Association of metabolic syndrome with knee and hand osteoarthritis: A community-based study of women

Objective

It is unclear whether the association between osteoarthritis (OA) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) varies with the site of the affected joint and the presence of pain. Our aim was to describe the association between MetS and radiographic OA (ROA) affecting the knee or the hand in the presence or absence of concurrent joint pain.

Cytosol intermediates in the transport of iron

Three 59Fe-labeled nonheme components of the cytosol were identified when rabbit reticuloyctes were incubated with 59Fe-labeled plasma under conditions in which the iron supply was not limiting. Two of these components were identified as ferritin and transferrin. The latter was characterized by gel filtration as having apparent molecular weight higher than transferrin, indicating that the transferrin may be complexed to another moiety. The third component, referred to as iron- binding protein-I (IBP-I), is as yet uncharacterized. When the reticulocytes were incubated with unlabeled plasma after pulse-labeling with 59Fe-labeled plasma, 59Fe radioactivity in these cytosol components decreased; after 15 min of chase, the 59Fe in ferritin, transferrin, and IBP-I fell to 64.6%, 26.5%, and 65.8% of the initial values, respectively. A good correlation existed between the decrease of 59Fe in these three nonheme compartments and the associated increase in 59Fe-heme. The data presented suggest that cytosol ferritin, transferrin, and IBP-I are intermediates in the transport of 59Fe from the plasma membrane to the mitochondria.     

Effect of all transretinoic acid in newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia. Results of a multicenter randomized trial. European APL 91 Group

We designed a multicenter randomized trial comparing chemotherapy with daunorubicin-Ara C (chemotherapy group) and all transretinoic acid (ATRA) combined to the same chemotherapy (ATRA group) in newly diagnosed APL patients aged 65 years or less. The major endpoint of the study was event-free survival (EFS) ("events" being defined as failure to achieve complete remission [CR], occurrence of relapse, or death in CR). Early termination of the trial was decided after the first interim analysis, as EFS was significantly higher in the ATRA group. At the time, 101 patients had been randomized (54 in the ATRA group and 47 in the chemotherapy group). In the ATRA group, 49 (91%) patients achieved CR, 5 (9%) had early death, and 0 had resistant leukemia, compared with 38 (81%), 4 (8%), and 5 (10%) patients, respectively, in the chemotherapy group. The difference in CR rate between the two groups was not significant. The duration of coagulopathy was significantly reduced in the ATRA group, compared with the chemotherapy group. In the ATRA group, six patients relapsed after 7 to 15.5 months. In the chemotherapy group, 12 patients relapsed after 1 to 16 months, and 2 died in CR. Kaplan-Meier EFS was estimated at 79% +/- 7% and 50% +/- 9% at 12 months, respectively, in the ATRA and the chemotherapy group (P = .001). Kaplan-Meier estimate of relapse was 19% +/- 8% and 40% +/- 12% at 12 months (P = .005). In conclusion, ATRA followed by chemotherapy increases EFS in newly diagnosed APL. These results strongly suggest that ATRA should be incorporated in the front line therapy of newly diagnosed APL.     

Autism spectrum disorder in the genetics clinic: a review

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders affecting social communication, language and behavior. The underlying cause(s) in a given individual is often elusive, with the exception of clinically recognizable genetic syndromes with readily available molecular diagnosis, such as fragile X syndrome. Clinical geneticists approach patients with ASDs by ruling out known genetic and genomic syndromes, leaving more than 80% of families without a definitive diagnosis and an uncertain risk of recurrence. Advances in microarray technology and next‐generation sequencing are revealing rare variants in genes with important roles in synapse formation, function and maintenance. This review will focus on the clinical approach to ASDs, given the current state of knowledge about their complex genetic architecture.