Presumptive Mosaic Partial Trisomy Associated with Congenital Anomalies and Mental Deficiency

The case of a mentally retarded patient with congenital anomalies not typical of any known chromosome unbalance is reported. In his karyotype, 40·6% of the cells were normal, while 59·4% had a missing G and an almost metacentric marker longer than an F chromosome. The abnormal cell line was interpreted as resulting from a chromatid translocation involving the short arm of a No. 22 and a segment from an unidentified chromosome. The translocation probably took place after the first cell division and was followed by segregation of the translocated chromatids. Other obvious hypotheses were excluded by the study of fluorescence patterns. The patient's clinical features may be due to a partial autosomal trisomy.     

Proton spectroscopy study of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in pediatric depressed patients

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays an essential role in mood regulation and integration of cognitive functions that are abnormal in major depressive disorder (MDD). Few neuroimaging studies have evaluated the still maturing DLPFC in depressed children and adolescents. We conducted single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) of the left DLPFC in 14 depressed children and adolescents (13.3 +/- 2.3 years old, 10 males) and 22 matched healthy controls (13.6 +/- 2.8 years old, 13 males). Depressed subjects had significantly lower levels of glycerophosphocholine plus phosphocholine (GPC + PC; or choline-containing compounds) and higher myo-inositol levels in the left DLPFC compared to healthy controls. In the depressed subjects, we found significant inverse correlations between glutamate levels and both duration of illness and number of episodes. In healthy controls there was a significant direct correlation between age and glutamine levels, which was not present in the patient group. Lower GPC + PC levels in pediatric MDD may reflect lower cell membrane content per volume in the DLPFC. Increased myo-inositol levels in MDD may represent a disturbed secondary messenger system. GPC + PC and myo-inositol abnormalities further demonstrate the involvement of DLPFC in pediatric MDD.     

Presence of the cfxA gene in Bacteroides distasonis

In this study we investigated the presence of the cfxA gene (encoding a class A beta-lactamase) in 73 strains of the Bacteroides fragilis group belonging to the species B. distasonis (34), B. vulgatus (14), B. thetaiotaomicron (8), B. merdae (6), B. caccae (9) and B. ovatus (2) isolated from human intestinal microflora of healthy children and adults. Employing specific primers to the cfxA gene, a 312-bp amplified fragment was obtained in 2 strains of B. vulgatus and 9 strains, the majority from children, of B. distasonis. The expression of this enzyme was analysed by determining the MICs to cefoxitin and cefotaxime and values varied from 2 to >256 microg/ml of both cefoxitin and cefotaxime. Sequence analysis of the amplicons corresponding to the cfxA gene from B. distasonis and B. vulgatus revealed identical sequences between these isolates and high similarity with other beta-lactamase genes of anaerobes such as cfxA of B. vulgatus (99%) and cfxA2 of Prevotella intermedia (99%), both sequences of which deposited in Genbank under accession numbers U38243 and AF118110, respectively. However, a fragment obtained from a B. distasonis strain (EC17-4) showed a unique RFLP profile and 87% nucleotide similarity with cfxA and cfxA2 genes. These results seem to suggest a dissemination of these resistance determinants among Bacteroides species.     

Antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella serotypes isolated from slaughter-age pigs and environmental samples

The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella strains isolated from slaughter-age pigs and environmental samples collected at modern swine raising facilities in Brazil. Seventeen isolates of six serotypes of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica were isolated out of 1,026 collected samples: Salmonella Typhimurium (1), Salmonella Agona (5), Salmonella Sandiego (5), Salmonella Rissen (1), Salmonella Senftenberg (4), and Salmonella Javiana (1). Resistance patterns were determined to extended-spectrum penicillin (ampicillin), broad-spectrum cephalosporins (cefotaxime and ceftriaxone), aminoglycosides (streptomycin, neomycin, gentamicin, amikacin, and tobramycin), narrow-spectrum quinolone (nalidixic acid), broad-spectrum quinolone (ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin), tetracycline, trimethoprim, and chloramphenicol. Antimicrobial resistance patterns varied among serotypes, but isolates from a single serotype consistently showed the same resistance profile. All isolates were resistant to tetracycline, streptomycin, and nalidixic acid. One isolate, Salmonella Rissen, was also resistant to cefotaxime and tobramycin. All serotypes were susceptible to ceftriaxone, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol. The high resistance to tetracycline and streptomycin may be linked to their common use as therapeutic drugs on the tested farms. No relation was seen between nalidixic acid and fluoroquinolone resistance.     

Risk factors for typhlitis

A case-control study was undertaken to identify risk factors for typhlitis in patients with hematological malignancies. A data base file with a total of 410 episodes of fever and neutropenia in patients cared for between May 1987 and 1996 was reviewed. Typhlitis was defined as a symptom complex of fever, intense abdominal pain and tenderness in the presence of neutropenia. Five cases of typhlitis were identified. Three controls for every patient were randomly selected from the same cohort. Diarrhea and jaundice were more frequent in patients than in controls (p=0.03). The presence of mucositis, prolonged duration of profound neutropenia and idarubicin treatment proved to be risk factors for typhlitis.     

Evaluation of Schistosomiasis Mansoni Morbidity by Hepatic and Splenic Elastography

In patients with Mansoni schistosomiasis, it is fundamental to evaluate the disease morbidity, which is reflected by the severity of periportal fibrosis (PPF) and parameters of portal hypertension, as analyzed by ultrasonography (US). This study aimed to evaluate the morbidity of schistosomiasis by hepatic and splenic point shear-wave elastography (pSWE) and relate this to US parameters. The PPF pattern, the diameter of the portal and splenic veins and the size of the spleen were evaluated by US. Then, liver and spleen pSWEs were assessed in 74 patients using the same equipment. As the PPF pattern progressed, the splenic pSWE values significantly increased. Significant correlations between splenic pSWE, the longitudinal and transverse lengths of the spleen and the diameters of the portal and splenic veins were observed. These findings, however, were not observed through hepatic pSWE. In conclusion, the splenic pSWE has the potential for assessing morbidity in schistosomiasis mansoni.     

Twins prematurity – the influence of prenatal surveillance

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the local prenatal surveillance of twin pregnancies in the obstetrical results.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of multiple pregnancies delivered over a period of 16 years in a tertiary centre was conducted. In this study 861 twin pregnancies were included. They were compared for obstetric complications, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery and birthweight, according to the place of the surveillance.

Results: Of the 861 cases examined, the following obstetric complications were significantly different: metrorrhagia (p?=?0.039), infections (p?p?=?0.007), PROMPT (p?p?=?0.024). The mode of delivery was similar but occurred mostly ≤32 weeks (p?p?Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the crucial importance of prenatal surveillance be carried in a differentiated referral centers with specific/strict protocols or the urgent implementation of same protocols in all other places of surveillance, since this straight surveillance greatly reduces the occurrence of prenatal complications, mainly PROMPT, PTD.     

Effects of indirubin and isatin on cell viability,mutagenicity, genotoxicity and BAX/ERCC1 gene expression

Context: Indigofera suffruticosa Miller (Fabaceae) and I. truxillensis Kunth produce compounds, such as isatin (ISA) and indirubin (IRN), which possess antitumour properties. Their effects in mammalian cells are still not very well understood.

Objective: We evaluated the activities of ISA and/or IRN on cell viability and apoptosis in vitro, their genotoxic potentials in vitro and in vivo, and the IRN- and ISA-induced expression of ERCC1 or BAX genes.

Materials and methods: HeLa and/or CHO-K1 cell lines were tested (3 or 24?h) in the MTT, Trypan blue exclusion, acridine orange/ethidium bromide, cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus (CBMN) and comet (36, 24 and 72?h) tests after treatment with IRN (0.1 to 200?μM) or ISA (0.5 to 50?μM). Gene expression was measured by RT-qPCR in HeLa cells. Swiss albino mice received IRN (3, 4 or 24?h) by gavage (50, 100 and 150?mg/kg determined from the LD₅₀ – 1?g/kg b.w.) and submitted to comet assay in vivo.

Results: IRN reduced the viability of CHO-K1 (24?h; 5 to 200?μM) and HeLa cells (10 to 200?μM), and was antiproliferative in the CBMN test (CHO-K1: 0.5 to 10?μM; HeLa: 5 and 10?μM). The drug did not induce apoptosis, micronucleus neither altered gene expression. IRN and ISA were genotoxic for HeLa cells (3 and 24?h) at all doses tested. IRN (100 and 150?mg/kg) also induced genotoxicity in vivo (4?h).

Conclusion: IRN and ISA have properties that make them candidates as chemotherapeutics for further pharmacological investigations.     

Heparan sulphate,its derivatives and analogues share structural characteristics that can be exploited,particularly in inhibiting microbial attachment

Heparan sulphate (HS) and the related polysaccharide, heparin, exhibit conformational and charge arrangement properties, which provide a degree of redundancy allowing several seemingly distinct sequences to exhibit the same activity. This can also be mimicked by other sulphated polysaccharides, both in overall effect and in the details of interactions and structural consequences of interactions with proteins. Together, these provide a source of active compounds suitable for further development as potential drugs. These polysaccharides also possess considerable size, which bestows upon them an additional useful property: the capability of disrupting processes comprising many individual interactions, such as those characterising the attachment of microbial pathogens to host cells. The range of involvement of HS in microbial attachment is reviewed and examples, which include viral, bacterial and parasitic infections and which, in many cases, are now being investigated as potential targets for intervention, are identified.