Recruitment update of AHEAD.

The multicenter prospective non-interventional AHEAD study was initiated to obtain long-term outcome data on joint health, HR-QoL, haemophilia-related co-morbidities, and the effectiveness and safety of ADVATE (recombinant anti-hemophilic factor VIII, plasma-free method [octocog alfa]) in routine clinical practice. The German AHEAD study arm aims to enroll up to 500 patients in up to 35 haemophilia treatment centers (HTCs); patient recruitment started in June 2010. The study arm conducted in other European countries is expected to enroll 350 patients from more than 50 HTCs; recruitment started in June 2011.

Molecular mechanisms underlying hemophilia A phenotype in seven females.

Background: Hemophilia A (HA) in females is a rare observation. Here we describe various genetic mechanisms that result in phenotypic expression of HA in seven females.

Methods: The F8 gene was examined in all patients and relatives by direct sequencing.

Modified expression of coagulation factor VIII by addition of a glycosylation site at the N terminus of the protein.

Recently, it was shown that glycoproteins with N-glycans close to the NH(2) terminus can directly enter the calnexin/calreticulin cycle and bypass BiP binding. This should allow efficient secretion of glycoproteins such as factor VIII (FVIII) whose secretion is negatively affected by BiP interaction. Examination of the glycosylation pattern of the NH(2) terminus of FV and FVIII revealed N-glycans at positions 23 and 27 in FV and at position 41 in FVIII.

Nucleotide sequence comparisons between several strains and isolates of human cytomegalovirus reveal alternate start codon usage.

Mutations abound in all viral populations, which are thus rendered adaptable to changes in environmental conditions. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important human pathogen for investigating nucleotide sequence variations because they can affect its potential to cause disease. We have determined part of the nucleotide sequence of the Toledo strain and compared it to the published sequences of the strains AD169, Toledo, and Towne and of three clinical isolates.

Epigenetic status of an adenovirus type 12 transgenome upon long-term cultivation in hamster cells.

The epigenetic status of integrated adenovirus type 12 (Ad12) DNA in hamster cells cultivated for about 4 decades has been investigated. Cell line TR12, a fibroblastic revertant of the Ad12-transformed epitheloid hamster cell line T637 with 15 copies of integrated Ad12 DNA, carries one Ad12 DNA copy plus a 3.9-kbp fragment from a second copy.