Genome-wide haplotypic testing in a Finnish cohort identifies a novel association with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

We performed genome-wide tests for association between haplotype clusters and each of 9 metabolic traits in a cohort of 5402 Northern Finnish individuals genotyped for 330 000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. The metabolic traits were body mass index, C-reactive protein, diastolic blood pressure, glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), insulin, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), systolic blood pressure, and triglycerides. Haplotype clusters were determined using Beagle. There were LDL-associated clusters in the chromosome 4q13.3-q21.1 region containing the albumin (ALB) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) genes. This region has not been associated with LDL in previous genome-wide association studies. The most significant haplotype cluster in this region was associated with 0.488 mmol/l higher LDL (95% CI: 0.361–0.615 mmol/l, P-value: 6.4 × 10⁻¹⁴). We also observed three previously reported associations: Chromosome 16q13 with HDL, chromosome 1p32.3-p32.2 with LDL and chromosome 19q13.31-q13.32 with LDL. The chromosome 1 and chromosome 4 LDL associations do not reach genome-wide significance in single-marker analyses of these data, illustrating the power of haplotypic association testing.     

FM sonography in diffuse liver disease: prospective assessment and blinded analysis

FM sonography - a signal-processing technique that uses frequency and phase information as well as amplitude data - shows promise in evaluation of patients with diffuse liver disease. In a prospective blinded review of 37 patients with biopsy-proved liver disease and 42 healthy volunteers, FM sonography was clearly superior to traditional amplitude-based (AM) sonography in distinguishing healthy from diseased subjects. Statistically significant differences were seen in accuracy (FM, 98.7%; AM, 84.8%), sensitivity (FM, 97.3%; AM, 70.3%), and negative predictive value (FM, 97.7%; AM, 78.8%). Our data also suggest that current FM sonographic techniques cannot differentiate among histologic findings associated with different hepatic parenchymal abnormalities. It is unclear, therefore, whether FM imaging can reduce the numbers of patients who require biopsy for diagnosis or the frequency of biopsy procedures in patients with known disease.     

Pneumothorax and other lung diseases: effect of altered resolution and edge enhancement on diagnosis with digitized radiographs

Prior studies have shown that pneumothorax is one of the more difficult entities to diagnose with digitized radiography. This study was designed to test whether increasing resolution from 1.25 to 2.5 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) and image processing (edge enhancement from unsharp masking) would increase accuracy and confidence in the diagnosis of pneumothorax, as well as normal cases and other forms of lung disease. Conventional radiographs were digitized with use of a laser reader and then reformatted as film hard copy. Eleven observers read 35 cases reformatted in three different ways (1.25 lp/mm, 2.5 lp/mm, 1.25 lp/mm unsharp mask). The images with finer resolution (2.5 lp/mm) and unsharp mask images were superior to those with coarser resolution (1.25 lp/mm) for the diagnosis of pneumothorax. There was no difference in diagnostic accuracy for normal patients. For abnormalities other than pneumothorax, the unsharp mask images were significantly worse. Confidence in the diagnosis of pneumothorax and other abnormalities was highest with the finest resolution (2.5 lp/mm).     

Proliferation in HHV-8-positive primary effusion lymphomas is associated with expression of HHV-8 cyclin but independent of p27(kip1)

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) develops in immunodeficient patients, selectively localizes to the serous body cavities, and harbors infection by human herpesvirus type-8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. HHV-8 encodes a viral (v)-cyclin homologous to cellular D-type cyclins, a class of positive cell-cycle regulators that are physiologically modulated by the p27(Kip1) cell cycle inhibitor. The aims of the present study were: 1) to establish the expression pattern of p27(Kip1) in PEL; and 2) to address the relationship between p27(Kip1) expression, proliferation index, and expression of cellular cyclin D1 and v-cyclin in PEL. Expression of p27(Kip1) was detected in all (n = 18) PEL samples analyzed by both immunocytochemistry and Western blot. All PELs displayed a high proliferation index as assessed by Ki-67 staining. Expression of cellular cyclin D1 was absent in all PELs tested, which conversely expressed (14 out of 14 samples) v-cyclin by immunocytochemistry and/or Western blot. In contrast to PELs, HHV-8-negative lymphomatous effusions secondary to a tissue-based lymphoma generally failed to express p27(Kip1). Overall, these data show that PELs consistently express p27(Kip1) protein despite the high proliferative rate of the lymphoma clone, suggesting that p27(Kip1) may be unable to drive cell-cycle arrest in PEL cells. The co-existence of p27(Kip1) expression and high proliferative index is a selective feature of PEL among lymphomas involving the serous body cavities, because lymphomatous effusions secondary to a tissue-based lymphoma generally display the inverse relationship between p27(Kip1) positivity and growth fraction observed in normal lymphoid tissues and in most other lymphomas. Expression of p27(Kip1) in PEL associates with expression of HHV-8 v-cyclin, but not of cellular cyclin D1. The fact that HHV-8 v-cyclin is resistant to p27(Kip1)-modulated inhibition, whereas cellular cyclin D1 is sensitive, may explain, at least in part, the co-existence of p27(Kip1) expression and high proliferative index observed in PEL.     

Lymphotoxin but not tumor necrosis factor functions to maintain splenic architecture and humoral responsiveness in adult mice

To compare the function of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin (LT)α/β systems in the mature immune system, these two pathways were blocked with soluble receptor-immunoglobulin (R-Ig) fusion proteins in normal adult mice. Inhibition of LTα/β signaling using LTβR-Ig or a blocking monoclonal antibody against murine LTβ had profound effects. The spleen lacked discrete B cell follicles and the marginal zone was altered. Less marked changes were detected in lymph nodes. LTα/β inhibition also prevented germinal center formation in the spleen and impaired Ig production in response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) immunization. These results show that the LTα/β system is required for the maintenance of splenic architecture and normal immune responses, and not simply for the development of peripheral immune organs during ontogeny. In contrast, inhibition of the TNF/LTα pathway with TNF-R55-Ig did not affect the splenic architecture or the anti-SRBC response. Splenic defects and impaired antibody responses are seen in TNF-deficient mice, suggesting that TNF is important during development. Therefore relative to TNF, the LT system has the dominant influence on splenic organization and anti-SRBC Ig formation in the adult mouse.     

Molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus uberis isolates from dairy cows with mastitis

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial sensitivity testing were used as tools to investigate the epidemiology of Streptococcus uberis mastitis in dairy cows. A total of 62 different strains were found among 138 isolates from the four herds investigated, and between 10 and 26 different strains were found in each herd. There was no strain common to all four herds. Identical strains of S. uberis were detected from different quarters of individual cows and from cows within the same herd, suggesting that transmission from quarter to quarter and cow to cow had occurred. Despite the great variation in S. uberis strains, persistent infection with the same strain within a lactation was observed in most cows. Predominant strains were present in two herds. Preliminary investigations could not clarify why these particular strains might predominate, but in one herd there was a significant difference between the prevalence of clinical mastitis in quarters infected with the predominant strain and that in quarters infected with other strains, suggesting the greater virulence of the predominant strain. The wide variety of S. uberis strains found is consistent with an environmental source of S. uberis. However, evidence of direct transmission, the persistence of infection, and the predominance of particular strains in some herds indicate that S. uberis infections are epidemiologically complex and that the relative importance of these factors in the occurrence of mastitis may differ between herds.