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At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

The relevance of mineralization lag time in the evaluation of histologic changes in renal osteodystrophy.

We examined bone biopsies from 47 patients on chronic hemodialysis, and analyzed the histomorphometric and biochemical findings and histologic quantitation of bone aluminium, looking primarily at mineralization lag time (Mlt) to evaluate its usefulness in categorization of renal osteodystrophy (ROD). The patients were categorized as having either relatively normal Mlt (< 35 days, n = 21 patients), moderately prolonged Mlt (35-100 days, n = 13 patients) or markedly prolonged Mlt (> 100 days, n = 13 patients). The group with relatively normal Mlt showed significantly higher C-terminal parathyroid hormone (PTHc) levels (26,141 +/- 19,270 vs 7,226 +/- 6,073 and 4,434 +/- 4,000 pg/ml) than the moderately or markedly prolonged Mlt groups (p < .01) and was associated with histologic characteristics of osteitis fibrosa or mild hyperparathyroidism (BFR/BS range 0.146-0.947 mcm3/mcm2/d). The group with markedly prolonged Mlt included one patient with classic and 11 with adynamic osteomalacia (BFR/BS range 0.009-0.099) and had greater bone aluminum (Al.S/OS 35.3 +/- 26.7% vs 7.2 +/- 9.0%) than the normal Mlt group (p < .01). The group with moderately prolonged Mlt included two patients with aplastic bone disease (Mlt 80.0 and 84.6 days, and Al.S/OS 100.0 and 72.3%) and 11 patients with features of hyperparathyroidism and osteomalacia (BFR/BS range 0.068-0.243) with variable but generally intermediate bone aluminum deposition (Al.S/OS 22.5 +/- 19.9%). Like BFR/BS and other dynamic parameters Mlt correlates with morphologic types of ROD which primarily reflect bone turnover, but it may also suggest varying degrees of mineralization impairment in a spectrum ranging from high to low turnover types of ROD. Its usefulness in this respect should not be overlooked.

Bone Density↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Current trends in herpetic keratitis].

The virus simplex herpes (VSH) differs from other viruses in that it frequently affects the eyes and because of the gravity of lesions. It belongs to the herpes-virus family which also includes the varicella virus, the cytomegalovirus, zone and the Epstein-Barr virus. The main feature consists of the fact that after the first infection in latent form, the virus remains inside the body and may cause recidives. The type I determines oculofacial lesions. While the type II determines genital lesions. Seldom it may affects the eye in a severe form. In fact there is inside every type a great antigenic variability, with many intermediate forms. The antiviral drugs from the 1 generation, like IDU (iodoxuridine), IDC (iododezoxiuridine), vidarabine and TFT (trifluoro-thymidine) are rather toxic because of the lack in their action selectivity. The antiviral drugs from the second generation, like the acyclovir, have a more selective action. The corticotherapy, locally administrated, is useful in the immunopathological lesions in the recidivated profound forms. The corticotherapy must be reduced at the minimal doses, which should be taken before an antiviral prophylactic chemotherapy.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2005

Photoreversal kinetics of the I1 and I2 intermediates in the photocycle of photoactive yellow protein by double flash experiments with variable time delay.

We investigated the kinetics of photoreversal from the I(1) and I(2) intermediates of photoactive yellow protein (PYP) by time-resolved optical absorption spectroscopy with double flash excitation. A first flash, at 430 nm, initiated the photocycle. After a variable time delay, the I(1) intermediate was photoreversed by a second flash, at 500 nm, or a mixture of I(2) and I(2)' intermediates was photoreversed by a second flash, at 355 nm. By varying the delay from 1 micros to 3 s, we were able to selectively excite the intermediates I(1), I(2), and I(2)'. The photoreversal kinetics of I(2) and I(2)' at 21 different delays and two wavelengths (340 and 450 nm) required two exponentials for a global fit with time constants of tau(1) = 57 +/- 5 micros and tau(2) = 380 +/- 40 micros (pH 6, 20 degrees C). These were assigned to photoreversal from sequential I(2) and I(2)' intermediates, respectively. The good agreement of the delay dependence of the two amplitudes, A(1) and A(2), with the time dependence of the I(2) and I(2)' populations provided strong evidence for the sequential model. The persistence of A(1) beyond delay times of 5 ms and its decay, together with A(2) around 500 ms, suggest moreover that I(2) and I(2)' are in thermal equilibrium. The wavelength dependence of the photoreversal kinetics was measured at 26 wavelengths from 510 to 330 nm at the two fixed delays of 1 and 10 ms. These data also required two exponentials for a global fit with tau(1) = 59 +/- 5 micros and tau(2) = 400 +/- 40 micros, in good agreement with the delay results. Photoreversal from I(2)' is slower than from I(2), since, in addition to chromophore protonation, the global conformational change has to be reversed. Our data thus provide a first estimate of about 59 micros for deprotonation and 400 micros for the structural change, which also occurs in the thermal decay of the signaling state but is obscured there since reisomerization is rate-limiting. The first step in photoreversal is rapid cis-trans isomerization of the chromophore, which we could not resolve, but which was detected by the instantaneous increase in absorbance between 330 and 380 nm. In agreement with this observation, the spectrum of the I(2)'(trans) intermediate, derived from the A(2) amplitude spectrum, has a much larger extinction coefficient than the spectrum of the I(2)'(cis) intermediate. With a first flash, at 430 nm, and a second flash, at 500 nm, we observed efficient photoreversal of the I(1) intermediate at a delay of 20 micros when most molecules in the cycle are in I(1). We conclude that each of the three intermediates studied can be reversed by a laser flash. Depending on the progression of the photocycle, reversal becomes slower with the time delay, thus mirroring the individual steps of the forward photocycle.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1988

Reactivity of cytomegalovirus structural polypeptides with different subclasses of IgG present in human serum.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) has at least 15 structural polypeptides which are immunogenic during natural infection. In this report we used immunoblotting to study the reactivity of each polypeptide with the four IgG subclasses present in CMV antibody-positive human serum obtained from both convalescent patients and from patients with serological evidence of active CMV infection. The results showed that in the serum of patients reactivity to several CMV polypeptides is mostly due to all four IgG subclasses, with IgG3 being the most prevalent followed by IgG1. Intermediate molecular weight polypeptides (namely p66, p61, p55, p49, p38) appear to be the major antigens responsible for the preferential induction of the IgG3 response. During convalescence the reactivity of all four IgG subclasses is evident only against a structural polypeptide of 150 kD molecular weight (MW), while intermediate MW polypeptides show variable IgG subclass reactivity. The presence of IgG3 to one or more polypeptides of intermediate MW might be of diagnostic interest.

Cytomegalovirus↗
PubMed1995

Nucleotide sequence analysis of the apolipoprotein B 3' VNTR.

Variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci typically exhibit high rates of germline mutations that alter allele length and thus are ideal models for examining processes governing repeat sequence instability. We have characterized by nucleotide sequencing the internal structure of the apolipoprotein B (Apo B) 3' VNTR in a sample of same- and different-sized alleles previously associated with flanking marker haplotypes. Significant linkage disequilibrium between flanking polymorphisms and minisatellite alleles excludes unequal recombination as the predominant mechanism of mutation at the Apo B VNTR and is consistent with intra-allelic mutational processes such as replication slippage and/or unequal sister chromatid exchange. Diversity among different length alleles was distinctly polar and was usually attributable to changes in copy number at one particular repeat sequence. Analysis of predicted secondary structures for the dimeric repeats demonstrated a relationship between variability and the potential to form self-complementary intermediates. Preferential instability of the variable repeat: (i) was a function of its location within the tandem array; (ii) was not solely dependent on copy number; and (iii) may be related to the base composition of the VNTR and the degree of self-complementarity between the dimeric repeat sequences. The data suggest that polarized variability may be independent of the mutational process(es) generating length variation at minisatellite loci and suggest a possible alternative mechanism of mutation that involves the formation of secondary structures.

Alleles↗
PubMed2003

[Diurnal blood pressure control in the optimal treatment of hypertension].

Mean 24-hour blood pressure values of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) are more closely related with target organ damage and cardiovascular events in hypertension, than clinic measurements. Both daytime and nighttime blood pressure and short-term blood pressure variability associated with these intermediate and hard cardiovascular outcomes abd should be controlled with antihypertensive treatment. A large increase in blood pressure variability may also occur in the early morning and with some antihypertensive drugs, without a consistent and smooth, more than 24-hour effect. For example, unlike some other angiotensin receptor blockers, telmisartan provides consistent blood pressure reduction for 24-hour, including the critical early morning period.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed2001

Spiniferites cruciformis: a fresh water dinoflagellate cyst?

Palynological studies of cored lacustrine sediments from the late Quaternary of Lake Kastoria, northern Greece, revealed a Late Glacial interval with abundant dinoflagellate cysts. Cyst assemblages include two identifiable species, Spiniferites cruciformis and Gonyaulax apiculata. The presence of the fresh water species G. apiculata is consistent with the lacustrine setting of these deposits, but that of S. cruciformis is anomalous. Previously, this species has only been recorded in abundance from presumed brackish marine sediments from the Black Sea and Marmara Sea sediments where geochemical data clearly record brackish salinities. Therefore, it has been regarded as a low salinity cyst type with a wide range of morphological variation that some workers have suggested to reflect salinity fluctuations. Specimens from Greece display only part of the range of morphological variability previously described from these (brackish) marine settings. Encountered morphological variation includes ellipsoidal/pentameral and cruciform endocyst shapes with rare intermediate shapes, and highly variable septa development. Specimens characterized by extremely reduced ornamentation known from (brackish) marine environments have not been recorded. Our records of S. cruciformis indicate that: (1) it could thrive in fresh water conditions; and (2) that apparently most of the strong morphological variations of the cysts are an intrinsic phenomenon for this taxon, and may only partly be linked to salinity variations as suggested earlier. We suggest that S. cruciformis essentially is a fresh water taxon, and that its records in (brackish) marine environments, with the exception of specimens with strongly reduced ornamentation, may be due to transportation, to short-lived fresh water surface conditions in such environments, or to tolerance of the species to brackish conditions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Functional characterization of the intermediate isoform of the human prolactin receptor.

Prolactin-dependent signaling occurs as the result of ligand-induced dimerization of the prolactin receptor (PRLr). While three PRLr isoforms have been characterized in the rat, studies have suggested the existence of several human isoforms in breast carcinoma species and normal tissues. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed on mRNA isolated from the breast carcinoma cell line T47D, revealing two predominant receptor isoforms: the previously described long PRLr and a novel human intermediate PRLr. The nucleotide sequence of the intermediate isoform was found to be identical to the long isoform except for a 573-base pair deletion occurring at a consensus splice site, resulting in a frameshift and truncated intracytoplasmic domain. Scatchard analysis of the intermediate PRLr revealed an affinity for PRL comparable with the long PRLr. While Ba/F3 transfectants expressing the long PRLr proliferated in response to PRL, intermediate PRLr transfectants exhibited modest incorporation of [(3)H]thymidine. Significantly, however, both the long and intermediate PRLr were equivalent in their inhibition of apoptosis of the Ba/F3 transfectants after PRL treatment. The activation of proximal signaling molecules also differed between isoforms. Upon ligand binding, Jak2 and Fyn were activated in CHO-K1 cells transiently transfected with the long PRLr. In contrast, the intermediate PRLr transfectants showed equivalent levels of Jak2 activation but only minimal activation of Fyn. Last, Northern analysis revealed variable tissue expression of intermediate PRLr transcript that differed from that of the long PRLr. Taken together, differences in signaling and tissue expression suggest that the human intermediate PRLr differs from the long PRLr in physiological function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of volumetric capillary cytometry with standard flow cytometry for routine enumeration of CD34+ cells.

BACKGROUND: This study assesses the feasibility of a new volumetric cytometry system for the enumeration of CD34+ cells in apheresis components, peripheral blood, and cord blood samples in routine laboratory work. This system is compared with the following flow cytometry protocols: Milan, ISHAGE, ISHAGE with 7-AAD, and flow-count fluorospheres. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Correlation, linearity, and reproducibility studies were performed for the various methods. Clonogenic cultures were performed, as an external control, to assess the correlation between the number of CD34+ cells per microL and the number of colony-forming units per microL. RESULTS: The linear regression analysis demonstrated that the five methods were comparable (R2 ranged from 0.86 to 0.96 and slopes were close to 1). The CD34+ assay and the flow-count methods showed poor linearity for CD34+ cell counts below 10 cells per microL (R2 = 0.46 and 0.47). The reproducibility assay for a CD34+ count of 10 cells per microL showed a CV of 12 percent and 25 percent for the Milan and CD34+ assay methods, respectively. The mean CV among all five methods for the 46 evaluated samples was 20 percent. There was a strong correlation between the number of CD34+ cells per microL and colony-forming units per microL in cord blood and apheresis samples (r = 0.71-0.81). CONCLUSION: The CD34+ assay is useful in CD34 enumeration in cord blood, leukapheresis samples, and peripheral blood samples and provides comparable results to the Milan, ISHAGE, ISHAGE with 7-AAD, and flow-count methods. Nevertheless, peripheral blood samples with low CD34 absolute counts (below 10 cells/microL) should be analyzed by alternative flow cytometry protocols. Even though the same operator performed the study in a single laboratory, the high inter-method CV suggests that differences in sample preparation and gating strategy are factors that increase variability. Protocols with fewer intermediate steps or fully automated protocols such as the CD34+ assay are expected to reduced intra- and inter-laboratory variability.

Antigens, CD34↗
PubMed1990

Conditioned reinforcement versus time to reinforcement in chain schedules.

Pigeons were trained on three-component chain schedules in which the initial component was either a fixed-interval or variable-interval schedule. The middle and terminal components were varied among fixed-interval fixed-interval, variable-interval variable-interval, and an interdependent variable-interval variable-interval schedule in which the sum of the durations of the two variable-interval components was always equal to the sum of the fixed-interval fixed-interval components. At issue was whether the response rate in the initial component was controlled by its time to primary reinforcement or by the temporal parameters of the stimulus correlated with the middle terminal link. The fixed-interval initial-link schedule maintained much lower response rates than the variable-interval initial-link schedule regardless of the schedules in the middle and terminal links. Nevertheless, the intervening schedules played some role: With fixed-interval schedules in the initial links, response rates were consistently highest with independent variable-interval schedules in the middle and terminal links and intermediate with the interdependent variable-interval schedules; these initial-link differences were predicted by the response rates in the middle link of the chain. With variable-interval schedules in the initial links, response rates were lowest with the fixed-interval fixed-interval schedules following the initial link and were not systematically different for the two types of variable-interval variable-interval schedules. The results suggest that time to reinforcement itself accounts for little if any variance in initial-link responding.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Epigenesis theory: a mathematical model relating causal concepts of pathogenesis in individuals to disease patterns in populations.

A mathematical modeling approach called epigenesis theory is presented which relates three aspects of pathogenesis to the population distribution of disease. The three aspects of pathogenesis involve how two or more measured variables interact. They are 1) whether the measured variables are related to the same causal action, 2) whether there is only one pathogenic process leading to disease, and 3) whether the measured variables contribute to the same pathogenic process. Epigenesis theory defines the following multivariable relations between two disease causes: 1) "Complementary" causes contribute different causal actions to the sole pathogenic process leading to disease. They have multiplicative relations. 2) "Separate process" causes contribute different causal actions to different pathogenic processes. They have the relations of simple independent action which are slightly less than additive. 3) "Intermediate" causes contribute different causal actions to the same pathogenic process in the presence of additional pathogenic processes where at most one of them may also participate. They have relations somewhere between multiplicative and simple independent actions. 4) "Cooperative-competitive" causes share the same causal action and act within the same pathogenic process. Their relations can change from greater than multiplicative to less than simple independent action at increasing dichotomization points of the measured variables. Epigenesis theory unifies the sufficient-component causes model and the simple independent action model and exceeds either model in the range of observations it can explain. It is most useful given directly causal measured variables and specific disease outcomes, but it will assist in etiologic investigations of nonspecific outcomes in which new disease classifications are proposed. While it is less useful given surveillance-type variables such as age or sex or outcomes resulting from numerous pathogenic processes such as death, it gains utility as more causal variables are entered into an analysis and as more cut points of continuous complementary, independent, or intermediate variables are distinguished.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Primary fibrosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone--a comparative ultrastructural study: evidence of a spectrum of fibroblastic differentiation.

As primary bone fibrosarcoma (FS) and malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) have similar clinical, radiographic, or survival manifestations, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies were undertaken to determine the differentiation pathways of constituent malignant cells. Twelve cases of primary intraosseous FS and MFH were selected for this ultrastructural comparative study and were analyzed for fibroblastic or modified fibroblastic differentiation. There were 4 FS cases and 8 MFH cases, of which 5 were storiform-pleomorphic, 2 were giant cell, and 1 was myxoid type. All FS consisted of spindle fibroblasts with a prominent rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, variable amounts of vimentin intermediate filaments, and extracellular collagen fibrils. The MFH were composed of a mixture of spindle and pleomorphic fibroblasts (8/8), histiofibroblasts (4/8), and myofibroblasts (3/8). Variable numbers of undifferentiated cells were found in both tumors. In conclusion, fibroblastic differentiation and collagen production was noted in all cases. The often pleomorphic histiofibroblasts present in some MFH cases most likely represent "modified fibroblasts," similar to myofibroblasts. These findings support the hypothesis that the fibroblast and its variants are the predominant cell types found in these tumors, suggesting that the diagnostic entity MFH should be classified as a pleomorphic fibrosarcoma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Fas and Fas ligand expression in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) mediate apoptosis of tumor cells in immune surveillance, and expression of FasL by tumors may mediate their counterattack on cytotoxic lymphocytes. Both proteins are expressed in most if not all pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, but their study in primary human tumors has been limited. AIM: We performed Fas and FasL immunohistochemical staining on 81 primary pancreaticobiliary or ampullary ductal adenocarcinomas of patients in our institutional database to determine the extent and strength of staining. METHODOLOGY: The expression of Fas and FasL was compared with regard to clinicopathologic variables, K- mutations, and immunoexpression of HER2, p21, p27, and p53. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Fas was expressed in 19% of patients with strong or intermediate intensity but with variable percentages of tumor cell staining. FasL was expressed in 49% of patients, usually with diffuse expression but variable intensity. Fas expression was more common in women than men, as women had 93% of Fas-positive tumors but only 55% of Fas-negative tumors ( = 0.007), and was associated with strong HER2 expression (67% of Fas-positive versus 18% of Fas-negative patients; = 0.04). Fas expression tended to be less common in blacks (4% had Fas-positive tumors) than whites (22% had Fas-positive tumors; = 0.052). FasL expression tended to be associated with stage 4 disease at diagnosis (24% versus 0%; = 0.07). Neither Fas expression nor FasL expression was associated with survival, a circumstance suggesting that their role, if any, in contributing to the aggressiveness of these tumors is complex.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2004

Lack of support for a role of the insulin gene variable number of tandem repeats minisatellite (INS-VNTR) locus in fetal growth or type 2 diabetes-related intermediate traits in United Kingdom populations.

The insulin gene variable number of tandem repeats minisatellite (INS-VNTR) class III allele is associated with altered fetal growth, type 2 diabetes risk (especially when paternally inherited), and insulin and IGF2 gene expression. Further studies are needed to establish the role of the INS-VNTR in fetal growth and assess whether its effects depend on the parent of origin. We analyzed the INS-VNTR-linked -23 Hph1 polymorphism in 2283 subjects, comprising 1184 children and 1099 parents. There were no differences (P < 0.05) in birth weight between offspring of the three genotypes: III/III (n = 108) vs. I/I (n = 558), effect size, -8 g (P = 0.87); and I/III (n = 464) vs. I/I, effect size, -19 g (P = 0.54). We observed no differences in head circumference [III/III (n = 95) vs. I/I (n = 470), effect size, -0.14 cm; P = 0.31] or birth length. No differences were observed when stratifying by postnatal growth realignments [nonchangers III/III (n = 37) vs. I/I (n = 170), effect size, -43 g; P = 1.00] or by parent of origin of the class III allele (presence of paternal III allele effect size, -15 g; P = 0.74). INS-VNTR was nominally associated (P < 0.05) with body mass index and insulin resistance, but not with beta-cell function, in young adults. In the largest study to date, we found a lack of support for a role for INS-VNTR in fetal growth and nominal association with type 2 diabetes-related intermediate traits.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A reappraisal of early hominid phylogeny.

We report here on the results of a new cladistic analysis of early hominid relationships. Ingroup taxa included Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus aethiopicus, Australopithecus robustus, Australopithecus boisei, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo ergaster and Homo sapiens. Outgroup taxa included Pan troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla. Sixty craniodental characters were selected for analysis. These were drawn from the trait lists of other studies and our own observations. Eight parsimony analyses were performed that differed with respect to the number of characters examined and the manner in which the characters were treated. Seven employed ordered characters, and included analyses in which (1) taxa that were variable with respect to a character were coded as having an intermediate state, (2) characters with variable states in any taxon were excluded; (3) a variable taxon was coded as having the state exhibited by the majority of its hypodigm, (4) variable taxa were coded as missing data for that character, (5) some characters were considered irreversible, (6) masticatory characters were excluded, and (7) characters whose states were unknown in some taxa were excluded. In the final analysis, (8) all characters were unordered. All analyses were performed using PAUP 3.0s. Despite the fact that the eight analyses differed with respect to methodology, they produced several consistent results. All agreed that the "robust" australopithecines form a clade, A. afarensis is the sister taxon of all other hominids, and the genus Australopithecus, as conventionally defined, is paraphyletic. All eight also supported trees in which A. africanus is the sister taxon of a joint Homo+ "robust" clade, although in one analysis an equally parsimonious topology found A. africanus to be the sister of the "robust" species. In most analyses, the relationships of A. africanus and H. habilis were unstable, in the sense that their positions vary in trees that are marginally less parsimonious than the favored one. Trees in which "robust" australopithecines are paraphyletic were found to be extremely unparsimonious.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Preference by sheep and goats among hay of eight tall fescue cultivars.

Grazing ruminants use both visual cues and taste in selecting their diet. Preference during grazing may not be the same when forage is dried for hay and cut into lengths prior to feeding in confinement. Eight cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), previously evaluated for preference while grazed, were harvested three times over a period of 2 yr. The hays were air-dried, baled, and passed through a hydraulic bale processor prior to feeding. Five experiments were conducted. All three harvests were evaluated with sheep and the last two also with goats, using six animals each time. During an adaptation phase, hays were offered alone as meals. In the experimental phase, every possible pair of hays (28 pairs) was presented for a meal. Data were analyzed by multidimensional scaling and by traditional analyses. Preference was significant among cultivars in all experiments. Multidimensional scaling showed that selection was based on two criteria with two dimensions being significant. Sheep preferred KENHY followed by KENTUCKY 31 and STARGRAZER but preferenced against BARCEL. HIMAG, MO-96, and C1 were intermediate and MOZARK was variable. Goats were similar to sheep in preferring KENHY followed by STARGRAZER and selected against MOZARK and BARCEL. KENTUCKY 31, HIMAG, MO-96, and C1 were intermediate. In all five experiments, the general association was positive for available carbohydrate fractions and negative for fiber fractions that contribute to cell wall rigidity.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Postprandial lipoprotein metabolism, genes and risk of cardiovascular disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several lines of evidence suggest that postprandial lipemia increases the risk of atherogenesis, and in each of the systems involved in postprandial metabolism the roles of many genes have been explored in order to establish the possible implications of their variability in coronary heart disease risk. RECENT FINDINGS: This report focuses on recent results pertaining to postprandial lipoprotein metabolism and genes, their variability and their relationship with intermediate phenotypes and coronary heart disease. The postprandial lipid response was modified by polymorphisms within the genes for apolipoprotein AI, apolipoprotein E, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein CI, apolipoprotein CIII, apolipoprotein AIV, apolipoprotein AV, lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, fatty acid-binding protein-2, the fatty acid transport proteins, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein and scavenger receptor class B type I. We also discuss recent advances in the effects of gene regulation using knockdown animal models on postprandial lipoprotein metabolism. SUMMARY: The review discusses several of these factors as well as the potential impact of gene polymorphism on the variability of postprandial lipoprotein metabolism as intermediate phenotypes for coronary heart disease. The variability in postprandial lipid response is highly complex. Future studies will need to be large if they are to assess the effects of multiple polymorphisms.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2006

Genetic variability of Brazilian populations of Lymnaea columella (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae), an intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda: Digenea).

In Brazil, Lymnaea columella is the most important intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, the etiological agent of fasciolosis, which is a parasitic disease of veterinarian and human importance. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to investigate the genetic variability within and among nine Brazilian populations of L. columella comprising 205 individuals. A number of four primers were used for analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Out of 83 RAPD markers, 63 (76%) were polymorphic and revealed 119 unique RAPD profiles. The levels of genetic variability found in the populations were low and most of the genetic variation was interpopulational (81.6%) when compared to intrapopulational variability (18.4%). These results are in accordance with the dynamics and distribution of the populations analyzed.

Animals↗