Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays a role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The difference in the cytokine responses between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections may have implications in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We performed a comparative study to examine the possible differences in the TNF-TNF receptor (TNFR) response between CHB and CHC. We studied the cytokine levels of 38 patients with CHB, 40 patients with CHC and 9 patients with dual hepatitis B and C, and compared them with the baseline levels of 12 healthy controls. The plasma levels of TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10 and soluble TNFR-1 and 2 (sTNFR-1 and 2) were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The expression of TNFR-1 and 2 in liver tissues was examined in 30 cases of CHB and 15 cases of CHC by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that sTNFR-1 levels correlated with liver inflammation in all patients, whereas this correlation was not found with sTNFR-2 or other cytokines. Liver inflammation indicators were higher in HCV RNA+ than in HCV RNA- CHC. Most significantly, sTNFR-1 levels correlated with liver inflammation in CHB, but not in CHC. However, the expression of TNFR-1 and 2 in liver was similar between CHB and CHC. These findings suggest that the TNFR signal transduction pathway is modulated differently in HBV and HCV infection.

Antigens, CD↗

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Does phenobarbital used for febrile seizures cause sleep disturbances?

The effect of phenobarbital on total sleep time, night awakenings, and lengthy awakenings was examined as part of a randomized trial of children with febrile seizures; information about sleep patterns was gathered by parental observation. Children were between ages 8-36 months at enrollment and were examined subsequently for 2 1/2 years. Night awakenings were not more common in children assigned to phenobarbital except for those who were poor sleepers at the beginning of the study. Total sleep time was no different in children assigned to phenobarbital than in those assigned to placebo. It is concluded that sleep problems reported in most young children with febrile seizures treated with phenobarbital did not exceed those reported in children treated with placebo, but a subset of predisposed children did experience an increase in night awakenings.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Characteristics of normal corneal topography using the EyeSys corneal analysis system.

PURPOSE: To study the parameters of corneal topography of normal eyes using the Corneal Analysis System (CAS, EyeSys Technologies) to determine the types and frequency of patterns and parameters. SETTING: University of Illinois Eye Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA. METHODS: Three independent, masked judges, using a forced-choice paradigm, classified corneal topography patterns into six categories on one randomly selected, normal eye of 100 persons who did not wear contact lenses. The patterns were defined by using the midpoint dioptric bin and a 0.50 diopter (D) steeper bin. RESULTS: The pattern frequency using the mid-dioptric bin was teardrop (6%), amorphous (11%), round (11%), symmetric bow tie (17%), asymmetric bow tie (1 %), kidney (22%), and oval (32%). Mean refractive and keratometric cylinders, respectively, were teardrop (0.13 and 0.15 D), amorphous (0.15 and 0.49 D), round (0.18 and 0.56 D), oval (0.21 and 0.56 D), kidney (0.51 and 0.72 D), and bow tie (1.18 and 1.82 D). Pattern frequency using the 0.50 D steeper bin was round (2%), oval (5%), teardrop (6%), kidney (15%), amorphous (17%), asymmetric bow tie (17%), and symmetric bow tie (37%). Mean refractive and keratometric cylinders, respectively, were round (0.13 and 0.32 D), amorphous (0.25 and 0.38 D), kidney (0.11 and 0.42 D), oval (0.40 and 0.59 D), teardrop (0.08 and 0.75 D), and bow tie (0.65 and 1.09 D). Mean flat and steep contours were 41.76 D (95% confidence interval [CI], 38.68 to 44.84 D) and 44.15 D (95% CI, 41.00 to 47.31 D), respectively. Mean contour range was 2.40 D (95% CI, 0.61 to 4.17 D). CONCLUSION: The data suggest that for 95% of normal corneas, corneal contours will be steeper than 38.50 D, flatter than 47.50 D, and have a contour range less than 4.25 D when using the EyeSys CAS.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ras oncogene and p53 gene hotspot mutations in colorectal cancers.

Ras oncogene and p53 gene mutations are frequently observed in colorectal cancers. The role of co-operation between these two genes in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer was evaluated. Point mutations in K-ras oncogene and hotspot codons of p53 gene of colorectal cancers were evaluated by naturally created or amplified created restriction site method. Nine of 42 cases (21.4%) of colorectal cancer showed K-ras oncogene mutations. Six of 42 cases (14.3%) of colorectal cancer showed p53 gene hotspot point mutations. The low frequency of p53 gene mutation in this series may be due to racial difference or different hotspot codons. When six cases with mutated p53 gene were examined, only one (16.7%) showed concurrent K-ras oncogene codon 12 and p53 gene codon 248 mutations. We concluded that the co-operation between ras oncogene and p53 gene hotspot point mutations in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer in Chinese was not common. Other factors such as adenomatous polyposis coli gene mutations, oncogene activation or tumour suppression gene inactivation may be involved.

Base Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Use of Riu stain in the immediate interpretation of bronchial brushing cytology. Comparison with Papanicolaou stain and histology.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of Riu stain in the immediate interpretation of cytologic material from bronchoscopic brushings and its accuracy in the diagnosis of lung malignancies. STUDY DESIGN: A prospectively comparative study between Riu and Papanicolaou stain with pathologic control was conducted. Eighty-six patients with central lung lesions, visible during fiberoptic bronchoscopy, were studied. Endobronchial biopsies and brushings were performed at the time of the same procedure. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of Riu stain for malignancy was 97%, with a sensitivity of 99%, specificity of 85%, positive predictive value of 97% and negative predictive value of 92%. As for the Papanicolaou technique, the diagnostic accuracy for malignancy was 97%, with a sensitivity of 97%, specificity of 92%, positive predictive value of 99% and negative predictive value of 86%. The overall cytologic typing accuracy of Riu stain was 86%, which was comparable with that of Papanicolaou stain (90%, P = .48). Both techniques are more accurate in the diagnosis of squamous carcinoma, small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma than in large cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Riu stain is rapid, simple to use and, most important, accurate for the identification of lung malignancies. It can increase the diagnostic success rate, prevent unnecessary repeat bronchoscopies and lower related complications.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic alternations of p73 are infrequent but may occur in early stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

p73, a structural homologue of the tumor suppressor gene, p53, has recently been identified and mapped to chromosome 1p36, where genomic loss of heterozygosity (LOH) often occurs in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To determine whether p73 is involved in the development of HCC and whether there is an inverse correlation between the mutations of p73 and p53, we examined 22 paired tumors/noncancerous liver tissues for allelic expression, LOH and mutation of p73 and for mutation of p53. p73 was biallelically expressed in noncancerous liver tissues and in 7 out of the 8 informative tumors. One tumor tissue expressed only a single allele. LOH of p73 was found in 2 out of the 11 (18%) informative cases. A tumor-specific five-nucleotide deletion mutation causing a reading frameshift/early truncation of p73 DNA-binding domain was found, in which case no concomitant mutation in the DNA-binding domain of p53 was identified. Nine out of the 22 cases (41%) contained tumor-specific mutations in the DNA-binding domain of p53. Two of the three cases with p73 genetic alternations had a tumor size of less than 2 centimeters. These results suggest that p73 is a biallelically expressed gene in the liver and that allelic loss and mutation of p73 is infrequent and may occur early in HCC. p73 is unlikely to be the putative tumor suppressor gene located at chromosome 1p36 in HCC.

Adult↗