Impact of the Use of the Beanie on the Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants With Plagiocephaly: A Pilot Study.

Background Deformational plagiocephaly (DP) is the abnormal flattening of the skull. Infants with DP have been found to have abnormal brain shape and asymmetry associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (BSID-III) compared to those without DP. In 2009, the FDA approved a repositioning Beanie, the TortleTM (Tortle Products LLC, Greenwood Village, CO), for the prevention of flat head syndrome.

Stable MLV-VL30 dicistronic retroviral vectors with a VL30 or MoMLV sequence promoting both packaging of genomic RNA and expression of the 3' cistron.

The Friend murine leukemia virus (MLV) and VL30 5' leader sequences were recently found to possess an internal ribosomal entry signal (IRES) and promote cap-independent translation of a downstream cistron. The use of an IRES to generate a dicistronic message provides a way to express two exogenous proteins efficiently and stably within cells. In the present study, we used the VL30 and Moloney (Mo)MLV 5' leader sequences with both RNA translation (IRES) and packaging (E/DLS) functions to construct dicistronic retroviral vectors designed to express human placental alkaline phosphatase (plap) and neomycin phosphotransferase (neo).

An internal ribosomal entry signal in the rat VL30 region of the Harvey murine sarcoma virus leader and its use in dicistronic retroviral vectors.

The genetic organization of the 5' genomic RNA domain of the highly oncogenic Harvey murine sarcoma virus appears to be unusual in that a multifunctional untranslated leader precedes the v-ras oncogene. This 5' leader is 1,076 nucleotides in length and is formed of independent regions involved in key steps of the viral life cycle: (i) the Moloney murine leukemia virus 5' repeat, untranslated 5' region, and primer binding site sequences necessary for the first steps of proviral DNA synthesis, (ii) the virus-like 30S (VL30)-derived sequence containing a functional dimerization-packaging signal (E/DLS) directing viral RNA dimerization and packaging into MLV virions, and (iii) an Alu-like sequence preceding the 5' untranslated sequence of v-rasH which contains the initiation codon of the p21ras oncoprotein. These functional features, the unusual length of this leader (1,076 nucleotides), and the presence of stable secondary structures between the cap and the v-ras initiation codon might well cause a premature stop of the scanning ribosomes and thus inhibit v-ras translation.

An internal ribosomal entry mechanism promotes translation of murine leukemia virus gag polyprotein precursors.

The genomic retroviral RNA is the messenger for the translation of the gag and pol genes encoding the precursors to the major structural proteins and enzymes, respectively, of the virion core. The long 5' untranslated region, the leader, is formed of independent well-structured domains involved in key steps of the viral life cycle such as the initiation of proviral DNA synthesis, genomic RNA dimerization and packaging, and the initiation of gag translation. These functional features and the presence of stable secondary structures between the cap and the gag initiation codon suggested that translation initiation of gag might proceed through a mechanism different from the canonical ribosome scanning process.

Transactivation of the minus-strand DNA transfer by nucleocapsid protein during reverse transcription of the retroviral genome.

Two DNA strand transfers are required during reverse transcription of the RNA genome of retroviruses to complete provirus synthesis. To understand more about the first strand transfer reaction, that of the minus-strand DNA from the 5' to the 3' end of the retroviral genome, we devised an in vitro system mimicking the Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcription process. Two RNAs corresponding to the 5' and 3' regions of the genome were used to perform reverse transcription assays.

Modified epidermal lipid composition in air-exposed culture of non-bullous congenital ichthyotic erythroderma (NBCIE) keratinocytes.

Emerged epidermal cultures on dead de-epidermized dermis (DED) constitute an excellent model for in vitro reproduction of dermatoses linked to a keratinocyte defect. We used such cultures for studies of non-bullous congenital ichthyotic erythroderma (NBCIE). Keratinocytes of normal and pathological origin were expanded in submerged cell cultures and frozen keratinocytes from the resulting cell bank were subsequently used for seeding on DED.

[Human immunodeficiency virus infections (HIV-1 and HIV-2) in Dakar. Epidemiologic and clinical aspects].

The authors report on the results of an investigation carried out on 109 HIV seropositives ascertained by the Dakar Central Hospital between February 20, 1987 and May 31, 1988. These seropositives affected 44 patients with AIDS (0.78% of admitted patients) and 65 seropositive people of which 43 blood donors (1.