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At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Morphological anomalies induced by Congo red in Aspergillus niger.

Aspergillus niger germ tubes were exposed for 6 h to 0.15 mg/ml of Congo red, a stain which prevents chitin microfibril assembly. The most evident alterations, detected under ultraviolet light and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, concerned the hyphal tips which burst or, most frequently, expanded into bulges. In the latter structures, new hyphal tips appeared which, after giving rise to more or less developed hyphae, were themselves converted into new bulges. Therefore, segments derived from isotropic and polarized growth alternated in the organisms exposed to the dye. An interpretation of these abnormalities is advanced based upon the assumption that the maintainance of a regular gradient of wall viscosity in the hyphal extension zone depends primarily on the capability of glycan chains to form crystalline aggregates of increasing complexity.

Aspergillus niger↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The endoscopic Congo red test during proximal gastric vagotomy: an essential procedure.

A previously described method for evaluating the completeness of proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV), the intraoperative endoscopic Congo red test (ECRT), may allow for a more complete parietal cell denervation and thus result in a lower long-term incidence of postvagotomy ulceration. Of 20 patients undergoing PGV, 12 (60%) required further gastric denervation after intraoperative ECRT of the following sites: right gastroepiploic nerve (7), the nerve of Grassi (4), and the lesser curvature (3). Confirmation of completeness of PGV by the ECRT was easily performed and ensured intraoperative quality control. The routine performance of intraoperative ECRT during PGV may ultimately decrease the incidence of subsequent recurrent ulceration.

Congo Red↗
PubMed1986

Symptomatic ectopic gastric epithelium of the cervical esophagus. Demonstration of acid production with Congo red.

Four patients were found with patches of gastric fundal type epithelium just distal to the cricopharyngeus, separated from the gastroesophageal junction by 15-20 cm of normal squamous epithelium. Three of the four had symptoms of dysphagia localized to the area of the esophagus containing the epithelium. Congo red dye (a pH indicator) applied to the mucosa during endoscopy revealed acid production by the mucosa after stimulation with pentagastrin. Interestingly, the patients' symptoms decreased during treatment with cimetidine only to return on cessation of therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Use of endoscopic Congo red test in the evaluation of ulcer recurrence risks after proximal gastric vagotomy. A new interpretive method.

The endoscopic Congo red test (ECRT) was performed in 43 patients who underwent proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) for duodenal ulcer (DU). The aim of the study was to develop a standard and reliable way to interpret the results obtained in this test. Thus, the results of ECRT were related to post-operative clinical evaluation and to pre- and post-operative basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acidity. Whenever ECRT was considered positive, we called it in "large extension" if a red-to-black colour change occurred in three or more of the areas studied. Positive ECRT was observed in 39 patients (90.7%). There was a statistically significant (P less than 0.01) correlation between poor clinical results and positive ECRT in "large extension". We concluded that: (1) a positive ECRT result has no clinical or prognostic significance in DU patients after PGV; (2) ECRT, analysed according to the extension of the areas turning black, is a practical and reliable method to establish clinical results and prognosis in these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The use of the Congo red-related dye DBACR to recognize the heavy chain-derived abnormality of myeloma immunoglobulins.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to differentiate heavy and light chain-derived instability of monoclonal myeloma immunoglobulins by complexation of matched supramolecular dyes. These are composed of several micellar pieces of self-assembled dye molecules which may penetrate the protein interior of the binding locus with polypeptide chains. These dyes were used to elicit, by precipitation, the postulated higher aggregation tendency of the heavy chain derived from its higher hydrophobicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Agarose gel electrophoresis was used to create conditions for dye complexation and to reveal the precipitation. RESULTS: Congo red derivatives with aromatic ring substitutes, BACR and DBACR, of increased penetrating capability were chosen to provoke the precipitation of abnormal immunoglobulins by displacing association-prone polypeptide chains from the protein interior. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm the heavy chain-related propensity of some monoclonal immunoglobulins to aggregate and precipitate. The simplicity of the technique may improve clinical diagnosis and facilitate predictions of disease complications.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗
PubMed2005

[Congo red-negative light chain disease with intractable diarrhea].

A 56-year-old man was admitted due to chronic diarrhea with progressive weight loss (30 kg within 1 year). All results of medical investigations were normal. The suspected diagnosis of a neuroendocrinological neoplasm could not be established; there was also no evidence for a lymphoma or amyloidosis. Chronic diarrhea and weight loss persisted over the ensuing weeks. Additionally, impairment of renal function and heart insufficiency with consecutive pericardial effusion as well as peripheral facial paralysis and peripheral neuropathy could be observed. Six months after hospital admission, the patient died due to progressive multiple organ failure. Postmortem examination revealed normal bone marrow. Only with additional immunohistochemical investigations of all organs could the diagnosis of a systemic Congo red-negative light chain disease be established.

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed2003

Chromoendoscopic evaluation of gastric mucosa after partial gastrectomy by use of modified endoscopic Congo red test.

The need for partial gastrectomy has decreased as a result of reduced incidence and improved endoscopic and medical treatment of peptic ulcer disease. Nonetheless, several patients with resected stomach remain in the population, and it is well known that important pathological changes can occur in the gastric remnant. We evaluated the morphological and functional status of the gastric stump by use of modified endoscopic Congo red test (MCRT). For this purpose, 87 partially gastrectomized (Billroth I and II) patients referred for elective gastroscopy were consecutively enrolled. We found a high prevalence of severe chronic atrophic fundal gastritis (CAFG) (67%) in the gastric remnant. We also observed, however, that one-third of the patients had almost unaffected gastric acid production even as long as 26 years after partial gastrectomy. Moreover, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of routine gastroscopy in diagnosing CAFG in the gastric stump were found to be 55%, 50%, and 84%, respectively. The presence of bile reflux correlated well with the degree of CAFG. Importantly, we observed that more than 71% of the patients receiving acid-suppressing therapy had no or very little capacity to produce gastric acid. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that MCRT is a simple and well-tolerated method providing important morphological and functional information about the mucosa of the resected stomach. Furthermore, MCRT was superior to routine gastroscopy in diagnosing CAFG in the gastric stump. Outcome studies should define the clinical benefit of MCRT in the management of patients with resected stomach.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Genetic analysis of the M RNA segment of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strains involved in the recent outbreaks in Russia.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe zoonosis with a high fatality rate. In Russia, local CCHF outbreaks have occurred in the Stavropol Territory, and the Volgograd and Astrakhan Regions during 2000 and 2001. Seven strains of CCHF virus (CCHFV) were isolated from infected patients and collected ticks. Two fragments of the CCHF virus M genome segment were PCR amplified and their nucleotide sequences were determined. All these virus strains appear to be closely related (up to 5.8% nucleotide sequence differences) and form a distinct clade on the CCHFV phylogenetic tree. Within this clade, CCHFV strains from Stavropol and Astrakhan cluster together, whereas those from Volgograd form a separate subgroup.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Complete L segment coding-region sequences of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strains from the Russian Federation and Tajikistan.

The large (L) RNA segment of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus strain AST/TI30908, isolated from pooled Hyalomma marginatum ticks collected in 2002 from the Astrakhan region of European Russia, was amplified piecemeal using reverse-transcription/polymerase chain reaction, followed by direct sequencing of gel-purified amplicons. After removal of 5' and 3' primer-generated termini, the assembled AST/TI30908 L segment sequence is 12112 nucleotides long, with 41.3% G + C content, and is greater than 87% and 96% identical at the nucleotide and translated amino acid levels, respectively, to partial or full-length CCHF virus L segment sequences deposited in GenBank. A complete L segment coding-region sequence for CCHF virus strain TAJ/HU8966, isolated from a patient in Tajikistan in 1990, was determined in a similar fashion. This L segment (12133 nucleotides long, 41.1% G + C content) shares 88% nucleotide identity with the full-length strain Matin from Pakistan, and 97% nucleotide identity with a partial L segment sequence of strain Khodzha from Uzbekistan. Strain TAJ/HU8966 shares at least 96% identity at the translated amino acid level with all other CCHF virus L segment sequences. Although, for the most part, CCHF virus L polyprotein primary sequences are uniformly well conserved, a region of marked variability was identified in the N-terminal half of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. This region, approximately 50 amino acids in length, is flanked by previously-reported arenavirus and bunyavirus-conserved regions, and may prove useful in CCHF diagnosis and viral taxonomy.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Albania, 2001.

During the spring and summer of 2001, an outbreak of eight cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) occurred in Albania. The epidemiological investigation, the clinical presentation of the cases, and the course of the disease are described. Seven of the cases were laboratory confirmed. A nosocomial infection and a cluster of cases within a family were observed. Genetic analysis of the CCHF virus strain that caused the outbreak showed that it was clustered together with other European CCHF virus strains except the Greek one (strain AP92). The Greek strain, which forms an independent clade, differed from the causative strain by 25.3% at the nucleotide level.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of the virulence plasmid genomes of two strains of Shigella which lost the ability to bind Congo red.

We determined and analyzed the Shigella flexneri serotype 5 (pSF5) and S. dysenteriae serotype 1 (pSD1) virulence plasmid genomes. The total length of pSF5 is 136513 bp, including 165 open reading frames (ORFs). Of these ORFs, 133 were identified and 32 of those had no significant homology to proteins with known functions. The length of pSD1 is 182545 bp, including 224 ORFs, of which we identified 181. The remaining 43 ORFs were not significantly homologous to proteins with known functions. The insertion sequence (IS) elements are 53787 bp in pSF5, and 49616 bp in pSD1, which represents 39.4% and 27.1% of the genome, respectively. There are 22 IS element types in pSF5 and pSD1, among which we report ISEc8 and ISSbo6 for the first time in the Shigella virulence plasmid. Compared to pCP301, there are a large number of deleted genes and gene inversions in both pSF5 and pSD1. The ipa-mxi-spa locus in pSF5 is completely absent, and the genes related to the O-antigen biosynthesis are partially missing. In contrast, the above genes in pSD1 are integral, with the exception of virF. The whole genome analysis of the two plasmids shows that the loss of genes related to gene invasion or regulation also obliterates the ability of pPF5 and pSD1 to bind Congo red (Crb). Whether these genes determine the Crb function requires continued investigation.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1976

The practicality of the Congo Red test, or is your vagotomy complete?

The use of Congo Red testing for adequacy of vagotomy in a variety of clinical situations is described. Its intraoperative use is presented for the first time, thus allowing the surgeon immediate documentation of the completeness of his vagotomy and hopefully averting incomplete vagotomy, the single most common cause of ulcer recurrence after vagotomy-pyloroplasty.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Detection and quantitation of cellulase by Congo red staining of substrates in a cup-plate diffusion assay.

A simple, inexpensive, and sensitive cellulase assay which allows simultaneous enzyme quantitation for many samples has been developed. Radial diffusion of enzyme into substrate incorporated in an agar gel produces zones of hydrolysis which can be visualized by staining undegraded substrate with Congo red dye. Comparisons were made between this and other commonly used cellulase assays based on accuracy, sensitivity, and ease of use.

Azure Stains↗
PubMed1992

Binding of the dye congo red to the amyloid protein pig insulin reveals a novel homology amongst amyloid-forming peptide sequences.

The three-dimensional structure has been determined of a complex of the dye Congo Red, a specific stain for amyloid deposits, bound to the amyloid protein insulin. One dye molecule intercalates between two globular insulin molecules at an interface formed by a pair of anti-parallel beta-strands. This result, together with analysis of the primary sequences of other amyloidogenic proteins and peptides suggests that this mode of dye-binding to amyloid could be general. Moreover, the structure of this dye-binding interface between protein molecules provides an insight into the polymerization of amyloidogenic proteins into amyloid fibres. Thus the detailed characterization, at a resolution of 2.5 A, of the dye binding site in insulin could form a basis for the design of agents targeted against a variety of amyloid deposits.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Field and laboratory investigation of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (Nairovirus, family Bunyaviridae) infection in birds.

In November 1984 a case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) occurred in a worker who became ill after slaughtering ostriches (Struthio camelus) on a farm near Oudtshoorn in the Cape province of South Africa. The diagnosis was confirmed by isolation of CCHF virus from the patient's serum and by demonstration of a specific antibody response. It was suspected that infection was acquired either by contact with ostrich blood or by inadvertently crushing infected Hyalomma ticks while skinning ostriches. Reversed passive haemagglutination-inhibition antibody to CCHF virus was detected in the sera of 22/92 ostriches from farms in Oudtshoorn district, including 6/9 from the farm where the patient worked, but not in the sera of 460 birds of 37 other species. In pathogenicity studies domestic chickens proved refractory to CCHF infection, but viraemia of low intensity (maximum titre 2.5 log10 mouse ic LD50/ml) followed by a transient antibody response occurred in blue-helmeted guinea fowl (Numidia meleagris). These results offer the first direct evidence that some bird species are susceptible to CCHF virus infection.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Loa loa and Mansonella perstans filariasis in the Chaillu mountains, Congo: parasitological prevalence.

1934 Bantus and 379 Pygmies were investigated for Loa loa and Mansonella perstans filariasis in 7 villages in the Chaillu forest of the Congo. Bantus were more frequently infected with L. loa than Pygmies (18.9% of microfilariae carriers compared with 10.6%). In individuals over 30 years of age, males were more frequently infected than females. Microfilarial densities increased until the age of 20 years and then remained stable. Parasite load was not significantly different in the two ethnic groups. For mansonelliasis, the microfilarial rate was higher in the Pygmies (67.5% compared with 22.0%) and males of the 2 groups were more frequently infected than females. Microfilarial load was also higher in Pygmies than in Bantus (mean microfilarial densities (MfD 50) 13 and 2 respectively). In the Pygmy group, MfD 50 for M. perstans increased with age whereas it remained stable in the Bantus. 53.8% of the 249 questioned persons had experienced worm migration under the conjunctiva. Both ethnic groups were equally exposed to the vectors of L. loa and reasons for the difference in prevalence of microfilaria carriers are discussed. For mansonelliasis increased contact with vectors may explain the higher degree of infestation observed in Pygmies. Other filariases were infrequent in (Mansonella streptocerca), or absent from (Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria bancrofti), the study area.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A fatal case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Mauritania: virological and serological evidence suggesting epidemic transmission.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a tick-borne viral zoonosis, is focally endemic throughout parts of Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa. In sub-saharan West Africa only 2 previous cases, both non-fatal, have been reported. We documented a fatal human case of CCHF in south-western Mauritania during May 1988 by demonstrating CCHF virus-specific class M antibodies and by isolating CCHF virus. Five of 7 other patients simultaneously in hospital with haemorrhagic fever symptoms also exhibited elevated immunoglobulin (Ig) G. Healthy family members and contacts of these patients showed an IgG prevalence of 36%; similarly 29% of their sheep also had antibodies. A serosurvey of 1219 sheep from 14 widely dispersed sites throughout southern Mauritania demonstrated IgG prevalences ranging from 4.9% to 43.6%. IgM was found in many herds. These observations demonstrate that CCHF virus is enzootic in southern Mauritania, and suggest a recent period of intense transmission in parts of the region.

Adolescent↗