Brain natriuretic peptide and left ventricular dysfunction in chagasic cardiomyopathy

Global left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction is the strongest predictor of morbidity and mortality in Chagas disease. Echocardiography is considered the gold standard for the detection of LV dysfunction, but not always available in endemic areas where chagasic cardiomyopathy is most common. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone that has been recently described as a simple and inexpensive diagnostic and prognostic marker for patients with congestive heart failure. Chagasic patients (n = 63) and non-infected healthy individuals (n = 18) were recruited prospectively and underwent complete clinical examination, echocardiography and 24-h Holter monitoring. BNP was measured from thawed plasma samples using the Triage BNP test. We observed high levels of BNP in association with depression of LV ejection fraction, with increase of LV end-diastolic diameter and with LV premature complexes. An elevated concentration of BNP, defined as a concentration of 60 pg/ml or more, had a sensitivity of 91.7%, specificity of 82.8%, positive predictive value of 52.4%, and negative predictive value of 98% for detecting LV dysfunction (LV ejection fraction < 40%).BNP measurement using a simple, relatively inexpensive and rapid test has a promising role in identifying LV dysfunction associated with chagasic cardiomyopathy. Equally important, patients with Trypanosoma cruzi infection who have low levels of BNP level in plasma have a very low likelihood of severe cardiac involvement, and echocardiography is probably not necessary.     

Correction of image instability in confocal microscopy using image realignment. Effects on the analysis of intracellular calcium

Using confocal microscopy, we have examined the increases in [Ca(2+)](i) evoked by sodium channel toxins in cells labelled with the fluorescent dye INDO-1. We describe a new image analysis method that improves the detection of region-specific, toxin-induced patterns of change of intracellular calcium. This method is based on correction of global image motion followed by calculation of the strength of correlation between calcium changes in "seed" or reference pixels chosen to represent different regions of cells and those in other regions of the image. When the selected "seed" pixel was chosen to be in either varicosities or neurites, correlations were detected in the same regions of other cells as well as in the soma, indicating specific but spatially distinct patterns of behaviour. Control images (without changes in [Ca(2+)](i)) did not reveal significant interpixel correlations. The ability to recognize correlated patterns of calcium change in different regions of cells was greatly improved by correction for global motion.     

Glycosyltransferase activity can be selectively modulated by chemical modifications of acceptor substrates

A range of N-acetyllactosamine derivatives, which are modified by a wide range of functionalities at C-2(') and C-6, have been synthesised and the kinetic parameters of transfer catalysed by recombinant alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase and alpha-1,3-fucoyltransferase VI determined. Several of the chemical modifications led to selective modulate the activity the enzymes and offer promising lead compounds for the development of oligosaccharide primers for selective metabolic inhibition of oligosaccharide biosynthesis.     

Preliminary in vitro studies on two potent, water-soluble trimethoprim analogues with exceptional species selectivity against dihydrofolate reductase from Pneumocystis carinii and Mycobacterium avium

2,4-Diamino-5-[3',4'-dimethoxy-5'-(5-carboxy-1-pentynyl)]benzylpyrimidine (6) and 2,4-diamino-5-[3',4'-dimethoxy-5'-(4-carboxyphenylethynyl)benzylpyrimidine (7) were synthesized from 2,4-diamino-5-(5'-iodo-3',4'-dimethoxybenzyl)pyrimidine (9) via a Sonogashira reaction with appropriate acetylenic esters followed by saponification, and were tested as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from Pneumocystis carinii (Pc), Toxoplasma gondii (Tg), Mycobacterium avium (Ma), and rat in comparison with the widely used antibacterial agent 2,4-diamino-5-(3',4',5'-trimethoxybenzyl)pyrimidine (trimethoprim, TMP). The selectivity index (SI) for each compound was calculated by dividing its 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) against rat DHFR by its IC(50) against Pc, Tg, or Ma DHFR. The IC(50) of 6 against Pc DHFR was 1.0 nM, with an SI of 5000. Compound 7 had an IC(50) of 8.2 nM against Ma DHFR, with an SI of 11000. By comparison, the IC(50) of TMP was 12000 nM against Pc, 300 nM against Ma, and 180000 against rat DHFR. The potency and selectivity values of 6 and 7 were not as high against Tg as they were against Pc or Ma DHFR, but nonetheless exceeded those of TMP. Because of the outstanding selectivity of 6 against Pc and of 7 against Ma DHFR, these novel analogues may be viewed as promising leads for further structure-activity optimization.     

Phytophthora sojae avirulence genes Avr4 and Avr6 are located in a 24kb, recombination-rich region of genomic DNA

A cross between two different races (race 7xrace 25) of the soybean root and stem rot pathogen Phytophthora sojae was analyzed to characterize the genomic region flanking two cosegregating avirulence genes, Avr4 and Avr6. Both genes cosegregated in the ratio of 82:17 (avirulent:virulent) in an F(2) population, suggestive of a single locus controlling both phenotypes. A chromosome walk was commenced from RAPD marker OPE7.1C, 2.0cM distant from the Avr4/6 locus. Three overlapping cosmids were isolated which included genetic markers that flank the Avr4/6 locus. The chromosome walk spanned a physical distance of 67kb which represented a genetic map distance of 22.3cM, an average recombination frequency of 3.0kb/cM and 11.7-fold greater than the predicted average recombination frequency of 35.3kb/cM for the entire P. sojae genome. Six genes (cDNA clones) expressed from the Avr4/6 genomic region encompassed by the cosmid contig were identified. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and restriction fragment length polymorphisms showed these six genes were closely linked to the Avr4/6 locus. Physical mapping of the cDNA clones within the cosmid contig made it possible to deduce the precise linkage order of the cDNAs. None of the six cDNA clones appear to be candidates for Avr4/6. We conclude that two of these cDNA clones flank a physical region of approximately 24kb and 4.3cM that appears to include the Avr4/6 locus.     

Gene Unscrambler for detangling scrambled genes in ciliates

Scrambled genes are surprisingly common in some species of ciliates. Until now there was no software available to analyze automatically these genes. We present here a program that can automatically align the macronuclear and micronuclear forms of a gene, outputting the location of the macronuclear destined segments and pointer sequences. AVAILABILITY: A web version of the program is available free of charge and can be accessed at http://oxytricha.princeton.edu/GeneUnscrambler.htm     

Oxidized mono-, di-, tri-, and polysaccharides as potential hemoglobin cross-linking reagents for the synthesis of high oxygen affinity artificial blood substitutes

Various oxidized mono/di/tri/poly saccharides were studied as potential hemoglobin (Hb) cross-linkers in order to produce oxygen carriers with high oxygen affinities (low P(50)'s) and high molecular weights (therefore lower macromolecular diffusivities compared to tetrameric Hb). Such physical properties were desired to produce polymerized hemoglobins (PolyHbs) with oxygen release profiles similar to that of human blood, as was demonstrated in work by Winslow (1). In this present study, bovine hemoglobin was cross-linked with a variety of oxidized (ring-opened) saccharides, which resulted in cross-linked Hb species ranging in size from 64 to 6400 kDa (depending on the particular oxidized saccharide used in the reaction) and P(50)'s ranging from 6 to 15 mmHg. A parallel synthetic approach was used to synthesize these carbohydrate-hemoglobin conjugates, and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AFFF) coupled with multi-angle static light scattering (MASLS) was used to measure the absolute molecular weight distribution of these PolyHb dispersions. Cross-linking reactions were conducted at two pHs (6 and 8), with larger cross-linked Hb species produced at pH 8 (where hydrolysis was most likely to occur between glycosidic bonds linking adjacent saccharide rings) rather than at pH 6. The largest molecular weight species formed from these reactions consisted of Hb cross-linked with ring-opened lactose, maltose, methylglucopyranoside, sucrose, trehalose, and 15 kDa and 71 kDa dextran at high pH (pH 8). The most promising Hb cross-linker was methylglucopyranoside, which resulted in very large cross-linked Hb species, with low P(50)'s and lower methemoglobin (metHb) levels compared to the other Hb cross-linking reagents.     

Fluorescent ligands for the histamine H2 receptor: synthesis and preliminary characterization

3-[3-(Piperidinomethyl)phenoxy]alkyl, N-cyano-N′-[ω-[3-(1-piperidinylmethyl)phenoxy]alkyl]guanidine and 2-(5-methyl-4-imidazolyl)methyl thioethyl derivatives containing fluorescent functionalities were synthesized and the histamine H₂ receptor affinity was evaluated using the H₂ antagonist [¹²⁵I]-aminopotentidine. The compounds exhibited weak to potent H₂ receptor affinity with pK_i values ranging from <4 to 8.85. The highest H₂ receptor affinity was observed for N-cyano-N′-[ω-[3-(1-piperidinylmethyl)phenoxy]alkyl]guanidines substituted with methylanthranilate (13), cyanoindolizine (6) and cyanoisoindole (11) moieties via an ethyl or propyl linker.