Isolation and validation of microsatellite markers from a depleted South African sciaenid species, the dusky kob (Argyrosomus japonicus), by means of the FIASCO/454 approach

The dusky kob (Argyrosomus japonicus) is a large, estuarine-dependent sciaenid fish that has been severely depleted in South African waters and that, in recent years, has received considerable attention from the local fish farming industry. Discovery and application of appropriate molecular markers is necessary to improve the understanding of wild population structure, assist the effectiveness of broodstock and breeding programmes, and ensure monitoring of potential interactions between wild and farmed fish. The present study uses a recently tested approach that combines the FIASCO enrichment protocol with 454 GS-FLX Next Generation Sequencing, to identify large numbers of microsatellite-containing sequences at a low cost and high discovery rate from the dusky kob genome. Following the FIASCO enrichment (targeting specifically tetranucleotide repeats), 2,355 potential tetranucleotide microsatellites (perfect repeat motifs including eight or more repeat units flanked by regions for primer design) were identified from 1/5th of a single 454 lane. From these sequences, a test panel of 60 potential markers was selected for validation. A total of eight (13 %) markers were successfully amplified from a test sample of wild dusky kob individuals and showed high levels of polymorphism (observed heterozygosity per locus ranging between 0.375 and 0.905). Cross-species amplification of seven of these markers was also successfully carried out in another closely related and commercially important South African sciaenid species, the silver kob (A. inodorus). The microsatellite markers developed in the present study are readily available tools suitable to address genetic variability of Argyrosomus species of southern Africa.     

The Effect of Initial Patient Experiences and Life Stressors on Predicting Lost to Follow-Up in Patients New to an HIV Clinic

AIDS and Behavior - We conducted a prospective cohort study of 450 patients new to an HIV clinic in Houston, TX, to examine the roles of life stressors and initial care experiences in predicting...     

Chylothorax in Henoch-Schonlein purpura: a case report and review of the literature

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is the most common acute vasculitis in the pediatric population, with an incidence of 10-14 per 100,000. The classic presentation of this disorder includes erythematous papules followed by palpable purpura in the lower extremities, trunk, and face, arthralgia or arthritis, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, and nephritis. While renal abnormalities in HSP are common, the classic pulmonary manifestations, such as hemorrhage and pneumonitis, are thought to be infrequent. Subclinical pulmonary manifestations, including diffusion defects and radiographic anomalies, seem to be quite frequent in patients with HSP but are not commonly reported. Other respiratory manifestations include pleural effusion and chylothorax, but these are rarely mentioned in the literature. Chylothorax was only reported once in an adult patient with HSP in whom the mechanism of formation was demonstrated to be secondary to transdiaphragmatic passage of chylous fluid from the peritoneal cavity. Here we describe an 8-year-old girl with HSP, nephrotic syndrome, and chylothorax, and we report the results of a review of the literature regarding respiratory complications in HSP. The present case is the first pediatric patient reported with HSP and chylothorax. The therapeutic measures utilized were effective in resolving her edema, ascites, and chylothorax, and we advocate the use of these measures as first-line therapy in future patients with similar complications from HSP.     

Pediatric patients with eosinophilic esophagitis: an 8-year follow-up

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a gastrointestinal disorder that is increasingly diagnosed in pediatric patients. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to define, in pediatric patients with EE, their demographic and atopic characteristics, the histopathology of all segments of the gastrointestinal tract, and the effect of therapeutic interventions on the natural history. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a database of pediatric patients with EE followed over a period of 8 years. RESULTS: In 89 pediatric patients with EE, male sex (78.6%), white race (94.4%), young age at diagnosis, mean +/- SD, 6.2 +/- 4.8 years, and atopy with sensitization to environmental and food allergens in 79% and 75%, respectively, were prevalent. Patients had EE of the proximal and distal esophagus, and 77% had in addition either mucosal eosinophilia or noneosinophilic histopathology in the stomach, duodenum, and colon. EE was chronic, with a duration of mean +/- SD, 0.91 +/- 0.84 years, until first resolution, and was recurrent; of 66% of the patients who had resolution, 79% later relapsed. CONCLUSION: Eosinophilic esophagitis in the pediatric population is a chronic and relapsing condition, associated with atopy and sometimes with subsequent histopathology in segments of the gastrointestinal tract other than the esophagus. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Physicians evaluating pediatric patients with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms should consider the diagnosis of EE, particularly in young white male patients with atopy. Once diagnosed and treated, the physicians should follow the patients over a period of several years because the course of the disease is protracted, other gastrointestinal segments may be affected, and relapses are common.     

Glucose overload test. Screening of gestational diabetes in population of pregnant women with risk factors for diabetes. Clinical experience

Clinical utility of the Overload Test with 50 g. of Oral Glucose (PSG) is evaluated, in 513 pregnancies with risk factors for diabetes. Of the 933 PSG which were made, 13.7% were positive (limit value: plasma glucose of much less than 150 mg/dl at 1 hour); the test were made after 20 weeks of gestation in 82.8% of the cases. Of the 128 positive PSG, 73 positive Oral Glucose Tolerance Test were obtained (O'Sullivan criteria). The prevalence of gestational diabetes found in this group was 15.2%. There was no difference on the most frequent risk factors (family history, obesity and macrosomia) between the general population in the study and the group of Gestational diabetes. Conclusion: PSG, because of its easy application, low cost and excellent tolerance is a test which should be included among the prenatal routine test as screening for gestational diabetes in our media.     

Modification of nephritic colic and 24-hour calcium excretion in urine in primary hyperthyroidism after parathyroidectomy

We documented the frequency of nephritic colic in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, and determined its modification after the parathyroidectomy; we also studied laboratory parameters such as calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone in serum, and the excretion of Cao 24h, previous and later to the intervention. At sight of the results it is possible to be concluded that the parathyroidectomy is useful in the treatment of the kidney stone disease produced by the primary hyperparathyroidism.     

Altered gene expression profiles in nasal respiratory epithelium reflect stable versus acute childhood asthma

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood and has a strong genetic component. OBJECTIVE: To identify gene expression signatures that reflect asthma-related processes and to determine whether these genes were similar or distinct between stable asthma and acute exacerbations in childhood, we profiled gene expression patterns in nasal respiratory epithelial cells. METHODS: Children who had stable asthma (asthma-S; n = 10) and children experiencing an asthma exacerbation (asthma-E; n = 10) were recruited along with nonatopic children without asthma (n = 10). RNA was prepared from nasal respiratory epithelial cells isolated from each child, initially analyzed as pooled samples from the 3 groups, and further validated by using microarrays and RT-PCR with individual patient samples. RESULTS: Distinct gene clusters were identifiable in individual and pooled asthma-S and asthma-E samples. Asthma-E samples demonstrated the strongest and most reproducible signatures, with 314 genes of 34,886 measured as present on the chip demonstrating induction or repression of greater than 2-fold with P < .05 in each of 4 individual samples. Asthma-S-regulated genes encompassed genes that overlapped with those of asthma-E but were fewer (166) and less consistent with respect to their behavior across the asthma-E patient samples. CONCLUSION: Exacerbated asthma status is readily distinguished based on the occurrence of strong gene expression signatures in nasal epithelial samples. Stable asthma status also exhibits differential signatures. The results suggest that there are independent gene expression signatures reflective of cells and genes poised or committed to activation by an asthma attack.