Anti-beta 2 glycoprotein 1 and anti-annexin V antibodies in women with recurrent miscarriage.

While it has been established that anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) are associated with recurrent miscarriage (RM), the importance of anti-beta2 glycoprotein 1 (GP1) IgG and anti-annexin V IgG antibodies as risk factors for RM is undefined. We have investigated the prevalence of anti-beta2 GP1 IgG and anti-annexin V IgG antibodies in 54 aPL-positive and 48 aPL-negative women with RM. The prevalence of IgG anti-beta2 GP1 antibodies was not significantly different in persistently aPL-positive women with RM (7%), aPL-negative women with RM (6%) and the normal parous control group (3%). Anti-annexin V IgG antibody prevalence was significantly increased in aPL-positive women with RM compared with aPL-negative women with RM (P = 0.01). The elevations were found in 35%, 19% and 16% of aPL-positive women with RM, aPL-negative women with RM and the control group respectively. No women showed positivity for both anti-beta2 GP1 IgG and anti-annexin V antibodies. Anti-beta2 GP1 IgG antibodies do not appear to be contributory to the investigation of women with RM. Anti-annexin V antibody positivity, although associated with aPL positivity in women with RM, is not an independent risk marker.

Factor V Leiden and acquired activated protein C resistance among 1000 women with recurrent miscarriage.

Activated protein C (APC) resistance, both in its congenital form, due to the factor V Leiden mutation, and in its acquired form, are important risk factors for systemic venous thrombosis. In view of the suspected thrombotic aetiology of some cases of recurrent miscarriage, the prevalence of APC resistance was determined among 1111 consecutive Caucasian women with a history of either recurrent early miscarriage (three or more consecutive pregnancy losses at <12 weeks gestation; n = 904) or a history of at least one late miscarriage (>12 weeks gestation; n = 207). A control group of 150 parous Caucasian women with no previous history of adverse pregnancy outcome was also studied. Acquired APC resistance was significantly more common among both women with recurrent early miscarriage (8.8%: 80/904; P = 0.02) and those with late miscarriage (8.7%: 18/207; P = 0.04) compared with controls (3.3%: 5/150). In contrast, the frequency of the factor V Leiden allele was similar among (i) women with recurrent early miscarriage (3.3%:60/1808; 58 heterozygotes and one homozygote), (ii) those with late miscarriage (3.9%:16/414; 14 heterozygotes and one homozygote) and (iii) the control group (4.0%:12/300; 12 heterozygotes). Acquired but not congenital APC resistance (due to the factor V Leiden mutation) is associated with both early and late miscarriage.

The C677T MTHFR gene mutation is not predictive of risk for recurrent fetal loss.

We have investigated the potency of the C677T mutation in the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene as a genetic risk factor in women with a history of early (12 weeks gestation) recurrent miscarriage (three or more consecutive pregnancy losses). Fifty-seven of the total 173 (32. 9%) patients were heterozygous for the MTHFR mutation, 14/173 (8.1%) were homozygous (allele frequency 0.25). The prevalence of the MTHFR mutation in these women did not differ significantly from that in the control group of parous women with uneventful pregnancies, where 30/67 (44.8%) were heterozygous and 6/67 (9.0%) homozygous for the mutation (allele frequency 0.31; odds ratio for homozygous T/T 0.90, 95% CI 0.30-2.4). There was no association between the trimester of pregnancy loss and MTHFR genotype. We conclude that the C677T MTHFR mutation is not a risk predictor in women with a history of early or late recurrent miscarriage.

Factor V Leiden and fatal pulmonary embolism.

To investigate whether the factor V Leiden mutation increases the risk of fatal pulmonary emboli, we determined the presence of the factor V Leiden mutation in pathology material from two series of autopsies of patients from the Leiden University Hospital, The Netherlands. The first series consisted of consecutive autopsies in which pulmonary emboli were mentioned in the autopsy report; most patients of this series had major underlying disease. The second series consisted of autopsies in patients younger than age 70 in which pulmonary emboli were the sole cause of death and no major acquired risk factor for venous thrombosis was present. Extraction of DNA was done on newly prepared tissue from archival paraffin blocks. In the first series, the presence of factor V Leiden was determined in 44 patients, 1 of whom carried the mutation (2.3 percent; 95% confidence interval 0.06 to 12.0 percent). This prevalence is not different from the general population prevalence in The Netherlands. In the second series, factor V Leiden could be determined in 30 patients of whom 3 carried the mutation (10 percent; 95% confidence interval 2. to 26.5 percent), which would lead to a threefold relative risk. A large number of patients with diverse psychiatric diagnoses was present in the second series (eleven). We conclude that in the presence of severe illness, the factor V Leiden mutation plays no additional role in the development of pulmonary emboli. The relative risk of the very rare fatal pulmonary embolus that is the sole cause of death might also be less than the relative risk for deep-vein thrombosis in carriers of the factor V Leiden mutation.

Visualization of mono-allelic chromosomal aberrations 3' and 5' of the cyclin D1 gene in mantle cell lymphoma using DNA fiber fluorescence in situ hybridization.

In mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), in addition to the characteristic t(11;14)(q13;q32), rearrangements on the 3' side of the cyclin D1 gene have been described. In a series of 32 MCL we found three cases with 3'-rearrangements by Southern blot analysis with a probe representing the 3' untranslated region of the cyclin D1 gene. All three were characterized by the absence of the 4.5 kb transcript, and instead, two cases showed overexpression of the 1.7 kb and a third case (MCLp14) an aberrant 2.5 kb transcript. At the genomic level, fine mapping experiments showed in the 3' untranslated region a 2 kb deletion in MCLp14 and a breakpoint in the other two cases. Fiber FISH analysis showed that in all three cases the 3' aberration co-exists with a regular t(11;14) breakpoint 5' of cyclin D1 on a single allele. Fiber FISH analysis of 16 additional MCL revealed two other such cases with breakpoints 5' and 3' of cyclin D1. These mono-allelic aberrations affecting the cyclin D1 gene suggest that the t(11;14) as a first step switches on transcription, and then sequences in the untranslated region of cyclin D1 are affected to stabilize the message.

Characterization of a large chromosomal deletion in the PROS1 gene of a patient with protein S deficiency type I using long PCR.

A long-PCR-based technique was developed to investigate a possible deletion in the protein S gene, PROS1, in a family with type I protein S (PS) deficiency (pedigree PS62). Long-PCR across introns produced an unexpected 2kb PCR product between exon VII and XII not seen in control individuals, in addition to the expected 2.5 kb exon VII-VIII product. This result suggested that a deletion had occurred between exons VII and XII in the PS-deficient family members. All were heterozygous for the deletion, Sequencing of the cloned 2 kb fragment gave the precise location of the breakpoints within introns 7 and 11. Significant similarity existed in both introns to repetitive sequences, e.g. Alu and Mer12, but no significant similarity was evident between the two introns themselves. The technique of long-PCR is simple and more informative than Southern blotting in detecting and characterizing large intragenic deletions.

Alterations of receptor specificities of coliphages of the T2 family.

The T-even type coliphage M1 uses the outer membrane protein OmpA as a receptor. Host range mutants were isolated in two sequential steps, the first resulting in strains able to use the porin OmpC, the second in mutants using the outer membrane protease OmpT as receptor. The mutational alterations in the receptor-recognizing protein of the phage (a component of the long tail fibers) have been determined. Their character and that of such previously described alterations suggest an antibody-type of ligand binding.

Location of the ompT gene relative to that of appY on the physical map of the Escherichia coli chromosome.

Results concerning the precise location of the ompT gene (encoding the outer membrane protease OmpT) on the Escherichia coli chromosome were obtained which disagree with published restriction sites in the gene. It is shown that the gene, together with appY, is present on a 3.075 PstI fragment, encompassing positions 596-598 of the E. coli physical map.

Titin antibodies in myasthenia gravis: identification of a major immunogenic region of titin.

Approximately 15% of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have thymus neoplasia. These MG with thymoma (MGT) patients show autoantibodies to striated muscle as well as autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptor. To characterize these thymoma-associated muscle antigens, we cloned a number of immunopositive cDNAs by immunoscreening muscle cDNA libraries with sera from MGT patients. Analysis of the isolated cDNAs show that all share a common sequence encoding a distinct region of the titin gene. We expressed this main immunogenic region (MIR) of titin in Escherichia coli, and determined autoantibody serum titers directed against the obtained recombinant antigen in a variety of patients. We could detect titin MIR autoantibodies in 97% of sera from MGT patients but not in control sera from healthy blood donors. Therefore, expressed titin from the MIR of the molecule is a sensitive marker antigen for evaluating the presence of thymoma in MG.

Characteristics of a cream of cheese with bacon frozen soup concentrate.

The starch granules of both Purity W, a modified waxy cornstarch, and wheat flour were affected by processing, refrigeration, freezing, and reheating. The major change in starch granules shown by scanning electron micrographs was the trend towards greater deformation of the starch granule and, apparently, subsequent greater homogeneity of the mixture. Sensory evaluation revealed a statistically significant difference (p of less than 0.05) only in overall acceptability of the fresh vs. the frozen soup. The other quality characteristics of texture acceptability, consistency, and syneresis were not statistically (p of less than 0.05) different.

Effect of heating rate and freezing and reheating of corn and wheat starch-water dispersions.

In this study, evaluation of scanning electron micrographs emphasized that a heated starch-water dispersion is sensitive not only because of the type of starch but also to the mode of heating, cooling, and reheating. Differences in granule appearance were seen with both corn and wheat starch-water dispersions when they were heated at different rates. Both freezing and reheating influenced the starch-water dispersions. Microwave oven reheating appeared to yield a product with more retrogradation of the starch component. For an understanding of the effect of temperature-time stresses on this common ingredient, starch, much more study is needed.

Macrostructure of selected raw starches and selected heated starch dispersions.

The similarities and differences between raw starches and heated starch-water dispersions were determined pictorially using a scanning electron microscope. The photomicrographs showed that raw unmodified starches ranged from small and round to large and ellipsoidal in shape, with variation in uniformity and smoothness of the surface. Heating of corn and wheat starch in water dispersions caused swelling of the starch granule, some exudate, and eventual loss of original granule integrity. The scanning electron microscope is a sensitive, useful tool to evaluate changes which occur in starch systems.

Heat transfer and temperature of foods during processing.

Safety and economics concerns have accentuated an interest in energy input and consumption in the foods industry. This review article focuses on reported temperatures and temperature histories in food preparation and processing. To assist in interpreting reported data, a basic understanding of heat transfer parameters used is given. The relationships between temperature and time histories and quality effects of physical and chemical changes in foods, the production of new compounds with possible health effects, and microbiological safety are summarized. Several areas of needed research are identified.

Computer-simulated laboratory experiments in food science. I. The model.

A computer model and instructional material provide the student with the opportunity to learn basic information and gain expertise in solving problems which occur in foods. The model covers twenty-five simulations over a range of food types, permitting a variety of experiments of differing complexity. The student is assigned a problem or activity which may be partially or completely answered by using one of the simulations. The simulations give answers to a series of treatments and tests, properties, recipes, characteristics, and/or sensory parameters being investigated.

Computer-simulated laboratory experiments in food science. II. Evaluation of the model in use.

Evidence obtained in this study indicates that computer simulations can be a successful method of teaching foods or can replace laboratory experiences. For nine of eleven attitudinal test items, students' attitudes became more positive concerning the value of the course in which computer simulations were used. On the achievement test, seventeen of the twenty-five questions revealed that significant learning (p of less than or equal to 0.05) occurred when the simulations were integrated into a foods course. These students seemed to do well and to like this method of instruction. The advantages of these computer simulations are that students can be motivated to learn and solve problems.

The effect of pressurisation of pre-rigor muscle on post-rigor meat characteristics.

Pressurisation of pre-rigor muscles produced very firm meat in muscles which had contracted to as little as 48% of their on-carcass length. Immediate post-treatment pH was 5·81, significantly lower than the controls; however, there was no significant difference at 24 h. Water holding capacity of the treated samples was significantly lower and weep significantly higher than the controls. However, cooking losses for the treated samples were lower, resulting in an over-all loss which was not different between control and treated samples. Warner-Bratzler shear tests and taste panel evaluations indicate a highly significant improvement in tenderness. Scanning electron micrographs show an extensive disruption of the sarcolemma.