Peroxidation of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol in mixed monolayers]

Peroxidation of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol in mixed monolayers at the air-water surface is studied. It is shown that the rate of phosphatidylcholine peroxidation is abruptly decreased in the presence of cholesterol.     

Prevalence of mutations BRCA1 5382insC, and CHEK2 1100delC in the population of Siberian region

Frequencies of the 538insC mutation in the BRCA1 gene and the 1100delC mutation in the CHEK2 gene were compared in the group of breast cancer patients and the large-scale sample, consisting of 7920 DNA specimens from healthy residents of the city of Novosibirsk. Higher frequencies of these mutations in the patient group compared to the control sample (1.95 versus 0.25% for BRCA1 5382insC, and 1.78 versus 0.40% for CHEK2 1100delC) were observed, pointing to their association with susceptibility to breast cancer (OR = = 7.86, 95% CI 3.51-17.30 and OR =4.46, 95% C1 2.04-9.49, respectively).     

Frequency of the 735G → A mutation of the 5′-splice donor site of intron 14 of the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene (<Emphasis Type="Italic">DPYD</Emphasis>) in residents of novosibirsk region (Russia) as revealed with fluorescent oligonucleotides

A simple method was developed for end-point fluorescence detection of the 735G → A mutation of the 5′-splice donor site of intron 14 of the dihidropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene (DPYD). The method was based on allele-specific PCR with duplex Scorpion primers. The genotyping results obtained by the fluorescent end-point PCR technique completely coincided with the results obtained by allele-specific PCR with amplicon detection in agarose gel. Genotyping was performed in 291 DNA samples from residents of Novosibirsk region (Russia), and two heterozygotes (0.69%) were detected.     

Juxtaglomerular apparatus and interstitial cells of the kidney medulla after the administration of certain drugs and use of hyperbaric oxygenation

Electron microscopy was used to examine the status of the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA) and interstitial cells (IC) 3 and 24 hours after administration of furosemide (10 mg/kg), indomethacin (10 mg/kg), venoruton (500 mg/kg) and trental (100 mg/kg), and after 1,6 an 12 sessions of hyperbaric oxygenation. To evaluate objectively the results of examining the JGA, use was made of a method devised by the authors of a mathematical appraisal of granulation from the density of the epithelioid cells. Granulation of 50 IC from each animal was calculated on semi-thin araldite sections stained methylene blue-azur II-fuchsin. The results indicate that all the types of exposure including hyperbaric oxygenation produced JGA activation whose degree varied depending on the time elapsed after exposure. An apparently great increase in the JGA activity was detected after injection of furosemide and indomethacin. All the drugs with the exception of furosemide entailed granule accumulation after 3 hours, followed by the recovery of their amount after 24 hours. Furosemide injection produced a reverse effect.     

The capacity for competition in rats raised in isolation]

It is shown, that rats, bred in conditions of intraspecies isolation are able to competition for water in the kin group, having usual experience of intraspecies intercourse. At the same level of drinking motivation in conditions of competition for water the intraspecies activity is significantly higher in rats, bred in isolation in comparison with grouped animals. Rats-isolants significantly more often than the grouped animals use extraordinary tactics of intraspecies behaviour, which increase their competitive ability in conditions of limited access to water.     

Detection of the 5382insC mutation in the human <Emphasis Type="Italic">BRCA1</Emphasis> gene with fluorescent labeled oligonucleotides

Analysis of genetic predisposition to cancer provides valuable information for early cancer detection or even prevention. The 5382insC insertion in the BRCA1 gene is the most frequent mutation among those associated with high breast cancer risk in women of East European origin. A method for 5382insC detection with fluorescent labeled allele-specific oligonucleotides in the Duplex Scorpion format has been developed. The method can be used under real-time PCR conditions as well as under the conditions of end-point fluorescence measurement following regular PCR. The adequacy of the method was demonstrated in the study of the 5382insC mutation frequency in breast cancer patients. A total of 564 genomic DNA samples from breast cancer patients were screened. Eleven patients (1.95%) were found to carry the mutation under consideration in the heterozygous state. The 5382insC allele frequency in the breast cancer patient group was 0.0098. The method is appropriate in clinical practice to detect individuals at high breast cancer risk, as well as in large-scale population studies.     

The approximate entropy of the electromyographic signals of tremor correlates with the osmotic fragility of human erythrocytes

Background  

The main problem of tremor is the damage caused to the quality of the life of patients, especially those at more advanced ages. There is not a consensus yet about the origins of this disorder, but it can be examined in the correlations between the biological signs of aging and the tremor characteristics.     

Regulation of the orientation of the IgG and IgM molecule at the interface

Pathological immunoglobulins (IgG from patients with multiple myeloma and IgM from patients with Waldenstr?m macroglobulinemia) have been shown to possess hydrophylic-lipophylic balance (HLB) which differed from normal Ig HLB. HLB deficiency in pathological proteins was due to the increase of hydrophobic area at the surface of protein globe, which was the reason for different normal and abnormal Ig orientations at the aqueous NaCl solution--air interface. The normal IgG and IgM had horizontal orientation while abnormal ones had vertical orientation. Both normal and abnormal Ig changed their orientation in monolayers as a result of sodium deoxycholate processing. The change in orientation depended on protein molecules interaction with single molecules or micelles of sodium deoxycholate.     

Heat-shock responsive genes identified and validated in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) liver, head kidney and skeletal muscle using genomic techniques

Background

The Mongolian gerbils are a good model to mimic the Helicobacter pylori -associated pathogenesis of the human stomach. In the current study the gerbil-adapted strain B8 was completely sequenced, annotated and compared to previous genomes, including the 73 supercontigs of the parental strain B128.

Results

The complete genome of H. pylori B8 was manually curated gene by gene, to assign as much function as possible. It consists of a circular chromosome of 1,673,997 bp and of a small plasmid of 6,032 bp carrying nine putative genes. The chromosome contains 1,711 coding sequences, 293 of which are strain-specific, coding mainly for hypothetical proteins, and a large plasticity zone containing a putative type-IV-secretion system and coding sequences with unknown function. The cag -pathogenicity island is rearranged such that the cag A-gene is located 13,730 bp downstream of the inverted gene cluster cag B- cag 1. Directly adjacent to the cag A-gene, there are four hypothetical genes and one variable gene with a different codon usage compared to the rest of the H. pylori B8-genome. This indicates that these coding sequences might be acquired via horizontal gene transfer. The genome comparison of strain B8 to its parental strain B128 delivers 425 unique B8-proteins. Due to the fact that strain B128 was not fully sequenced and only automatically annotated, only 12 of these proteins are definitive singletons that might have been acquired during the gerbil-adaptation process of strain B128.

Conclusion

Our sequence data and its analysis provide new insight into the high genetic diversity of H. pylori -strains. We have shown that the gerbil-adapted strain B8 has the potential to build, possibly by a high rate of mutation and recombination, a dynamic pool of genetic variants (e.g. fragmented genes and repetitive regions) required for the adaptation-processes. We hypothesize that these variants are essential for the colonization and persistence of strain B8 in the gerbil stomach during inflammation.