Peak bone mass of Iranian population: the Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study.

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem in the Western countries and is projected to have a similar impact in the Middle East. It has been suggested that peak bone mineral density (BMD), a major determinant of osteoporotic fractures later in life, may be lower in this part of the world compared with the Western world. The purpose of the Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study was to determine peak bone mass in a randomly chosen sample of healthy Iranian subjects. A total of 5201 participants (2340 males, mean age 42.7+/-13.8) were recruited based on randomized clustered sampling from all regions of five major cities across the country. In women, peak lumbar BMD (1.182+/-0.127 g/cm2) occurred in the 29- to 33-yr age group, whereas peak total femur BMD (1.006+/-0.126 g/cm2) occurred in the 32- to 36-yr age group. In men, peak lumbar BMD (1.181+/-0.153 g/cm2) and femoral BMD (1.096+/-0.159 g/cm2) both occurred in the 20- to 24-yr age group. When standardized to mg/cm2 units using established formulas, Iranian peak bone mass values are comparable with that of Western countries and are generally higher than that of Eastern Asian and Middle Eastern countries.     

Rational design of hypoallergens applied to the major cat allergen Fel d 1

BACKGROUND: Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only treatment for allergic disease providing long-lasting symptom relief. Currently, it is mainly based on the use of crude allergen extracts. The treatment may be improved by the use of genetically engineered allergens, hypoallergens, aiming at a more effective and safer therapy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide a rational design of hypoallergen candidates for immunotherapy by using structural information and knowledge of B and T cell epitopes of an allergen. METHODS: The three-dimensional structure of the major cat allergen Fel d 1 was systematically altered by duplication of selected T cell epitopes and disruption of disulphide bonds. Seven Fel d 1 derivatives were generated and screened for allergenic reactivity in comparison with recombinant Fel d 1 in competition-ELISA. The allergenicity was further evaluated in basophil activation experiments and T cell reactivity was assessed in a lymphoproliferation assay. RESULTS: Three out of seven Fel d 1 derivatives, with two duplicated T cell epitopes and one or two disulphide bonds disrupted, were carefully evaluated. The three derivatives displayed a strong reduction in allergenicity with 400-900 times lower IgE-binding capacity than recombinant Fel d 1. In addition, they induced a lower degree of basophil activation and similar or stronger T cell proliferation than recombinant Fel d 1. CONCLUSION: By a rational approach, we have constructed three Fel d 1 hypoallergens with reduced IgE-binding capacities and retained T cell reactivities. This strategy may be applied to any well-characterized allergen to improve immunotherapy for allergic patients.     

Spinal injuries in children

We reviewed 47 children with spinal injuries. Three distinct patterns of injury were observed: subluxations and dislocations without a fracture (type 1), spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (type 2), and spinal fractures which may be associated with subluxation or dislocation (type 3), The neurological recovery was poor in complete lesions associated with type 2 injuries.     

Determination of human rotavirus VP4 using serotype-specific cDNA probes

Summary The VP4 genetic groups of 151 field strains of human rotaviruses obtained from infants and young children with diarrhea from four locations in Malaysia were analyzed. The strains were adapted to growth in tissue culture and studied further by molecular hybridization of northern blotted RNA to PCR-generated cDNA probes representing amino acids 84–180 of the KU strain VP4, 83–181 of the DS-1 strain VP4, and 83–180 of either the 1076 or K8 strain VP4, representing VP4 genetic groups 1–4 (P1A, P1B, P2, and P3), respectively. The majority (79% of the field strains hybridized with the KU VP4 genetic group 1 probe and were associated with G1, G3, G4, untypable, or mixed G serotypes. VP4 genetic group 1 (P1A) strains were the most common in all locations in Malaysia between 1978–1988. Three strains which exhibited G3 and subgroup I specificity hybridized with the K8 VP4 genetic group 4 probe. These three VP4 genetic group 4 (P3) strains were detected in two different years and locations, extending the initial detection of this VP4 genetic group (the K8 strain) in Japan to a larger geographical area of Asia.     

A Vero cell-attenuated Goatpox virus provides protection against virulent virus challenge

An Indian isolate of Goatpox virus (GTPV) was adapted and propagated in Vero cells for development of an attenuated virus. The virus was initially passaged in primary lamb testes cells and subsequently in Vero cells. At the 55th passage, the virus showed evidence of attenuation when tested for safety in seronegative goats. At this stage, the virus was found to be completely non-pathogenic. The virus was passaged further and the 60th passage was used for testing its immunogenicity in goats. The latter were inoculated with 10, 100 and 1000 TCID50 of the attenuated virus by intradermal (i.d.) route and challenged after 28 days with virulent GTPV. The attenuated virus produced no adverse reaction even at the highest dose and conferred complete protection even at the lowest dose against challenge with a high dose (2 x 10(6) of 50% skin-reactive dose SRD50) of virulent virus. Increased levels of virus-specific serum antibodies could be demonstrated by both indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and virus neutralization (VN) test in all the immunized goats. No horizontal transmission of the virus from the immunized to in-contact animals took place. Our results suggest that this attenuated virus could be a safe, immunogenic and potent candidate for developing a vaccine against goatpox.     

Neural origins of the P300

A review of the literature investigating the neural origins of detection behavior in humans reveals two event-related potential components, P3a and P3b, each with a distinct neural organization and cognitive function.The P3a is involved in automatic novelty detection and characterized by a more anterior cortical distribution, whereas the P3b is concerned with volitional target detection and has a more posterior cortical distribution. Intracranial investigation, studies with patients with focal brain lesions, and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) studies converge with scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP) data in suggesting that a widespread cortical network gives rise to both automatic and controlled detection behavior. The main regions consistently attributed to generating detection-related brain activation include the temporal-parietal junction, medial temporal complex, and the lateral prefrontal cortex. The extant human and animal literature addressing the neural networks, neuropharmacological underpinnings, and behavioral significance of the P300 potential will be reviewed.     

Bone mineral density is related to blood pressure in men

The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between bone mineral density (BMD) and blood pressure in 214 men, age 20–76. BMD measurements were done by dual X‐ray absorptiometry using a Lunar DPXMD densitometer at the lumbar spine (L2–L4) and different femoral regions. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were measured using an MPC‐350 sphygmomanometer. Physicians gathered demographic data and participants' dietary intake of calcium were determined by using food frequency questionnaires. After adjusting for age, body mass index, dietary calcium, and exercise history, multiple linear regression models showed that DBP was negatively related to femoral neck BMD (β = ?0.145, P = 0.032) and just shy of significant association with femoral neck BMC (β = ?0.114, P = 0.079). SBP was correlated with femoral neck (r = ?0.171, P = 0.012) and Ward's (r = ?0.186, P = 0.006) BMD but not after adjusting for possible confounders. Further studies are needed to determine whether elevated blood pressure is causally related to the development of low bone mass. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:168–171, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.