Six year follow up of infants with bacteriuria on screening.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the value of screening for bacteriuria in infants with special emphasis on the natural course of untreated asymptomatic bacteriuria, renal growth, and renal damage. DESIGN--Prospective six year follow up of infants with bacteriuria on screening in an unselected infant population. SETTING--Paediatric outpatient clinic. PATIENTS--50 Infants (14 girls, 36 boys) with bacteriuria on screening verified by suprapubic aspiration from an unselected population of 3581 infants in a defined area of Gothenburg. INTERVENTIONS--Children with asymptomatic bacteriuria and normal findings on initial urography were untreated, although other infections were treated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Culture of urine and determination of C reactive protein concentration every six weeks for the first six months after diagnosis, every three months from six months to two years, and every six months between two and three years; thereafter yearly urine culture. Evaluation of renal concentrating capacity with a desmopressin test; radiological examination, including first and follow up urography and micturition cystourethrography without antibiotic cover; and measurement of renal parenchymal thickness and renal surface area. RESULTS--Of the original 50 infants, 37 (12 girls, 25 boys) were followed up for at least six years. Two infants developed pyelonephritis within two weeks after bacteriuria was diagnosed; the others remained free of symptoms. 45 Infants were untreated; the bacteriuria cleared spontaneously in 36 and in response to antibiotics given for infections in the respiratory tract in eight. Recurrences of bacteriuria were observed in 10 of the 50 children, of whom one had pyelonephritis. No child had more than one recurrence. At follow up urography in 36 of the 50 children (9 girls, 27 boys) after a median of 32 months no child had developed renal damage. First samples tested for renal concentrating capacity showed significantly higher values than those from a reference population (mean SD score 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.21 to 0.79; p less than 0.001), but the last samples showed no significant difference (mean SD score 0.08, -0.24 to 0.40; p greater than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS--Mass screening for bacteriuria in infancy results primarily in detection of innocent bacteriuric episodes and is not recommended.     

Detoxification of ochratoxin A,a food contaminant: Prevention of growth of Aspergillus ochraceus and its production of ochratoxin A

The toxicity of ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin produced by fungi ofAspergillus orPenicillium genera is now well documented. Its nephrotoxicity, immunosuppression, teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity have been widely studied. Physical and biochemical methods have been studied to prevent these toxinogenicAspergillus andPenicillium from producing OTA, and/or to destroy the mycotoxin when already produced in a liquid or a solid medium. Repeated freezing at ? 20?C and thawing at + 26?C aleatory reduce OTA production in a liquid medium. Exposure to UV B for different periods of time is efficient in preventing OTA production in a liquid medium. Gamma-irradiation from 2 to 5 kGy gives good results in preventing the production of OTA or destroying it when already produced. Carboxypeptidase is very efficient at 5 units/50 ml in a liquid medium for cleaving the OTA already produced.     

The role of fish-poultry integration on fish growth performance,yields and economic benefits among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa,Tanzania

Aquaculture practices from sub-Saharan Africa are characterised by low production, owing to improper technology. Production can be increased through integrating fish farming with other existing on-farm activities, particularly livestock husbandry. We assessed the role of fish-poultry integration on all male Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus growth performance, yields and economic benefits among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania. The study also compared phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass between the fish-poultry integration and non-integrated system. After 180 days of the experiment, all male O. niloticus cultured under fish-poultry integration exhibited significantly higher growth rates than those in the non-integrated system (p < 0.05). Gross fish yield (GFY), net fish yield (NFY) and net annual yields (NAY) obtained from fish-poultry integration were significantly higher than those from non-integrated system (p < 0.05). Partial enterprise budget analysis revealed that fish-poultry integration was more profitable than the non-integrated system. Moreover, fish-poultry integrated system produced significantly higher phytoplankton abundance and biomass than those from the non-integrated system. Results demonstrate that rural smallholder farmers can achieve higher growth rate, farm net yields and income by integrating all male O. niloticus with other on-farm activities than practising a stand-alone fish culture system.     

Nuclear gene trees and the phylogenetic relationships of the mangabeys (Primates: Papionini)

Phylogenetic relationships of mangabeys within the Old World monkey tribe Papionini are inferred from analyses of nuclear DNA sequences from five unlinked loci. The following conclusions are strongly supported, based on congruence among trees derived for the five separate gene regions: (1) mangabeys are polyphyletic within the Papionini; (2) Cercocebus is the sister taxon to the genus Mandrillus; and (3) Lophocebus belongs to a clade with Papio and Theropithecus, with Papio as its most likely sister taxon. Morphologically based phylogenies positing mangabey monophyly were evaluated by mapping the sequences for each locus on these trees. The data seem to fit these trees poorly in both maximum-parsimony and likelihood analyses. Incongruence among nuclear gene trees occurred in the interrelationships among Lophocebus, Papio, and Theropithecus. Several factors that may account for this incongruence are discussed, including sampling error, random lineage sorting, and introgression.      

The Unique Non-Catalytic C-Terminus of P37delta-PI3K Adds Proliferative Properties In Vitro and In Vivo

The PI3K/Akt pathway is central for numerous cellular functions and is frequently deregulated in human cancers. The catalytic subunits of PI3K, p110, are thought to have a potential oncogenic function, and the regulatory subunit p85 exerts tumor suppressor properties. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a highly suitable system to investigate PI3K signaling, expressing one catalytic, Dp110, and one regulatory subunit, Dp60, and both show strong homology with the human PI3K proteins p110 and p85. We recently showed that p37δ, an alternatively spliced product of human PI3K p110δ, displayed strong proliferation-promoting properties despite lacking the catalytic domain completely. Here we functionally evaluate the different domains of human p37δ in Drosophila. The N-terminal region of Dp110 alone promotes cell proliferation, and we show that the unique C-terminal region of human p37δ further enhances these proliferative properties, both when expressed in Drosophila, and in human HEK-293 cells. Surprisingly, although the N-terminal region of Dp110 and the C-terminal region of p37δ both display proliferative effects, over-expression of full length Dp110 or the N-terminal part of Dp110 decreases survival in Drosophila, whereas the unique C-terminal region of p37δ prevents this effect. Furthermore, we found that the N-terminal region of the catalytic subunit of PI3K p110, including only the Dp60 (p85)-binding domain and a minor part of the Ras binding domain, rescues phenotypes with severely impaired development caused by Dp60 over-expression in Drosophila, possibly by regulating the levels of Dp60, and also by increasing the levels of phosphorylated Akt. Our results indicate a novel kinase-independent function of the PI3K catalytic subunit.     

Systematic whole-genome sequencing reveals an unexpected diversity among actinomycetoma pathogens and provides insights into their antibacterial susceptibilities

Mycetoma is a neglected tropical chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. More than 70 species with a broad taxonomic diversity have been implicated as agents of mycetoma. Understanding the full range of causative organisms and their antibiotic sensitivity profiles are essential for the appropriate treatment of infections. The present study focuses on the analysis of full genome sequences and antibiotic inhibitory concentration profiles of actinomycetoma strains from patients seen at the Mycetoma Research Centre in Sudan with a view to developing rapid diagnostic tests. Seventeen pathogenic isolates obtained by surgical biopsies were sequenced using MinION and Illumina methods, and their antibiotic inhibitory concentration profiles determined. The results highlight an unexpected diversity of actinomycetoma causing pathogens, including three Streptomyces isolates assigned to species not previously associated with human actinomycetoma and one new Streptomyces species. Thus, current approaches for clinical and histopathological classification of mycetoma may need to be updated. The standard treatment for actinomycetoma is a combination of sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Most tested isolates had a high IC (inhibitory concentration) to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim or to amoxicillin alone. However, the addition of the β-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid to amoxicillin increased susceptibility, particularly for Streptomyces somaliensis and Streptomyces sudanensis. Actinomadura madurae isolates appear to have a particularly high IC under laboratory conditions, suggesting that alternative agents, such as amikacin, could be considered for more effective treatment. The results obtained will inform future diagnostic methods for the identification of actinomycetoma and treatment.     

Pleiotropic drug resistance and gene amplification in a SEWA mouse tumor cell line : Complex relations revealed by drug uptake data, and lipid and protein analysis

SEWA mouse lines resistant to actinomycin D (AMD) or vincristine (VCR) exhibit the pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) phenotype, and express a low-MW protein (p21) and numerous double minutes (DM). In drug uptake studies these lines were compared with the non-resistant parental line and with a methotrexate (MTX)-resistant line, not exhibiting PDR. On treatment with labelled AMD or VCR the two PDR lines displayed a highly reduced intracellular content of drug, whereas uptake of MTX was unchanged. Uptake of AMD was shown to be temperature-dependent. The MTX-resistant line did not exhibit any significant change in AMD or VCR uptake. Other workers have emphasized the role of a high-MW glycoprotein in the development of PDR. A search for a similar glycoprotein in our cells was unsuccessful. Since all indications point to membrane factors being important in the development of PDR, the lines were also subjected to lipid analysis. Compared with control cells distinct differences were detected in the lipid composition of all resistant lines (including the MTX-resistant line). In the course of our experiments, the DM in our most AMD-resistant line were replaced by two homogeneously staining regions (HSR). Simultaneously, the overproduction of p21 ceased, but the PDR phenotype persisted. This event tends to implicate a minor role for the p21 protein in PDR, but similar transitions from DM to HSR in other AMD-resistant SEWA lines were not accompanied by a decrease in p21 over-production. Our data point to a complex genetic control of multi-drug resistance.     

Proteomic analysis of human placental syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles in preeclampsia

Background

Placental syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles (STBM) are shed into the maternal circulation during normal pregnancy. STBM circulate in significantly increased amounts in preeclampsia (PE) and are considered to be among contributors to the exaggerated proinflammatory, procoagulant state of PE. However, protein composition of STBM in normal pregnancy and PE remains unknown. We therefore sought to determine the protein components of STBM and whether STBM protein expressions differ in preeclamptic and normal pregnancies.Patients with PE (n = 3) and normal pregnant controls (n = 6) were recruited. STBM were prepared from placental explant culture supernatant. STBM proteins were analyzed by a combination of 1D Gel-LC-MS/MS. Protein expressions levels were quantified using spectral counts and validated by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Over 400 proteins were identified in the STBM samples. Among these, 25 proteins were found to be differentially expressed in preeclampsia compared to healthy pregnant controls, including integrins, annexins and histones.

Conclusion

STBM proteins include those that are implicated in immune response, coagulation, oxidative stress, apoptosis as well as lipid metabolism pathways. Differential protein expressions of STBM suggest their pathophysiological relevance in PE.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1559-0275-11-40) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Identification of Heterotrophic Nanoflagellates by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis of Small Subunit Ribosomal DNA

Thirty clones derived from twenty isolates of heterotrophic nanoflagellates originating from a variety of marine and freshwater environments were examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA genes amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (riboprinting). The data were compared with light and electron microscopical identification of the isolates. On morphological criteria, sixteen of the thirty clones belonged to the genus Paraphysomonas De Saedeleer, seven to the genus Spumella Cienkowski, four to the genus Pteridomonas Penard and three to the genus Cafeteria Fenchel and Patterson. Among these taxa, eleven ribotypes were detected by analysis with the restriction enzymes Hinf I, Hae III, Sau3A I, and Msp I. Differentiation of nanoflagellate taxa by the riboprinting method supported taxonomic classification based on morphology at the generic and species level. The utility of the method for discriminating the 'naked' flagellates and for confirming the identity of polymorphic forms among species of Paraphysomonas is demonstrated.