[Risk factors for infective endocarditis in cardiac valve prosthesis patients].

Infective endocarditis (IM) of the artificial cardiac valve (ACV) constitutes one of severe postoperative complications and presents a total spectrum and number of observations, concerning infectioning of the implanted ACV or of the adjacent tissues, which have had occurred in various time postoperatively. Wide introduction in practical cardiosurgery have caused the raising of the IM of ACV occurrence rate from 16 to 45%. Basing on analysis of data of 276 patients there were studied up the factors and conditions, predisposing to occurrence of IM in ACV. The main causes of a primary affection of natural cardiac valves in the patients were rheumatism and IM, the leading role in occurrence of bacteriemia have played nosocomial factors while performing stomatological, urological, gynecological and general surgical manipulations.

Stem cell research: cloning, therapy and scientific fraud.

Stem cell research has generated intense excitement, awareness, and debate. Events in the 2005-2006 saw the rise and fall of a South Korean scientist who had claimed to be the first to clone a human embryonic stem cell line. From celebration of the potential use of stem cells in the treatment of human disease to disciplinary action taken against the disgraced scientists, the drama has unfolded throughout the world media. Prompted by an image of therapeutic cloning presented on a South Korean stamp, a brief review of stem cell research and the events of the Woo-suk Hwang scandal are discussed.

NGF signaling from clathrin-coated vesicles: evidence that signaling endosomes serve as a platform for the Ras-MAPK pathway.

The target-derived neurotrophic factor "nerve growth factor" (NGF) signals through TrkA to promote the survival, differentiation, and maintenance of neurons. How the NGF signal in axon terminals is conveyed to the cell body is unknown. The "signaling endosome hypothesis" envisions that NGF-TrkA complexes are internalized at the axon terminal and retrogradely transported to the cell body. Following NGF treatment, we found that clathrin-coated vesicles contained NGF bound to TrkA together with activated signaling proteins of the Ras-MAP kinase pathway. Evidence that these vesicles could signal was their ability in vitro to activate Elk, a downstream target of Erk1/2. Our results point to the existence of a population of signaling endosomes derived from clathrin-coated membranes in NGF-treated cells.

Incorporation of fatty acids into phosphatidylcholine is reduced during storage of human erythrocytes: evidence for distinct lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferases.

The incorporation of [1-14C]palmitic or [1-14C]oleic acid into phosphatidylcholine and the effect on blood group antigen expression were examined in human erythrocytes stored at 4 degrees C for 0-3 weeks. Blood drawn into EDTA was obtained by venepuncture from healthy volunteers. A 50% suspension of washed erythrocytes was incubated in buffer containing [1-14C]fatty acid for up to 60 min at 37 degrees C with moderate shaking. Phosphatidylcholine was extracted and analyzed for uptake of radiolabelled fatty acid and phospholipid phosphorus content. Incorporation of [1-14C]palmitic or [1-14C]oleic acid into phosphatidylcholine was reduced during storage. The mechanism for the reduction in radiolabelled fatty acid incorporation into phosphatidylcholine was a 64% (p < 0.05) reduction in membrane phospholipase A2 activity. Although human erythrocyte membranes isolated from freshly drawn blood are capable of reacylating lysophosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylcholine, with storage, a markedly different substrate preference between palmitoyl-Coenzyme A and oleoyl-Coenzyme A was observed. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase activity assayed with oleoyl-Coenzyme A was unaltered with storage. In contrast, lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase activity assayed with palmitoyl-Coenzyme A was elevated 5.5-fold (p < 0.05). Despite these changes, storage of erythrocytes for up to 3 weeks did not result in altered expression of the various blood group antigens investigated. We conclude that the incorporation of palmitate and oleate into phosphatidylcholine is dramatically reduced during storage of human erythrocytes. The observed differential in vitro substrate utilization suggests that distinct acyltransferases are involved in the acylation of lysophosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylcholine in human erythrocytes.

Distinctive Swann blood group genotypes: molecular investigations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Phenotypically, Sw(a+) erythrocytes have been classified as either 700:4,41 or 700:4,-41. Since anti-700.4, in particular, and sometimes anti-700.41 are contained in reagents defining other low-incidence antigens that are members of the Diego blood group system, we undertook the current investigation in an attempt to establish whether or not Swann antigens are also Diego system members. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA from the members of three unrelated kindreds whose red cells type as Sw(a+) was isolated and analyzed for variation in SLC4A1 (solute carrier family, anion exchanger member 1 gene) by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequence analyses. RESULTS: Polymerase chain reaction-amplified exon 16 SLC4A1 products from the DNA of all Sw(a+) individuals displayed a mobility shift by SSCP. A similar mobility shift was not observed in the DNA from Sw(a-) family members or in the amplified DNA from control individuals. DNA sequencing revealed different mutations, CGG-->CAG and CGG-->TGG, that result in Arg646Gln and Arg646Trp substitutions in erythroid protein band 3, respectively. CONCLUSION: Through genotypic analyses, we have characterized two point mutations related to the Swann blood group. The possible relationship between the resultant amino acid substitutions and the expression of Swann antigens has been discussed.

Cardiolipin remodeling in a Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line deficient in oxidative energy production.

The metabolism of cardiolipin was investigated in a Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line CCL16-B2 deficient in oxidative energy metabolism and its parental cell line CCL16-B1. Mitochondrial enzyme activities involved in de novo cardiolipin biosynthesis were elevated in CCL16-B2 cells compared with CCL16-B1 cells, indicating initially an elevation in cardiolipin biosynthesis. Content of all phospholipids, including cardiolipin and its precursors, and high energy nucleotides were unaltered in CCL16-B2 cells compared to CCL16-B1 cells. When cells were incubated with [1,3-(3)H]glycerol for up to 4 h radioactivity incorporated into cardiolipin in CCL16-B2 cells did not differ compared with CCL16-B1 cells. In contrast, radioactivity incorporated into phosphatidylglycerol, the immediate precursor of cardiolipin, was elevated over 2-fold in CCL16-B2 cells compared with CCL16-B1 cells. Analysis of the fatty acid molecular species in cardiolipin revealed alterations in the level of unsaturated but not saturated fatty acids in B2 compared with B1 cells. In vivo cardiolipin remodeling, that is, the deacylation of cardiolipin to monolysocardiolipin followed by reacylation back to cardiolipin, with [1-(14)C]palmitate and [1-(14)C]oleate and in vitro mitochondrial phospholipid remodeling with [1-(14)C]linoleate were altered in CCL16-B2 cells compared to CCL16-B1 cells. Since both the appropriate content and molecular composition of cardiolipin is required for optimum mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, we suggest that the difference in CL molecular species composition observed in CCL16-B2 cells, mediated by alterations in in vivo cardiolipin remodeling, may be one of the underlying mechanisms for the reduction in oxidative energy production in CCL16-B2 cells.

[The extracorporeal connection of a donor spleen in the treatment of anaerobic sepsis]. / Ekstrakorporal'noe podkliuchenie donorskoi selezenki pri lechenii anaérobnogo sepsisa.

In 12 patients with anaerobic sepsis, extracorporeal connection of donor spleen, its sections and transfusion of perfusates of xenospleen were used in the complex treatment. A positive result--reduction of intoxication, improvement of general state, normalization of immunologic indices--has been obtained.

[Use of ultraviolet irradiation of the blood in the complex treatment of peritonitis]. / Primenenie ul'trafioletovogo oblucheniia krovi v kompleksnom lechenii peritonita.

According to the data of tetrasolium nitroblue test and titer of the blood serum antibodies to the most frequently cultured microflora in complex treatment of 27 patients with diffuse purulent peritonitis, it was established, that the use of ultraviolet irradiation of the blood stimulated the specific and non-specific organism resistance.