Variation in the Zinc Finger of PRDM9 is Associated with the Absence of Recombination along Nondisjoined Chromosomes 21 of Maternal Origin.

Variation in the zinc finger-binding domain (ZFBD) of the protein PR Domain-Containing Protein 9 (PRDM9) is associated with altered placement of recombination in the human genome. As both the absence and altered placement of recombination are observed among chromosomes 21 that nondisjoin, we genotyped the PRDM9 ZFBD among mothers of children with Trisomy 21 in efforts to determine if variation within this region is associated with the recombination-related risk for chromosome 21 nondisjunction (NDJ). In our approach, PCR was used to amplify the ZFBD of PRDM9 and products were then subjected to bi-directional Sanger sequencing.

Decellularized dermal grafting in cleft palate repair.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of decellularized dermal grafting used as an adjunct to the performance of primary repair of wide cleft palates.

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Tertiary referral center for large managed care organization.

Sensory changes associated with selective neck dissection.

Objective: To evaluate sensory changes in the head and neck region associated with selective neck dissection with or without preservation of cervical root branches.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: University tertiary referral hospital and a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Eliciting T cell immunity against poorly immunogenic tumors by immunization with dendritic cell-tumor fusion vaccines.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most effective APCs and are being studied as natural adjuvants or Ag delivery vehicles to elicit T cell-mediated antitumor immunity. This study examined whether inoculation of DCs fused with poorly immunogenic tumor cells elicited tumor-reactive T cells for adoptive immunotherapy. DCs derived from bone marrow of C57BL/6 (B6) mice were fused with syngeneic B16 melanoma or RMA-S lymphoma cells by polyethylene glycol.