May primary empty sella turcica be a cause of isolated ACTH deficiency? A case report and the review of related literature

Isolated ACTH deficiency is an uncommon cause of secondary adrenocortical insufficiency and accompaniment with primary empty sella has been reported in several cases. We present a case of isolated ACTH deficiency associated with empty sella. A sixty-two year old woman was admitted to our endocrine clinic with complaints of weakness, fatigue, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite for about one month. Physical examination indicated orthostatic hypotension and epigastric tenderness. Laboratory investigations revealed hypoglycemia, hyponatremia and anemia, in addition low plasma cortisole and ACTH levels. Serum cortisole responses to short and prolonged ACTH stimulation were tested and partial and accurate responses were obtained, respectively. Plasma ACTH and serum cortisole levels failed to respond after intravenous injection of human corticotropin releasing hormone. Other hypophysial hormone levels were within the normal reference ranges. Although cranial and abdominal computerized tomography images were evaluated as normal, cranial magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary gland revealed 'primary empty sella turcica'. Replacement therapy with methylprednisolon resulted in the improvement of hypoglycemia, hyponatremia and clinical symptoms. Based on these results, the patient was diagnosed as isolated ACTH deficiency and was scheduled for follow up by our outpatient clinic. Our report is consistent with other reports pointing out that primary empty sella may be responsible for pathogenesis of isolated ACTH deficiency.     

新疆块根芍药(Paeonia anomala)内生细菌XJU-PA-1的鉴定及特性分析

目的:从新疆块根芍药(Paeonia anomala)内生菌中筛选出1株对植物病原菌有抑菌活性的内生菌并对其进行鉴定及特性分析.方法:采用琼脂扩散法进行抑菌实验,基于形态特征,生理生化特性,16S rDNA序列分析并G+C mol%含量对XJU-PA-1进行鉴定.结果:XJU-PA-1对玉米小班病菌和苹果半点落叶病菌有抑菌活性,抑菌圈直径都超过20mm.XJU-PA-1与DQ010109 Bacillus subtilis的16S rDNA序列的同源性达到100%,G+Cmol%含量为54.5%.结论:XJU-PA-1对两种致病菌有较强的抑菌能力,被鉴定为枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis) ,在GenBank数据库的注册号为EU741698.     

Brain-stem listeriosis: a comparison of SPECT and MRI findings

Listeria monocytogenes, although uncommon as a cause of illness in the general population, can result in serious illness when it affects pregnant women, neonates, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. Typically, it is a food-borne organism. This report describes a case of brain-stem listeriosis in a previously healthy 51-year-old woman. The diagnosis was based on clinical findings, the results of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, CSF culture, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. MRI demonstrated upper brain stem and cerebellar peduncle involvement. In addition, Tc-99m exametazime (HMPAO)-labeled single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the brain revealed bilateral cerebellar hypoperfusion. Antibiotic therapy resulted in partial clinical recovery after 3 weeks. At the end of 6 months, brain-stem findings had nearly resolved. However, although minimal residual findings were observed on MRI at 6 months, bilateral diffuse cerebellar hypoperfusion remained on Tc-99m HMPAO brain SPECT.     

The significance of Exonuclease 1 K589E polymorphism on hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility in the Turkish population: a case–control study

Exonuclease 1 (Exo 1) is an important nuclease involved in mismatch repair system that contributes to maintain genomic stability, to modulate DNA recombination, and to mediate cell cycle arrest. A guanine (G)/adenine (A) common single nucleotide polymorphism at first position of codon 589 in Exo 1 gene determines a glutamic acid (Glu, E) to lysine (Lys, K) (K589E) aminoacidic substitution which may alter cancer risk by influencing the activity of Exo 1 protein. Exo 1 K589E polymorphism has been studied in various cancers, but its association with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has yet to be investigated. To determine the association of the Exo 1 K589E polymorphism with the risk of HCC development in a Turkish population, a hospital-based case–control study was designed consisting of 224 subjects with HCC and 224 cancer-free control subjects matched for age, gender, smoking and alcohol status. The genotype frequency of the Exo 1 K589E polymorphism was determined by using a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Our data shows that the Lys/Lys genotype of the Exo 1 K589E polymorphism is associated with increased risk of HCC development in this Turkish population [odds ratio (OR) = 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13–4.09, P = 0.02]. Furthermore, according to stratified analysis, a significant association was observed between the homozygote Lys/Lys genotype and HCC risk in the subgroups of male gender (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.27–5.61, P = 0.009) and patients with non-viral-related HCC (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.09–8.99, P = 0.03). Because our results suggest for the first time that the Lys/Lys homozygote genotype of Exo 1 K589E polymorphism may be a genetic susceptibility factor for HCC in the Turkish population, further independent studies are required to validate our findings in a larger series, as well as in patients of different ethnic origins.     

p53 codon 72 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma in the Turkish population: a case–control study

The tumor suppressor p53 gene plays a crucial role in preventing carcinogenesis through its ability to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis following DNA damage and oncogene activation. A guanine (G)/cytosine (C) common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at second position of codon 72 in exon 4 of p53 gene determines a arginine (Arg) to proline (Pro) (Arg72Pro) aminoacidic substitution within the proline-rich domain of p53 protein. Arg72 and Pro72 allele are different from a biochemical and biological point of view and many reports suggest that they can modulate individual cancer susceptibility. To determine the association of the p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in a Turkish population, a hospital-based case–control study was designed consisting of 119 subjects with HCC and 119 cancer-free control subjects matched for age, gender, smoking and alcohol status. The genotype frequency of the p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism was determined by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. Our data shows that the Pro/Pro genotype of the p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism is associated with increased risk of HCC development in this Turkish population (OR = 3.20, 95% CI: 1.24–8.22, P = 0.02). Furthermore, according to stratified analysis, a significant association was observed between the homozygote Pro/Pro genotype and HCC risk in the subgroups of male gender (OR = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.14–7.97, P = 0.03) and patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC (OR = 4.04, 95% CI: 1.46–11.15, P = 0.007). Because our results suggest for the first time that the Pro/Pro homozygote of p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism may be a genetic susceptibility factor for HCC (especially in the male gender and HBV-infected patients) in the Turkish population, further independent studies are required to validate our findings in a larger series, as well as in patients of different ethnic origins.     

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in goats,cats and humans in Russia

Toxoplasmosis, a most common zoonosis, is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. However, there is little epidemiological information on T. gondii infections in humans and livestock animals in Russia. Therefore, in this study, the seroprevalence of T. gondii in goats in Russia was investigated. A total of 216 goats from 32 farms were investigated and 95 of them were seropositive for T. gondii. The difference in seroprevalence between the examined regions was not statistically significant. We next collected serum samples from 99 cats and 181 humans in Kazan city, the state capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and examined their T. gondii seroprevalences. Thirty-nine of the 99 cat samples and 56 of the 181 human samples showed seropositivity. Logistical regression analysis revealed that the cat breeding history of the human subjects, but not their sex or age is a significant risk factor for T. gondii seropositivity. These findings suggest that the natural environment in Russia may be widely polluted with T. gondii oocysts shed by cats, and ingestion of these oocysts provides a major route for human infection with this parasite.     

Overcoming difficulties on synthesis of cardiac troponin-I

Human cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) is one of the most sensitive and specific indicators, used in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. To produce the protein efficiently, Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris systems were used. Initial trials for the expression in E. coli were not successful, although different expression vectors with different promoters were tested. This led us to use P. pastoris for the expression. After several trials with two different expression strains of P. pastoris, it was concluded that P. pastoris was also not an optimal expression host for cTnI. Comprehensive analysis of the expression systems indicated that an efficient expression is only possible when the gene is optimized for expression in E. coli. For this purpose, the gene was optimized in-silico, but edited manually afterwards. It was synthesized and cloned into pQE-2 vector. Expression was performed using routine experimental conditions. Thus, cTnI could be efficiently expressed from the optimized gene in E. coli. The expression and purification were practical and may be used for commercial purposes since a total yield of 25µg highly pure protein per milliliter of culture could be obtained. The protein was in its ready-to-use form for many biological applications, including as a standard in diagnostic tests and an antigen for antibody production.