Genome Sequences of Three Novel Isolates of Human Parainfluenza Virus 2 Associated with Acute Respiratory Infection.

Using target capture of viral nucleic acid and next-generation sequencing, we generated the genome sequences of three novel human parainfluenza virus 2 isolates. Isolates ACRI_0185 (GenBank accession number MF077311), ACRI_0230 (MF077312), and ACRI_0248 (MF077313) were collected in October 2016, February 2017, and March 2017, respectively, from pediatric patients with acute respiratory infection in Arkansas.

Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel WU Polyomavirus Isolate from Arkansas, USA, Associated with Acute Respiratory Infection.

We report here the complete genome sequence of a WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) isolate, also known as human polyomavirus 4, collected in 2016 from a patient in Arkansas with an acute respiratory infection. Isolate hPyV4/USA/AR001/2016 has a double-stranded DNA genome of 5,229 bp in length.

Complete Genome Sequences of Two Novel Isolates of Human Parainfluenza Virus 1 Associated with Acute Respiratory Infection.

Using target capture of viral nucleic acid and next-generation sequencing, we generated the complete genomes of two novel human parainfluenza virus 1 isolates. Isolates AR001 (accession no. KX570602) and NM001 (accession no. KX639498) were collected 3 months apart from pediatric patients with acute respiratory infection from Arkansas and New Mexico, respectively.

Thymic carcinoid with cutaneous hyperpigmentation.

Carcinoid tumors of the thymus gland have occasionally been associated with endocrine hyperfunction. A case of thymic carcinoid was initially observed as Cushing's syndrome and was also associated with marked hyperpigmentation. While the hyperpigmentation may be related to the excessively high levels of corticotropin, it is also possible that thymic carcinoids could produce melanocyte-stimulating hormone-like (or beta-lipotropin) material.

Resonance Raman studies of the carbonmonoxy form of catalase. Evidence for and effects of phenolate ligation.

Resonance Raman spectra are reported for the carbon monoxide (CO) adduct of catalase formed from the reaction of peracetic acid or hydrogen peroxide with the azide adduct of catalase in the presence of CO. The expected three normal vibrations of the FE-CO fragment are detected at 1,908,593 and 543 cm-1 for the nu(C-O), delta(Fe-C-O) and nu(Fe-CO), respectively. The expected coordination of the phenolate group in this adduct is confirmed by the enhancement of an internal vibration of phenolate, nu 19a at 1,515 cm-1, and an extraordinary intensity enhancement of the nu(Fe-CO) mode.

The evaluation of suspected ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Normal conduction study values.

Local compression of the ulnar nerve occurs at several points, with the elbow region being the most common. Nerve conduction studies can be useful in identifying and localizing such lesions; however, the specifics of the technique, including normal values, have not been firmly established. We evaluated the effect of elbow position on segmental conduction velocities (CVs), the influence of elbow, nerve segment length on CV calculations, the change in compound action potential amplitude at sites along the nerve, and the use of performing segmental sensory CVs. Conductions done with the elbow flexed produced less segment-to-segment CV variation than those obtained with the elbow extended. The influence of using overlapping nerve segments compared with short adjacent ones for segmental CV comparison is discussed.

Late-onset familial amyloid polyneuropathy in an American family of English origin.

Recent advances permit biochemical and genetic classification of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy. We report a family with the methionine-30 prealbumin variant, which is atypical in late age of onset and the appearance of proximal arm weakness before more typical generalized neuropathy.

Electrophysiologic evaluation of diaphragm by transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation.

Phrenic nerve function was evaluated by transcutaneous stimulation in the neck and recording the diaphragmatic potential from surface electrodes placed at the ipsilateral seventh intercostal space (7CS) and the xiphoid process (XP). Simultaneous recordings from 7CS and XP electrodes connected together (XP-7CS) and each connected to a remote reference (knee-7CS and knee-XP) disclosed that the 7CS electrode was always more active and showed electropositive activity, whereas the XP electrode, which was only minimally active, showed electronegative response. Out-of-phase summation of opposite polarity activity at the two electrodes resulted in a higher amplitude response in XP-7CS derivation. Phrenic nerve studies are useful in establishing phrenic nerve injury following cardiothoracic operation. They may also provide evidence of phrenic nerve or diaphragmatic involvement in demyelinative neuropathies, motor neuron disease, and muscular dystrophies.

Structure-activity relationships of a series of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives and related compounds as neuropeptide Y5 receptor antagonists.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of food intake and energy balance. Pharmacological data suggests that the Y5 receptor subtype contributes to the effects of NPY on appetite, and therefore a Y5 antagonist might be a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity. In attempts to identify potential Y5 antagonists, a series of pyrrolo[3, 2-d]pyrimidine derivatives was prepared and evaluated for their ability to bind to Y5 receptors in vitro. We report here the synthesis and initial structure-activity relationship investigations for this class of compounds. The target compounds were prepared by a variety of synthetic routes designed to modify both the substitution and the heterocyclic core of the pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine lead 1. In addition to identifying several potent Y5 antagonists for evaluation as potential antiobesity agents, a pharmacophore model for the human Y5 receptor is presented.

Nonpeptidal P2 ligands for HIV protease inhibitors: structure-based design, synthesis, and biological evaluation.

Design and synthesis of nonpeptidal bis-tetrahydrofuran ligands based upon the X-ray crystal structure of the HIV-1 protease-inhibitor complex 1 led to replacement of two amide bonds and a 10 pi-aromatic system of Ro 31-8959 class of HIV protease inhibitors. Detailed structure-activity studies have now established that the position of ring oxygens, ring size, and stereochemistry are all crucial to potency. Of particular interest, compound 49 with (3S,3aS,6aS)-bis-Thf is the most potent inhibitor (IC50 value 1.8 +/- 0.2 nM; CIC95 value 46 +/- 4 nM) in this series. The X-ray structure of protein-inhibitor complex 49 has provided insight into the ligand-binding site interactions. As it turned out, both oxygens in the bis-Thf ligands are involved in hydrogen-bonding interactions with Asp 29 and Asp 30 NH present in the S2 subsite of HIV-1 protease. Stereoselective routes have been developed to obtain these novel ligands in optically pure form.

Evening primrose oil treatment corrects reduced conduction velocity but not depletion of arachidonic acid in nerve from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The effects of evening primrose oil (EPO) treatment, a source of gamma-linolenic acid, on the proportions of arachidonoyl-containing molecular species (ACMS) in sciatic nerve phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were determined in conjunction with alterations in nerve conduction velocity. Normal and diabetic rats were either untreated or fed a dietary supplement containing isocalorically equivalent amounts of either EPO or corn oil for the duration of the experiment. After 8 weeks of streptozotocin-induced diabetes, nerve conduction velocity was reduced 16% and this deficit was prevented by either EPO or corn oil treatment. Neither EPO nor corn oil supplementation significantly increased the depressed proportions of ACMS. The level of the linoleoyl-containing molecular species, 16:0/18:2, was elevated in the phospholipids from untreated diabetic rats and was further increased by EPO treatment. These results are consistent with decreased activity of the delta6 desaturase that is required for arachidonic acid synthesis in vivo, but suggests that an accompanying deficit in the subsequent delta5 desaturase-catalyzed reaction may be rate-limiting. These findings indicate that maintenance of normal ACMS levels is not required for prevention of diminished nerve conduction velocity and suggest that other factors influenced by an altered polyunsaturated fatty acid pattern, such as metabolites of linoleic acid or gamma-linolenic acid other than arachidonic acid, the energy state of the nerve or the degree of membrane fluidity may contribute to impaired nerve conduction velocity in diabetic neuropathy.

Cerebrospinal fluid immunoelectrophoresis in multiple sclerosis.

In 95 patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytomorphology, protein electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis using antisera to human serum, Fab fragments of immunoglobulin G(IgG) and to kappa and lambda light chains and the CSF IgG concentration were examined. In the CSF diagnosis of MS, the set of the examinations used is considered to be superior to any individual laboratory technique currently applied in the diagnostic process of MS. In the set of the CSF examinations, CSF immunoelectrophoresis revealed abnormal findings in patients with MS in whom presence of bands (oligoclonal gammopathy) in the gamma-globulin field of the CSF electropherogram and/or increased concentration of CSF IgG were not demonstrated.

Raman spectroscopy of an O(2)-Co(II)bleomycin-calf thymus DNA adduct: alternate polymer conformations.

Bleomycin (Blm) is an antitumor agent which binds to specific sequences of DNA and as HO(2)-Fe(III)Blm causes single and double strand cleavage. In the present investigation, binding of O(2)-Co(II)Blm to a native DNA polymer, calf thymus DNA, was examined using conventional Raman spectroscopy. O(2)-Co(II)Blm is a model for O(2)-Fe(II)Blm, the direct precursor of HO(2)-Fe(III)Blm. Although the DNA polymer retained a predominant B-form structure, Raman spectral evidence was obtained for localized structural changes to A, C and Z-DNA forms. The presence of these alternate DNA forms within B-DNA implied the presence of B/A, B/C and B/Z junctions. The observed changes in DNA secondary structure were attributed to perturbation of structural water resulting from binding of O(2)-Co(II)Blm within the minor groove.

Brain mapping techniques to maximize resection, safety, and seizure control in children with brain tumors.

Intraoperative brain mapping techniques were used to localize language cortex, sensorimotor pathways, and seizure foci in children with supratentorial brain tumors. The methods of direct cortical and subcortical stimulation, in addition to electrocorticography, enabled us to maximize tumor resection, minimize morbidity, and eradicate epileptogenic zones which were always adjacent to, but not involving, the tumor nidus. Language localization was found to be quite variable in the children tested and anatomically unpredictable based on the preoperative neurological or radiological examination. Physiological mapping techniques, therefore, appear to be safe, reliable, and very useful for operations on tumors located within or adjacent to eloquent brain regions in the pediatric population.

A porphyrin-DNA exciplex: resonance Raman spectra of electronically excited Cu(TMpy-P4) bound to poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT).

The resonance Raman spectra of water-soluble porphyrins, Cu(TMpy-P4) and Ni(TMpy-P4), and their mixtures with DNA, Poly(dG-dC).Poly(dG-dC), and Poly(dA-dT).Poly(dA-dT) were measured using 426 nm pulsed laser excitation (and 556 nm for some applications). At high laser power, the solution of Cu(TMpy-P4) mixed with DNA or Poly(dA-dT).Poly(dA-dT) exhibits new bands at 1550 and 1349 cm-1 that are not observed for Cu(TMpy-P4) alone or for Cu(TMpy-P4) mixed with Poly(dG-dC).Poly(dG-dC). These extra bands do not appear when the resonance Raman spectra are measured by a cw laser or by a pulsed laser with low power. Similar mixtures of M(TMpy-P4) (where M = Ni, Zn, Co, Mn, and H2) with these nucleic acids exhibit no such bands even by high power pulsed laser excitation. We attribute the new resonance Raman bands to an electronically excited Cu(TMpy-P4), stabilized by forming an exciplex with the A-T site of the nucleic acid. The minimum lifetime value of such an exciplex was estimated to be on the order of 10 ps.

Muscle pain, fatigue, and fasiculations.

This article discusses muscle pain, fatigue, and fasiculations. Muscle pain and fatigue are common problems in general medicine and in neurology, while fasiculations raise concern about a potentially ominous disease. The author reviews the conditions that cause pain and similar conditions arising from nonmuscular soft tissues. The article includes a general evaluation to be used for each of these clinical problems.

Cable grafting of the spinal accessory nerve after radical neck dissection.

BACKGROUND: From January 1981 through March 1996, 20 patients with head and neck cancer underwent radical neck dissection with sacrifice of the spinal accessory nerve and immediate reconstruction of the nerve using a microsurgical technique and a cable graft of the great auricular nerve. METHODS: Postoperative shoulder function was assessed via a subjective questionnaire, objective strength testing, and/or postoperative electromyography. The latter was used to evaluate for the presence and amplitude of voluntary motor potentials, the presence of fibrillation potentials, and nerve conduction latency. The group of patients who underwent cable grafting of the spinal accessory nerve was compared with a group of patients who underwent modified radical neck dissection with preservation of the spinal accessory nerve and with another group of patients who underwent a classic neck dissection with sacrifice of the spinal accessory nerve and no reconstruction. RESULTS: In terms of shoulder function, the group of patients in whom the spinal accessory nerve was reconstructed occupied an intermediate position; ie, their postoperative shoulder function was better than that of the patients who underwent radical neck dissection without reconstruction but not as good as that of the patients who underwent modified neck dissection with preservation of the spinal accessory nerve. CONCLUSION: Cable grafting of the spinal accessory nerve that has been sacrificed during radical neck dissection results in improved shoulder function in the postoperative period.

Acute motor axonal neuropathy in childhood: clinical and MRI findings.

Clinical and radiologic findings in a child with acute motor axonal neuropathy are reported. A 16-year-old boy with mild cerebral palsy presented 1 week after an upper respiratory tract infection with low back pain, ascending weakness, and areflexia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination revealed albuminocytological dissociation. Serial electromyograms (EMGs) with nerve conduction velocity (NCV) studies revealed findings of motor axonal neuropathy. Spine MRI revealed enhancement of the cauda equina. Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) may be an underrecognized cause of acute flaccid paralysis, and to our knowledge no pediatric cases have been reported in the United States. MRI findings have not been reported previously.

Communications: the driving force behind the accelerating rate of change.

The rate of change of all aspects of the life of mankind on this planet is accelerating at an ever-increasing pace. It is stated that this upheaval is directly attributable to technological changes and their interaction with social, economic and political changes. The hypothesis is advanced that this dramatically increasing rate of change is due to four unique innovations, all dealing with communications. The four are the spoken language, the written language, the printing press and the electronic computer. The accelerating rate of technological change is measured by the rate at which one hundred "technological breakthroughs" have appeared. In prehistoric times, such breakthroughs occurred tens or hundreds of thousands of years apart. Today, several appear each decade. Hope is expressed that this rapidly accelerating rate of change will enable mankind to cope with the major problems of our modern civilization. The problems specifically flagged out are population growth, human genetics, energy and pollution.

Preliminary electrophysiological characterization of functionally vestigial muscles of the head: potential for command signaling.

In devastating neurological disorders, such as quadriplegia resulting from high-level spinal cord injury, it is essential to focus on functions that have been spared and optimally exploit them to enhance the individual's quality of life. It follows that certain muscles, which prior to the paralysis of much of the rest of the body seemed to have no useful function, might be used to provide unique signals to control assistive devices. This report presents preliminary electrophysiological data demonstrating potentially useful myoelectrical signals from 3 functionally vestigial muscles in humans; the posterior, anterior, and superior auricular muscles. In phylogenetically lower species, these muscles serve to position the ear to enhance hearing. The auricular muscles receive their major innervation from cranial nerve VII and should not be compromised by even high-level spinal cord lesions. In this study, it was found that the muscles could be voluntarily activated and, by standard surface-electrode recording, had potentials ranging to 680 microV in amplitude. Posterior auricular muscle potentials were used to command a paddle in a computer ping-pong task that employed a CyberLink interface. The t values for accuracy scores and ball hits were both significant at the p = .0001 level. These facts indicate that the auricular muscles may be useful for controlling assistive devices.