Expression and regulation of ST2, an interleukin-1 receptor family member, in cardiomyocytes and myocardial infarction.

Background: We identified an interleukin-1 receptor family member, ST2, as a gene markedly induced by mechanical strain in cardiac myocytes and hypothesized that ST2 participates in the acute myocardial response to stress and injury.

Methods And Results: ST2 mRNA was induced in cardiac myocytes by mechanical strain (4.7+/-0.

Sex dependence and temporal dependence of the left ventricular genomic response to pressure overload.

To characterize responses of the left ventricle (LV) to pressure overload at the genomic level, we performed high-density microarray analysis on individual mouse LVs. Male and female mice underwent transverse aortic constriction. At 1 day and 30 wk, the LV free wall was harvested and RNA isolated from 27 individual ventricles was analyzed on Mu74Av2 GeneChips, which contain approximately 12,483 distinct genes.

Do some carriers of hemochromatosis gene mutations have higher than normal rates of disease and death?

Some heterozygote carriers of hemochromatosis HFE gene mutations become iron loaded with ensuing increased risk of disease and premature death. Contributing nutritional, behavioral and genetic factors are beginning to be identified. Carriers of HFE gene mutations should be advised to minimize contributing factors, if possible, and to have their iron values tested periodically.

A 500-ml plastic bottle: an effective spacer for children with asthma.

Inhaled therapy using a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) with attached spacer has been increasingly recognized as the optimal method for delivering asthma medication for acute attacks and chronic prophylaxis. However, in developing countries the cost and availability of commercially produced spacers limit the use of MDI-spacer delivery systems. A 500-ml plastic bottle has been recently adapted to function as a spacer.

Direct biomechanical induction of endogenous calcineurin inhibitor Down Syndrome Critical Region-1 in cardiac myocytes.

Signaling through the protein phosphatase calcineurin may play a critical role in cardiac hypertrophy. The gene for Down Syndrome Critical Region-1 (DSCR1) encodes a protein that is an endogenous calcineurin inhibitor. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that DSCR1 is directly induced by biomechanical stimuli.

Socioeconomic deprivation and asthma prevalence and severity in young adolescents.

This study used the international study of asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC) to investigate the association between asthma and socioeconomic deprivation among young adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. The completed ISAAC written and video questionnaires of 4,706 13-14-yr-old school pupils were used. The prevalence of asthma symptoms was analysed by a local index of socioeconomic deprivation, based on residential location and defined on a 10-category scale from least to most deprived.

The influence of gender of the surgeon on surgical procedure preference for breast cancer.

There are few data in the literature with regard to the influence of surgeon gender and the treatment of breast cancer. In this retrospective review we propose to test the hypothesis that male surgeons are just as likely as female surgeons to provide breast-conservative treatment. From 1990 through 1997 2271 women with breast cancer in Cincinnati, Ohio were operated on by surgeons within the TriHealth Corporation.

Stress reactions of the lumbar pars interarticularis: the development of a new MRI classification system.

Study Design: In a retrospective study, multiple examiners reviewed lumbar magnetic resonance imaging scans to develop a new grading system for lumbar pars interarticularis stress reaction and spondylolysis. The resulting system can be used as a mechanism for classifying patients, and as a measurement tool for future studies assessing the outcome efficacy of lumbar magnetic resonance imaging in patients with abnormalities of the pars interarticularis.

Objective: To determine the reliability of patient assignment to five different grades of bone stress reaction involving the lumbar pars interarticularis.

Expression of zTlxA, a Hox11-like gene, in early differentiating embryonic neurons and cranial sensory ganglia of the zebrafish embryo.

We have isolated a cDNA encoding a member of the Tlx/Hox11 family of homeodomain factors from the zebrafish, most closely related to the vertebrate Tlx-1/Hox11 and Tlx-3/Hox11L2 proteins. The gene is expressed in a set of early differentiating neurons that project to a common tract, the lateral longitudinal fascicle. We show that the gene is specifically expressed in spinal cord Rohon Beard neurons, in nucleus of the posterior commissure neurons of the midbrain, in a set of hindbrain neurons that include RoL3 reticulospinal interneurons, and in the trigeminal, statoacoustic, anterior lateral line, glossopharyngeal, and vagal cranial sensory ganglia.

Human lactoferrin: a novel therapeutic with broad spectrum potential.

Lactoferrin (Lf), a natural defence iron-binding protein, has been found to possess antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory activity. The protein is present in exocrine secretions that are commonly exposed to normal flora: milk, tears, nasal exudate, saliva, bronchial mucus, gastrointestinal fluids, cervico-vaginal mucus and seminal fluid. Additionally, Lf is a major constituent of the secondary specific granules of circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs).

High-resolution outpatient imaging of the wrist.

The authors describe their experience with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of pathologic conditions of the wrist in an outpatient setting. In that setting, because time and quality are both important factors, they have concentrated on developing protocols that will allow effective, time-efficient, high-resolution MRI of the wrist. With these wrist imaging protocols, they have evaluated the majority of commonly encountered pathologic conditions of the wrist.

The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and hematopoiesis in zebrafish development.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, VEGF-A), a selective mitogen for endothelial cells is a critical factor for vascular development. Two isoforms that differ in the presence of exons 6 and 7, Vegf(165) and Vegf(121), are the dominant forms expressed in zebrafish embryo. Simultaneous overexpression of both isoforms in the embryo results in increased production of flk1, tie1, scl, and gata1 transcripts, indicating a stimulation of both endothelial and hematopoietic lineages.

Caged Q-rhodamine dextran: a new photoactivated fluorescent tracer.

An amine-reactive caged rhodamine was synthesized and conjugated to aminodextran. The resulting tracer was injected into a single cell zebrafish embryo, and a portion of the tracer was photolyzed in a single cell after development. The resulting fluorescent cell was imaged by fluorescence microscopy through a single round of cell division.

Peak expiratory flow rate and symptom self-monitoring of asthma initiated from community pharmacies.

Objective: To compare the use of patient-performed peak expiratory flow (PEFR) and symptom monitoring as asthma self-management tools initiated from community pharmacies.

Design And Setting: 110 patients over 6 years of age were recruited from five private-sector community pharmacies. Patients were identified from pharmacist recall as having 'asthma'.

Iron loading: a risk factor for Whipple's disease?

Because of impairment of microbial iron acquisition ability, some potential pathogens can cause disease only in iron loaded hosts. Tropheryma whippelii, the etiologic agent of Whipple's disease, is a possible example. Whipple's disease is non-contagious, occurs mainly in middle-aged white males, and displays many, but not all, of the complications of hereditary haemochromatosis.

Iron, infection and sudden infant death.

Three risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome are well established: maternal smoking, prone sleeping position and non-breast feeding. Two additional risk factors have been proposed: microbial infection in the gastrointestinal or respiratory tracts and iron loading. This review endeavors to integrate these five disparate factors into a unifying concept.

Household smoking and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in children with asthma.

This study investigated whether household environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is associated with increased bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in children with asthma. Two hundred forty-nine children, ages 7-11 years, sampled from a larger group with reported asthma or multiple asthma symptoms identified in a community survey in Cape Town, underwent histamine challenge testing and had urinary cotinine measured. Parents were interviewed for information on smoking habits and a variety of covariates.