Serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Bosnia and Herzegovina: first report

IntroductionSerological detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins G (IgG) and M (IgM) antibodies is becoming increasingly important in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe report the first results of COVID-19 serological testing in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 2841 samples collected and analysed in 2 medical institutions in Sarajevo. Antibody detection was performed using commercially available kits.ResultsIn the first cohort, 43 IgM-positive/IgG-negative and 16 IgM-positive/IgG-positive individuals were detected, corresponding to 3.41% of participants having developed antibodies. In the second cohort, 4.28% participants were found to be IgM-negative/IgG-positive.ConclusionsOur results suggest the need for population-wide serological surveying in Bosnia and Herzegovina.     

Dyspepsia in Montenegrin chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis: endoscopic and histopathological features

Purpose

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of dyspepsia and contributing factors in Montenegrin maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Methods

The study included 43 patients undergoing hemodialysis with symptoms of dyspepsia and 40 control dyspeptic subjects with preserved kidney function. All subjects underwent an interview about dyspeptic symptoms, physical and biochemical examination, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with pathohistological analysis of biopsy specimens.

Results

Early satiety, bloating and heartburn were the most common symptoms in hemodialysis patients but without significant difference in frequency in relation to controls. Chronic kidney disease patients had statistically lower concentration of total proteins and albumin (p?<?0.001), as well lower BMI values (p?=?0.002). Despite this, no significant correlation of laboratory parameters with dyspeptic symptoms was found. Pathohistological examination indicated that the most common finding in hemodialysis patients was chronic active gastritis (58%), while chronic atrophic gastritis was significantly more common in dialytic patients (p?=?0.032). Patients on hemodialysis had more frequently atrophy of corpus mucosa, which was positively related to dialysis duration (p?=?0.001) and negatively related to pH values (p?=?0.004) and bicarbonate concentration (p?=?0.049). Helicobacter pylori was considerably more common in patients who underwent shorter time on hemodialysis (p?<?0.001) and had higher values of bicarbonate (p?=?0.037).

Conclusion

Maintenance hemodialysis patients are at risk for chronic gastric diseases that correlated with both dialysis vintage and duration.

     

Gene sequence tags from Plasmodium falciparum genomic DNA fragments prepared by the "genease" activity of mung bean nuclease.

A genes-first approach to genome sequencing is described which efficiently generates gene sequence tags from genomic DNA. Mung bean nuclease (EC 3.1.30.1) cleaves the genomic DNA of many organisms before and after genes and within some introns. Analysis of gene sequence tags prepared from mung bean nuclease-digested Plasmodium falciparum DNA demonstrates that this method has several advantages over the popular cDNA expressed sequence tag approach. To date, 673 sequence tags containing over 215 kb of sequence have been generated from 400 clones. Sixty clones (15%) have significant similarity to sequences in the protein and translated nucleic acid data bases. These represent 51 unique genes, of which only 5 encode previously known P. falciparum proteins. The identified proteins include those expressed in erythrocytic, exoerythrocytic, and gametocytic stages of the parasite. Thirty percent of clones identified appear to carry complete coding regions. The spacer DNA separating genes is rarely cloned. These gene sequence tags will form a useful data base from which to initiate projects to develop new therapeutics, vaccines, and strategies to control human malaria.     

Surveillance and epidemiology of syphilis,gonorrhoea and chlamydia in the non-European Union countries of the World Health Organization European Region, 2015 to 2020

BackgroundEpidemics of sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a major public health challenge in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region.AimWe aimed to provide an overview of case reporting and other surveillance data for syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia for the non-European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries of the Centre and East part of the WHO European Region as per classification used by the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.MethodsData were provided by the surveillance agencies of the Member States for the period 2015 to 2019 through the WHO/Europe Communicable Diseases Annual Reporting Form. We analysed reported cases, explored data reported to the WHO Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) and performed a review of publications on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in gonorrhoea in the period 2015 to 2020 using systematic methodology.ResultsFrom 2015 to 2019, in most of the countries with three or more data points, there was a pattern of decrease in reported syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia cases, which is in contrast to the EU/EEA. The number of reported cases per 100,000 population was 0.4–26.5 for syphilis, 0–18.5 for gonorrhoea and 0–43.3 for chlamydia. Four countries reported recent data on AMR in gonorrhoea to GASP, and we identified further publications from Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.ConclusionWe found wide heterogeneity in reported rates of STI. There is a strong need to improve availability and quality of STI surveillance data in the non-EU/EEA countries.     

Vacuolar degradation of rat liver CYP2B1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: further validation of the yeast model and structural implications for the degradation of mammalian endoplasmic reticulum P450 proteins

Mammalian hepatic cytochromes P450 (P450s) are endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored hemoproteins with highly variable half-lives. CYP3A4, the dominant human liver drug-metabolizing enzyme, and its rat liver orthologs undergo ubiquitin (Ub)-dependent 26S proteasomal degradation after suicide inactivation or after heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In contrast, rat liver CYP2C11 is degraded by the vacuolar "lysosomal" pathway when similarly expressed in yeast. The structural determinants that commit P450s to proteasomal or lysosomal degradation are unknown. To further validate S. cerevisiae as a model for exploring mammalian P450 turnover, the degradation of phenobarbital-inducible liver CYP2B1, an enzyme reportedly degraded via the rat hepatic autophagic-lysosomal pathway, was examined in a yeast strain (pep4delta) deficient in vacuolar degradation and its isogenic wild-type control (PEP4). Although CYP2B1 was equivalently expressed in both strains during early logarithmic growth, its degradation was retarded in pep4delta strain, remaining at a level 5-fold higher than that in PEP4 yeast when monitored at the stationary phase. No comparable CYP2B1 stabilization was detected in yeast genetically deficient in the ER Ub-conjugating enzyme Ubc6p or Ubc7p or defective in 19S proteasomal subunit Hrd2p. Thus, as in the rat liver, CYP2B1 is a target of vacuolar/lysosomal rather than proteasomal degradation in yeast, thereby further validating this model for mammalian P450 turnover. It is intriguing that a chimeric protein, CYP2B1-3A4CT, with the CYP3A4 C-terminal heptapeptide grafted onto the CYP2B1 C terminus, was proteasomally degraded after similar expression. Such diversion of CYP2B1 from its predominantly vacuolar degradation suggests that the CYP3A4 heptapeptide could either actively signal its proteasomal degradation or block its vacuolar proteolysis.     

High-resolution ultrasonic imaging of the posterior segment

PURPOSE: Conventional ophthalmic ultrasonography is performed using 10-megahertz (MHz) transducers. Our aim was to explore the use of higher frequency ultrasound to provide improved resolution of the posterior pole. DESIGN: Prospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: One normal subject and 5 subjects with pathologies affecting the posterior coats, including nevii, small melanomas, and macular hole. METHODS: We modeled the frequency-dependent attenuation of ultrasound across the eye to develop an understanding of the range of frequencies that might be practically applied for imaging of the posterior pole. We compared images of the posterior coats made at 10, 15, and 20 MHz, and 20-MHz ultrasound images of pathologies with 10-MHz ultrasound and optical coherence tomography (OCT). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ability to resolve normal and pathologic structures affecting posterior coats of the eye. RESULTS: Modeling showed that frequencies of 20 to 25 MHz might be used for posterior pole imaging. Twenty-megahertz images allowed differentiation of the retina, choroid, and sclera. In addition, at 20 MHz the retina showed banding patterns suggesting an internal structure comparable in many respects to that seen in OCT and histology. Images of ocular pathology provided much improved detail relative to 10-MHz images and deeper penetration than OCT. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-megahertz ultrasound can be practically employed for imaging of the posterior pole of the eye, providing a 2-fold improvement in resolution relative to conventional 10-MHz instruments. Although not providing the resolution of OCT, ultrasound can be used in the presence of optical opacities and allows evaluation of deeper tissue structures.     

Liposuction: a less invasive surgical method of debulking plexiform neurofibromas

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant disorder in humans. The hallmark of NF1 is development of neural tumors. Plexiform neurofibromas are a major source of morbidity associated with NF1. Surgical removal of these particular tumors is associated with a high risk of damage of surrounding vital structures as well as a risk of significant hemorrhage. Surgical debulking of tumors also sometimes leads to extensive scarring, which may be very disfiguring. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We report a novel approach to the surgical therapy of plexiform neurofibromas using liposuction in two patients. RESULTS: Debulking of plexiform neurofibromas with liposuction was successful in both patients. Postoperative follow-up 6 months later showed no evidence of tumor regrowth in either case. CONCLUSION: Liposuction may be a preferable surgical method for debulking of superficial plexiform neurofibromas in patients with NF1. This method is less invasive than conventional surgical tumor debulking.