Simultaneous second-stage norwood operation and tracheoplasty.

Tracheal stenosis is a rare complication that follows operations for congenital heart disease in the newborn period. We report the case of an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who developed symptomatic tracheal stenosis 5 months after a first-stage Norwood operation. The combined surgical procedure of a bidirectional Glenn anastomosis and a tracheoplasty under cardiopulmonary bypass was undertaken.

COUP-TF plays a dual role in the regulation of the ovalbumin gene.

The ovalbumin (Ov) gene contains a number of regulatory elements that control its transcriptional activity and restrict expression to avian oviduct. One major regulatory region, the steroid-dependent regulatory element (SDRE), is required for induction by estrogen and corticosterone. Another region, the negative regulatory element (NRE), downstream of the SDRE, acts primarily to repress gene expression.

Repeated administration of adenoviral vectors in lungs of human CD4 transgenic mice treated with a nondepleting CD4 antibody.

The central role of CD4+ T cells in regulation of adenovirus vector-mediated immune responses has been documented previously in murine models. We analyzed the effects of a nondepleting mAb to human CD4 (CD4 mAb; Clenoliximab) on immune functions following intratracheal administration of adenoviral vectors in murine CD4-deficient mice (muCD4KO) expressing a human CD4 transgene (HuCD4 mice). Treatment of HuCD4 mice with Clenoliximab inhibited both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses to adenoviral Ags.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus for muscle directed gene therapy.

Although gene transfer with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors has typically been low, transduction can be enhanced in the presence of adenovirus gene products through the formation of double stranded, non-integrated AAV genomes. We describe the unexpected finding of high level and stable transgene expression in mice following intramuscular injection of purified recombinant AAV (rAAV). The rAAV genome is efficiently incorporated into nuclei of differentiated muscle fibers where it persists as head-to-tail concatamers.