Screening of hepatitis B and C among people visiting general practice clinics in a rural district of Sindh, Pakistan.

Background: Hepatitis B (HB), Hepatitis C (HC) and their risk factors are amongst the major health problems in developing countries including Pakistan. This study aimed to screen for HB and HC among people who visited General Practice clinics and also to identify the differences of screening positive cases by age and sex.

Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in Tando Muhammad Khan city, one of the rural districts of Sindh.

Detection of clinically relevant exonic copy-number changes by array CGH.

Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is a powerful tool for the molecular elucidation and diagnosis of disorders resulting from genomic copy-number variation (CNV). However, intragenic deletions or duplications--those including genomic intervals of a size smaller than a gene--have remained beyond the detection limit of most clinical aCGH analyses. Increasing array probe number improves genomic resolution, although higher cost may limit implementation, and enhanced detection of benign CNV can confound clinical interpretation.

Trends in undergraduate teaching of parasitology in medical schools of Pakistan.

Objective: Parasitic diseases are a major public health problem in the tropical and sub tropical countries including the subcontinent region. We aimed to assess methods of Parasitology education in medical schools of Karachi Pakistan.

Methods: Ten medical schools in Karachi, Pakistan were sent a structured questionnaire collecting information on different aspects of Parasitology education.

Structures and molecular mechanisms for common 15q13.3 microduplications involving CHRNA7: benign or pathological?

We have investigated four approximately 1.6-Mb microduplications and 55 smaller 350-680-kb microduplications at 15q13.2-q13.

High frequency of COH1 intragenic deletions and duplications detected by MLPA in patients with Cohen syndrome.

Cohen syndrome is a rare, clinically variable autosomal recessive disorder characterized by mental retardation, postnatal microcephaly, facial dysmorphisms, ocular abnormalities and intermittent neutropenia. Mutations in the COH1 gene have been found in patients from different ethnic origins. However, a high percentage of patients have only one or no mutated allele.

22q13.3 deletion syndrome: clinical and molecular analysis using array CGH.

The 22q13.3 deletion syndrome results from loss of terminal segments of varying sizes at 22qter. Few genotype-phenotype correlations have been found but all patients have mental retardation and severe delay, or absence of, expressive speech.

Clinical features and prognosis of late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: results from the 1000 faces of lupus study.

Objective: There is controversy whether older-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with a different, more benign disease course than in younger-onset SLE. Our objective was to characterize the clinical features and prognosis of late-onset SLE in a large, multicenter cohort.

Methods: We studied adult-onset lupus in the 1000 Canadian Faces of Lupus cohort (n = 1528) of whom 10.

The relationship between changes in self-reported disability (measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire - HAQ) in scleroderma and improvement of disease status in clinical practice.

Objectives: To determine if a low Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) score predicts subsequent improvement over the next one to two years in clinical practice and if a low HAQ is predictive of improvement in early, late, diffuse and limited SSc subsets.

Methods: HAQs collected at one site annually were used to determine serial relationships in low baseline HAQ and improvement in overall status over the following one to two years. Data were divided into early (< or =3 years) and late, and then further into limited and diffuse SSc subgroups.

Clinical spectrum associated with recurrent genomic rearrangements in chromosome 17q12.

Deletions in chromosome 17q12 encompassing the HNF1 beta gene cause cystic renal disease and maturity onset diabetes of the young, and have been recently described as the first recurrent genomic deletion leading to diabetes. Earlier reports of patients with this microdeletion syndrome have suggested an absence of cognitive impairment, differentiating it from most other contiguous gene deletion syndromes. The reciprocal duplication of 17q12 is rare and has been hypothesized to be associated with an increased risk of epilepsy and mental retardation.

Rare pathogenic microdeletions and tandem duplications are microhomology-mediated and stimulated by local genomic architecture.

Genomic copy number variation (CNV) plays a major role in various human diseases as well as in normal phenotypic variability. For some recurrent disease-causing CNVs that convey genomic disorders, the causative mechanism is meiotic, non-allelic, homologous recombination between breakpoint regions exhibiting extensive sequence homology (e.g.

Alu-specific microhomology-mediated deletions in CDKL5 in females with early-onset seizure disorder.

Mutations in the cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) gene in Xp22.13 have been associated with infantile spasms, early-onset intractable epilepsy, and a Rett syndrome (RTT)-like phenotype. Using array comparative genomic hybridization, we identified variable-sized microdeletions involving exons 1-4 of the CDKL5 gene in three females with early-onset seizures.

Defects in neural stem cell proliferation and olfaction in Chd7 deficient mice indicate a mechanism for hyposmia in human CHARGE syndrome.

Mutations in CHD7, a chromodomain gene, are present in a majority of individuals with CHARGE syndrome, a multiple anomaly disorder characterized by ocular Coloboma, Heart defects, Atresia of the choanae, Retarded growth and development, Genital hypoplasia and Ear anomalies. The clinical features of CHARGE syndrome are highly variable and incompletely penetrant. Olfactory dysfunction is a common feature in CHARGE syndrome and has been potentially linked to primary olfactory bulb defects, but no data confirming this mechanistic link have been reported.

PD-1/PD-L blockade prevents anergy induction and enhances the anti-tumor activities of glycolipid-activated invariant NKT cells.

Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells recognize glycolipid Ags, such as the marine sponge-derived glycosphingolipid alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer) presented by the CD1d protein. In vivo activation of iNKT cells with alphaGalCer results in robust cytokine production, followed by the acquisition of an anergic phenotype. Here we have investigated mechanisms responsible for the establishment of alphaGalCer-induced iNKT cell anergy.

Coexistence of an unbalanced chromosomal rearrangement and spinal muscular atrophy in an infant with multiple congenital anomalies.

Unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities are frequent and account for about 10% of all chromosomal abnormalities identified in live births. Diagnosis of a coinherited neuromuscular genetic disorder in these individuals is often challenging based on the severity and variability of the phenotype resulting from the genomic imbalance. Herein, we report on a 4-month-old male with multiple congenital anomalies, craniosynostosis, dysmorphic features, and hypotonia.

Glycolipid ligands of invariant natural killer T cells as vaccine adjuvants.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a unique subset of T lymphocytes that recognize glycolipid antigens in the context of the antigen-presenting molecule CD1d. Upon glycolipid antigen stimulation, iNKT cells rapidly produce copious amounts of immunomodulatory cytokines, leading to potent activation of a variety of innate and adaptive immune cells. These immune-potentiating properties of iNKT cells hold great promise for the development of vaccine adjuvants.

Genomic duplication resulting in increased copy number of genes encoding the sister chromatid cohesion complex conveys clinical consequences distinct from Cornelia de Lange.

Background: Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a multisystem congenital anomaly disorder. Heterozygous point mutations in three genes (NIPBL, SMC3 and SMC1A), encoding components of the sister chromatid cohesion apparatus, are responsible for approximately 50-60% of CdLS cases. Recent studies have revealed a high degree of genomic rearrangements (for example, deletions and duplications) in the human genome, which result in gene copy number variations (CNVs).

Genomic imbalances in neonates with birth defects: high detection rates by using chromosomal microarray analysis.

Objectives: Our aim was to determine the frequency of genomic imbalances in neonates with birth defects by using targeted array-based comparative genomic hybridization, also known as chromosomal microarray analysis.

Methods: Between March 2006 and September 2007, 638 neonates with various birth defects were referred for chromosomal microarray analysis. Three consecutive chromosomal microarray analysis versions were used: bacterial artificial chromosome-based versions V5 and V6 and bacterial artificial chromosome emulated oligonucleotide-based version V6 Oligo.

Recurrent reciprocal 1q21.1 deletions and duplications associated with microcephaly or macrocephaly and developmental and behavioral abnormalities.

Chromosome region 1q21.1 contains extensive and complex low-copy repeats, and copy number variants (CNVs) in this region have recently been reported in association with congenital heart defects, developmental delay, schizophrenia and related psychoses. We describe 21 probands with the 1q21.

Thymus leukemia antigen controls intraepithelial lymphocyte function and inflammatory bowel disease.

Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) bear a partially activated phenotype that permits them to rapidly respond to antigenic insults. However, this phenotype also implies that IEL must be highly controlled to prevent misdirected immune reactions. It has been suggested that IEL are regulated through the interaction of the CD8alpha alpha homodimer with the thymus leukemia (TL) antigen expressed by intestinal epithelial cells.

The extracellular matrix protein mindin regulates trafficking of murine eosinophils into the airspace.

Asthma remains a major cause of morbidity and hospitalizations in developed nations. Despite the widespread prevalence of this disease, the genetic and environmental factors that mediate development and progression of allergic airways disease remain poorly understood. Pulmonary recruitment of eosinophils is believed to contribute to many cardinal features of allergic airways disease.

20p12.3 microdeletion predisposes to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with variable neurocognitive deficits.

Background: Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) is a bypass re-entrant tachycardia that results from an abnormal connection between the atria and ventricles. Mutations in PRKAG2 have been described in patients with familial WPW syndrome and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Based on the role of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling in the development of annulus fibrosus in mice, it has been proposed that BMP signalling through the type 1a receptor and other downstream components may play a role in pre-excitation.

Identification of chromosome abnormalities in subtelomeric regions by microarray analysis: a study of 5,380 cases.

Subtelomeric imbalances are a significant cause of congenital disorders. Screening for these abnormalities has traditionally utilized GTG-banding analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) is a relatively new technology that can identify microscopic and submicroscopic chromosomal imbalances.

Impact of bacteria on the phenotype, functions, and therapeutic activities of invariant NKT cells in mice.

Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells are innate-like lymphocytes that recognize glycolipid antigens in the context of the MHC class I-like antigen-presenting molecule CD1d. In vivo activation of mouse iNKT cells with the glycolipid alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) results in the acquisition of a hyporesponsive (anergic) phenotype by these cells. Because iNKT cells can become activated in the context of infectious agents, here we evaluated whether iNKT cell activation by microorganisms can influence subsequent responses of these cells to glycolipid antigen stimulation.

22q11.2 distal deletion: a recurrent genomic disorder distinct from DiGeorge syndrome and velocardiofacial syndrome.

Microdeletions within chromosome 22q11.2 cause a variable phenotype, including DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS). About 97% of patients with DGS/VCFS have either a common recurrent approximately 3 Mb deletion or a smaller, less common, approximately 1.

Differential growth and multicellular villi direct proepicardial translocation to the developing mouse heart.

In the mammalian system the proepicardium (PE) arises from mesothelium of the septum transversum before translocation to the heart where it forms the epicardium and progenitor cells of the coronary vessels. Despite its importance, the process in which PE cells translocate to the myocardium in mammals is not well defined. The current paradigm states that cellular cysts of PE float across the pericardial space and contact the outer surface of the myocardium.