Cardiovascular function and the veteran athlete.

The cardiovascular benefits of exercise are well known. In contrast, the impact of lifelong endurance exercise is less well understood. Long-term high-intensity endurance exercise is associated with changes in cardiac morphology together with electrocardiographic alterations that are believed to be physiologic in nature. Recent data however has suggested a number of deleterious adaptive changes in cardiac structure, function and electrical activity, together with peripheral and cerebral vascular structure and function. This review serves to detail knowledge in relation to; (1) Cardiac structure and function in veteran endurance athletes focusing on the differentiation of physiological and pathological changes in cardiac remodelling; (2) Cardiac electrical activity and the veteran endurance athlete with attention to arrhythmias, the substrate for arrhythmia generation and the clinical significance of such arrhythmias; (3) Peripheral and cerebral vascular structure and function in ageing and endurance-trained individuals; and (4) directions for future research.

Low rates of transmission of SRV-2 and STLV-I to juveniles in a population of Macaca fascicularis facilitate establishment of specific retrovirus-free colonies.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of simian retrovirus-2 (SRV-2) and simian T lymphotropic virus type I (STLV-I), was unknown in 337 captive cynomolgus macaques. METHODS AND RESULTS: Molecular assays identified 29% of animals as SRV-2 mono-infected, 4% of animals as STLV-I mono-infected and 9% of animals as dual-infected. Of 108 juvenile animals, 83% were SRV-2-negative and no juvenile animal was STLV-I-positive. A subsequent study of juvenile macaques over a period of 2.5 years detected no STLV-I and 10 SRV-2 infections, six of which occurred between testing and day of colony formation. The study also highlighted that an anti-SRV-2 serological response does not presuppose infection. Tissue reservoirs of latent SRV-2 were not identified in suspected SRV-2 infections. CONCLUSIONS: Low transmissibility of the viruses present in the parental cohort and improved knowledge of the host response to SRV-2 has facilitated the creation of specific-retrovirus-free colonies of cynomolgus macaques.

The Mhc class II DRB genotype of Macaca fascicularis does not influence infection by simian retrovirus type 2.

Simian retrovirus type 2 (SRV-2) is a natural pathogen of Macaca fascicularis. Although SRV-2 may be endemic in macaque colonies, it is not necessarily detected in all individuals suggesting differential susceptibility to SRV-2; factors contributing to this susceptibility are not fully understood. We have investigated the role of host genetic origin on virus susceptibility. We have shown that high levels of anti-SRV-2 antibodies correlate with failure to establish persistent virus infection, thus we targeted our genetic analysis of virus susceptibility with an investigation of the role of the polymorphic macaque major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II locus. DRB genotypes, both novel and previously characterised, were identified in individuals and family groups. A discordance with SRV-2 infection status suggests that an Mhc II DRB genotype is not overtly associated with the outcome of viral infection.

Taxonomic characterization of new alkaliphilic and alkalitolerant methanotrophs from soda lakes of the Southeastern Transbaikal region and description of Methylomicrobium buryatense sp.nov.

Five strains of obligate methanotrophic bacteria (4G, 5G, 6G, 7G and 5B) isolated from bottom sediments of Southeastern Transbaikal soda lakes (pH 9.5-10.5) are taxonomically described. These bacteria are aerobic, Gram-negative monotrichous rods having tightly packed cup-shaped structures on the outer cell wall surface (S-layers) and Type I intracytoplasmic membranes. All the isolates possess particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) and one strain (5G) also contains soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO). They assimilate methane and methanol via the ribulose monophosphate pathway (RuMP). The isolates are alkalitolerant or facultatively alkaliphilic, able to grow at pH 10.5-11.0 and optimally at pH 8.5-9.5. These organisms are obligately dependent on the presence of sodium ions in the growth medium and tolerate up to 0.9-1.4 M NaCl or 1 M NaHCO3. Although being mesophilic, all the isolates are resistant to heating (80 degrees C, 20 min), freezing and drying. Their cellular fatty acids profiles primarily consist of C(16:1). The major phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. The main quinone is Q-8. The DNA G+C content ranges from 49.2-51.5 mol %. Comparative 16S rDNA sequencing showed that the newly isolated methanotrophs are related to membres of the Methylomicrobium genus. However, they differ from the known members of this genus by DNA-DNA relatedness. Based on pheno- and genotypic characteristics, we propose a new species of the genus Methylomicrobium Methylomicrobium buryatense sp. nov.

Myositis, polyserositis with a large pericardial effusion and constrictive pericarditis as manifestations of chronic graft-versus-host disease after non-myeloablative peripheral stem cell transplantation and subsequent donor lymphocyte infusion.

The clinical features of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) following a non-myeloablative peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant may differ from those that occur after a conventional allograft. We describe a man with Hodgkin's disease refractory to chemotherapy and radiotherapy who was transplanted from an HLA-identical brother, who developed cGVHD characterised, in particular, by polymyositis, polyserositis with a large pericardial effusion and constrictive pericarditis, 1 month after donor lymphocyte infusion for relapsed disease. Constrictive pericarditis has not been previously reported after a conventional allograft, and none of these features have been reported after a non-myeloablative transplant. The course of cGVHD necessitated potent immunosuppression leading to the presumed loss of graft-versus-lymphoma (GVL) effect.

Autologous transplantation with Philadelphia-negative progenitor cells for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) failing to attain a cytogenetic response to alpha interferon.

Between October 1993 and March 1999, 29 patients with CML who were ineligible for allogeneic BMT underwent PBSC harvest using idarubicin, cytarabine and G-CSF. In 9/29 (31%) patients all collected stem cells were Ph-negative, and 15/29 patients' (52%) collections were substantially (>95%) Ph-negative. The proportion of patients from whom Ph-negative stem cells were obtained was similar between patients who had, or had not, received prior alphaIFN. Fifteen patients in chronic phase (median age 45) proceeded to PBSCT following busulphan 16 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 120 mg/m2. Nine of the 13 patients who had failed to respond to prior alphaIFN proceeded to stem cell transplantation as soon as was feasible and six of the newly diagnosed patients were transplanted after failing to achieve a cytogenetic response after a minimum of 12 months on alphaIFN following progenitor cell harvest. The median number of days to neutrophils >0.5 and platelet >50 was 18 (range 13-69) and 28 (range 13-234), respectively. There was no procedure-related mortality. At median follow-up of 2.3 years post autograft 10 of 15 patients remain alive and in chronic phase. Overall survival for all 27 patients at 5 years after initial diagnosis is 70% and median survival from diagnosis 7.3 years. Survival for alphaIFN non-responders who were transplanted is 74% at 5 years from diagnosis and 75% at 3 years from transplant. Cytogenetic analysis performed 3 months post transplant demonstrated one patient with a complete cytogenetic response, seven with a partial response and three with no response. Six patients remain partially Ph-negative, with one major CR. Survival for all patients in the protocol is favourable compared with conventional therapy and is particularly encouraging following PBSCT for alphaIFN non-responsive patients. Patients not responding to alphaIFN can be induced into Ph-negativity with PBSCT but this may not always be sustainable. There seems to be no obvious disadvantage in harvesting stem cells after prior exposure to alphaIFN, providing an adequate alphaIFN-free rest period is used.