Angiodysplasia of cardia of stomach--a case report

Angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract is still thought to be an entity of unknown aetiology. This lesion is most commonly observed in elderly patients presenting with severe and persistent iron deficiency anaemia, following occult blood loss or acute episodes of haematemesis. In the stomach antral vascular ectasia is the most common presentation. We report an autopsy case of vascular ectasia in the cardia of stomach in a young patient with clinical symptoms of anaemia as the presentation and an associated secondary hemosiderosis of liver.     

Trichothiodystrophy type 4 in an Indian family

Trichothiodystrophy, non‐photosensitive type 4 (TTD4), is a rare genetic disorder with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. It is characterized by coarse and brittle hair, anomalies of the tissues derived from the neuro‐ectoderm (skin, hair, and nails) and intellectual disability. We herein report two male siblings aged 13 and 16 years with TTD4 and a known homozygous pathogenic variant, c.229del [p.(Arg77Glyfs*76)] in exon 1 of MPLKIP (NM_138701.3). We herein highlight the clinical and molecular findings of the first reported case of TTD4 in probands of Indian ethnicity.     

Mitoxantrone, mitomycin-C, methotrexate combination chemotherapy with radiotherapy and/or surgery in stage III (T4B, NO-2, M0) breast cancer

Results of primary surgery with or without locoregional radiotherapy (LRRT) are poor in stage III (T4b, NO-2, M0) breast cancer. Combination of mitoxantrone, mitomycin-c and methotrexate (MMM) has been reported to be as efficacious as doxorubicin based protocols with advantages of reduced nausea, vomiting, alopecia and cardiotoxicity. We tested MMM chemotherapy with LRRT and surgery in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) with a view to assess response, survival, breast conservation, cost and toxicity. Fifty two previously untreated patients were given Mitoxantrone: 8 mg/m sq by infusion on days 1 and 21, Mitomycin-C: 8 mg/m sq by infusion on day 1 and Methotrexate: 35 mg/m sq i.v. on days 1 and 21. Cycles were repeated every 42 days. After 3 cycles LRRT was given if lump reduced to less than 2 cms. Otherwise patients were subjected to modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or radical mastectomy (RM). Following this 3 more cycles of chemotherapy were given. Patients with soft tissue, skin or heavy nodal involvement also received LRRT. Tamoxifen 20 mg daily was prescribed at the end of chemotherapy to postmenopausal patients. Complete/partial responses were seen in 5 and 26 patients, respectively after chemotherapy giving an overall response of 59.5%. Twenty four patients each had LRRT and MRM/RM. Responses could be significantly enhanced by LRRT/and or surgery. Nineteen out of 25 relapses were at distant sites. Breast conservation was achieved in 24/52 (46%) patients. Three year disease free and overall survival was 54% and 65%, respectively. There was 1 toxic death. Severe prolonged myelosuppresion was seen in those who also received LRRT. Mucositis, alopecia, nausea and vomiting were minor problems. Overall, combination was less expensive than doxorubicin based protocols.     

Coat protein of potyviruses 7. Amino acid sequence of peanut stripe virus

Summary The amino acid sequence of the 287-residue coat protein of peanut stripe virus (PStV) was determined from the sequences of overlapping peptide fragments. Results indicated that the amino terminus was blocked by an acetyl group, as has previously been found for the coat protein of Johnsongrass mosaic potyvirus. Comparison of the PStV sequence with coat proteins of 20 distinct potyviruses gave sequence identities of 47–57%, except for zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), passionfruit woodiness virus (PWV), and the related strains watermelon mosaic virus 2 (WMV 2) and soybean mosaic virus-N, which showed sequence identities of 70–76%. Several amino acid residues which were common to the core sequences of these coat proteins were at positions previously found to be invariant among potyvirus coat proteins. The degree of these similarities suggests that although PStV, WMV 2, ZYMV, and PWV are distinct potyviruses, they share a common ancestor in their evolutionary development.     

Transcription from the gene encoding the herpesvirus entry receptor nectin-1 (HveC) in nervous tissue of adult mouse

Hepatitis C virus core protein, in addition to being a component of the viral capsid, has a number of regulatory functions. Here we showed two bodies of evidence indicating that a fraction of the core protein species is a substrate of the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway of targeted proteolysis. First, the core protein processing the C-terminal hydrophobic region is metabolically unstable, and incubation with a proteasome inhibitor led to a significant accumulation of the protein. Second, an in vivo ubiquitylation assay indicates conjugation of multi-Ub chain to the unstable core protein. In contrast, a stable form of core protein, p21, is also able to be ubiquitylated, but it links to a single or only a few Ub moiety. Therefore, processing event(s) at the C-terminal hydrophobic domain of HCV core protein may affect the ubiquitylation pathway, particularly the efficiency of the multi-Ub chain assembly, resulting in stable, matured core proteins.     

Pathological changes in broiler chickens fed ochratoxin A and inoculated with Escherichia coli.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ochratoxin A (OA) on Escherichia coli-challenged broiler chickens. One hundred and eighty-four one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into two groups of 92 chicks each, with one group fed a control mash diet and the other fed a mash diet containing 2 parts/10(6) OA. On day 14, each group was further subdivided into two groups with one group inoculated with E. coli O78 (1 x 10(7) colony-forming units/0.5 ml) by the intraperitoneal route, whereas the other group was not inoculated with E. coli. Four birds from each group were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days post-inoculation to record pathological changes in the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, bursa, spleen and thymus. E. coli infection induced perihepatitis and pericarditis in the liver and heart, respectively, in chickens infected with E. coli alone or in OA-fed birds from 1 day post-infection (DPI) onwards. At 1 DPI, a thin fibrin layer covered the liver and heart; however, at subsequent days, the layer became thicker. E. coli infection did not produce appreciable changes in the kidneys, bursa or thymus. However, there was congestion of the lungs along with mononuclear cell infiltration. Ochratoxin feeding induced changes from 10 DPI onwards in chicks fed OA alone and those infected with E. coli. The changes in kidneys included swollen proximal convoluted tubules, degeneration of tubular epithelium and interstitial nephritis. Degenerative changes and mononuclear cell infiltration were recorded in the liver. There was atrophy of the lymphoid organs along with depletion of lymphocytes. Gross and histopathological changes were more severe in chickens fed OA and inoculated with E. coli than the chickens fed OA alone or those infected with E. coli, indicating combined action of these two.