Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism was diagnosed in a 55-year-old patient following rather unusual circumstances: he informed the emergency ward physician attending him for congestive cardiac insufficiency consequent to coronary cardiopathy that on the two preceding occasions when such insufficiency had been relieved by the injection of a diuretic, a tetanic seizure had ensued which was corrected by intravenous administration of calcium. Treatment of the cardiac insufficiency was nonetheless instituted with the mercurial diuretic: tetany appeared a few hours later, subsiding after intravenous injection of calcium. The various possible ways in which a tetanic seizure may be triggered by a mercurial diuretic are discussed.

Calcium↗

PubMed1958

[Radioiod and the thyroid gland].

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Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Population genetics of factor V Leiden in Europe.

We have analyzed 5971 control individuals originating from 26 geographically defined populations in Europe and neighboring countries for the presence of factor V Leiden, an important genetic risk factor in venous thromboembolism. The mean frequency of the mutation in the populations studied is 0.027%, with a peak value incidence of more than 12% in Cyprus; the mutation is absent in Inuits and is at low incidence in French Basques. A west to east increasing cline of allele factor V Leiden prevalence (r = 0.479, p < 0.02) was observed in Europe, together with a decreasing south to north cline (r = -0.801, p < 0.001) of these values-but in this last situation only when southwest populations are excluded from the analysis. Based on these findings, an interpretation is proposed of the history of factor V Leiden expansion in Europe during the Neolithic period, from a probable Anatolian center of origin in Turkey.

Europe↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Differential effects of ras and jun family members on complex retrovirus promoter activities.

Infection by complex retroviruses such as Visna-maedi, HIV1, HTLV-I and HFV is generally not followed by particle production, but rather by a more or less prolonged latency period. Knowledge of the mechanisms triggering an infectious cycle from the latent provirus(es) is of great importance in comprehending the appearance of the disease. It is currently admitted that cellular factors regulate viral expression. In this paper, we report the ability of ras, c-jun, jun-B and jun-D to diversely stimulate the LTR promoter activity of these retroviruses. Transient transfection assays using a luciferase reporter gene linked to LTR show that the Visna-maedi virus LTR, despite high intrinsic activity, is stimulated by Ha-ras and c-jun. The HTLV-I and HIV1 LTR were identically stimulated by ras, but differently by c-jun. In contrast, jun-B and jun-D were weaker activators, since they respectively stimulated only HTLV-I LTR and HIV1 LTR. HFV LTR remains unresponsive to either of these factors.

Cell Line↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Stimulation of T cells and induction of interferon by toxic shock syndrome toxin 1.

Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) is a potent immunomodulating substance isolated from Staphylococcus aureus strains associated with toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Flow cytometric analysis was used to compare scatter changes in several cell-surface phenotype markers on human mononuclear cells exposed in vitro to TSST-1 or to phytohemagglutinin, a lectin with similar effects on the immune response. The results showed differences between PHA and TSST-1 in the appearance of the tested T cell subset markers and of interleukin 2 receptors. In general, the stimulation of mononuclear cells by TSST-1 was slower than that by phytohemagglutinin. TSST-1 induced the production of interferon in cultures of murine spleen cells. By means of inhibition studies with specific antibodies to interferon, the interferon produced was characterized as the gamma type. Human mononuclear cells exposed to the toxin also produced gamma interferon, with levels similar to those induced by staphylococcal enterotoxin A, a known potent interferon inducer. The induction of gamma interferon by TSST-1 may play a role in the immunosuppression caused by TSST-1.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Paradoxical effects of recombinant mouse beta-interferon on different expression levels of intracisternal A particle genes.

We have studied the effect of mouse recombinant beta-Interferon on the expression of the intracisternal A particle (IAP) genes in a transformed mouse fibroblast cell line. Northern and immunoprecipitation analysis showed an increase in specific transcripts and polypeptides. Run-on experiments on isolated nuclei and transfection assays with an IAP long terminal repeat construct, coupled with the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene, showed no enhancement of the transcription rate following beta-IFN treatment. This suggests that the increase in IAP expression depends on a post-transcriptional event. Electron microscopic analysis revealed that in spite of the higher levels of IAP related polypeptides, the number of particles was significantly reduced by interferon.

Animals↗