Whole body MR imaging in ankylosing spondylitis: a descriptive pilot study in patients with suspected early and active confirmed ankylosing spondylitis

Background  

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disorder which usually begins in early adulthood. The diagnosis is often delayed by many years. MR imaging has become the preferred imaging method for detection of early inflammation of the axial skeleton in ankylosing spondylitis.     

Elevation of plasma thioredoxin levels in HIV-infected individuals

Thioredoxin (Trx), a ubiquitous protein intimately involvedin redox and protein disulfide reductions, has been shown tobe released from cells and to have cytokine-like activities.In addition, Trx has been implicated in the redox regulationof immunological responses and shown to be deficient in tissuesfrom AIDS patients. In studies presented here, plasma Trx levelswere measured by ELISA in plasma samples from HIV-infected individuals(n = 136) and HIV-negative controls (n = 47). To account forthe release of Trx into plasma due to hemolysis, the Trx measurementswere corrected according to the level of hemoglobin in the plasmasample. Data presented show that, in contrast to tissue Trxlevels, corrected plasma Trx levels are significantly higherin HIV-infected individuals than in controls (P < 0.0001).Furthermore, {small tilde}25% of the HIV-infected individualsstudied have plasma Trx levels greater than the highest levelfound in controls (37 ng/ml). Detailed multiparameter FACS analysisof peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from the infectedindividuals demonstrates that those with higher plasma Trx levels(37 ng/ml or greater) tend to have lower overall CD4 counts.In addition, increases in plasma Trx levels correlate with decreasesin monochlorobimane staining (indicative of lower intracellularglutathione levels in PBMC) and with changes in surface antigenexpression (CD62L, CD38 and CD20) that occur in the later stagesof HIV infection. These correlations suggest that elevationof plasma Trx levels may be an important component of advancedHIV disease, perhaps related to the oxidative stress that oftenoccurs at this stage.     

慢性低氧时小鼠肺组织低氧诱导因子-1α的表达

目的：研究低氧时小鼠肺组织中低氧诱导因子-1α(HIF-k)表达的变化。方法：实验用雄性小鼠，低氧仓浓度分别为10％、7％、5％。用免疫荧光组织化学技术及共聚焦显微术，检测小鼠在低氧条件下肺组织中HIF-1α表达的变化。结果：正常组小鼠肺组织HIF-1α无表达，低氧组HIF-1α表达增加，且随低氧时间的延长及低氧强度的增加而增强。结论：低氧可诱导小鼠肺组织中HIF-1α的表达增强，(HIF-k)可能参与肺组织细胞凋亡的发生。     

Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing metallo-beta-lactamases in a large centralized laboratory

Metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) have been increasingly recognized from clinical isolates worldwide, but the laboratory detection of these strains is not well defined. We report a study that developed an EDTA disk screen test and a molecular diagnostic assay for the detection of MBL-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using NCCLS disk methodology, inhibition zone diameters were determined in tests with imipenem (IPM) and meropenem (MEM) disks alone and in combination with 930 microg of EDTA. This test was compared with the MBL Etest. The duplex PCR assay showed 100% sensitivity and specificity for detecting MBL-producing control strains. Of the 241 clinical strains of IPM-nonsusceptible P. aeruginosa from the Calgary Health Region isolated from 2002 to 2004, 110/241 (46%) were MBL positive using phenotypic methods while 107/241 (45%) were PCR positive for MBL genes: 103/241 (43%) for bla(VIM) and 4/241 (2%) for bla(IMP). The EDTA disk screen test using MEM showed 100% sensitivity and 97% specificity for detecting MBLs in control and clinical strains. The EDTA disk screen test is simple to perform and to interpret and can easily be introduced into the workflow of a clinical laboratory. We recommend that all IPM-nonsusceptible P. aeruginosa isolates be routinely screened for MBL production using the EDTA disk screen test and that PCR confirmation be performed at a regional laboratory.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">TCF7L2</Emphasis>variant genotypes and type 2 diabetes risk in Brazil: significant association,but not a significant tool for risk stratification in the general population

Background  

Genetic polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene are strongly associated with large increments in type 2 diabetes risk in different populations worldwide. In this study, we aimed to confirm the effect of the TCF7L2 polymorphism rs7903146 on diabetes risk in a Brazilian population and to assess the use of this genetic marker in improving diabetes risk prediction in the general population.