergone aneurysmectomy after two-dimensional echocardiograms: three were true negative and two were false negative studies.