Fetal growth restriction associated with measles virus infection during pregnancy.

We report on a 28-week infant with growth restriction starting after 23 weeks' gestation because of measles virus (MV) infection of the mother. Histological findings for the placenta revealed extensive fibrin deposition and necrosis of the villi, and MV antigen was demonstrated in the syncytiotrophoblast by immunostaining. The MV-specific IgM level in the infant was negative, but that of the mother was positive. Therefore, we speculate that growth restriction is not attributed to direct infection with MV, but to placental dysfunction due to a decrease in intravillous blood flow and oxygen supply to the fetus.

A special comment on trace metals in the viscera of turbo marmoratus, a toxic snail, on Ryukyu Island.

Trace metals in the viscera of Turbo marmoratus, a huge conical spire, in the coral reef of Ryukyu Island were analyzed. The highest amount of Zn and Fe was detectable in the midgut gland known to be polluted by saxitoxin. This intestine maintained a considerable amount of Si (higher than Ca) which fluctuated in parallel with the taurine amount. These data suggest that the viscera of the alimentary tract accumulate some metals, especially Zn and Fe.

MCLA-dependent chemiluminescence suggests that singlet oxygen plays a pivotal role in myeloperoxidase-catalysed bactericidal action in neutrophil phagosomes.

Bacteria ingested by a neutrophil are located in phagosomes in which H(2)O(2) is produced through the NADPH oxidase-dependent respiratory burst. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) plays important role in the bactericidal action of phagosomes. MPO catalyses the reaction of H(2)O(2) and Cl(-) to produce HClO. The chemical mechanism behind the bactericidal action of the MPO-H(2)O(2)-Cl(-) system is unclear. Bactericidal action may result from (a) the direct reactions of HOCl with biological components (through amine chlorination) or (b) (1)O(2), formed non-enzymatically from HOCl and H(2)O(2), that mainly works to kill microorganisms through bacterial respiratory chain injury. To answer this question, we developed a Cypridina luciferin analogue (MCLA)-dependent chemiluminescence method to determine the rate of formation of (1)O(2) from a (1)O(2) source at pH 4.5-9.0. Using the MCLA-dependent chemiluminescence method, we found that the rate of formation of (1)O(2) from the MPO-H(2)O(2)-Cl(-) system peaked at pH 7.0. Segal et al. (28) reported that almost all Staphylococcus aureus is killed 2 min after phagocytosis by neutrophils where the phagosomal pH is 7.4-7.75. However, amine chlorination by HOCl did not proceed at pH > 7.0. Moreover, the bactericidal activities of the MPO-H(2)O(2)-Cl(-) system with Escherichia coli at pH 4.5 and 8.0 were paralleled by the rate of formation of (1)O(2). Combining these observations and the results reported by Segal et al., we concluded that (1)O(2) is a major chemical species in the killing of bacteria in neutrophil phagosomes.

Alternative transcripts of a polyhomeotic gene homolog are expressed in distinct regions of somites during segmentation of zebrafish embryos.

Here we describe isolation and characterization of two zebrafish cDNAs, designated ph2alpha and ph2beta, which were identified as structural homologs of the Drosophila polyhomeotic, mouse Mph2, and human HPH2 genes, collectively termed the Polycomb group. The alpha and beta transcripts shared a 1.9-kb sequence at their 3'-termini. Alpha had an additional 1.6-kb sequence extending toward its 5'-terminus. Only a short 0.1-kb segment was unique to beta. Sequencing of a genomic clone corresponding to the two cDNAs indicated that the mRNAs were transcribed from a single gene locus by alternative promoters. Northern blots revealed expression of alpha transcripts during the segmentation period, while beta expression occurred at all developmental stages examined. Whole-mount in situ hybridizations with an alpha-specific probe and a probe recognizing both transcripts revealed distinct spatio-temporal expression patterns along developing somites. Alpha transcripts were detected initially at the 7-8 somite stage; beta transcripts appeared in the first somites. As segmentation proceeded, alpha and beta expression shifted position toward the tailbud in parallel with the formation of each somite. Within individual somites, the signal corresponding to alpha was strongest at the posterior border and weakest in the anterior region. Conversely, that corresponding to beta was strongest at the anterior border and weakest in the posterior region. The data support the idea that Ph2alpha and Ph2beta are involved in spatio-temporal generation of somites as well as in specification of antero-posterior regional differences within individual somites.