First Report of Sequence Type 1, Pathotype A Xanthomonas citri pv. citri from Lime and Lemon Fruit Originating from Bangladesh.

Asiatic canker caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. citri, a quarantine pest in several countries (including the European Union), strongly impacts both national citrus markets in tropical and subtropical areas and international trade. This bacterium induces erumpent, callus-like lesions often with a water-soaked margin in a wide range of citrus species causing premature fruit drop and twig dieback. Long distance dispersal is mainly through infected propagative material and the role of fruit is still debated. During inspection of imported limes (C. aurantifolia) and lemons (C. limon) from Bangladesh from 2006 to 2009, canker-like infected fruits were intercepted by the UK plant health service. Typical corky lesions were surface sterilized and comminuted in 0.1% peptone solution. Suspensions were plated onto nutrient dextrose (ND) and yeast dextrose chalk (YDC) plates for bacterial isolation. After incubation for 3 to 7 days at 25°C, typical Xanthomonas-like yellow colonies were purified for identification. Identification of 18 isolates as Xanthomonas was carried out initially by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis. Identification at the species level (X. citri) was completed by sequencing of the gyrase B gene (4). PCR (3) was used to confirm the identity of these isolates using X. citri pv. citri CFBP 2525 as the positive control and distilled water as the negative control. The expected DNA fragment was only obtained from all of the bacterial isolates using primer pair 4/7 (3). Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of four housekeeping genes (atpD, dnaK, efp, and gyrB) identified isolates from Bangladesh as two sequence types of X. citri pv. citri, ST1 (n = 5; GenBank Accession Nos. FJ376118, FJ376168, FJ376216, and FJ376251) and ST2 (n = 13; EU333904, EU333907, EU333910, and FJ376357), but not as any other xanthomonad pathogenic to citrus (2). Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of all X. citri pv. citri isolates from Bangladesh and additional reference isolates from pathotype A, A*, Aw and X. citri pv. aurantifolii (2) using Sac I/Msp I and four primer pairs (unlabelled MspI + 1 (A, C, T, or G) primers and 5'-labeled - SacI + C primer for the selective amplification step) confirmed identification as X. citri pv. citri. All five ST1 isolates grouped as a single cluster by AFLP, although not strongly supported by bootstrap analysis. Evolutionary genome divergences (EGD) computed from AFLP data ranged from 0.0000 to 0.0097 (median EGD 0.0055) suggested a relatively wide diversity within isolates originating from Bangladesh (median EGD from a worldwide pathotype A collection [n = 73] 0.0028) (2). When inoculated to Mexican lime SRA 140 and grapefruit cv. Duncan using a detached leaf assay (2), all the Bangladesh isolates produced typical extensive canker lesions on both species whereas the negative control (10 mM Tris buffer pH 7.2) did not, and Koch's postulates were fulfilled. To our knowledge, this is the first report of pathotype A assigned to ST1 by MLSA. All strains previously assigned to ST1 displayed a narrow host range (pathotype A*) (2). Our results further identify the Indian subcontinent as an area of relatively wide genetic diversity of X. citri pv. citri (1). References: (1) L. Bui Thi Ngoc et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:1173, 2009. (2) L. Bui Thi Ngoc et al. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 60:515, 2010. (3) J. S. Hartung et al. Phytopathology 86:95, 1996. (4) N. Parkinson et al. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 57:2881, 2007.

Changes in subcellular localisation of MI-ER1 alpha, a novel oestrogen receptor-alpha interacting protein, is associated with breast cancer progression.

The oestrogen receptor-alpha (ER alpha) plays a key role in breast development and tumorigenesis and inhibiting its activity remains a prime strategy in the treatment of ER alpha-positive breast cancers. Thus, elucidation of the molecular mechanisms responsible for regulating ER alpha activity may facilitate the design of new, more effective breast cancer therapies. The MI-ER1 alpha is a novel transcriptional repressor that contains an LXXLL motif for interaction with nuclear hormone receptors. We investigated the ability of MI-ER1 alpha to bind to ER alpha in HEK293 and MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells, using co-immunoprecipitation assays. In both cell lines, MI-ER1 alpha interacted with ER alpha in the presence and absence of oestrogen, but the interaction was stronger in the absence of ligand. Functional analysis revealed that overexpression of MI-ER1 alpha in T47D breast carcinoma cells results in inhibition of oestrogen-stimulated anchorage-independent growth, suggesting that MI-ER1 alpha may play a role in regulating breast carcinoma cell proliferation in vivo. To explore this further, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of normal breast tissue and breast carcinoma; a total of 110 cases were examined in whole tissue sections and 771 cases were analysed in tissue microarrays. No consistent difference in the MI-ER1 alpha expression level between normal breast tissue and breast carcinoma was discernible. However, there was a dramatic shift in the subcellular localisation: nuclear MI-ER1 alpha was detectable in 75% of normal breast samples and in 77% of hyperplasia, but in breast carcinoma, only 51% of DCIS, 25% of ILC and 4% of IDC contained nuclear staining. This shift from nuclear to cytoplasmic localisation of MI-ER1 alpha during breast cancer progression suggests that loss of nuclear MI-ER1 alpha might contribute to the development of invasive breast carcinoma.

Gastroschisis and biliary atresia in a neonate: uncommon presentation or common precipitant.

We report here on a newborn infant who initially presented with a history of gastroschisis, abdominal distension, and jaundice. Further studies revealed that the child had findings consistent with extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA). The child later developed hepatic failure and subsequently expired. The purpose of this case report is to discuss the pathogenesis of each disease process and to identify any commonality between the pathogenesis of gastroschisis and EHBA.

Core biopsy of the breast with atypical ductal hyperplasia: a probabilistic approach to reporting.

The diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) at needle core breast biopsy (NCB) is typically regarded as an indication for surgical excision. Although ADH is an intermediate risk nonobligate precursor lesion, the rationale for further therapy is the result of a reported high prevalence of a concomitant more advanced lesion (typically ductal carcinoma in situ) as the index lesion. To assess whether certain histopathologic features of ADH in NCB are predictive of open biopsy outcomes, the authors correlated the extent and pattern of ADH in 47 core biopsies (11-or 14-gauge) with the subsequent surgical specimen. Extent of ADH on NCB was ascertained by determining the number of large ducts and/or terminal duct-lobular units affected, with involvement of one large duct or one terminal duct-lobular unit representing a single focus, involvement of one duct and one terminal duct-lobular unit as two foci, and so on. Of the 47 cases, ADH was restricted to < or =2 foci in 24 cases (51.1%), confined to 3 foci in 8 cases (17.0%), and involved > or =4 foci in 15 cases (31.9%). The corresponding histopathologic findings at excision were benign lesions without atypia (n = 14), focal residual ADH (n = 13), atypical lobular hyperplasia (n = 3), ductal carcinoma in situ (n = 15), and invasive mammary carcinoma (n = 2). When the number of foci of involvement by ADH on NCB (based on an average of 11.6 cores per case) was correlated with the open biopsy results, all cases of ADH limited to < or =2 foci had no worse lesion on excision, whereas ADH present in > or =4 foci was found to be a strong predictor of a more advanced lesion on excision (p <0.0001, chi2). When histologic pattern was evaluated, all cases of pure micropapillary ADH on NCB showed pure micropapillary ductal carcinoma in situ on excision.

No elevation in long-term breast carcinoma risk for women with fibroadenomas that contain atypical hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND: The authors previously showed that women with a fibroadenoma have a relative risk of invasive breast carcinoma of approximately 2.0 compared with women of similar age from the general population. This relative risk approaches 1.0 when family history and proliferative changes in the adjacent parenchyma are removed and rises to > 3.0 if the fibroadenoma has complex histology. The risk for developing breast carcinoma in women with atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) and atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) or their minimal variants within a fibroadenoma is unknown. METHODS: The authors conducted a long-term, retrospective cohort study of 1834 women with adequate follow-up who presented with fibroadenoma at three local hospitals between 1950 and 1968. Histology was reviewed using established criteria, and the patients were categorized with ALH, ADH, minimal atypia, or no atypia. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of ALH or ADH within fibroadenomas was 0.81%. Minimal or true atypia within a fibroadenoma appeared to be correlated with proliferative disease in the adjacent parenchyma but could not predict for the presence there of well-established atypia. Only 7% of women with well-developed atypia developed invasive carcinoma on follow-up. Three women with minimal atypia developed invasive carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of a large cohort of women with fibroadenoma, the authors found that atypia within a fibroadenoma cannot predict for the presence of atypia within adjacent breast parenchyma. They also found that atypia confined to a fibroadenoma does not incur a clinically meaningful risk of future breast carcinoma development greater than that of fibroadenoma alone.

Benign transport of breast epithelium into axillary lymph nodes after biopsy.

The most important prognostic indicator of distant metastasis in breast cancer is histologic documentation of axillary lymph node metastasis. Controversy exists about the importance of micrometastases (< 0.2 cm), and current pathology practice includes a careful search for their presence. We describe the histologic findings in a series of axillary lymph node dissections taken approximately 2 weeks after breast biopsy. Each case has limited presence of epithelial cells in the subcapsular sinus of a draining lymph node that we attribute to mechanical transport of tumor and/or normal breast epithelium secondary to the previous surgical or needle manipulation. These cells were accompanied by hemosiderin-laden macrophages and damaged RBCs. While the clinical implication of these findings is unknown, we believe that it will be of no clinical significance and have no untoward prognostic effect.

The effect of psychological type on the mood and meaning of two college activities.

This study used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to identify two types of college students who differed in preferred perceptual processes, with one group strongly preferring the use of sense impressions (sensing types), and the other preferring the use of unconscious associations (intuitive types) in becoming aware of phenomena. All subjects then participated in two collage activities with slightly different instructions, one requiring a creative approach and the other requiring imitation. Change in mood after each college was measured by the Bipolar Form of the Profile of Mood States, and the affective meanings of the two activities were assessed by Osgood's 12-scale short-form semantic differential. Results indicated that the creative activity elicited significantly higher scores on two mood states (agreeable-hostile and composed-anxious) and two factors of affective meaning (power and evaluation). Intuitive types rated both activities higher than sensing types on one mood (agreeable-hostile) and one factor of affective meaning (action). Hypothesized interactions were not found. The findings have possible implications for the effects of occupational therapy activities that require creativity as opposed to imitation as well as for the effects of perceptual preferences on the moods and meanings of activities.