Venom Complexity in a Pitviper Produced by Facultative Parthenogenesis.

Facultative parthenogenesis (FP) is asexual reproduction in plant and animal species that would otherwise reproduce sexually. This process in vertebrates typically results from automictic development (likely terminal fusion) and is phylogenetically widespread. In squamate reptiles and chondrichthyan fishes, FP has been reported to occur in nature and can result in the production of reproductively viable offspring; suggesting that it is of ecological and evolutionary significance. However, terminal fusion automixis is believed to result in near genome-wide reductions in heterozygosity; thus, FP seems likely to affect key phenotypic characters, yet this remains almost completely unstudied. Snake venom is a complex phenotypic character primarily used to subjugate prey and is thus tightly linked to individual fitness. Surprisingly, the composition and function of venom produced by a parthenogenetic pitviper exhibits a high degree of similarity to that of its mother and conspecifics from the same population. Therefore, the apparent loss of allelic diversity caused by FP appears unlikely to have a significant impact on the prey-capturing ability of this snake. Accordingly, the pitviper offspring produced by FP retained complex phenotypic characteristics associated with fitness. This result reinforces the potential ecological and evolutionary importance of FP and questions our understanding of the inheritance of venom-associated genes.

CD66 expression in acute leukaemia.

Antibodies against CD66 identify antigens from the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) family of proteins, which belong to the immunoglobulin gene superfamily. Despite being usually restricted to cells of myeloid or monocytic origin, CD66 expression has also been reported in blasts from children with B-cell lineage acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL). An analysis of the CD66 expression was undertaken in a series of acute leukaemia patients. Antigenic expression was analysed using triple combinations of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in forty-five patients. The CD66 Kat4 fluorescein isothiocyanate clone was purchased from Dako (Glostrup, Denmark). CD66 was expressed in 2 of 29 patients with AML (acute myeloblastic leukemia) (6.8%) and in 8 of 12 patients with B-cell lineage ALL (66.7%; P<0.001); in blast crisis (BC) of chronic myelocytic leukaemia (CML), CD66 was expressed in two patients with lymphoid BC but not in the two with myeloid BC. The co-expression of CD66 with other myeloid antigens was observed in all CD66+ ALL/ Ly-BC cases tested: CD 13 in six patients, CD33 in seven and CD117 in two patients. The CD66 expression is more frequent in ALL than in AML. Furthermore, we analysed minimal residual disease (MRD) in eight patients in complete remission. CD66 expression was associated with an abnormal B-cell differentiation pattern and with increases in CD34/CD19+ cells in all but one case. These findings suggest that an aberrant expression of CD66 could be used to investigate MRD in ALL. The association between CD66 reactivity and bcr-abl in adult ALL remains to be investigated.

Pathologic rupture of the spleen as the initial manifestation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Pathologic splenic rupture is a rare and life-threatening complication of acute leukemia. It is even more uncommon as the initial manifestation, and only a few cases has been reported in the literature. Early recognition of this complication is vital because the prognosis is fatal without immediate treatment by splenectomy. We report the case of a spontaneous spleen rupture irreversibly complicating the onset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a 19-year-old man, in spite of splenectomy. In our case abdominal ultrasound was a good, non-invasive diagnostic test. Therefore, we believe that the course of the underlying disease and the physical condition of the patient dramatically influenced the disease evolution.

[P1 A2: a new genetic risk factor for myocardial infarction]. / P1 A2: a myocardialis infarctus új genetikai rizikófaktora.

The authors examined the rate of myocardial infarction at young age (under 50 years old) in group of 36 patients with a pathological gene (P1 A2) and in control group (55 healthy persons). They couldn't find difference between the results of two groups. After that they created a group from patients with "low risk rate" for myocardial infarction. In this group the rate of pathological gene is twofold, than in the control group. It is so seem, that in special cases of myocardial infarction the P1 A2 gene is the most important risk factor to produce the pathological function of thrombocytes and so to produce a higher incidence of arterial thrombosis (for example in coronaries).

[Factors associated with sporadic cases of salmonellosis in 1- to 7-year-old children. Study of cases and controls]. / Factores asociados con casos esporádicos de salmonelosis en niños de 1 a 7 años. Estudio de casos y controles.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about salmonellosis risk factors mainly comes from foodborne outbreaks, and we know little about sporadic cases epidemiology. However most of the cases are sporadic, specially children. This study aims to find out some of determinants of these cases. METHODS: A case-control study with incident cases and controls from the same base population (laboratory diagnosed cases). Cases were children 1-7 years old, affected by diarrhea with culture stools positive to Salmonella between december 1994 and december 1995. Controls from the same source, but positive culture to Campylobacter or viruses. We study food and other environmental risk factors. Odds ratio (OR) are calculated adjusted for age, sex, and year period (cool and cold) by logistic regression. RESULTS: Eating minced meat during three days before symptoms, OR 4.07 (1.20-13.8) and OR 5.63 (1.34-23.6); pets, OR 8.27 (1.96-34.9), and antibiotics the week before symptoms, OR 4.75 (0.84-27.0) were epidemiologically associated with salmonellosis diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiology of salmonellosis sporadic cases in children seems different to the foodborne associated cases and is more complex. Minced meat tree days before symptoms, antibiotics the week before symptoms, and pets could be a risk for this kind of cases. Future studies must also take account of this factors.

[Thymic and bronchial neuroendocrine tumors in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. GENEM1]. / Tumeurs neuro-endocrines thymiques et bronchiques au cours des néoplasies endocrines multiples de type 1. GENEM1.

OBJECTIVES: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) mainly affects parathyroid glands, pancreatic islets and pituitary gland. The aim of this study in 95 MEN 1 patients was to examine less frequent localizations thymic and bronchic neuroendocrine tumors (NET). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two cases of bronchic NET were observed, both in women, and 4 cases of thymic NET, all in men, giving a prevalence of 7.3%. These NET were often asymptomatic. A metastatic diffusion was observed in 3 cases. Elevated plasma levels of glycoprotein hormone alpha subunit (SU) and FSH were observed in 3 and 1 cases respectively. Immunohistochemistry indicated the tumor cells to be frequently positively stained for HCG alpha and FSH. DISCUSSION: We conclude that all patients with MEN 1 should undergo screening for thoracic NET, especially in high risk familial subgroups and in case of elevated plasma alpha SU or FSH.

[Hemorheologic changes in cancer patients]. / Haemorheologiai változások daganatos megbetegedésekben.

The authors examined 23 patients, suffering from malignant tumors. They made some micro- and macrorheological investigations (whole blood viscosity, yield shear stress, plasma viscosity, initial filtration rate, red cell transit time, clogging particles). The whole blood viscosity was nearly normal in all patients. The yield shear stress was elevated in 9 patients, the plasma viscosity was abnormal in 13 patient's. They showed out the significant effect of own patients plasma on erythrocyte deformability. They found 7 patients having normal erythrocyte deformability in phosphate buffer and abnormal (significant elevated red cell transit time) in own plasma.

Biofeedback-assisted relaxation to reduce stress in labor.

OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility and effectiveness of incorporating biofeedback-assisted relaxation techniques into routine instruction in Lamaze classes. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental design (static groups comparison) was used. SETTING: Lamaze classes. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 33 subjects recruited from 12 Lamaze classes. MEASURES: Duration of first-stage labor, amount of sedation and analgesia during first-stage labor, number of complications, and 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores of the neonates. RESULTS: The experimental subjects reported greater stress during labor than did the control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Although the supplementary instruction in reducing stress seemed to promote relaxation during the prenatal classes, it did not reduce distress during labor and delivery because no mothers attempted to use the technique at that time.

[A new method for the determination of iron concentration in urine and its use in intramuscular iron load for the reliable and early detection of iron deficiency conditions]. / Eine neue Methode zur Bestimmung der Eisenkonzentration im Urin und ihre Anwendung bei einer intramuskulären Eisenbelastung zum zuverlässigen und frühzeitigen Nachweis von Eisenmangelzuständen.

A new laboratory technique for determining the urine iron concentration is described. By means of another new method, the so-called intramuscular iron loading test, any iron deficiency can be recognized at an early stage.