Urographic Renal Size in Acute Pyelonephritis in Childhood

Eighteen children with acute pyelonephritis were investigated by urography at the time of and about two months after the acute infection. Renal size was evaluated as renal length and parenchymal area. During the acute infection renal size was larger than at the follow-up examination two months later. In conclusion, urography performed in close connection with the acute pyelonephritic infection gives an overestimation of renal size.

Radioimmunoscintigraphy of Gynecologic Tumors with 131I-Labeled Anti-Plap Monoclonal Antibodies

Radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) was performed in 20 patients with gynecologic tumors, 14 ovarian, 5 cervical, and one endometrial carcinoma. One murine monoclonal antibody (mab) against placental alkaline phosphatase (H7) was used after radiolabeling with 131I. The labeling procedure yielded antibodies with specific activity varying between 60 and 73 MBq/mg mab. Each patient received 57 to 100 MBq of the preparation. RIS was performed 7 to 35 days later. Patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma had an accumulation of activity on RIS at tumor sites (79%, 11/14) verified by ultrasonography, CT, and clinical examination. A low or absent accumulation of activity was seen in patients with cervical tumors. The patient with an endometrial adenocarcinoma was seen to have an activity accumulation at RIS corresponding to tumor sites determined by ultrasound and/or CT. It is concluded that RIS using monoclonal antibodies against placental alkaline phosphatase can provide information which will supplement that gained from other investigations of patients with ovarian adenocarcinomas.

Renal Parenchymal Volume in Children

Forty-three children with normal urograms and with kidneys of normal size regarding length, area and parenchymal thickness were examined using a water-delay computerized ultrasonographic equipment. Renal parenchymal volumes were calculated and related to body weight. The correlation coefficient was 0.92. The renal parenchymal volume of the left kidney was significantly larger than that of the right kidney (p<0.001). For practical purposes they should, however, be assumed to be of equal size, 2.0±0.3 cm3/kg body weight.

Serotonergic Markers in Atopic Dermatitis

Stress and anxiety may worsen atopic dermatitis (AD) through the serotonin system. Serotonergic expression was measured in 28 patients with AD in relation to extent of the disease (SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis; SCORAD), pruritus intensity (visual analogue scale; VAS), anxiety traits (Swedish Universities Scales of Personality; SSP) and depression (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self assessment; MADRS-S). Biopsies were taken from lesional and non-lesional AD skin, and investigated for expression of serotonin, its receptors 5-HT1A and 5-HT2, and serotonin transporter protein (SERT), using immunohistochemistry. 5-HT1AR-immunoreactivity (ir) was higher in lesional skin in apical epidermis and in mast cell-like cells in dermis, and 5-HT2AR-ir in apical epidermis and on blood vessels. In contrast, a basement membrane 5-HT2AR-ir signal was higher in non-lesional skin. The distribution of SERT-ir in the basal epidermal layer was higher in lesional skin. Positive and negative correlations were found between serotonergic markers and SCORAD, inflammation, pruritus intensity, anxiety traits, and depression score, indicating that serotonergic mechanisms are involved in AD.

Comparison of 1.8-mm incision versus 2.75-mm incision cataract surgery in combined phacoemulsification and 23-gauge vitrectomy

PURPOSE

To compare 1.8 mm micro-incision and 2.75 mm standard incision in coaxial cataract surgery combined with 23-Gauge (23G) vitrectomy with respect to intraoperative and postoperative complications and outcomes.

METHODS

In this prospective study 30 eyes of 30 patients planned for combined phacoemulsification and 23G vitrectomy were enrolled, and randomized to undergo either Standard 2.75 mm Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS, 15 eyes) or Coaxial 1.8 mm Micro-Incision Cataract Surgery (C-MICS, 15 eyes) followed by vitrectomy. Inclusion criteria were cataract and macular disorders including macular hole, epiretinal membrane and vitreomacular traction. Data were collected at preoperative evaluation and 1 and 12 months or more after surgery.

RESULTS

Incision leakage occurred in two eyes (7%: one per group), retinal break in nine (30%: four in C-MICS, five in SICS). Fibrin in anterior chamber (AC) occurred day 1 in three eyes (10%: two C- and one SICS). Posterior capsule opacification developed in 22 eyes (78%: 13 MICS, nine SICS, p = 0.1). A myopic shift of -0.63 ± 0.7 was noted (-0.59 ± 0.8 MICS, -0.68 ± 0.6 SICS, p = 0.74). Surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) was significantly smaller in C-MICS group (ΔKP, -0.019 ± 0.095 versus -0.141 ± 0.219, p = 0.0038) at 1 month but not at final follow-up (ΔKP, 0.0005 ± 0.16 in C-MICS versus -0.057 ± 0.12, p = 0.3 CONCLUSIONS: Both techniques were equally safe with respect to intraoperative and postoperative findings. Coaxial micro-incision cataract surgery (C-MICS) was associated with less surgically-induced astigmatism (SIA) 1 month after surgery but differences were not statistically significant at final follow-up indicating a faster refractive recovery with C-MICS than with SICS.

Yeast Pathway Kit: A Method for Metabolic Pathway Assembly with Automatically Simulated Executable Documentation

We have developed the Yeast Pathway Kit (YPK) for rational and random metabolic pathway assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using reusable and redistributable genetic elements. Genetic elements are cloned in a suicide vector in a rapid process that omits PCR product purification. Single-gene expression cassettes are assembled in vivo using genetic elements that are both promoters and terminators (TP). Cassettes sharing genetic elements are assembled by recombination into multigene pathways. A wide selection of prefabricated TP elements makes assembly both rapid and inexpensive. An innovative software tool automatically produces detailed self-contained executable documentation in the form of pydna code in the narrative Jupyter notebook format to facilitate planning and sharing YPK projects. A d-xylose catabolic pathway was created using YPK with four or eight genes that resulted in one of the highest growth rates reported on d-xylose (0.18 h(-1)) for recombinant S. cerevisiae without adaptation. The two-step assembly of single-gene expression cassettes into multigene pathways may improve the yield of correct pathways at the cost of adding overall complexity, which is offset by the supplied software tool.

Assessment and Reporting of Driving Fitness in Patients with Dementia in Clinical Practice: Data from SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Registry

BACKGROUND

Driving constitutes a very important aspect of daily life and is dependent on cognitive functions such as attention, visuo-spatial skills and memory, which are often compromised in dementia. Therefore, the driving fitness of patients with dementia needs to be addressed by physicians and those that are deemed unfit should not be allowed to continue driving.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed at investigating to what extent physicians assess driving fitness in dementia patients and determinant factors for revoking of their licenses.

METHODS

This study includes 15113 patients with newly diagnosed dementia and driver's license registered in the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem). The main outcomes were reporting to the licensing authority and making an agreement about driving eligibility with the patients.

RESULTS

Physicians had not taken any action in 16% of dementia patients, whereas 9% were reported to the authority to have their licenses revoked. Males (OR = 3.04), those with an MMSE score between 20-24 (OR = 1.35) and 10-19 (OR = 1.50), patients with frontotemporal (OR = 3.09) and vascular dementia (OR = 1.26) were more likely to be reported to the authority.

CONCLUSION

For the majority of patients with dementia, driving fitness was assessed. Nevertheless, physicians did not address the issue in a sizeable proportion of dementia patients. Type of dementia, cognitive status, age, sex and burden of comorbidities are independent factors associated with the assessment of driving fitness in patients with dementia. Increased knowledge on how these factors relate to road safety may pave the way for more specific guidelines addressing the issue of driving in patients with dementia.

Dose-Dependent Protective and Inductive Effects of Xanthohumol on Oxidative DNA Damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The effect of xanthohumol, a prenylflavonoid isolated from the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.), on Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA oxidative damage and viability was evaluated. Yeast cultures under oxidative stress, induced by H₂O₂, displayed stronger growth in the presence of 5 mg/L of xanthohumol than cultures with only H₂O₂. Likewise, DNA damage assessed by the comet assay was significantly lower in cells co-incubated with xanthohumol and H₂O₂. Accordingly, fluorescence of dichlorofluorescein in cells treated with H₂O₂ and xanthohumol was considerably lower than in cells exclusively treated with H₂O₂, indicative of a reactive oxygen species scavenging mechanism and consequent formation of oxidation products, as detected by mass spectrometry. However, at concentrations above 5 mg/L, xanthohumol elicited an opposite effect, leading to a slower growth rate and significant increase in DNA damage. A yeast yap1 deletion mutant strain sensitive to oxidative stress grew more slowly in the presence of at least 5 mg/L of xanthohumol than cultures of the wild type, suggesting that xanthohumol toxicity is mediated by oxidative stress. This evidence provides further insight into the impact of xanthohumol on yeast cells, supporting dose-dependent antioxidant/antigenotoxic and prooxidant/genotoxic effects.

Transmission of HIV Drug Resistance and the Predicted Effect on Current First-line Regimens in Europe

Transmitted human immunodeficiency virus drug resistance in Europe is stable at around 8%. The impact of baseline mutation patterns on susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs should be addressed using clinical guidelines. The impact on baseline susceptibility is largest for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Background. Numerous studies have shown that baseline drug resistance patterns may influence the outcome of antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, guidelines recommend drug resistance testing to guide the choice of initial regimen. In addition to optimizing individual patient management, these baseline resistance data enable transmitted drug resistance (TDR) to be surveyed for public health purposes. The SPREAD program systematically collects data to gain insight into TDR occurring in Europe since 2001.

Methods. Demographic, clinical, and virological data from 4140 antiretroviral-naive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals from 26 countries who were newly diagnosed between 2008 and 2010 were analyzed. Evidence of TDR was defined using the WHO list for surveillance of drug resistance mutations. Prevalence of TDR was assessed over time by comparing the results to SPREAD data from 2002 to 2007. Baseline susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs was predicted using the Stanford HIVdb program version 7.0.

Results. The overall prevalence of TDR did not change significantly over time and was 8.3% (95% confidence interval, 7.2%–9.5%) in 2008–2010. The most frequent indicators of TDR were nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) mutations (4.5%), followed by nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) mutations (2.9%) and protease inhibitor mutations (2.0%). Baseline mutations were most predictive of reduced susceptibility to initial NNRTI-based regimens: 4.5% and 6.5% of patient isolates were predicted to have resistance to regimens containing efavirenz or rilpivirine, respectively, independent of current NRTI backbones.

Conclusions. Although TDR was highest for NRTIs, the impact of baseline drug resistance patterns on susceptibility was largest for NNRTIs. The prevalence of TDR assessed by epidemiological surveys does not clearly indicate to what degree susceptibility to different drug classes is affected.

Pydna: a simulation and documentation tool for DNA assembly strategies using python

Background

Recent advances in synthetic biology have provided tools to efficiently construct complex DNA molecules which are an important part of many molecular biology and biotechnology projects. The planning of such constructs has traditionally been done manually using a DNA sequence editor which becomes error-prone as scale and complexity of the construction increase. A human-readable formal description of cloning and assembly strategies, which also allows for automatic computer simulation and verification, would therefore be a valuable tool.

Results

We have developed pydna, an extensible, free and open source Python library for simulating basic molecular biology DNA unit operations such as restriction digestion, ligation, PCR, primer design, Gibson assembly and homologous recombination. A cloning strategy expressed as a pydna script provides a description that is complete, unambiguous and stable. Execution of the script automatically yields the sequence of the final molecule(s) and that of any intermediate constructs. Pydna has been designed to be understandable for biologists with limited programming skills by providing interfaces that are semantically similar to the description of molecular biology unit operations found in literature.

Conclusions

Pydna simplifies both the planning and sharing of cloning strategies and is especially useful for complex or combinatorial DNA molecule construction. An important difference compared to existing tools with similar goals is the use of Python instead of a specifically constructed language, providing a simulation environment that is more flexible and extensible by the user.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0544-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Genotoxic effect of photodynamic therapy mediated by curcumin on Candida albicans

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising method for localized and specific inactivation of fungi and bacteria. A nontoxic light-sensitive compound is taken up by cells, which are then exposed selectively to light, which activates toxicity of the compound. We investigated the potential of sublethal PDT using light-sensitive curcumin (CUR) in combination with blue (455 nm) light to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in the form of singlet oxygen and DNA damage of Candida albicans. Surprisingly, CUR-mediated PDT but also light alone caused significantly longer comet tails, an indication of DNA damage of C. albicans when compared with the negative control. The intracellular ROS production was also significantly higher for the group treated only with light. However, PDT compared to blue light alone significantly slowed DNA repair. Comet tails decreased during 30 min visualized as a 90% reduction in length in the absence of light for cells treated with light alone, while comet tails of cells treated with PDT only diminished in size about 45%. These results indicate that complex mechanisms may result in PDT in a way that should be considered when choosing the photosensitive compound and other aspects of the treatment design.

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ethanol strains PE-2 and CAT-1 for efficient lignocellulosic fermentation

In this work, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains PE-2 and CAT-1, commonly used in the Brazilian fuel ethanol industry, were engineered for xylose fermentation, where the first fermented xylose faster than the latter, but also produced considerable amounts of xylitol. An engineered PE-2 strain (MEC1121) efficiently consumed xylose in presence of inhibitors both in synthetic and corn-cob hydrolysates. Interestingly, the S. cerevisiae MEC1121 consumed xylose and glucose simultaneously, while a CEN.PK based strain consumed glucose and xylose sequentially. Deletion of the aldose reductase GRE3 lowered xylitol production to undetectable levels and increased xylose consumption rate which led to higher final ethanol concentrations. Fermentation of corn-cob hydrolysate using this strain, MEC1133, resulted in an ethanol yield of 0.47 g/g of total sugars which is 92% of the theoretical yield.

Lower response to early T-cell-dependent vaccination after neurotrauma or neurosurgery in adults

BACKGROUND

Recent international guidelines recommend vaccination with a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to reduce the risk of meningitis after neurotrauma with cerebrospinal fluid leak. The antibody response and optimal time point for vaccination have not been established and because the risk of meningitis is at the highest shortly after trauma, early vaccination is preferable. This study aimed to investigate the antibody response and to ensure that central nervous system injury-induced immunodepression did not affect the response to a T-cell-dependent conjugate vaccine when administered shortly after the injury.

METHODS

So as not to interfere with routine pneumococcal vaccination, a conjugate vaccine against Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) was chosen for the study. Thirty-three patients with basilar skull fracture and 23 patients undergoing transsphenoidal pituitary gland surgery were vaccinated within 10 days after trauma/surgery and 29 control patients at least three weeks after trauma/surgery. Sera were collected pre- and post-vaccination for analysis of anti-Hib concentration.

RESULTS

Four patients with post-vaccination target antibody concentration before vaccination were excluded from analysis. In the neurotrauma and neurosurgery groups 10/32 (31%) and 5/20 (25%) patients, respectively, were non-responders compared with 3/29 (10%) in the control group. Log10 anti-Hib concentrations in the neurotrauma, neurosurgery and control groups were 1.52 ± 0.15, 1.38 ± 0.15 and 1.81 ± 0.12 μg/ml, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of the patients responded to vaccination. However, the number of responders was significantly decreased and antibody concentration significantly lower in patients vaccinated early after the trauma/surgery. Investigation of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine response in neurotrauma patients is therefore urgent.

Synergistic effects of ethanol and isopentenyl pyrophosphate on expansion of γδ T cells in synovial fluid from patients with arthritis

Low to moderate ethanol consumption has been associated with protective effects in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, RA. An expansion of γδ T cells induced by isopentenyl pyrophosphate, IPP, likewise seems to have a protective role in arthritis. The aim of this project was to test the hypothesis that low doses of ethanol can enhance IPP-induced expansion of synovial fluid γδ T cells from patients with arthritis and may thereby potentially account for the beneficial effects of ethanol on symptoms of the arthritic process. Thus, mononuclear cells from synovial fluid (SF) from 15 patients with arthritis and from peripheral blood (PB) from 15 healthy donors were stimulated with low concentrations of ethanol and IPP for 7 days in vitro. IPP in combination with ethanol 0.015%, 2.5 mM, equivalent to the decrease per hour in blood ethanol concentration due to metabolism, gave a significantly higher fractional expansion of SF γδ T cells compared with IPP alone after 7 days (ratio 10.1+/-4.0, p<0.0008, n = 12) in patients with arthritis. Similar results were obtained for PB γδ T cells from healthy controls (ratio 2.0+/-0.4, p<0.011, n = 15). The augmented expansion of γδ T cells in SF is explained by a higher proliferation (p = 0.0034, n = 11) and an increased survival (p<0.005, n = 11) in SF cultures stimulated with IPP plus ethanol compared to IPP alone. The synergistic effects of IPP and ethanol indicate a possible allosteric effect of ethanol. Similar effects could be seen when stimulating PB with ethanol in presence of risedronate, which has the ability to increase endogenous levels of IPP. We conclude that expansion of γδ T cells by combinatorial drug effects, possibly in fixed-dose combination, FDC, of ethanol in the presence of IPP might give a protective role in diseases such as arthritis.

Imaging of distribution of topically applied drug molecules in mouse skin by combination of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy

In the development of topical drugs intended for local effects in the skin, one of the major challenges is to achieve drug penetration through the external barrier of the skin, stratum corneum, and secure exposure to the viable skin layers. Mass spectrometric imaging offers an opportunity to study drug penetration in a variety of skin models by mapping the spatial distribution in different skin layers after topical application of the drug. In this study, we used time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to image the distribution of three drug molecules in skin tissue cross sections of inflamed mouse ear. The three compounds, roflumilast, tofacitinib, and ruxolitinib, were topically administered to the mouse ears, which were subsequently cryosectioned and thawed for the analyses. The results reveal that the combination of TOF-SIMS and SEM was beneficial for interpretation of drug distribution. SEM identified the different skin layers, while spatial distributions of all three compounds could be visualized by TOF-SIMS, showing that the drug was primarily distributed into, or on the top of, the stratum corneum. Imaging of endogenous skin components like cholesterol, phospholipids, ceramides, and free fatty acids showed distributions in good agreement with the literature. One limitation of the TOF-SIMS method is sensitivity, typically allowing for analysis in the millimolar range rather than the pharmacologically relevant micromolar range. However, the data presented demonstrate the potential of the technique for studying the penetration of drugs with different physicochemical properties in skin.

Status of vitamins E and A and β-carotene and health in organic dairy cows fed a diet without synthetic vitamins

Synthetic vitamin supplementation is not consistent with organic production, so it is important to investigate whether dairy cows can maintain their health and production without synthetic vitamins being added to their diet. In basic dairy cow diets, provitamin A (β-carotene) and vitamin E are mainly found in pasture and in grass and legume silages, but the concentrations are highly variable. This study compared the vitamin status and health of cows without synthetic vitamin supplementation (NSV group) with control cows (CON group) fed synthetic vitamins according to Swedish recommendations (600 IU of vitamin E and 80,000 IU of vitamin A per cow per day) to investigate whether dairy cows can fulfill their requirements of vitamins A and E without supplementation with synthetic vitamins. Vitamin concentrations in blood plasma and milk, health, fertility, milk yield, and milk composition were measured in Swedish Holstein cows (n=28) during 2 complete lactations. All cows were fed a 100% organic diet containing grass-legume silage, cold-pressed rapeseed cake, peas, cereal grains, and minerals. Blood samples were collected from each cow 3 wk before expected calving, at calving, and 3 wk, 3 to 5 mo, and 7 to 9 mo after calving. Samples of colostrum were taken and milk samples were collected 4d after calving and at the same time as the 3 blood samplings after calving. The only difference in vitamin status between groups was found in colostrum in yr 1, when CON cows tended to have a higher concentration of α-tocopherol, and their β-carotene concentration was higher compared with NSV cows. The NSV cows tended to have more cases of mastitis than CON cows in yr 2. Within the NSV group, fewer cows were healthy and more cases of mastitis were observed in yr 2 than in yr 1. The groups did not differ in production parameters. In conclusion, the vitamin status in blood and milk of the studied cows indicated that cows in organic dairy production can fulfill their requirements of vitamins A and E without any supplementation of synthetic vitamins, except at the time around calving, when the requirements are high. However, the impaired health of NSV cows in yr 2 may indicate a long-term negative health effect in cows fed no synthetic vitamins.

Label-free measurements of the diffusivity of molecules in lipid membranes

An important and characteristic property of a cell membrane is the lateral mobility of protein molecules in the lipid bilayer. This has conventionally been measured by labeling the molecules with fluorescent markers and monitoring their mobility by different fluorescence-based techniques. However, adding the label to the studied molecule may affect the system, so it is an assumption in almost all experiments that the measured mobility of the biomolecule with its label is the same as that of the unlabeled molecule. However, this assumption is rarely tested due to a lack of suitable methods. In this work, a new technique to perform label-free diffusivity measurements is developed and used to measure the effect of the label for two common protein-lipid systems: 1) streptavidin (SA) coupled to a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) through biotinylated lipids and 2) the extracellular part of the T-cell adhesion protein CD2, coupled to an SLB through histidine tags to nickel-chelating lipids. A measurable (≈12%) decrease in diffusivity is found for both labeled proteins, even though the molecular mass of the label is almost 100 times smaller than those of the proteins (≈50 kDa). The results illustrate the importance of being able to study different biophysical properties of cell membranes and their mimics without relying on fluorescent labels, especially if fluorescent labeling is difficult or is expected to affect the nature of the intermolecular interactions being studied.