Angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphisms do not predict the course of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in Swiss children.

Aim: Contradictory reports exist about a correlation of angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphisms to the outcome of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in children. We investigated the frequency of ACE polymorphisms and their impact on the clinical course of INS in children in a Swiss hospital.

Methods: The ACE gene polymorphism (I, insertion; D, deletion) was assessed in 32 children - 22 with steroid-sensitive INS and 10 with steroid-resistant INS - with a median age at onset of INS of 2.

Preferential nuclear and cytoplasmic NY-BR-1 protein expression in primary breast cancer and lymph node metastases.

Purpose: NY-BR-1 is a recently isolated differentiation antigen, which is expressed in normal mammary tissue and in breast cancer. However, current data are based on RT-PCR analysis and nothing is known about the presence of NY-BR-1 on a protein level. We previously generated a monoclonal antibody to NY-BR-1 to study the protein expression of NY-BR-1.

p16 expression in primary malignant melanoma is associated with prognosis and lymph node status.

Lymph node (LN) status is an important prognostic factor in melanoma patients. p16 expression and proliferation rate (MIB-1) of primary melanomas have been suggested as a marker of metastatic potential. In this study, the correlation of p16 expression and the proliferation rate (MIB-1) with LN status and tumor-specific survival was investigated in primary melanomas.

Sarcomatoid salivary duct carcinoma.

The so-called sarcomatoid salivary duct carcinoma (SSDC) is one of the variants of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). This neoplasm is characterized by the presence of both a carcinomatous and a sarcomatoid tumor component. The histology and nomenclature of such neoplasms has been a matter of debate for many years.

Imaging of macrophages in soft-tissue infection in rats: relationship between ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide dose and MR signal characteristics.

Purpose: To describe dose-dependent signal intensity (SI) characteristics of experimentally induced soft-tissue abscesses on 1.5-T T1- and T2*-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained 24 hours after administration of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) and to describe the relationship between SI and amount of USPIO uptake and macrophage iron content.

Materials And Methods: Local institutional review committee on animal care approved the experiments, which were performed according to the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health and the committee on animal research at our institution.

Distinct functions of junD in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

Cardiac hypertrophic stimuli induce both adaptive and maladaptive growth response pathways in heart. Here we show that mice lacking junD develop less adaptive hypertrophy in heart after mechanical pressure overload, while cardiomyocyte-specific expression of junD in mice results in spontaneous ventricular dilation and decreased contractility. In contrast, fra-1 conditional knock-out mice have a normal hypertrophic response, whereas hearts from fra-1 transgenic mice decompensate prematurely.

Nasal nitric oxide measurements to screen children for primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Study Objective: To examine the usefulness of exhaled and nasal nitric oxide (NO) measurements to detect primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in children.

Design And Methods: The study population consisted of 34 children with symptoms suggestive of PCD who were previously referred to our pediatric university respiratory disease clinic for a diagnostic workup including analysis of ciliary structure and function by respiratory mucosal biopsy. PCD was diagnosed in 17 of the 34 children according to the ciliary biopsy results.