An uncommon association of vacterl complex with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis and horseshoe lung

We report a case of VACTERL complex which had concomitant horseshoe lung, laryngeal cleft, and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, which has not been previously reported.     

The value of ultrasonography alone in screening surveys of cystic echinococcosis in children in Turkey

A total of 1205 primary school children were examined for cystic echinococcosis in five villages of Manisa, Turkey, to evaluate the efficacy of diagnostic methods of this infection in community-based screening surveys. Six hundred and thirty children from three villages, examined by a portable ultrasound scanner, chest microfilm and serological methods (ELISA, indirect hemagglutination) in our previous study, were designated as Study Group 1; and 575 children, from two adjacent villages, examined by ultrasonography alone in the present study, were designated as Study Group 2. In Study Group 1, hepatic cystic echinococcosis was detected in two cases (0.3%) by ultrasonography, while 43 (8.9%) and 49 (10.1%) cases were found to be positive for cystic echinococcosis by ELISA and indirect hemagglutination, respectively. Three of 575 children (0.5%) were diagnosed with cystic echinococcosis (two hepatic and one renal involvement) by ultrasonography alone in Study Group 2; and lung lesions were later detected in both cases with liver involvement by chest radiography.

Our results suggested that serological tests may be beneficial in suspected cases for confirmation and differential diagnosis, but have some drawbacks, such as discrepancy in results and high false seropositivity rates. Chest microfilm is not easy in field studies and exposure to X-ray is undesirable. As a reliable, simple, inexpensive and rapid technique, ultrasonography alone is recommended to be used in community-based screening surveys for cystic echinococcosis with confirmatory tests for suspected cases found during the screening program.     

Draft genome sequences of the biocontrol bacterium Mitsuaria sp. strain H24L5A

Mitsuaria sp. strain H24L5A is a plant-associated bacterium with proven capacities to suppress plant pathogens. Here, we report the draft genome sequences and automatic annotation of H24L5A. Comparative genomic analysis indicates H24L5A's similarity to the Leptothrix and Methylibium species, as well as several genes potentially contributing to its biocontrol activities.     

Role of endothelial AADC in cardiac synthesis of serotonin and nitrates accumulation

Serotonin (5-HT) regulates different cardiac functions by acting directly on cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Today, it is widely accepted that activated platelets represent a major source of 5-HT. In contrast, a supposed production of 5-HT in the heart is still controversial. To address this issue, we investigated the expression and localization of 5-HT synthesizing enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) in the heart. We also evaluated their involvement in cardiac production of 5-HT. TPH1 was weakly expressed in mouse and rat heart and appeared restricted to mast cells. Degranulation of mast cells by compound 48/80 did not modify 5-HT cardiac content in mice. Western blots and immunolabelling experiments showed an abundant expression of AADC in the mouse and rat heart and its co-localization with endothelial cells. Incubation of cardiac homogenate with the AADC substrate (5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan) 5-HTP or intraperitoneal injection of 5-HTP in mice significantly increased cardiac 5-HT. These effects were prevented by the AADC inhibitor benserazide. Finally, 5-HTP administration in mice increased phosphorylation of aortic nitric oxide synthase 3 at Ser (1177) as well as accumulation of nitrates in cardiac tissue. This suggests that the increase in 5-HT production by AADC leads to activation of endothelial and cardiac nitric oxide pathway. These data show that endothelial AADC plays an important role in cardiac synthesis of 5-HT and possibly in 5-HT-dependent regulation of nitric oxide generation.     

Sickle cell membranes and oxidative damage.

Sickle erythrocytes and their membranes are susceptible to endogenous free-radical-mediated oxidative damage which correlates with the proportion of irreversibly sickled cells. The suppression of incubation-induced oxidative stress by antioxidants, free radical scavengers and an iron chelator suggest that oxidation products of membrane-bound haemoglobin contribute towards the pathology of the disease.     

Sequence homology of polymorphic AFLP markers in garlic (Allium sativum L.).

Linkage mapping and genetic diversity studies with DNA markers in plant species assume that comigrating bands are identical, or at least that they have homologous sequences. To test this assumption in a plant with a large genome, sequence identities of 7 polymorphic amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers of garlic, previously used to estimate similarity in genetic diversity studies, were characterized. Among 37 diverse garlic clones, 87 bands from these 7 polymorphisms were excised, amplicons were cloned, and 2 to 6 colonies were sequenced from each band, to yield a total of 191 DNA amplicons. Of these 87 bands, 83 bands (95.4%) contained AFLP amplicons that were identical or highly homologous to the typical marker of that band; only 4 bands contained amplicons with little homology to the same-sized amplicons of other garlic clones. Of these 83 bands, 64 (73.6%) contained only highly homologous amplicons (>90% sequence identity), whereas 19 (21.8%) contained both homologous and nonhomologous amplicons, with sequence identities less than 60%. Of the 37 nonhomologous amplicons identified, 25 (67.5%) differed in length from other amplicons in the band. Sequence conservation of AFLP amplicons followed patterns similar to phylogenetic relationships among garlic clones, making them useful for developing simple PCR-based markers in genetic mapping and diversity assessment.     

Activation of ERK by Ca2+ store depletion in rat liver epithelial cells

In rat liver epithelial (WB) cells,Ca²⁺ pool depletion induced by twoindependent methods resulted in activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK). In the first method,Ca²⁺ pool depletion bythapsigargin increased the activity of ERK, even when rise in cytosolicCa²⁺ was blocked with theCa²⁺ chelator BAPTA-AM. For thesecond method, addition of extracellular EGTA at a concentration shownto deplete intracellular Ca²⁺pools also increased ERK activity. In each instance, ERK activation, asmeasured by an immunocomplex kinase assay, was greatly reduced by thetyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein, suggesting thatCa²⁺ store depletion increased ERKactivity through a tyrosine kinase pathway. The intracellularCa²⁺-releasing agent thapsigarginincreased Fyn activity, which was unaffected by BAPTA-AM pretreatment,suggesting that Fyn activity was unaffected by increased cytosolic freeCa²⁺. Furthermore, depletion ofintracellular Ca²⁺ with EGTAcaused inactivation of protein phosphatase 2A and protein tyrosinephosphatases. ANG II-induced activations of Fyn, Raf-1, and ERK wereaugmented in cells pretreated with BAPTA-AM, but ANG II-inducedexpression of the dual-specificity phosphatase mitogen-activatedprotein kinase phosphatase-1 was blocked by BAPTA-AM pretreatment.Together these results indicate that ERK activity is regulated by thebalance of phosphorylation vs. dephosphorylation reactions in intactcells and that the amount of Ca²⁺stored in intracellular pools plays an important role in this regulation.