Antibodies to mutated citrullinated vimentin for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis in anti-CCP-negative patients and for monitoring infliximab therapy

Introduction  

Antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCPs) are useful for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Antibodies to mutated citrullinated vimentin (MCV) were described recently in RA. The aims of this study were to evaluate the usefulness of anti-MCV for diagnosing RA in anti-CCP-negative patients and to monitor anti-MCV titres during infliximab therapy for RA.     

Erythropoiesis in the developing chick embryo

The types of erythroid cells of chick embryos developing in ovo have been correlated with the hemoglobins of the embryos. Prior to 5 days, when primitive cells constitute the only erythroid cells, two hemoglobins can be resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The two adult hemoglobins and a minor hemoglobin found only in embryos and young chicks first appear simultaneously with initiation of definitive erythropoiesis.     

A polymorphic locus on the long arm of chromosome 20 defined by two probes from a single cosmid

Summary Two probes from the random human cosmid c1-37 detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms in humans. The loci revealed by these probes are in linkage equilibrium and constitute a compound polymorphic locus with a polymorphism information content of 0.54. A somatic cell hybrid panel has been used to map the probes to chromosome 20; in situ hybridization studies confirm this localization and indicate that the locus is on 20q13. This is the first polymorphic locus to be assigned to the long arm of chromosome 20.     

Low incidence of deletion of the esterase D locus in retinoblastoma patients

Esterase D was quantitatively measured in the red blood cells from three patients from three separate kindreds who had abnormalities of chromosome 13. The esterase D activity was proportional to the number of copies of the q14 region of chromosome 13 present. These findings confirm published data localizing the esterase D gene to chromosome band 13q14, a region which is important in the etiology of retinoblastoma. Fifty-one additional retinoblastoma patients not known to have any chromosomal defect also underwent esterase D determination. In none of these patients did the esterase D measurement detect a 13q14 deletion. The normal esterase D levels in this series of 51 retinoblastoma patients suggest that deletion of an esterase D locus is infrequent in retinoblastoma patients. It must be noted that patients who are mosaics, with a 13q14 deletion in only a fraction of all somatic cells, could possibly have normal red blood cell esterase D levels. Further study is necessary to determine if esterase D determination of all retinoblastoma patients is a worthwhile clinical tool.     

Anatomical mapping of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-like and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD)-like immunoreactivity in outer hair cell efferents in adult rats

Summary The distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-like and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD)-like immunoreactivity in the cochleae of 15 adult Wistar white rats was investigated using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) technique. A monoclonal antibody to ChAT and a polyclonal antiserum to GAD were used. Immunoreaction was investigated quantitatively, in the electron microscope, on tangential sections of the tunnel of Corti and the rows of outer hair cells. ChAT-like and GAD-like immunoreactivity was found in all efferent nerve fibres in the tunnel of Corti and in all efferent synapses on the outer hair cells. A coexistence of ChAT and GAD in the efferent system to the outer hair cells of the rat is therefore assumed.