Conjunctival Kaposi's sarcoma in HIV-positive heterosexual Nigerian woman--a case report.

Background: Neoplastic conditions are increasingly been encountered in HIV/AIDS patients. Till date only two cases of conjunctiva Kaposi sarcoma (KS) have been reported in the background of HIV and both in males.

Objective: To present a 27-year-old African woman with histologically proven conjunctival KS and marked CD4+ cell depletion and to reinforce the fact that KS is an important differential of conjunctival tumour especially in the background of immunosupression in Africa.

Macromastia and bilateralaxillary breast hypertrophy: a case report.

Background: Breast hypertrophy presents at puberty or thereafter. It is a condition of abnormal enlargement of the breast tissue in excess of the normal proportion. Gland hypertrophy, excessive fatty tissue or a combination of both may cause this condition.

KLF4 is a FOXO target gene that suppresses B cell proliferation.

Lymphocytes circulate in a quiescent (G(0)) state until they encounter specific antigens. In T cells, quiescence is programmed by transcription factors of the forkhead box O (FOXO) and Krüppel-like factor (KLF) families. However, the transcription factors that regulate B cell quiescence are not known.

The effect of polymorphism of the beta-2 adrenergic receptor on the response to beta-2 agonist in bronchial asthma patients.

Aim: To discover the role of beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2-AR) polymorphism on the response to beta-2 agonist, particularly in coding amino acid at sequences 16 and 27 as well as adjacent nucleotides.

Methods: The study was conducted by nested case-control method with consecutive samples of asthma patients aged 15-60 years at the outpatient clinic, Department of Pulmonology in Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital, Makassar.

SAP regulation of follicular helper CD4 T cell development and humoral immunity is independent of SLAM and Fyn kinase.

Mutations in SH2D1A resulting in lack of SLAM-associated protein (SAP) expression cause the human genetic immunodeficiency X-linked lymphoproliferative disease. A severe block in germinal center development and lack of long-term humoral immunity is one of the most prominent phenotypes of SAP(-) mice. We show, in this study, that the germinal center block is due to an essential requirement for SAP expression in Ag-specific CD4 T cells to develop appropriate follicular helper T cell functions.

KLF4 suppresses transformation of pre-B cells by ABL oncogenes.

Genes that are strongly repressed after B-cell activation are candidates for being inactivated, mutated, or repressed in B-cell malignancies. Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4), a gene down-regulated in activated murine B cells, is expressed at low levels in several types of human B-cell lineage lymphomas and leukemias. The human KLF4 gene has been identified as a tumor suppressor gene in colon and gastric cancer; in concordance with this, overexpression of KLF4 can suppress proliferation in several epithelial cell types.

FOXO transcription factors cooperate with delta EF1 to activate growth suppressive genes in B lymphocytes.

Forkhead transcription factors regulate many aspects of lymphocyte development and function. The FOXO subgroup of Forkhead factors opposes proliferation and survival, and FOXO inactivation is an important outcome of Ag receptor signaling. FOXO activity at target promoters is modulated by other transcription factors in a manner dependent on cell type and external stimulus.

Peripherin/RDS gene in Indonesian patients with retinitis pigmentosa: geographic comparison of polymorphic variations.

To analyze peripherin/RDS (retinal degeneration slow) gene alterations in Indonesian patients with retinitis pigmentosa. We examined the gene in 13 unrelated Indonesian patients with retinitis pigmentosa and in 24 normal individuals. Peripheral venous blood was extracted, and genomic DNAs were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Optimal B-cell proliferation requires phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent inactivation of FOXO transcription factors.

Transcription factors of the Forkhead Box, class O (FOXO) family promote cell-cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Mitogenic stimuli inactivate FOXO function by way of an evolutionarily conserved pathway involving the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and its downstream effector, Akt. Although PI3K activation is required for B-lymphocyte proliferation, it is not known whether PI3K-dependent inactivation of FOXO proteins is important for cell-cycle progression and survival of these cells.

Regulation of quiescence in lymphocytes.

Cellular quiescence is a state characterized by decreased cell size and metabolic activity. In quiescent nai;ve lymphocytes, antigen recognition with appropriate co-stimulation triggers exit from G0 phase of the cell cycle, increased size and metabolism and progression through the cell cycle. Recent studies have shown that quiescence in lymphocytes is an actively maintained state rather than a default pathway in the absence of signal.

Effect of N-feruloyl tyramine (an analogue of tyramine) on inwardly rectifying potassium channel in frog ventricular myocytes.

Electrophysiological effects of N-feruloyl tyramine (NFT), an analogue of tyramine, on potassium currents in frog ventricular myocytes were examined using single-channel recording and whole-cell voltage clamp technique. Extracellular application of NFT induced a concentration-dependent decrease of macroscopic inward rectifier potassium current (iK1) with ID50 of 198 microM, while tyramine (100 microM) was ineffective in producing an inhibitory effect on iK1. NFT reduced the mean open time of iK1 to 1.

Block of sodium channels by tyramine and its analogue (N-feruloyl tyramine) in frog ventricular myocytes.

Pharmacological effects of tyramine and its analogue, N-feruloyl tyramine (NFT), on sodium and calcium currents in frog ventricular myocytes were examined using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. To improve the temporal and spatial control of the membrane potential, sodium currents (INa) were recorded in 45.5 mM [Na+]o at 10 degrees C.