Application of real-time RT-PCR utilising lux (light upon extension) fluorogenic primer for the rapid detection of avian influenza viruses

A real-time RT-PCR assay utilising light upon extension fluorogenic primer (LUX RT-PCR) was developed for the rapid and efficient detection of avian influenza viruses (AIV). The assay detected each of the AIV isolates tested (16/16) and gave negative results with heterologous pathogens (17/17). The detection limit of the assay proved to be 10(-0.5) EID50/0.2 ml and 10(1.5) EID50/0.2 ml in allantoic fluid of virus-infected embryonated chicken eggs and in spiked chicken faeces samples, respectively. Based on its specificity, sensitivity and relative simplicity, the LUX RT-PCR assay provides a novel, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic tool for avian influenza surveillance and monitoring programs.

Spatial frequency processing in schizophrenia: trait or state marker?

B. F. O'Donnell et al. found impaired discrimination performances at low and medium spatial frequencies in patients with schizophrenia. In this study, the authors replicated this finding in a group of remitted, unmedicated, and highly functioning outpatients with spared IQ and attentional functions. However, the deficit was restricted to low spatial frequencies (0.5 cycles/degree), which suggests that this deficit is a trait marker of schizophrenia.

Genetic variation of the prevailing porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome viruses occurring on a pig farm upon vaccination

Recurrence of porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS) was observed on a pig farm after introducing two PRRS live virus vaccines to combat preceding outbreaks. The phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence encoding the GP5 envelope glycoprotein and the nucleocapsid protein coding sequences (ORF5 and ORF7, respectively) showed a close genetic relationship between the new outbreak-related and one of the vaccine viruses, while the prevailing PRRS virus genetic variants disappeared from the farm. These findings, supported by the epidemiological data, indicate that the new variant PRRS viruses might originate from a vaccine virus and demonstrate the limited efficacy of modified live vaccines against heterologous PRRS virus strains.

Sensitivity of ecotoxicological tests in analysis of superfund sites

During the analysis of environmental risk posed by hazardous waste disposal sites, ecological impact on whole ecosystems should be assessed. It requires a complex testing scheme where surrogate species represent key elements of the ecosystem. However, different organisms are exposed to a differing degree, also, their sensitivity to the same contaminant may vary. A possible way to determine which test reflects most the actual toxic conditions, correlation can be calculated between the measured ecological parameter (such as growth inhibition, mortality, etc.) and a contaminant gradient. The basic aim of this study was to determine which ecotoxicological test shows the best correlation with the measured analytical parameters. The selected tests were Lemna minor (representing primary producers), Thamnocephalus platyurus (a primary consumer organism) and Vibrio fischeri (decomposer). When testing soil samples, the Thamnocephalus test showed excellent consistency with most contaminants but was oversensitive in the case of groundwater samples. The Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition test (ToxAlert) behaved in a different way, reflecting well the distribution of most contaminants in groundwater samples. Finally, Lemna test proved to be completely inadequate.

Phylogenetic analysis of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) strains isolated between 1988 and 2003 in eastern Hungary

To define the genetic variability of RHDV strains collected in eastern Hungary, liver samples from rabbits that had died of RHD were collected between 1988 and 2003. The phylogenetic analysis of a 528-nucleotide-long portion of the gene encoding the VP60 capsid protein assigned the strains into three genogroups. The first group contained viruses from 1988-1993, and a second group comprised isolates from 1994-2002. A third group comprised all of the tested representatives of the RHDVa subtype and a Hungarian isolate from 2003. These findings were supported by the alignments of the deduced amino acid sequences of the VP60 gene and strongly suggest the presence of the RHDVa subtype in Hungary.

Raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin in the second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer

The primary endpoint of this study was to evaluate the efficacy (objective response rate; ORR) of combined chemotherapy with raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin as second-line treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP) and toxicity (NCI-CTC criteria). The target population were patients with metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma who progressed after first-line chemotherapy. Treatment consisted of raltitrexed 3 mg/m2 as a 15-minute intravenous (IV) infusion followed 45 minutes later by oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) IV as a 2-h infusion on Day 1, repeated every 3 weeks until further disease progression (PD), unacceptable toxicity or the decision of the patient. A total of 51 patients, all with WHO performance status 0-2 received a median of 6 treatment cycles (range 1-11). After 3 cycles, 8 of the 47 evaluable patients (17%) had experienced an ORR, 28 patients (59.6%) had experienced stable disease (SD) and 11 patients (23.4%) had PD. After 6 cycles, 1 of the 29 evaluable patients (3.5%) had an ORR, 13 patients (44.8%) had SD and 15 patients (51.7%) had PD. After a median follow-up of 48.9 weeks, median TTP was 18 weeks and median overall survival was 54.4 weeks. Treatment was well tolerated; grade 3 toxicities occurred in only 5/51 patients (9.8%). The most common toxicities were paraesthesia (62.7%), diarrhoea (23.5%), nausea (41.2%), vomiting (33.3%), hepatotoxicity (25.5%), and hematological toxicity (41.2%). In conclusion, the combination of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed appears to be effective and well tolerated as second-line therapy in patients with disseminated CRC.

Genetic characterization of type 2 porcine circoviruses detected in Hungarian wild boars

Porcine circoviruses (PCV) are present in pigs worldwide; they are grouped into two types: PCV1 comprising non-pathogenic viruses and PCV2 responsible for several clinical manifestations. Both types are frequently detected in domestic pigs, the prevalence and role of PCV in wild boars however, is not well studied. During the years 2002-2003 over 2000 organ samples of Hungarian wild boars were collected, grouped and samples from 307 different animals were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of PCV. 35.5% of the wild boars were positive for one or both PCV types and PCV2 was detected in 20.5% of the animals. The PCV2 viruses were divided into 7 groups (WB-H1-7) based on sequencing data and genomes representing these groups were sequenced completely. The wild boar PCV2 groups were distributed evenly in the geographical region, regardless of the time and place of collection. The phylogenetic analysis of the PCV2 sequences of wild boar and domestic pig origin showed the possibility of an epidemiological link between wild boar and domestic pig infections. Interestingly, the complete nucleotide sequence of the viruses and the predicted amino acid sequence of the replication associated protein (ORF1) grouped the viruses similarly, whereas the capsid protein (ORF2) comparisons revealed different relations among the groups, suggesting the possibility of genomic recombination in PCV2.

Anomalous visual experiences, negative symptoms, perceptual organization and the magnocellular pathway in schizophrenia: a shared construct?

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia is associated with impaired visual information processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anomalous perceptual experiences, positive and negative symptoms, perceptual organization, rapid categorization of natural images and magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) visual pathway functioning.

METHOD

Thirty-five unmedicated patients with schizophrenia and 20 matched healthy control volunteers participated. Anomalous perceptual experiences were assessed with the Bonn Scale for the Assessment Basic Symptoms (BSABS). General intellectual functions were evaluated with the revised version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. The 1-9 version of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was used to investigate sustained attention. The following psychophysical tests were used: detection of Gabor patches with collinear and orthogonal flankers (perceptual organization), categorization of briefly presented natural scenes (rapid visual processing), low-contrast and frequency-doubling vernier threshold (M pathway functioning), isoluminant colour vernier threshold and high spatial frequency discrimination (P pathway functioning).

RESULTS

The patients with schizophrenia were impaired on test of perceptual organization, rapid visual processing and M pathway functioning. There was a significant correlation between BSABS scores, negative symptoms, perceptual organization, rapid visual processing and M pathway functioning. Positive symptoms, IQ, CPT and P pathway measures did not correlate with these parameters. The best predictor of the BSABS score was the perceptual organization deficit.

CONCLUSIONS

These results raise the possibility that multiple facets of visual information processing deficits can be explained by M pathway dysfunctions in schizophrenia, resulting in impaired attentional modulation of perceptual organization and of natural image categorization.

Molecular epidemiology investigation of outbreaks of fowl cholera in geographically related poultry flocks

The present work describes two cases of consecutive fowl cholera outbreak series occurring in goose and turkey flocks. Most strains isolated from epidemiologically related outbreaks showed genetic relatedness, as revealed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the consecutive outbreaks were due to recurrences rather than reinfections.

Bilateral axillobrachial and external carotid artery manifestation of giant cell arteritis: important role of color duplex ultrasonography in the diagnosis

A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with vertigo. Previously he had been extensively examined because of an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate without any clinical symptoms. Physical examination revealed 60 mmHg blood pressure difference between the two arms. Color duplex ultrasound examination revealed bilateral extreme narrowing of the external carotid and axillobrachial artery with a dark, hypo-echoic halo around the lumen. This condition was recognized as a specific sign for giant cell arteritis (GCA), described originally in cases of temporal arteritis. The diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy of the temporal artery. In contrast to the typical cranial form of GCA -- our patient showed an unusual, bilateral large-vessel manifestation. The diagnosis was based on ultrasound images rather than on symptoms that characterize the well-known temporal form. This observation emphasizes the role of color duplex ultrasonography in the diagnosis and follow-up of GCA.

Cytopathogenicity markers in the genome of Hungarian cytopathic isolates of bovine viral diarrhoea virus

Since genetic recombination is a major factor in the evolution of the cytopathogenic (cp) bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) biotypes, in this study the cytopathogenicity markers were investigated in the genomes of two cp BVDV strains recently isolated from mucosal disease (MD) cases in Hungary. In the genome of strain H4956, a Jiv-like insertion was found similar to those described in reference strain NADL and in other BVDV 1, BVDV 2 and border disease virus (BDV) strains. The 133 amino acid Jiv-like sequence is inserted at nucleotide position 4984 (amino acid position 1533), 9 nucleotides upstream of that of strain NADL. The insertion showed 96% amino acid sequence identity with the cellular Jiv protein. In the genome of cp BVDV strain H115/PCR, an ubiquitin-containing duplication was found. The duplicated sequence started at nucleotide position 7978 (amino acid 2531) in the NS4B gene. The duplication contained a complete ubiquitin monomer of 76 amino acids and the complete NS3 gene starting at nucleotide position 5153 (amino acid 1589), which corresponds to the first N-terminal amino acid of NS3. The duplication was located further downstream of the known ubiquitin-containing genomic regions of cp BVDV strains, and it consisted of the shortest inserted nucleotide sequence. The insertions and duplication of strains H4956 and H115/PCR further confirmed that recombinations occurring at positions A and B are the most common mechanisms leading to the development of BVDV cytopathogenicity.

Disease outcome and cytokine responses in cats immunized with an avirulent feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV)-UCD1 and challenge-exposed with virulent FIPV-UCD8

Eight cats were immunized with an avirulent strain of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV)-UCD1, then challenge-exposed to a highly virulent cat passaged strain (FIPV-UCD8). Th1 and Th2 cytokine profiles in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured throughout in the experiment. No clinical signs of FIP were evident in the experimental cats after immunization. After challenge, the immunized cats demonstrated one of four clinical outcomes: (1) classical effusive FIP; (2) accelerated FIP; (3) non-effusive FIP, or (4) resistance to challenge. Only minor cytokine changes were observed following immunization, however, several cytokine changes occurred following challenge-exposure. The most noteworthy changes were in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels. Our preliminary findings suggest that immunity against FIP is associated with TNF-α and IFN-γ response imbalance, with high TNF-α/low IFN-γ mRNA responses favouring disease and low TNF-α/high IFN-γ mRNA responses being indicative of immunity.

Effective control of hypertension: a project of the Hungarian society of hypertension, baseline data

The aim of the project is to assess the quality and improve the preventive and curative practices at the primary care level in Hungary. A total of 50 general practitionaires were selected on a voluntary basis in Budapest, Hungary, and from them, 30 were randomized to the intervention (I) group and 20 to the reference (R) group. The members in the I group have been trained for the official hypertension guideline and their everyday work is monitored. Those in the R group have only been monitored to measure the efficacy of the training. In all, 10% from the known hypertensive persons (N=10,799) and 5% of the remaining (nonhypertensive) patients (N=60,341) were selected randomly from the GP's computer files and invited for screening investigation performed by trained medical students. They measured the blood pressure of patients, assessed the cardiovascular risk status and the quality of education of patients by standardized questionnaires. In total, 4083 patients were invited, but only 39.2% attended the screening visit. The prevalence of undetected hypertension was 34.6%. This prevalence was significantly higher in the older (>60 years: 46.8%) than in the younger (<50 years: 20.8%, P<0.0001) age group and it was higher in men (41.5%) than in women (30.1%, P<0.001). The proportion of H patients on drug treatment was 85.3% and the frequency of patients under effective blood pressure control (eg<140/90 mmHg) was 27.8%. Counselling to patients for a healthier lifestyle (exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet) was very rare. In conclusion, our data represent the primary care of Budapest and may not be relevant to the whole country. As a consequence of this study, education of primary care physicians and patients is a must for further improvement of hypertension care.

Early effects of different cytostatic protocols for head and neck cancer on oncogene activation in animal experiments

In vivo investigations on oncogenes and onco-suppressor genes may provide new findings on the potential carcinogenic effects of various cytostatic protocols inducing secondary tumours of the head and neck. Further surgeries are often necessary due to regional recurrence after the Cisplatin-supplemented BVM (Bleomycin, Vincristine, Methotrexate) protocol in the treatment of human head and neck tumours. Our earlier studies have illustrated the carcinogenic and mutagenic potential of Cisplatin. The effect of Cisplatin on the alteration of different onco- and suppressor genes has also been proven. Our present study aimed at investigating the early effects of the BVM and the CFu (Cisplatin, 5-Fluorouracil) protocols on early oncogene and tumour suppressor gene expressions in mice. Body weight equivalent amounts of cytostatics were administered intraperitoneally to 6- to 8-week-old, inbred, female CBA/Ca mice. Twenty-four, 48 and 72 hours after the treatment, RNA was isolated from the target organs and the quantitative expression of c-myc, Ha-ras and p53 genes were examined. The protocols caused detectable changes. A "short-term" in vivo test, the 24-hour examination of gene expression, is suitable for detecting early effects of carcinogen exposure. The alterations of gene expression, caused by the Cisplatin-containing protocol, draw attention to the probable role of Cisplatin in the development of regional recurrence and to the possibility of prevention.

Impaired accommodation of proximal stomach in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

Impaired gastric emptying has previously been detected by ultrasonography in cirrhotic patients, and the role of the type of meal has also been discussed. While these earlier studies dealt with the distal part of the stomach, the aim of our study was to examine the effects of three different types of meal on the proximal stomach in cirrhotic patients.

METHODS

The proximal stomach was examined by ultrasonography in 15 healthy volunteers and in 21 alcoholic cirrhotic patients. The subjects received a liquid meal with a low calorie content and two different semisolid test meals with a low calorie content or high calorie and fat contents. The proximal gastric size was assessed by ultrasonography in a sagittal area and a frontal diameter. On the basis of assessment of the autonomic nervous function, the cirrhotic patients were divided into two groups: autonomic neuropathy positive and autonomic neuropathy negative.

RESULTS

The postcibal gastric size immediately after ingestion of the liquid test meal was significantly lower in the cirrhotic patients than in the healthy controls. In the healthy volunteers, the measures of the proximal gastric size were significantly higher than in either group of cirrhotic patients at to, and at 10, 20 or 30 min after ingestion of a semisolid test meal with low calorie and fat contents. The proximal gastric sizes in the three groups of investigated subjects did not differ when the meal with high fat and calorie contents was tested. When the liquid meal was administered, the proximal gastric size was significantly lower in the cirrhotic patients with autonomic neuropathy. A significant intragroup difference was not observed when the semisolid meals were tested.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals an impairment of the proximal stomach in alcoholic cirrhotic patients. The low calorie liquid meal distinguishes between the two groups of cirrhotic patients and healthy controls.

Torovirus detection in faecal specimens of calves and pigs in Hungary: short communication

Bovine torovirus is an established aetiological agent of disease in cattle, while porcine torovirus has only been isolated from healthy animals. Evidence for the presence of torovirus has been described in several European countries and also in the United States. A survey was performed to detect toroviruses in Hungary by means of sampling ten swine and nine bovine herds. Rectal swabs and faecal specimens were collected from diarrhoeic calves and from weaned piglets. The samples were tested by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using torovirus-specific primers and the positive samples were further examined by electron microscopy (EM). Torovirus was detected in 4 diarrhoeic calves (out of 111) and in 10 healthy weaned pigs (out of 200 tested), representing two of the 9 calf herds and two of the 10 pig herds tested. This is the first report of exact diagnosis of torovirus in Hungary.

Association between gastric cancer mortality and nitrate content of drinking water: ecological study on small area inequalities

The carcinogenic feature of N-nitroso compounds has been well established. Similarly, the transformation of ingested nitrate to N-nitroso compounds in the stomach has been thoroughly documented, nevertheless nitrates' carcinogenic effect has not been proved convincingly in human. The present study was aimed to investigate a population of small villages provided by drinking water with high and widely variable nitrate content (72 mg/l median, 290.7 mg/l 95-percentile concentration). Empirical Bayes estimates for settlement-specific age-, sex-, and year-standardised mortality ratios of gastric cancer (GC) were related to the settlement level average nitrate concentrations in drinking water controlling for confounding effects of smoking, ethnicity and education. The log-transformed average nitrate concentration showed significant positive association with stomach cancer mortality in linear regression analysis (p = 0.014). The settlements were aggregated according to the nitrate concentration into 10-percentile groups and the standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated. Those groups with higher than 88 mg/l average nitrate concentration showed substantial risk elevation and the log-transformed exposure variables proved to be significant predictors of mortality (p = 0.032) at this level of aggregation also. The association seemed to be fairly strong (r2 = 0.46). Although this investigation constituting an ecological study has certain limitations, it supports the hypothesis that the high level of nitrate in drinking water is involved in the development of GC.