Goldston syndrome: report of a case.

Cerebrohepatorenal malformation is a rare familial disorder characterized by typical renal lesions combined with Dandy-Walker malformation, and congenital hepatic fibrosis. In this case report, a male premie with the diagnosis of cerebrorenal syndrome or so called Goldston syndrome is presented. Besides the rarity of this syndrome, this case is the second reported patient diagnosed prenatally.     

The Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism in the Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Gene and Hypoglycemia Awareness in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes.

Impaired hypoglycemia awareness affects approximately 25% of all patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Duration of diabetes and tight glycemic control represent main risk factors of impaired hypoglycemia awareness. However, even among patients with good glycemic control and longstanding T1DM, awareness of hypoglycemia may be intact. Genetic factors might explain some of this remaining variability. Recently, the insertion/deletion ( I/ D) polymorphism in angiotensin converting enzyme gene ( ACE) was shown to be associated with significantly higher risk of hypoglycemic events in subjects with T1DM. Here, we studied the effects of genetic polymorphisms in the ACE on impaired hypoglycemia awareness in 231 Caucasian T1DM patients. Hypoglycemia awareness status was determined using standardized questionnaires (Clarke et al. and Edinburgh Hypoglycemia Scale). ACE I/ D genotype was determined by PCR amplification of the respective fragments from intron 16 of the ACE and size fractionation (I allele frequency=0.49; P=0.74 for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium). In the logistic regression analysis, significant risk factors of impaired hypoglycemia awareness were duration of diabetes, C-peptide and HbA (1c) (all P<0.01). However, no significant effect of the I/ D polymorphism on impaired hypoglycemia awareness was observed with and without adjustment for age, diabetes duration, C-peptide and HbA (1c). Even though the study provides a relatively large dataset, it is possible that small differences may have been missed.     

Beta-adrenergic agonists and cyclic AMP decrease intracellular resting free-calcium concentration in ileum smooth muscle

Intracellular free-calcium levels were measured in strips of longitudinal smooth muscle from guinea-pig ileum; fura-2 was used as a calcium monitor. At rest the calcium concentration was about 180 nM, and this rose to 300-400 nM following electrical stimulation and during spontaneous calcium transients (all measurements at 23-25 degrees C). Isoprenaline suppressed the spontaneous calcium transients, and reduced the resting calcium level to about 130 nM. This fall in resting calcium concentration was seen even in muscle strips which did not have spontaneous activity. Elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP levels, produced by forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP, mimicked the actions of isoprenaline. We conclude that the relaxant effects of beta-adrenergic agonists of visceral smooth muscle may be explained partly by a fall in intracellular resting free-calcium level, mediated via an increase in cyclic AMP.     

Selective synthesis and retention of 66k protein in a human neuroblastoma cell line (NCG) treated with a cytotoxic dosage of delta 12-prostaglandin J2

delta 12-prostaglandin(PG)J2 (7.5 micrograms/ml) significantly inhibited protein synthesis and cell growth in a human neuroblastoma cell line (NCG), decreasing these factors by 31.5% and 78.2% of the control values, respectively. Two protein synthesis inhibitors, cycloheximide (CHM) and emetine, exhibited a dose-dependent protective effect for neuroblastoma cells against delta 12-PGJ2 cytotoxicity. At a concentration of 15 micrograms/ml CHM, the number of viable cells increased from 21.8% to 36.7% of the control value (p less than 0.01). The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel analysis of [35S]methionine-incorporated proteins revealed an increased synthesis of 86k, 70k and 66k proteins in the delta 12-PGJ2-treated NCG cells under the condition that delta 12-PGJ2 exerts cytotoxicity. Of these proteins, the amount of 66k protein was particularly increased in cell cytosol; however, its synthesis did not occur when CHM prohibited the delta 12-PGJ2 cytotoxic effect. When emetine was used instead of CHM, similar results were obtained. These results strongly suggest that the 66k protein plays a critical role in the delta 12-PGJ2 cytotoxicity.     

The developmental fate of Dictyostelium discoideum cells depends greatly on the cell-cycle position at the onset of starvation

The relationship between the development of Dictyostelium discoideum Ax-2 and the cell cycle at the onset of starvation was analysed with special reference to sorting behaviors during the formation of polarized cell masses (slugs), using a method for inducing good synchrony. Cells starved at different cell-cycle positions showed different developmental features during further culture. For example, cells just before mitosis and dividing cells were sorted out into the anterior prestalk zone of migrating slugs, while cells starved during most of the G2-phase, into the posterior prespore zone. Time courses of cell aggregation and tip formation were also found to vary greatly in a cell-cycle-related manner, and cells starved during the late G2-phase showed the most rapid development. Differential chemotaxis and cohesiveness are generally considered to be important for cell sorting in Dictyostelium development. In fact, remarkable differences in the chemotactic ability to a chemoattractant, cAMP, were detected among cells starved at any particular phase of the cell cycle. EDTA-resistant cohesiveness was also acquired differently depending on the cell cycle, and it was stronger in the cells showing more rapid aggregation. These findings indicate a close relation of the cell cycle to the cell sorting and pattern formation. The possible significance of the cell-cycle-related events presented here is discussed, with special emphasis on the process of cell aggregation.