Limb hypoplasia resulting from intrauterine infection with herpes simplex virus: a case report.

Intrauterine infection with herpes simplex virus, although very rare, has devastating effects on multiple organ systems in the fetus and can lead to in utero fetal demise. Neonates born following intrauterine herpes simplex virus infection commonly manifest with cutaneous lesions, ocular damage and/or brain abnormalities. We describe the case of a dichorionic, diamniotic twin gestation complicated by intrauterine herpes simplex virus infection. This infection led to the fetal demise of twin A and a very uncommon presentation of limb hypoplasia in twin B.

Relationship among expression of basic-fibroblast growth factor, MTDH/astrocyte elevated gene-1, adenomatous polyposis coli, matrix metalloproteinase 9,and COX-2 markers with prognostic factors in prostate carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: The etiopathogenesis of prostate cancer (PC) is still not clear, but hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors are thought to play a role in the tumor pathogenesis. Astrocyte elevated gene-1(AEG-1) as a novel transmembrane protein is predominantly located in the perinuclear region and endoplasmic reticulum. It has been found that AEG-1 upregulation increases the invasive ability of glioma and prostate cancer. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), cyclooxygenases-2 (COX-2), and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) are very important in tumor progression as well. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 97 radical prostatectomy specimens. IHC stains for bFGF, MMP-9, COX-2, APC, and AEG-1 were performed on the tissue microarray using standard procedures. For each patient, the age, Gleason score, tumor volume, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, surgical margin, and the invasion of vesiculoseminalis areas were assessed. Analyses were performed using the statistical PASW (ver. 18). RESULTS: Statistically significant positive relationships were found MMP-9 and COX-2 (r = 0.242 and P = 0.017), between MMP-9 and APC (r = 0.207 and P = 0.043), and between bFGF and AEG-1 (r = 0.295 and P = 0.004). However, the relationships between age and staining results and tumor volume and staining results were not found to be significant. Although a positive correlation was found between the Gleason score and tumor volume and the Gleason score and age (r = 0.415 and P = 0.0001; r = 0.246 and P = 0.015, respectively), we did not find a statistically significant relationship between other stains and other prognostic parameters (lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, surgical margin, or vesiculoseminalis invasion). CONCLUSION: The relationships we found between MMP-9 and COX-2, between MMP-9, and APC and between bFGF and AEG-1 as independent prognostic parameters could be helpful in the development of new therapeutic procedures.

Alterations in semen parameters of toll collectors working at motorways: does diesel exposure induce detrimental effects on semen?

Air pollution is contemporarily considered to be a significant cause in impairing semen parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate possible effects of traffic pollutants, mainly the diesel exposure, on semen analysis. A total of 38 men working as toll collectors at motorways formed the study group. Simultaneously, 35 men working as office personnel constituted the control group. Factors including varicocele, chronic diseases that can affect sperm production were the exclusion criteria. No difference regarding smoking was present between the groups. Usual semen analysis according to WHO guidelines was performed. The results of semen analysis revealed decreased motility and low sperm counts in eight and seven men from the study group respectively. Besides, a man from the same group had combined abnormality of decreased motility and low sperm count. However, two men from the control group had slight motility defect and one had low sperm count. The differences regarding the abnormal sperm count and motility were significant between the groups (P = 0.002 and P = 0.003, respectively). Similarly, the ratio of sperm cells with normal morphology was significantly lower in the study group than that in the control group (P = 0.001). This observation proposes that air pollution particularly diesel exposure may have detrimental effects on sperm parameters.

Craniofacioskeletal syndrome: an X-linked dominant disorder with early lethality in males.

A syndrome with multisystem manifestations has been observed in three generations of a Caucasian family. The findings in seven females provide a composite clinical picture of microcephaly, short stature, small retroverted ears, full tip of the nose overhanging the columella, short philtrum, thin upper lip, soft tissue excrescences at the angle of the mouth, small mandible, small hands and feet with brachydactyly, finger V clinodactyly, flat feet, an excessive number of fingerprint arches, and mild impairment of cognitive function. Two males were more severely affected and died in the initial months of life. They showed intrauterine growth retardation, broad cranium with wide sutures and fontanelles, cardiac defects, small hands and feet with abnormal digital creases and small nails, and genital abnormalities. The affected males had low serum calcium in the neonatal period. Serum calcium, phosphorous, and parathormone levels in the females were normal. Radiographs showed cortical thickening of the long bones, underdevelopment of the frontal sinuses, narrow pelvis and hypoplasia of the middle phalanx of finger five. MRI of the brain showed slightly reduced brain volumes and an extra gyrus of the superior temporal region. X-inactivation studies showed near complete skewing in two affected females, but were not informative in three others. X-linkage as the mode of inheritance is proposed on the basis of different severity in males/females, complete skewing of X-inactivation in informative females, and a lod score (1.5) suggestive of linkage to markers in Xq26-q27.

Tuberculous orchitis in chronic renal failure.

Tuberculosis confined to the testes with no epididymal involvement is uncommon. Chronic renal failure patients requiring hemodialysis have increased risk for developing tuberculosis. We report a 47-year old chronic renal failure man presenting with right testicular tuberculous orchitis. A high index of suspicion is required to recognize the unusual presentation of tuberculosis in this group of patients, and routine screening for tuberculosis may be recommended in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

The effect of extracorporeal shock waves on a rat model of injury to tendo Achillis. A histological and biomechanical study.

The effects of extracorporeal shock waves (ESWT) on tendon healing were assessed by observing histological and biomechanical parameters in a rat model of injury to the tendo Achillis. The injury was created by inserting an 18-G needle through tendo Achillis in 48 adult Wistar albino rats. The animals were divided into three groups. The first group received radiation only after the operation. The second received no shock waves and the third had 500 15 KV shocks on the second post-operative day. All the rats were killed on the 21st day after surgery. Histopathological analysis showed an increase in the number of capillaries and less formation of adhesions in the study group compared with the control group (p = 0.03). A significantly greater force was required to rupture the tendon in the study group (p = 0.028). Our findings suggest a basis for clinical trials using ESWT.

Mode of administration of international prostate symptom score in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms: physician vs self.

International prostate symptom score (IPSS) was claimed to be complicated for patients. The aim of this study was to measure differences in IPSS when introduced by a physician vs self-administration. Patients with lower urinary tract symptoms completed two IPSS questionnaires: one self-administrated and the other by a physician 1 week apart. Results with 75 patients in each group suggested that there was no statistically significant difference between patient and physician administration, although the mean scores of patients' administration were higher in both groups. In conclusion, when assessing IPSS before treatment, we found no difference between patient administration and physician administration.

The efficacy of an abbreviated model of the International Prostate Symptom Score in evaluating benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the acceptability to patients in Turkey of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) for evaluating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and to devise a possible abbreviated model, saving time when administered by a physician. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The IPSS questionnaire was initially self-administered in 200 consecutive patients aged> 50 years and with lower urinary tract symptoms. Patients were instructed only to mark questions which they clearly understood. The IPSS was then administered to 500 consecutive patients by the same physician. Subsequently, each of the seven questions was separately correlated with the IPSS and quality-of-life (QoL) score. The first five questions with the highest correlation coefficient for both the total IPSS and QoL score were identified, and every possible combination of these questions produced and correlated. RESULTS: In the first group, 29% of the patients did not complete the form and 44% could not mark at least one item; the effect of educational level was significant (P < 0.05). In the second group a combination of the first three items had a Pearson's correlation of 0.90 with the total IPSS; similarly, four questions combined (2, 3, 6 and 7) also correlated well (r = 0.92). Both combinations took significantly less time to administer (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The abbreviated form of the IPSS consisting of three or four items may be used to assess symptoms in patients with BPH, especially in underdeveloped countries.

The efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in invasive bladder cancer.

Radical cystectomy is the gold standard in the treatment of invasive bladder cancer. However, five-year disease-free survival is low most probably due to micrometastatic disease at the time of surgery. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be performed as the first line management for invasive bladder tumors in order to treat micrometastases found at the diagnosis and improve resectability of larger neoplasms. A total of 43 patients diagnosed with invasive bladder tumors and 11 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The mean age of patients was 64 (43-74) years, and mean follow-up period was 52 months (12-114). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy protocol consisted of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC) or cisplatin, methotrexate, and cisplatin (CMV). All patients in neoadjuvant chemotherapy group underwent radical cystectomy. There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to disease-free survival time and overall survival time. In patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the respective disease-free and overall survival times were 31 months and 36 months versus 30 months and 35 months in patients who were treated with surgery only (p > 0.05). Five-year survival rates were 36% and 31% in the chemotherapy and no-chemotherapy groups, respectively. In the present study, 5-year survival rate was not affected by neoadjuvant chemotherapy in invasive bladder tumor. Complete pathological remission (stage p0) was found in 28% and pathological downstaging (stage < T2) was seen in 9% of patients in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group. Five-year survival rates were 75% and 14.2% in patients who responded to chemotherapy, and in patients with no response, respectively (p < 0.05). The most favorable prognostic factor in this study was the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy revealed as complete remission or pathological downstaging. The most important issue remains the prediction of patients who would respond and benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Regulation of osmC gene expression by the two-component system rcsB-rcsC in Escherichia coli.

The Escherichia coli osmC gene encodes an envelope protein of unknown function whose expression depends on osmotic pressure and growth phase. The gene is transcribed from two overlapping promoters, osmCp(1) and osmCp(2). Several factors regulating these promoters have been reported. The leucine-responsive protein Lrp represses osmCp(1) and activates osmCp(2), the nucleoid-associated protein H-NS represses both promoters, and the stationary-phase sigma factor sigma(s) specifically recognizes osmCp(2). This work reports the identification of an additional regulatory element, the two-component system rcsB-rcsC, affecting positively the distal promoter osmCp(1). The response regulator of the system, RcsB, does not affect expression of the proximal promoter osmCp(2). Deletion analysis located the site necessary for RcsB activation just upstream of osmCp(1). In vitro transcription experiments and gel mobility shift assays demonstrated that RcsB stimulates RNA polymerase binding at osmCp(1).

Regulation of Escherichia coli cell division genes ftsA and ftsZ by the two-component system rcsC-rcsB.

Genes rcsC and rcsB form a two-component system in which rcsC encodes the sensor element and rcsB the regulator. In Escherichia coli, the system positively regulates the expression of the capsule operon, cps, and of the cell division gene ftsZ. We report the identification of the promoter and of the sequences required for rcsB-dependent stimulation of ftsZ expression. The promoter, ftsA1p, located in the ftsQ coding sequence, co-regulates ftsA and ftsZ. The sequences required for rcsB activity are immediately adjacent to this promoter.

RNase E processing of essential cell division genes mRNA in Escherichia coli.

The ratio of the FtsZ to FtsA proteins determines the correct initiation of cell division in Escherichia coli. The genes for these proteins are contiguous on the chromosome. Although both genes are transcribed from common promoters, the presence of ftsZ-specific promoters, along with differences in the efficiency of translation of their respective mRNAs, contribute to the increased relative expression of ftsZ. We report here that the polycistronic ftsA-ftsZ transcripts are cleaved by RNase E and that this cleavage affects the decay of ftsA and ftsZ mRNA. As a consequence of the cleavage, RNase E also contributes to the differential expression of the two genes.

Sigma S-dependent overexpression of ftsZ in an Escherichia coli K-12 rpoB mutant that is resistant to the division inhibitors DicB and DicF RNA.

The Escherichia coli genes dicF and dicB encode division inhibitors, which prevent the synthesis and activity, respectively, of the essential division protein FtsZ. A mutation at the C-terminal end of the RNA polymerase beta subunit renders cells resistant to both inhibitors. In the mutant strain the level of the ftsZ gene product is higher than in the wild type. Disruption of rpoS, which encodes the stationary phase sigma factor sigma S, lowers FtsZ protein levels in the mutant, and partially restores sensitivity to the inhibitors.

Antitermination of early transcription in phage HK022. Absence of a phage-encoded antitermination factor.

In phage lambda and its relatives most early phage genes are located downstream from transcription termination sites, and full gene expression requires suppression of termination (or antitermination). Phage HK022, a lambda relative, also antiterminates early transcription, but, unlike its relatives, does so in the absence of any active phage gene product. We found no functional equivalent of the lambda N antitermination protein in HK022. In addition, nus mutations, which alter host proteins required for lambda antitermination, have no apparent effect on HK022 early gene expression. We have shown that terminators located several thousand base-pairs from the start point of transcription are suppressed, and that in the left operon suppression requires a short, promoter-proximal segment. A 40 bp region within this segment is repeated in the right operon. The chromosomal locations of these repeated segments resemble those of the nut antitermination sites of other lambdoid phages, but the HK022 sites lack the conserved sequence elements of the nut sites. It appears that HK022 antiterminates early transcription in a novel way.

The early promoters of bacteriophage HK022: contrasts and similarities to other lambdoid phages.

The pL, pR and pM promoters of lambdoid phages direct the transcription of early phage genes and the prophage repressor gene. We have determined the start points of transcription for these three promoters in the lambdoid phage HK022 and have shown that the HK022 repressor represses the early promoters, pL and pR, and activates the repressor promoter, pM. HK022 resembles other phages of the lambda family in these respects, as it does in the functional organization of most of its early genes and sites. One exception is nun, the first gene of the HK022 pL operon, which is expressed in the presence of prophage repressor and thus differs from its lambda counterpart, gene N. We show that transcription of nun in a lysogen does not initiate at pL but instead starts upstream at the pM promoter. This difference in transcription fits the different roles of Nun and N proteins in the physiology of the two phages: Nun protects HK022 lysogens against superinfection with certain other lambdoid phages, while N promotes the transcription of early lambda genes.

Escherichia coli cell division inhibitor DicF-RNA of the dicB operon. Evidence for its generation in vivo by transcription termination and by RNase III and RNase E-dependent processing.

We have established that the long non-coding intercistronic region of the dicB operon of Escherichia coli expresses a trans-acting division inhibitor specified by a region dicF, at most 65 nucleotides-long. The present study deals with the processing of dicBF operon mRNA in vivo, and identifies the dicF gene product as a 53 nucleotide RNA species. A sequence at the end of DicF resembles, and behaves as, a Rho-independent terminator, but further processing of readthrough transcripts, presumably by RNase III, followed by a limited 3' to 5' degradation, appears to generate additional DicF-RNA 3' ends. For the 5' end of DicF-RNA, our results show that a 190 nucleotide precursor DicF-RNA species is formed by cleavage at an RNase III site, while the 53 nucleotide minimal DicF-RNA is generated by further processing requiring the presence of an active form of RNase E in vivo. These data indicate that an untranslated product derived from an operon RNA can have a regulatory activity by affecting cell division.

Identification and sequence of gene dicB: translation of the division inhibitor from an in-phase internal start.

The dicA1 mutation, located in the replication termination region of Escherichia coli at 34.9 min, confers a temperature-sensitive, division defective phenotype to its hosts. Previous analysis had suggested that dicA codes for a repressor of a nearby division inhibition gene dicB. We show now that gene dicB is part of a complex operon. Five open reading frames (ORFs 1 to 5) preceeded by a promoter sensitive to dicA repression are found within a 1500 bp segment, and are organized into two clusters separated by a long untranslated region. Evidence for expression of these ORFs was obtained from in vitro or in vivo translation of plasmid-coded genes. IPTG-dependent cell filamentation was obtained when either the entire or the C-terminal part of the fourth ORF was placed under control of the lac promoter. In both cases, a 7 KD protein corresponding to translation from an in-frame ATG of ORF4 (dicB) was made. We propose that this C-terminal protein is the division inhibitor synthesized in dicA1 mutants.

Physical map of the T-DNA region of Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain NCPPB2659.

The T-DNA region of the plasmid responsible for hairy root in the Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain NCPPB2659 is identified and characterized by its physical map.

Control of cell division in Escherichia coli. DNA sequence of dicA and of a second gene complementing mutation dicA1, dicC.

A mutation in a gene dicA of Escherichia coli leads to temperature-sensitive cell division, by allowing expression of a nearby division inhibition gene dicB (1). We have now established the sequence of the DicA region and identified DicA as a 15.5 KD protein. A second gene dicC transcribed divergently from dicA and coding for an 8.5 KD protein can also complement mutation dicA1 when provided on a multicopy plasmid.