Adsorption of erythropoietin and growth hormone to peritoneal dialysis bags and tubing.

Objective: To study the adsorption of erythropoietin and growth hormone to dialysis bags and tubing.

Design: In vitro study in which radiolabeled erythropoietin and recombinant human growth hormone were added to small-volume (50- and 250-mL) dialysis bags. Recovery was measured after 15-minute dwells.

Novel frameshift mutations near short simple repeats.

In patients with Alzheimer's disease or Down's syndrome, the cerebellar cortex exhibits protein deposits in neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques. Recently, the deposits have been shown to contain protein fragments of ubiquitin-B and amyloid precursor protein (APP) with an aberrant carboxyl terminus resulting from frameshift mutations (dinucleotide deletions; DeltaGU or DeltaGA) in or adjacent to GAGAG motifs in their mRNAs, a process referred to as molecular misreading. We have now used a bacterial expression system with the green fluorescent protein as a reporter to screen gene transcripts from aged controls, Alzheimer's disease, and Down's syndrome for molecular misreading.

Organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts in western equatorial Atlantic surface sediments: distributions and their relation to environment.

In contrast to the wide range of studies carried out in temperate and high-latitude oceanic regions, only a few studies have focused on recent and Holocene organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from the tropics. This information is, however, essential for fully understanding the ability of species to adapt to different oceanographic regimes, and ultimately their potential application to local and regional palaeoenvironmental and palaeoceanographic reconstructions. Surface sediment samples of the western equatorial Atlantic Ocean north of Brazil, an area greatly influenced by Amazon River discharge waters, were therefore analysed in detail for their organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst content.

Spatial distribution of calcareous dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments of the Atlantic Ocean between 13 degrees N and 36 degrees S.

To enhance the limited information available about the palaeo-ecological significance of calcareous dinoflagellates, we have studied their lateral distribution in surface sediments of the equatorial and south Atlantic between 13 degrees N and 36 degrees S. Calcareous dinoflagellate cysts appear to be widely distributed throughout the studied area. In the surface sediments, concentrations (cyst per gram dry sediment) of the vegetative stage Thoracosphaera heimii are generally higher than that of the (presumably) calcareous resting cysts.

Homocysteine and venous thrombosis: outline of a vitamin intervention trial.

In the past years several case-control studies established the association of an elevated plasma homocysteine concentration and the risk of venous thromboembolism. It is still unclear if elevated homocysteine concentrations can cause venous thrombosis. The VITRO (VItamins and ThROmbosis) trial is the first multicenter, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effect of homocysteine-lowering therapy by means of 5 mg folic acid, 0.

Multiplex-PCR-based differentiation and characterization of Candida-isolates derived from tortoises (Testudinidae).

Candida isolates (n=23) derived from Testudinidae were investigated by multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The isolates comprised 13 Candida (C.) tropicalis, nine C.

Sequencing and characterization of the cryptic plasmid QpRS from Coxiella burnetii.

Plasmid QpRS from Coxiella burnetii, isolate Priscilla Q177, phase I, has been completely sequenced. DNA for sequencing was amplified with "extra-long" (XL) PCR. The size of the QpRS plasmid sequence was determined to be 39,280 bp, with a G + C content of 39.

Quantitative measurement of telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in urothelial cell carcinomas.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) messenger RNA has been detected in 95% of bladder tumors using RT-PCR. In this study, we quantified the expression of hTERT in 35 bladder urothelial cell carcinomas and in 6 normal bladder epithelia using a real-time quantitative PCR assay. hTERT expression was detected in all 35 urothelial cell carcinomas of varying grade and stage, but not in normal tissue samples.

A model for harmonization of routine clinical chemistry results between clinical laboratories.

Clinical chemistry laboratory results from different laboratories often show large between-laboratory variation due to factors such as differences in method principles, method applications, calibration procedures or the application of different instrument factor settings within the same calibration procedure. We have examined the possible use of common calibrators to reduce this variation. Three different calibrators were compared: A, freeze-dried preparations of pooled patients' serum samples, spiked to give three concentration levels; B, freeze-dried preparations of pooled patients' serum samples selected on the basis of elevated enzyme activities at three levels; C, a single calibrator consisting of frozen pooled serum samples.

Lactobacilli and acidosis in children with short small bowel.

Background: In patients with a short small bowel, D-lactic acidemia and D-lactic aciduria are caused by intestinal lactobacilli. The purpose of this study was to obtain a detailed picture of the metabolic acidosis in young children with short small bowel.

Methods: Feces, blood, and urine of children with short small bowel and acidosis were studied microbiologically and/or biochemically.

Real-time quantification of human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA in tumors and healthy tissues.

Background: Expression of the hTERT gene, which codes for the catalytic subunit of telomerase, is associated with malignancy. We recently developed a real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay, based on TaqMan technology, for accurate and reproducible determination of hTERT mRNA expression (Lab Investig 1999;79:911-2). This method may be of interest for molecular tumor diagnostics in tissues and corresponding body fluids, washings, or brushes.

Follow-up study of peritoneal fluid kinetics in infants and children on peritoneal dialysis.

Objectives: To study longitudinal changes in transcapillary ultrafiltration (TCUF) and marker clearance (MC), as a reflection of lymphatic absorption, in children on peritoneal dialysis (PD). To present data on fluid kinetics in infants younger than 2.5 years, using an intraperitoneal volume of 1200 mL/m2 body surface area (BSA).

Prevalence of "syndrome X" features in parents of type 1 diabetic patients with or without nephropathy.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of "syndrome X"-related parameters in parents of type 1 diabetic patients with diabetic nephropathy (DNP) to those in parents of diabetic patients without DNP.

Research Design And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 50 parents of type 1 diabetic patients with DNP and 50 parents of diabetic patients without DNP. All parents were investigated in a fasting state for serum lipids including nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs), glucose, HbA1c, plasma uric acid, fasting insulin levels, and albuminuria.

[Hyperhomocysteinemia as a risk factor for venous thrombosis].

In recent years research was done to elucidate the relation between an increased homocysteine concentration and arterial as well as venous thrombosis. Several case control studies showed that an elevated homocysteine concentration is an independent risk factor for primary and secondary venous thromboembolism. It is not clear whether lowering homocysteine levels by administration of folic acid, whether or not in combination with vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, decreases the risk of vascular events.

Characteristics of small breast and/or ovarian cancer families with germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

For families with a small number of cases of breast and/or ovarian cancer, limited data are available to predict the likelihood of genetic predisposition due to mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. In 104 families with three or more affected individuals (average 3.8) seeking counselling at family cancer clinics, mutation analysis was performed in the open reading frame of BRCA1 and BRCA2 by the protein truncation test and mutation-specific assays.

Effect of intraduodenal bile salt on pancreaticobiliary responses to bombesin and to cholecystokinin in humans.

Bile salts modulate postprandial gallbladder emptying and pancreatic enzyme secretion, possibly by interfering with plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) responses. The regulatory role of bile salts in the absence of nutrients from the gut is poorly understood. Therefore, we studied the effect of intraduodenal sodium chenodeoxycholate on bombesin (BBS)- or CCK-stimulated plasma CCK levels, plasma pancreatic polypeptide levels, gallbladder motility, and pancreatic enzyme secretion.

PCR detection of Coxiella burnetii from different clinical specimens, especially bovine milk, on the basis of DNA preparation with a silica matrix.

For PCR detection of Coxiella burnetii in various clinical specimens we developed a sample preparation method in which silica binding of DNA was used. This method was found to be fast, easily performed with large numbers of samples, and equally sensitive for all of the specimens tested (livers, spleens, placentas, heart valves, milk, blood). The DNA preparation method described here can also be used as an initial step in any PCR-based examination of specimens.

Peritoneal protein loss in children with nephrotic syndrome during peritoneal dialysis.

Background: The passage of proteins across the glomerular filtration barrier is mainly determined by the size of the protein. In nephrotic syndrome (NS) the glomerular permselectivity is affected, causing proteinuria. Some authors suggest the existence of a generalized basement membrane defect.

Physical and genetic map of the obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and PCR techniques have been used to construct a NotI macrorestriction map of the obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile. The size of the chromosome has been determined to be 2,103 kb comprising 29 NotI restriction fragments. The average resolution is 72.

Molecular characterization of Coxiella burnetii isolates.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used for the differentiation of 80 Coxiella burnetii isolates derived from animals and humans in Europe, USA, Africa and Asia. After NotI restriction of total C. burnetii DNA and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) 20 different restriction patterns were distinguished.