Comparative analysis of qualitative dermatoglyphic traits of Albanian and Turkish populations living in the area of Dukagjin Valley in Kosovo

Dermatoglyphic prints were collected from 800 inhabitants of Dukagjin valley in Kosovo. The sample consisted of two ethnically different sub-populations who refer themselves as Albanians (N = 400) and Turks (N = 400). Qualitative analysis of prints concerned the frequency of the patterns on fingers (arch, ulnar and radial loop, whorl, accidental whorl) and on palms (Thenar and I, II, III, and IV interdigital area and the hypothenar, main line index, and the axial "t" triradius position). As was expected due to previous study of quantitative dermatoglyphic traits, in the same population the Alba-nians and Turks showed to be significantly different in most explored qualitative dermatoglyphic variables. Found differences indicated that the reproductive isolation between the Albanian and Turkish population in Kosovo is substantial, despite the fact that those two ethnic sub-populations live in the close vicinity through several centuries.     

Molecular Differentiation of Lactococcus lactis Subspecies lactis and cremoris Strains by Ribotyping and Site Specific-PCR

Twenty-five strains of Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis and subspecies cremoris obtained from dairy industry and environmental collections were examined by 16S RNA automated ribotyping profiles and site-specific PCR (S-PCR). By automated ribotyping, the majority of strains were classified in accordance with phenotypic characterization, with the exception of one lactis (220) and two cremoris (BO32 and 140) strains. A complete differentiation of subspecies lactis and cremoris in agreement with conventional phenotypic methods was achieved by S-PCR with a set of site-specific primer pairs (PR1, RM4, and F3) designed particularly from a deletion region found in subspecies cremoris, but not in lactis. Therefore, S-PCR with primers (PR1, RM4, and F3) is a rapid and very sensitive method for the distinction of lactis and cremoris subspecies in dairy production. Received: 19 June 2000 / Accepted: 17 July 2000     

Oral phosphatidylcholine pretreatment alleviates the signs of experimental rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction  

Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine-derived metabolites exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in various stress conditions. We hypothesized that dietary phosphatidylcholine may potentially function as an anti-inflammatory substance and may decrease inflammatory activation in a chronic murine model of rheumatoid arthritis (collagen-induced arthritis).     

Sialic acid recognition by Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase

Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase (VCNA) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of cholera by removing sialic acid from higher order gangliosides to unmask GM1, the receptor for cholera toxin. We previously showed that the structure of VCNA is composed of a central beta-propeller catalytic domain flanked by two lectin-like domains; however the nature of the carbohydrates recognized by these lectin domains has remained unknown. We present here structures of the enzyme in complex with two substrates, alpha-2,3-sialyllactose and alpha-2,6-sialyllactose. Both substrate complexes reveal the alpha-anomer of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) bound to the N-terminal lectin domain, thereby revealing the role of this domain. The large number of interactions suggest a relatively high binding affinity for sialic acid, which was confirmed by calorimetry, which gave a Kd approximately 30 microm. Saturation transfer difference NMR using a non-hydrolyzable substrate, Neu5,9Ac2-2-S-(alpha-2,6)-GlcNAcbeta1Me, was also used to map the ligand interactions at the VCNA lectin binding site. It is well known that VCNA can hydrolyze both alpha-2,3- and alpha-2,6-linked sialic acid substrates. In this study using alpha-2,3-sialyllactose co-crystallized with VCNA it was revealed that the inhibitor 2-deoxy-2,3-didehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac2en) was bound at the catalytic site. This observation supports the notion that VCNA can produce its own inhibitor and has been further confirmed by 1H NMR analysis. The discovery of the sialic acid binding site in the N-lectin-like domain suggests that this might help target VCNA to sialic acid-rich environments, thereby enhancing the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme.     

Ghrelin is present in teeth

Ghrelin belongs to the family of a gut-brain hormone that promotes food intake and controls energy balance. Recently, it has also been shown to regulate bone formation directly. Dental tissue shares several functional, developmental and anatomical similarities with bone, and in the present study we have investigated the presence of ghrelin in 44 human teeth using immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay. Both methods showed that the hormone is present in canines and molars, mainly in the odontoblasts but also in the pulp. Ghrelin could potentially play interesting physiological roles in teeth.     

Y chromosome lineage- and village-specific genes on chromosomes 1p22 and 6q27 control visceral leishmaniasis in Sudan

Familial clustering and ethnic differences suggest that visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani is under genetic control. A recent genome scan provided evidence for a major susceptibility gene on Chromosome 22q12 in the Aringa ethnic group in Sudan. We now report a genome-wide scan using 69 families with 173 affected relatives from two villages occupied by the related Masalit ethnic group. A primary ten-centimorgan scan followed by refined mapping provided evidence for major loci at 1p22 (LOD score 5.65; nominal p = 1.72 × 10⁻⁷; empirical p < 1 × 10⁻⁵; λ_S = 5.1) and 6q27 (LOD score 3.74; nominal p = 1.68 × 10⁻⁵; empirical p < 1 × 10⁻⁴; λ_S = 2.3) that were Y chromosome–lineage and village-specific. Neither village supported a visceral leishmaniasis susceptibility gene on 22q12. The results suggest strong lineage-specific genes due to founder effect and consanguinity in these recently immigrant populations. These chance events in ethnically uniform African populations provide a powerful resource in the search for genes and mechanisms that regulate this complex disease.     

Acetylcholinesterase mediated susceptibility of soldiers and workers of formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) to chlorpyrifos

Target site studies were undertaken to examine the difference in susceptibility of Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, workers and soldiers to chlorpyrifos. Workers exhibited significantly greater acetylcholinesterase activity per insect than soldiers (118.63 +/- 48.51 versus 47.98 +/- 22.59 mOD/min/insect equivalent). Likewise, enzyme activity (mean +/- SD) per milligram of protein was greater in workers than soldiers (440.30 +/- 267.43 versus 311.53 +/- 149.83 mOD/min/mg protein). The enzyme of soldiers was more sensitive to the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors eserine and chlorpyrifos-oxon than that of workers. The I50s of chlorpyrifos-oxon were 2.66 and 4.59 nM for soldiers and workers, respectively, whereas the I50s of eserine were 16.56 and 25.41 nM for soldiers and workers, respectively. The amount of protein was significantly higher in workers than in soldiers with mean values of 0.270 +/- 0.102 and 0.154 +/- 0.054 mg/insect equivalent, respectively. We suggest that the differential response of workers and soldiers to chlorpyrifos may be due to the difference in AChE sensitivity to inhibition and the amount of protein between them.     

Detection of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica using a digoxigenin labelled probe targeting the yst gene

A 145 base pair digoxigenin-d-UTP-labelled probe, specific for pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica heat-stable enterotoxin yst gene, was prepared by PCR. The probe was used in DNA-DNA colony hybridization and dot-blot hybridization assays. The specificity of the probe was confirmed using 52 strains representing all Yersinia spp., except Y. pestis . Out of a total of 25 Y. enterocolitica strains screened, the probe correctly identified all 18 pathogenic strains. Among the other Yersinia spp. screened, only one strain of Y. kristensenii was positively detected by the yst probe but could be differentiated by its weak signal response as compared with that obtained by pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica .     

A dietary conjugated linoleic acid treatment that slows renal disease progression alters renal cyclooxygenase-2-derived prostanoids in the Han: SPRD-cy rat

A mixture of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers reduces inflammation and mitigates disease progression in the Han:SPRD-cy rat model of chronic kidney disease. Since cyclooxygenase (COX) activities and prostanoid levels are higher in diseased kidneys in this rat, and dietary CLA can inhibit COX2 and prostanoid production in other tissues, the effects of dietary CLA were investigated. Kidney homogenates from normal and diseased Han:SPRD-cy rats were analyzed for prostanoid levels under various conditions: endogenous levels, steady-state levels (60-min incubations) and produced by COX isoforms. Thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2); TXA(2) metabolite), 6-keto-prostaglandin F(1α) (6-keto-PGF(1α); PGI(2) metabolite) and PGE(2) levels under these conditions were two- to ninefold higher in diseased kidneys. Dietary CLA resulted in ～32%-53% lower levels of prostanoids produced by total COX and COX2 activities in normal and diseased kidneys and partially mitigated alterations in COX2 protein levels associated with disease. The COX1 protein and activity were higher in renal disease, resulting in increased production of TXB(2) and 6-ketoPGF(1α), but not PGE(2). Dietary CLA had no effect on COX1, however. Disease resulted in up to twofold higher ratios of TXB(2)/6-ketoPGF(1α), TXB(2)/PGE(2) and 6-ketoPGF(1α) /PGE(2), and dietary CLA partially mitigated these increases under several conditions. Elevated levels of renal membrane associated cytosolic phospholipase A(2) in diseased kidneys also were reduced by 50% with CLA feeding. The effects of CLA feeding on COX2 protein levels and activity indicate that the beneficial effect of dietary CLA in this renal disorder is mediated in part via effects on COX2-derived prostanoids.