Establishment and characterization of a cholangiocarcinoma cell line （RMCCA-1） from a Thai patient

INTRODUCTIONCholangiocarcinoma is a highly malignant epithelial neoplasm that arises within the intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary tract[1].The pathogenesis of this disease has been strongly associated with chronic inflammation and cellular injury with…     

Effects of long‐term use of HAART on oral health status of HIV‐infected subjects

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39 : 397–406 Background: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of long‐term use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on oral health status of HIV‐infected subjects. Methods: Oral examination and measurement of saliva flow rate of both unstimulated and wax‐stimulated whole saliva were performed in HIV‐infected subjects with and without HAART, and in non‐HIV individuals. The following data were recorded; duration and risk of HIV infection, type and duration of HAART, CD4 cell count, viral load, presence of orofacial pain, oral dryness, oral burning sensation, oral lesions, cervical caries, and periodontal pocket. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of long‐term use of HAART on oral health status of HIV‐infected subjects. Results: One hundred and fifty‐seven HIV‐infected subjects – 99 on HAART (age range 23–57 years, mean 39 years) and 58 not on HAART (age range 20–59 years, mean 34 years) – and 50 non‐HIV controls (age range 19–59 years, mean 36 years) were enrolled. The most common HAART regimen was 2 NRTI + 2 NNRTI. HIV‐infected subjects without HAART showed greater risks of having orofacial pain, oral dryness, oral lesions, and periodontal pockets than those with short‐term HAART (P < 0.01). The subjects with long‐term HAART were found to have a greater risk of having oral lesions than those with short‐term HAART (P < 0.05). The unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates of the subjects with HAART were significantly lower than in those without HAART (P < 0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that long‐term HAART has adverse effects on oral health status of HIV‐infected subjects.     

Recrudescence in artesunate-treated patients with falciparum malaria is dependent on parasite burden not on parasite factors

Artemisinin derivatives are first-line antimalarial drugs in Thailand. No firm evidence of clinically relevant artemisinin resistance exists. When used as monotherapy, artesunate has been associated with a high treatment failure (recrudescence) rate, which could be due to low-level artemisinin resistance. To understand the causes of recrudescence, we retrospectively studied a cohort of 104 malaria patients treated with artesunate monotherapy, 32 of whom recrudesced. There was no difference in in vitro artesunate sensitivities between 6 nonrecrudescent isolates and 16 paired admission and recrudescent isolates. Paired admission and recrudescent isolates from 10 patients were genotyped; only 3 had pfmdr1 mutations. Patients with admission parasitemias >10,000 per microl had a 9-fold higher likelihood of recrudescence (adjusted odds ratio) compared with patients with lower parasitemias. This study suggests (1) recrudescence after treatment with artesunate is not the result of inherent parasite resistance, and (2) admission parasitemia may be useful in choosing therapeutic options.     

Characterization of dengue virus NS1 stably expressed in 293T cell lines

Dengue virus NS1 is a viral nonstructural protein detected in sera of infected individuals and in infected cells. Multiple NS1 structural forms have been reported but the functional characteristics of these forms remain unknown. In this study, a set of 293T cell lines stably expressing recombinant dengue NS1 without additional C-terminal sequence (rNS1s), with a heterologous transmembrane segment (rNS1tm), or with the 26-residue N-terminal portion of NS2A (rNS1v1) was established to aid in the characterization of different NS1 forms. Each NS1 protein form had distinct phenotypes and the following properties were documented: (1) dissipated expression in the cytoplasm, dimerization, and N-glycosylation were observed, regardless of the forms of NS1 expressed; (2) the rNS1v1 and rNS1tm forms, but not the rNS1s, were observed prominently on the surface membrane; (3) only the rNS1v1 form incorporated ethanolamine, a precursor of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol moiety, and was partially sensitive to digestion with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. The stable 239T transfectants expressing multiple forms of dengue NS1 may be a useful model to investigate the function of NS1 and the mechanism by which NS1 associates with membrane.