Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Messina.
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Mannosidosis is an inherited autosomal recessive mucopolysaccharidosis. Patients affected accumulate mannose-rich compounds in various tissues and excrete an increased quantity of oligosaccharides with mannose as a component. A case of type II mannosidosis with end-stage renal failure is reported. The patient, after 6 years of regular hemodialysis treatment, received a kidney transplant. At the time this article was written, the graft was functioning well and thesaurismotic renal deposits had not been observed. The clinical course of mannosidosis was silent and the patient's quality of life was good. Although the risk of recurrence could not be excluded, it seems that renal transplantation can be safely offered to patients affected with mannosidosis type II, in the rare setting of chronic renal failure.
Although increasing the levels of phytochemicals in foods via traditional breeding or genetic engineering would appear to pose less of a risk, there is still the possibility of over consumption given the ease with which phytochemical content can be increased. According to the recent position paper by the American Dietetic Association on phytochemicals, "the dietetics professional ... is the specialist who should make recommendations concerning appropriate dietary intake to optimize the potential benefits of phytochemical-rich or functional foods in overall health." For dietitians to make these recommendations, it will be necessary for the nutrition community to make a concerted effort to incorporate information on phytochemicals into nutrition manuals and professional resources. As it is, most of the research and discussion of phytochemicals is conducted by professionals not related or only peripherally related to the field of nutrition. This is truly an exciting time to be involved in the nutrition field. We have moved a head from thinking that only a relatively small number of dietary factors possess biological activity to recognizing that there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of such factors. It will be many years before our understanding of phytochemicals approaches our knowledge of vitamins and minerals- and it is worth nothing that our knowledge of vitamins and minerals is still incomplete. But it does appear that the phytochemicals help explain why plant-based diets, in general, are associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases. And in fact, his may be the most important outcome from use of phytochemicals. The nutrition community now has more reasons for encouraging consumers to eat plant-based diets.
Toxoplasma gondii (Tg) is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that is an important opportunistic pathogen in humans. To provide additional tools for molecular genetic analysis, we have developed a set of vectors for DNA transformation in Tg based on selection with the antibiotic phleomycin (Ph). These new vectors rely on the flanking sequences from the parasite genes GRA1, GRA2 or SAG1 to drive expression of the Tn5 ble gene encoding resistance to the DNA intercalating drug Ph (PhR). Treatment of extracellular parasites was used to select stable PhR transformants by plaque formation on host cell monolayers. Transfection of linear or circular forms of the pGRA1/ble, pGRA2/ble or pSAG1/ble vectors by electroporation resulted in stable transformation with an efficiency of approx. 10(-4)/micrograms DNA. Stable transformants contained 1-5 copies of ble that were integrated at non-homologous sites in the parasite nuclear genome. Ble provides a new dominant selectable marker for safe, efficient and rapid isolation of stable DNA transformants in Tg.
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Soybeans have played an integral part in Asian culture, both as a food and as a medicine, for many centuries. In the West, soybeans are best known for their protein content but increasingly, soyfoods are being recognized as having potential roles in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, most notably cancer and heart disease. There are also potential roles for soyfoods with respect to osteoporosis and kidney disease. Although more research is needed, the existing database on the health effects of soyfood intake is quite extensive and clearly warrants greater recognition by the research and clinical communities. Given the ease with which soyfoods can be incorporated into the diet, be it via the traditional soyfoods such as tofu and soymilk, or the more modern soy protein products, such as soy isolates, concentrates and flours, soyfoods may be able to have a significant beneficial impact on public health.
BACKGROUND: This study investigated whether abnormal circulation of macromolecular IgA and IgA with altered glycosylation or electrical charge plays a role in the recurrence of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) after transplantation. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 92 renal transplant patients were enrolled; 52 IgAN patients and 40 with other non-IgAN. The IgAN group included 10 patients showing IgA mesangial deposits in the grafted kidneys (recurrent group) and 10 who did not (immunohistochemically proven non-recurrent group). In addition another 22 IgAN transplant patients were clinically free of recurrent disease. METHODS: The analyses included macromolecular IgA (IgAIC) detected by the conglutinin assay (K), heavy IgA precipitated in 2.5% polyethylene glycol (PEG), IgA-fibronectin aggregates (IgA/F Aggr), mixed IgA/IgGIC, IgA binding to mesangial matrix components (fibronectin, laminin, type IV collagen) or polycations (poly-L-lysine) and IgA with altered glycosylation (Jacalin-binding assay). RESULTS: After transplantation, IgAN patients displayed significantly higher mean levels for each variable measured than non-IgAN (ANOVA, P < 0.05). By stepwise regression analysis, the binding of IgA to fibronectin had the highest coefficient. By comparing data in recurrent and clinically non-recurrent IgAN, we observed that two groups could be distinguished by the results of the two assays for macromolecular IgA (conglutinin IgAIC and IgA-fibronectin aggregates) and IgA with increased affinity for type IV collagen (P < 0.05). When the selected group of immunohistochemically proven non-recurrent IgAN was compared to the recurrent one, a statistically significant difference was found only for the binding of IgA to type IV collagen (P < 0.05). Data from this test were significantly related with proteinuria (P < 0.05) and microscopic haematuria (P < 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Even though the IgA serology of renal transplant IgAN patients shows peculiar features and recurrent and non-recurrent IgAN differ in many aspects, the prevalence of positive data in the two groups had no predictive value. This suggests that the recurrence of IgAN is modulated by factors affecting the interaction between circulating abnormal IgA and mesangial cells and/or matrix.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Reduced serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) have been shown in patients with Cushing's syndrome resulting from adrenocortical adenoma, in contrast with normal DHEAS levels in patients with Cushing's disease. The aim of this study was to verify whether patients with incidentally discovered adrenocortical adenomas also have reduced levels of DHEAS. DESIGN: Evaluation of serum DHEAS, serum and urinary cortisol, plasma ACTH and low dose dexamethasone suppression test in patients with adrenal incidentaloma and Cushing's syndrome. PATIENTS: Thirty-two patients with adrenal incidentaloma and, as controls, 17 patients with overt Cushing's syndrome, were studied. RESULTS: Serum DHEAS levels lower than normal were found in 21/24 (87.5%) patients with adrenocortical incidentaloma, but in only 1/8 patients with a mass of non-adrenocortical origin. This patient had massive bilateral metastatic infiltration of both adrenal glands and primary adrenal failure. The prevalence of low DHEAS levels in the two groups was significantly different (P = 0.0001). In patients with adrenocortical incidentaloma, the prevalence of low DHEAS levels was significantly higher (P = 0.0001) than that found for some hormonal alterations indicating pre-clinical hypercortisolism (high urinary cortisol, unsuppressed serum cortisol after low dose dexamethasone administration and low plasma ACTH). Low DHEAS levels were found in all patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenocortical adenoma but in none of those with Cushing's disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the finding of low DHEAS levels can be considered a marker of the adrenocortical origin of an adrenal incidentaloma, provided adrenal failure has been excluded.
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The immunophenotypes (IF) on peripheral lymphocytes of 24 B-CLL in different stage, 2 PLL and 14 leukemic B-non Hodgkin lymphomas were investigated. As regard to B-CLL and PLL, the results are similar to those reported so far. In stage A and B of B-CLL the IF appear less variable than in advanced stages where a decrease of CD21+ and an increase of both CD25+ and CD38+ lymphocytes were observed. In the lymphocytic, small cleaved cell lymphomas and splenic lymphomas, the peripheral IF correspond to the theoretical ones of respective lymphoma tissues. On the contrary they disagree in three cases of large cells, mixed small and cleaved cell, immunoblastic lymphomas. These features are discussed.
The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects a wide range of vertebrate hosts and is an important opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised humans. Although Toxoplasma is amenable to both biochemical and cellular experimental approaches, the molecular basis of its success as an intracellular parasite is poorly understood. To provide a system for molecular genetic analyses, we have developed a stable DNA transformation system for Toxoplasma based on complementation of its naturally occurring tryptophan auxotrophy. Complementation was accomplished by expressing the Escherichia coli trpB gene, encoding the beta subunit of tryptophan synthase (EC 4.2.1.20), the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of tryptophan from indole plus serine. Transformants were obtained by electroporation of a plasmid, called SAG1/trpB, containing the trpB gene flanked by Toxoplasma surface antigen 1 (SAG1) gene sequences and selection for growth on indole. Transformants were obtained with circular forms of the SAG1/trpB plasmid with efficiencies of 10(-4) per cell. Transformation with either circular or linear SAG1/trpB resulted in integration into the genome at distinct, nonhomologous sites. Trp+ transformants typically contained tandemly repeated copies of the SAG1/trpB plasmid and were stable in the absence of continued selection. The Trp phenotype provides a dominant selectable marker that should allow expression of foreign or altered genes in Toxoplasma and facilitate molecular analyses of genes important for intracellular survival.
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