Milk, milk products, and disease free health: an updated overview.

The cow and its milk have been held sacred in the world since the dawn of human civilization. Indian ancient Vedic texts describe the virtues of milk and dairy products, as is authenticated by modern scientific principles and proofs. Therefore, milk has been considered as one of the most natural and highly nutritive part of a daily balanced diet. Currently, the integration of advanced scientific knowledge with traditional information is gaining incredible momentum toward developing the concept of potential therapeutic foods. Furthermore, new advances toward understanding the therapeutic roles of milk and milk products have also given a new impetus for unraveling the age old secrets of milk. At present, the best-known examples of therapeutic foods are fermented milk products containing health promoting probiotic bacteria. In the present article, we have tried to review the various aspects of the therapeutic nature of milk and fermented dairy products in a highly up-dated manner, and offer an in-depth insight into the development of targeted therapeutic future foods as per the requirements of consumers.

Protective effect of an oral natural phytonutrient in recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a 12-month study.

The aim of the present study is to assess the clinical efficacy of a phytocompound with antimicotic properties (K-712, with the following 100 mg composition: 10 mg of oleoresin from Pseudowintera colorata at 30 percent concentration in Polygodial together with trace amounts of Olea europea) in recurrent vulvo-vaginal candidiasis (RVVC) as compared to an azole drug during a 12-month period: 6 months of treatment followed by 6 months of observation. This prospective randomized study involved 82 women (19-61 years) with complaints of abnormal vaginal discharge and with a history of at least four proven episodes of RVVC in the previous 12 months. Patients were divided into two groups of treatment of 41 patients each and were given: A) Itraconazole 200 mg orally daily for 4 days, then 200 mg once weekly for 6 months or B) 1 tablet twice a day of a K-712 for 4 weeks and then for the first 2 weeks of each month for a total of 6 months. Both groups were then followed-up for further 6 months. Each treatment schedule was well tolerated with only 4 patients in the azole group complaining of transient mild symptoms (nausea, abdominal discomfort, unpleasant taste). Itraconazole reached an earlier symptomatic relief during the first two weeks of observation as compared with K-712 (p<0.05) but both treatments enabled a comparable benefit during the entire treatment study period, afterwards with comparable symptom/sign score (itraconazole vs K-712: 9 vs 11). At 6-month observation, mycological cure was reached by 83 percent in the itraconazole group and in 78 percent of the K-712-treated patients. During the further 6-month observation period without treatment, the itraconazole group showed significantly more relapses (65.7 vs 34.2 in K-712, p<0.05) and at the end of the whole 12-month study period the mycological cure was significantly higher in the K-712-treated patients (65.8 vs 34.3 percent, p<0.05). There was a non- significant trend increase of less drug-susceptible species in the itraconazole group. From these preliminary data it would appear that a natural antifungal phytocompound proves to be as good as itraconazole in the maintenance treatment of RVVC. Moreover, this approach seems to maintain a higher mycological success rate afterwards by reducing the number of relapses and probably of the growth of azole-resistant species.

Different microbial biofilm formation on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement loaded with gentamicin and vancomycin.

We studied the in vitro effects of gentamicin and vancomycin alone and in combination added to polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement specimens on the bacterial adhesion of multiresistant clinical isolates. The PMMA specimens (discs) loaded with gentamicin (1.9%) or vancomycin (1.9%) or with a combination of the two were placed in Mueller-Hinton Broth inoculated with bacterial strains. After incubation, bacterial growth was determined by optical density (OD(540)) and sub-cultures. The biofilm PMMA-associated dye (crystal violet) was measured. Antibiotic concentrations in broth were determined by fluorescence polarisation immunoassay. All antibiotic-loaded PMMA cement specimens released high, inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin and vancomycin. However, differences in strain growth and adhesion were recorded. The clinical isolates Met-R/Gent-R CoNS showed no adhesion to gentamicin-loaded specimens for 24 h; strains with Gent-Intermediate susceptibility exhibited growth after 48 h but reduced adhesion. Some Gent-R strains exhibited growth and adhesion to antibiotic-loaded specimens similar to controls (plain discs). Only the VRSA strain (Staphylococcus aureus 5/7) and Escherichia coli were able to grow and adhere to vancomycin-loaded specimens after 24 h of incubation. The specimens loaded with the gentamicin + vancomycin combination showed a synergistic inhibitory effect against all tested strains (no bacterial growth). The degree of bacterial adhesion to PMMA cement loaded with gentamicin or vancomycin may be reduced in spite of a normal growth rate and is different for the tested strains. The effect of gentamicin and vancomycin on bacterial growth and adhesion to PMMA bone cement depends on the antibiotic concentrations, on the characteristics of each specific strain and on its ability to produce biofilm and adhere to antibiotic-loaded PMMA bone cement.

Subclinical candiduria in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies: a preliminary study on the protective effect of a natural phytocompound.

There is a great concern for the increasing incidence of candidiasis in cancer patients following immune-suppressive, cytostatic or antibiotic treatment. There are cancer patients with repeat asymptomatic recovery of candida in the urine in whom the choice of treatment, if any, is still a matter of debate. The aim of the study is to test the efficacy and tolerability of a natural anti-fungal phytocompound in patients with tumors of the gastrointestinal tract with prior or ongoing candiduria. Thirty-nine patients with operated gastrointestinal malignancies (18 still under current chemotherapy) with a history of repeated candiduria were enrolled. Eleven patients showed candiduria on enrolment and were treated with K-712, a natural antifungal phytocompound. Genomic analysis was carried out on blood samples of all patients on a monthly basis for 6 months. Within 3 weeks all 11 treated patients had negative cultures in the urine (10 patients after 2 weeks), 7 patients remained free of candiduria throughout the study period while 4 required a new treatment course. Three patients had positive genomic tests for systemic candidiasis and were treated with fluconazole. Eighteen (64 percent) out of the 28 patients who were free of candiduria on enrolment, developed a urinary candida infection during the 6-month follow-up and all cases were successfully treated with K-712. Seven (38 percent) of these cases presented a further recurrence at a later stage and all responded to a new course of K-172. No positive genomic tests were observed during the follow-up period. These data suggest that a consistent part of patients, mostly with gastrointestinal malignancies develop urinary candida infection when following chemotherapy treatment. A therapeutic approach with a natural antifungal phytocompound seems a safe and effective measure and a tentative prophylactic approach might also be envisaged.

Protective effect of a poly-phytocompound on early stage nephropathy secondary to experimentally-induced diabetes.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe and life-threatening complication of long-standing diabetes. As one of the main causes of end-stage renal disease, the prevention and treatment of DN in early stage, and the slowing down of DN progression are of utmost importance and are topics of several ongoing research studies. Nutraceuticals endowed with antioxidant-anti-inflammatory properties may offer an opportunity of integrative treatment for this condition. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to two groups. One group of rats (diabetic group) received a single tail-vein injection of STZ compound (50 mg/kg) under light anaesthesia. A protective dose of 0.5 ml of 5 percent dextrose was given intraperitoneally 30 min before the administration of STZ. One diabetic group was fed a normal pellet diet (group A) while group B was fed the diet added with DTS (panax pseudoginseng, eucommia ulmoides), (Kyotsu Jigyo, Tokyo, Japan) in the proportion of 50/25 (percent weight/weight), at the dose of 50 mg/kg/day throughout the experimental period. At the end of 8 weeks, 24-hour urine was collected for the measurement of the albumin concentration: blood samples were collected for serum biochemistry and the rats were sacrificed for kidney measurement of oxidative stress and histomorphological features. Nephrin and Macrophage Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) gene expression were also assessed by fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR after RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. STZ-treated animals showed significantly increased in lipid peroxidation in the kidney and in proteinuria. DTS supplementation did not affect plasma glucose but significantly decreased malonyldialdehyde (MDA) plasma level and the overall redox parameters together with a partial mitigation of proteinuria. Histological analysis showed also that DTS significantly reduced the glomerular volume together with glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis score (p less than 0.05), the latter two being correlated to proteinuria (p less than 0.05). DTS supplementation also enabled a reduction of diabetes-induced decrease of nephrin mRNA expression and a 67 percent reduction of MCP-1 mRNA up-regulation (p less than 0.01). Taken altogether, these data show that, besides the mandatory control of glycemia, intervention with a nutraceutical with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may have beneficial effects when integrated in the mainstream of the therapeutic regimen.

Effect of modified alkaline supplementation on bone metabolic turnover in rats.

This study aims to determine the effects of a high protein diet and alkaline supplementation on bone metabolic turnover in rats. Eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated by bone status, including bone mineral density (BMD) and biomechanical markers from blood and urine. Thirty rats were randomly divided into three groups and treated for 8 weeks as follows: baseline control group (n. 10, C), high-protein supplemented diet group (n. 10, chronic acidosis, CA group) and supplemented chronic acidosis (n.10, SCA). Diet-treated rats were fed an acidic high-protein diet and the supplementation consisted in a modified alkaline formula (Basenpulver, NaMed, Italy). At the end of the experimental period, the rats were sacrificed, blood samples were drawn and femur and tibia were removed for analysis of bone mineral density (BMD) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In the CA group, 24-hour urinary calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) excretion were increased 2.1-fold (p<0.05 vs normal diet controls) as well as kidney weight. However, serum Ca and P concentration, as well as urinary Dpd excretion were not significantly changed. Femural and tibial BMD was significantly decreased in the CA group (p<0.05), but alkaline supplementation prevented such phenomenon (p<0.05 vs CA). These results suggest that blood Ca and P concentrations in chronic acidosis condition during the 12-week supplementation might be maintained by hypercalciuria and hyperphosphaturia at the expenses of bone structure. However, modified alkaline supplementation is able to prevent such derangements.

Redox status impairment in liver and kidney of prematurely senescent mice: effectiveness of DTS phytotherapeutic compound.

T-maze test-selected prematurely senescent mice (PSM) were allocated into two groups: (A) those given DTS (150 mg/kg) orally for 30 days and (B) untreated PSM with age-matched fast T-maze performers as control. After sacrifice, the liver and kidney were analyzed for catalase (CAT) activity, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondyaldehyde (MDA), and plasma thiols. Untreated PSM showed decreased plasma thiols and tissue level of CAT, SOD, GPx, with higher MDA (P < 0.01 vs. fast performers), while DTS (Denshichi-Tochiu-Sen) significantly improved glutathione and cysteine (P < 0.05) and tissue concentration of the above parameters (P < 0.05). Such preliminary data suggest that DTS mitigated oxidative damage in PSM, with likely action on the cytoplasm and mitochondrial matrix.

A dietary supplement improves outcome in an experimental influenza model in old mice.

Twenty-month-old Swiss mice were allocated into three groups: (A) control; (B) infected group; and (C) infected but treated with 5 mg of the phytocompound MMT. Mice were infected intranasally with 30 microL of 75 HA viral units. MMT markedly blunted the nasal signs of virus infection and the febrile response. Formazan-positive cells, lung and plasma lipoperoxides, and TNF-alpha in lung tissue increased during viral infection, but improvement was seen in the MMT-treated group (P < 0.05). MMT also normalized SOD, catalase activities, and ascorbic acid and determined a significant decrease of lung but not nasal viral titer, although nasal inflammatory infiltrate dropped significantly. MMT has potential clinical applications with and has an excellent safety profile even in old animals.

The aging gut motility decay: may symbiotics be acting as "implantable" biologic pace-makers?

Motility recording of small and large intestine was performed in old Wistar rats divided into three groups: (a) standard diet, (b) standard diet plus a symbiotic preparation, and (c) standard diet plus a heat-inactivated symbiotic preparation. SCM-III. significantly increased the myoelectric activity of small intestine and colon (p < 0.01 versus [a] and [c]) paralleling "young" values of 4-month-old rats and increased the spike burst frequency in the proximal-distal colon (p < 0.05). SCM-III significantly increased the frequency and duration of spike bursts in the jejunum, transverse-distal colon, and defecation frequency, while decreasing the intervals of migrating motor complex in the colon (p < 0.01) to "young" values with an increased mRNA expression of VIP (p < 0.05). Gut flora manipulation aimed to modulate myoelectric activity can tentatively help reversing age-related motility decay.

Phytotherapeutic compound YHK exerts an inhibitory effect on early stage of experimentally-induced neoplastic liver lesions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the herbal compound YHK on hepatocarcinogenesis induced by diethylntrosamine (DEN) in Sprague Dawley rats. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups and followed up for 15 weeks. Groups 1 was given standard food and represented the healthy control. Liver preneoplastic foci were induced using the DEN method in groups 2 and 3 (20 rats each). However, group 3 was concomitantly given 50mg/kg/day of YHK. For quantitative assessment of liver preneoplastic foci, the placental form of glutathione-S-transferase (GST-P) positive foci were measured using immunohistochemical staining and image analysis. Treatment using DEN caused a significant decrease in body weight and increase in liver weight compared to the control group while concomitant supplementation with YHK prevented body weight loss and liver weight increase. As compared to DENonly treated rats, the group given YHK showed a significant decrease in the number, size and volume of GSTP- positive foci. Moreover, co-administration of YHK significantly reduced the incidence, number, size and volume of hepatocellular carcinoma. Anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic as well as antioxidative properties of this compound are mechanisms which are likely to be advocated for to explain its protective effect. It is concluded that herbal compound YHK by preventing hepatocarcinogenesis in DEN-induced liver preneoplastic lesions in rats has the potential to a large clinical application as a functional food.

Preventive strategy for Candida gut translocation during ischemia-reperfusion injury supervening on protein-calorie malnutrition.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that protein-calorie malnutrition aggravates the gut translocation of Candida albicans triggered by mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in an experimental model while testing a natural product containing the antifungal anethole/polygodial mixture (Kolorex). METHODS: MFI strain white mice (n = 90) were randomly allocated to a 4-week dietary regimen: (1) standard pellet diet containing 25% casein; (2) low-protein (2.5%) casein diet; (3) as group 2 plus oral supplementation with 20 microL of a 5% solution of Kolorex during the last 4 days. Twenty rats from each of these groups (termed 1a, 2a and 3a) were orally inoculated with Candida suspension 6 h prior to mesenteric IR injury. Animals of each group but without Candida inoculation (termed 1b, 2b and 3b) served as control. A colon permeability study was carried out as well. Rats were killed prior to the IR injury and 3 h afterwards. Control rats were killed at the same time. RESULTS: Over 60% of the mesenteric lymph nodes and 30% of kidney samples were positive for C. albicans in the low-protein-fed rats after IR injury. Kolorex significantly decreased that rate of positivity and also significantly reduced the concentration of C. albicans per gram of each positive tissue sample examined. Protein-calorie malnourished animals showed a statistically significant increase in colon permeability and this phenomenon further increased after IR injury. The groups of rats treated with Kolorex compound showed a partial, although significant, improvement of this parameter. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Kolorex might exert a competitive effect against with C. albicans colonization. The present study represents the first experimental in vivo investigation of the anethole/polygodial-containing compound under the specific conditions of calorie-protein malnutrition and the results have potential clinical interest.

Metal-induced oxidative damage in cultured hepatocytes and hepatic lysosomal fraction: beneficial effect of a curcumin/absinthium compound.

OBJECTIVE: Metals undergo redox cycling and there is increasing evidence of free radical generation and oxidative injury in the pathogenesis of liver injury and fibrosis in metal storage diseases. The aim of the present study was to test a natural hepatoprotective compound in metal-induced liver injury. METHODS: Hepatocytes were isolated from Wistar rats by collagenase perfusion method and cultured as such and also with alpha-linolenic acid (LNA)-bovine serum albumin (BSA). Hepatocytes were then cultured with a graded dilution of PN-M001 (100 microg/mL and 200 microg/mL), which is a curcuma/absinthium-containing compound, or sylibin (100 microg/mL) dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide for 10 min before the addition of metallic salts (iron, copper and vanadium). Lysosomal fractions were prepared for lysosome fragility tests in which beta-galactosidase activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage were measured, as well as oxidative damage tests in the presence of hydrophilic and lipophilic free radical generators. Quenching activity by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was also assessed. RESULTS: Malonildialdehyde accumulation in the medium showed a direct time-course increase with incubation time. Both PN-M001 and sylibin showed a significant protective effect against all challenge metal ions, as expressed by the half inhibition concentration (IC(50)) against lipid peroxidation. However, on a molar ratio, sylibin seemed to be more effective than PN-M001 in Fe-induced peroxidative damage (P < 0.05). Both test compounds, irrespective of the concentration, significantly reduced the LDH and beta-galactosidase concentration in the lysosomal fractions. As compared with untreated lysosomal fractions challenged with the two peroxide radicals generators, either PN-M001 or sylibin exerted significant protection However, PN-M001 was significantly better than sylibin in suppressing acid phosphatase enzyme activity. Both compounds showed comparable and significant DPPH radical-scavenging activity. CONCLUSION: These data support the potential clinical application of curcumin-containing compounds.

Cerebral germ cell tumor and XXY karyotype.

Metaphases from a cultured cerebral germ cell tumor (CGCT) in a boy with a 46,XY constitutional karyotype had 47 chromosomes with an additional X chromosome and a translocation (1;21)(q11;p11). CGCT appear to be nonrandomly associated with Klinefelter syndrome, and a supernumerary X chromosome and trisomy of the 1q21-->1qter region may be clonal abnormalities in these tumors. The predisposition of Klinefelter patients to develop CGCT may be due to the pathogenetic relevance of the extra X chromosome both as an acquired and a constitutional abnormality.

Cytogenetic and interphase FISH analyses of 73 basal cell and three squamous cell carcinomas: different findings in direct preparations and short-term cell cultures.

Cytogenetic analysis performed on 73 sporadic basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and three squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) showed different findings in direct preparations (24 hours) and in short-term cell cultures. Except for loss of the Y chromosome, not one of the other clonal (+6, +16, add(2)(q37), del(3)(q13), add(1)(p31), and near triploidy) or sporadic changes found in direct preparations was found in cell cultures and vice versa. Clonal trisomy 6 found in two BCC direct preparations and demonstrated by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization in 8 other cases seems to be a nonrandom change in basal cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry showed that the cell type investigated was different in the two methods of analysis used: epithelial in direct preparations and fibroblastic in cell cultures. Thus, the results obtained in direct preparations indicate the BCC or SCC epithelial karyotype, whereas the aberrations found in cell cultures indicate the presence of chromosome instability in the fibroblastic stroma. The apparent lack of correspondence between direct and indirect preparations and the presence of clonal chromosome changes in both epithelial and stromal cells suggest tumor cell heterogeneity of BCC. The fibroblastic stroma seems to be implicated in the neoplastic process. This is not evident in SCC, in which clonal changes are present only in direct preparations. The chromosomal distribution of the breakpoints involved in structural changes in direct and cell culture preparations is random; together with those reported in the literature, the breakpoints found in BCC cultures show, however, a cluster to 1p36, 3q13, 9q22, 14p11, 15p11, and Xp11 bands. We did not find any significant correlations between BCC cytogenetic results and the clinical data (site, age, sex, recurrence). The incidence of cases of BCC (38%) and of SCC (100%) showing clonal chromosome changes agree with their benign and malignant nature, respectively. Finally, a significantly high incidence of constitutional inv(9) and dup(9)(q11q21) was found in the group of patients with BCC.

Correlation between cytogenetic and histopathological findings in 65 human meningiomas.

The correlations between cytogenetic and histopathological findings were analyzed in 65 cases of human meningiomas. Clonal chromosome abnormalities were present in 28 cases (43%). The overall female/male ratio was 1.7, but it was 1.1 in the group of 28 cases with chromosomal abnormalities. Abnormalities of chromosome 22 as sole abnormality predominate in the female patients. The mean age of patients with normal karyotype was significantly lower (50.7 years) than that of patients with chromosome changes (57.3 years). The tumor origin was predominantly at the base in the patients with normal karyotype but different at the convexity, falx cerebri, and spinal cord. The five abnormal cases from the spinal cord all showed involvement of chromosome 22. The proportion of chromosome anomalies was different in the various histological types, and a significant difference was found between the meningotheliomatous (23%) and psammomatous (58%) types. The cytogenetically abnormal cases of the psammomatous type all showed involvement of chromosome 22. In three patients with multiple meningiomas, we found different karyotypes in the different tumors of the same patient, which may indicate a multifocal origin of the tumors.

Chromosome changes in benign prostatic hyperplasia and their significance in the origin of prostatic carcinoma.

Cytogenetic studies of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) are scarce. We analyzed primary cell cultures obtained from biopsies of prostatic tissues from 10 patients (mean age: 60.7 years) with histologic diagnosis of BHP to compare the eventual chromosome changes with those reported in prostatic adenocarcinoma. Clonal chromosome abnormalities were noted in five of the 10 cases, with loss of Y chromosome in all. In one case, a clonal t(1;20) was observed with a -Y clone. Different numerical and structural sporadic abnormalities were evident in eight. Chromosome 1 was the chromosome most frequently involved in sporadic rearrangements. We concluded that -Y is a frequent nonrandom chromosome abnormality in BHP in this sample of patients. Immunohistochemical studies showed that loss of Y occurs in fibroblasts and not in epithelial cells; therefore, this anomaly is not related to cancer development.

Clonal chromosome changes in renal carcinoma do not correlate with clinical stages and histopathologic grades.

We analyzed the correlations between chromosome abnormalities and clinical and histopathologic characteristics in 77 cases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Chromosome changes such as +5,+7,+8,+10,+18,+X,+Y, and -Y have been excluded from the analysis because they also occur in nonneoplastic kidney tissue and cytogenetic analysis indicates that these anomalies are not involved in tumor progression. The most frequent specific chromosome abnormalities in this sample were 3p rearrangements, trisomy 17, and hyperdiploidy and were not related to tumor stage or grade or to development of distant metastases.

Clonal chromosome changes in non-neoplastic ureters.

Cytogenetic analysis was performed on 23 samples from non-neoplastic ureters. Clonal chromosome abnormalities were found in eight. They were: loss of Y chromosome, as a single abnormality (five cases) or associated with trisomy 10 and 20 (one case) or with trisomy 2 (one case); and duplication of Y chromosome (one case). Different numerical and structural sporadic abnormalities were found in nine cases. Immunohistochemical analysis and direct observation using the inverted microscope showed that the cells were mainly of the fibroblastic type. FISH analysis with chromosome 7 alpha-satellite probes failed to detect the presence of trisomy 7 in three epithelial cases tested.

Cytogenetic and interphase cytogenetic analyses reveal chromosome instability but no clonal trisomy 8 in Dupuytren contracture.

The results of cytogenetic and FISH analysis performed in 26 cases of Dupuytren contracture are reported. Clonal or sporadic chromosome changes were found in 18 cases (69%). Clonal changes consisted of: +2, +16, -10, -Y, add(1)(p23), del(2)(q21), t(3;16)(p21;q24), add (3)(p24), del(18)(q21), t(Y;14)(p12;q24), +mar. The results differ from those obtained in normal palmar fascia used as control, in which -Y and +Y were the only clonal changes found in 2 of 11 analyzed cases (18%). No clonal trisomy 8 was found. FISH analysis performed in 11 cases (centromeric probe specific for chromosome 8) failed to show the presence of a cell population with +8. Clonal and sporadic structural changes were different from case to case and no clustering breakpoint was observed. The significance of the chromosome instability leading to clonal and sporadic chromosome changes not specific to Dupuytren contracture are discussed.

Large T antigen coding sequences of two DNA tumor viruses, BK and SV40, and nonrandom chromosome changes in two glioblastoma cell lines.

The T antigen (TAg) coding sequences of two DNA tumor viruses, BKV and SV40, were detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification followed by Southern-blot hybridization in two human glioblastoma multiforme derived cell lines. RT-PCR analysis indicated that these two TAg coding sequences were expressed in both tumor cell lines carrying the viral early region DNAs. Moreover, analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and DNA sequence analyses showed that the amplified PCR products are indistinguishable from the TAg coding sequences of BKV and SV40 wildtype strains. Cytogenetic study performed in the two cell lines showed unbalanced changes, mainly gains of chromosomes 3p, 5, 6, 7, and 19 and losses of chromosomes 3, 3q, 16, 9p22-->pter, 18, and 20. Excess of chromosomes 6 and 7 are common to the two cell lines. The putative role of the TAg of the two DNA tumor viruses in transformation and karyotype changes is discussed.