Evidence for prehistoric cardiovascular disease of syphilitic origin on the Northern Plains

The identification of the treponemas among prehistoric Amerindian populations is problematic. This paper presents the evidence for the presence of cardiovascular disease of syphilitic origin on the Plains of North America during prehistoric times. Comparative data from modern populations is used to arrive at a diagnosis.     

3种梅毒诊断实验对梅毒患者的临床诊断效果对比

目的:对比TPPA(梅毒螺旋体明胶颗粒凝集实验)、RPR(快速血浆反应测定)和USR(不加热血清反应素实验)对不同临床分期梅毒患者的临床诊断效果。方法:回顾性分析疑似梅毒病患共113人,其中被确诊为梅毒的99人,其余14人正常。对113人均采用RPR和USR初筛实验和TPPA梅毒确诊实验。评价RPR、USR、TPPA三种诊断的敏感性、特异性、阳性预测值和阴性预测值。结果:RPR和USR对梅毒诊断的敏感性、特异性、阳性预测值和阴性预测值差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。TPPA各项值均高于RPR和USR,差异有统计学意义(P均0.05)。RPR、USR对Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ期梅毒确诊率无统计学差异(P0.05),但TPPA对Ⅰ、Ⅱ期梅毒确诊率基本为100%,但是对Ⅲ期梅毒的确诊率降低,且差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:USR和RPR对临床梅毒均存在一定的误诊率,为提高临床疑似病例确诊率,应联合梅毒检测,TPPA虽为确诊实验,但对Ⅲ期梅毒仍有一定的漏诊率。     

The first crystal structure of class III superoxide reductase from Treponema pallidum

Superoxide reductase (SOR) is a metalloprotein containing a non-heme iron centre, responsible for the scavenging of superoxide radicals in the cell. The crystal structure of Treponema pallidum (Tp) SOR was determined using soft X-rays and synchrotron radiation. Crystals of the oxidized form were obtained using poly(ethylene glycol) and MgCl₂ and diffracted beyond 1.55 Å resolution. The overall architecture is very similar to that of other known SORs but TpSOR contains an N-terminal domain in which the desulforedoxin-type Fe centre, found in other SORs, is absent. This domain conserves the β-barrel topology with an overall arrangement very similar to that of other SOR proteins where the centre is present. The absence of the iron ion and its ligands, however, causes a decrease in the cohesion of the domain and some disorder is observed, particularly in the region where the metal would be harboured. The C-terminal domain exhibits the characteristic immunoglobulin-like fold and harbours the Fe(His)₄(Cys) active site. The five ligands of the iron centre are well conserved despite some disorder observed for one of the four molecules in the asymmetric unit. The participation of a glutamate as the sixth ligand of some of the iron centres in Pyrococcus furiosus SOR was not observed in TpSOR. A possible explanation is that either X-ray photoreduction occurred or there was a mixture of redox states at the start of data collection. In agreement with earlier proposals, details in the TpSOR structure also suggest that Lys49 might be involved in attraction of superoxide to the active site.This work is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Frank Rusnak.Coordinates and observed structure factor amplitudes have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under the accession code 1Y07.     

3670 例早期妊娠妇女梅毒血清学检查及处理

目的:了解早期妊娠妇女梅毒感染情况,采取防治措施,减少先天梅毒的发生。方法:采用梅毒明胶颗粒试验(TPPA)和梅毒甲苯胺红试验(TRUST)对早期妊娠妇女进行梅毒血清学检查,两项结果均阳性者诊为妊娠期梅毒,可采取驱梅治疗或终止妊娠。结果:3670例早期妊娠妇女中,确诊为妊娠期梅毒的29例,其中TRUST滴度大于1:8的有8例,小于1:8的有21例;有12人接受驱梅治疗,有17人选择终止妊娠。结论:在早期妊娠妇女中进行梅毒血清学检查,可及早采取措施,减少先天梅毒的发生。     

Expression and sequence analysis of a Treponema pallidum gene, tpn38(b), encoding an exported protein with homology to T. pallidum and Borrelia burgdorferi proteins

Abstract An Escherichia coli clone containing recombinant plasmid C19 was identified from a Treponema pallidum genomic DNA library by in situ immunoassay. E. coli maxicells containing pC19 synthesized a treponemal protein doublet of 39.2 and 38.2 kDa, designated TpN38(b). Pulse-chase and protein processing studies showed that TpN38(b) is synthesized with a cleavable amino-terminal signal peptide. A 2.0-kb fragment of pC19 containing the tpn38(b) gene was subcloned and sequenced. The tpn38(b) gene is 1029 nucleotides long and encodes a protein of 343 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 37.9 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of TpN38(b) has homology with the T. pallidum TpN35 lipoprotein and the Borrelia burgdorferi BmpA, BmpB, BmpC, and BmpD proteins.     

Evaluation of two human plasma pools as candidate international standard preparations for syphilitic antibodies

A collaborative study was designed to asses two freeze-dried human plasma preparations containing anti-Treponema pallidum antibodies, 05/132 and 05/122, for their suitability as international reference reagents for syphilis serology. Both preparations are intended as replacements of the first international standard (IS) for syphilitic serum antibodies (HS). Samples were tested by eight laboratories using the T. pallidum passive particle agglutination assay (TPPA), the venereal disease research laboratory test (VDRL) and the rapid plasma reagin test (RPR). In addition a range of immunoassays was also used. The outcome of the collaborative study revealed that candidate standard 05/132 contains T. pallidum-specific IgG and IgM and is reactive in VDRL or RPR, and that 05/122 contains T. pallidum-specific IgG but is not reactive in either the VDRL or RPR test. Both 05/132 and 05/122 are reactive in the TPPA. On the basis of these results the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization designated 05/132 as the 1st IS for human syphilitic plasma IgG and IgM with a unitage of 3 IU per ampoule relative to HS and 05/122 as the 1st IS for human syphilitic plasma IgG with a unitage of 300 mIU per ampoule relative to 05/132.     

Compensation and reparations for victims and bystanders of the U.S. Public Health Service research studies in Tuskegee and Guatemala: Who do we owe what?

Using the infamous research studies in Tuskegee and Guatemala, the article examines the difference between victims and bystanders. The victims can include families, sexual partners, and children not just the participants. There are also the bystanders in the populations who are affected, even vaguely, decades after the initial studies took place. Differing reparations for victims and bystanders through lawsuits and historical acknowledgments has to be part of broader discussions of historical justice, and the weighing of the impact of racism and imperial research endeavors.     

Treponematosis in regional and chronological perspective from central Gulf Coast Florida

Examination of five central Gulf Coast Florida archaeological skeletal series (n = 547) from the late prehistoric and early historic periods reveals the presence of pathological lesions characteristic of treponemal infection. These skeletal remains of native American populations represent a crucial time regarding hypotheses about the exchange of syphilis between the Old and New World or the mutation of one treponemal infection into another. Comparison of the lesions with those observed in modern studies of treponemal infection does not support an interpretation of veneral syphilis. The data from this study and from other archaeological skeletal series indicate the presence of a treponemal disease prior to European contact. The skeletal elements from Florida do not suggest that the disease changed dramatically following contact with Europeans. It is possible that cases of nonspecific postcranial pathology can be explained by the presence of this disease in the Florida populations. This study indicates that a treponemal disease was endemic throughout the region by at least A. D. 1000. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

现用梅毒血清试验临床应用价值评估

通过检测梅毒患者正规治疗前、后血清抗体变化,评价梅毒实验室各种血清学试验方法对梅毒的诊断和随访的临床意义.本文采用梅毒螺旋体(TP)暗视野显微镜检查、快速血浆反应素(RPR)试验、TP明胶凝集试验(TPPA)和TP-IgM酶联免疫吸附试验(TP-IgM ELISA)等方法对135例梅毒患者正规治疗前、后的血清进行检测....