Intracranial aneurysm as a possible complication of osteogenesis imperfecta: a case series and literature review.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inherited disease characterized by bone fragility due to impaired type I collagen. Although orthopedic management is improving, other complications are poorly understood. We describe three patients with OI with unruptured intracranial aneurysm (IA) detected by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) screening of 14 patients. Case 1 was a 73-year-old woman with type 1 OI with blue sclera, vertebral compression fractures, and impaired hearing. Lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) was preserved (young adult mean (YAM): 86%). MRA revealed an IA in the right internal carotid artery. Case 2 was a 43-year-old man with type 4 OI and leg-length discrepancy due to left femoral neck fracture. Lumbar spine BMD was decreased (YAM: 61%). MRA showed an IA in the left anterior cerebral artery. Case 3 was a 35-year-old woman with type 3 OI with blue sclera, dentinogenesis imperfecta, deformity of the long bones, and severe scoliosis. She had undergone spine surgery and needed wheelchair assistance. The YAM of the femoral neck BMD was 71%. MRA indicated an IA in the right posterior communicating artery. The prevalence of IA in our series of patients with OI was 21%, which is higher than the reported prevalence of unruptured IA in the Japanese general population (2.2%), suggesting that IA may be a complication of OI. Our literature review revealed no cases of OI with unruptured IA, but 11 cases of OI with subarachnoid hemorrhage. IA seems unrelated to OI type, sex, or age. We recommend MRA of adults with OI.

Final adult height in long-term growth hormone-treated achondroplasia patients.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the gain in final height of achondroplasia (ACH) patients with long-term growth hormone (GH) treatment. We analyzed medical data of 22 adult patients (8 males and 14 females) treated with GH at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg/day. Optionally, tibial lengthening (TL) was performed with the Ilizalov method in 15 patients and TL as well as femoral lengthening (FL) in 6 patients. Concomitant gonadal suppression therapy with buserelin acetate was applied in 13 patients. The mean treatment periods with GH were 10.7 ± 4.0 and 9.3 ± 2.5 years for males and females, respectively. GH treatment augmented the final height +0.60 ± 0.52 SD (+3.5 cm) and +0.51 ± 1.29 SD (+2.8 cm) in males and females compared to non-treated ACH patients, respectively. Final height of ACH patients that underwent GH and TL increased +1.72 ± 0.72 SD (+10.0 cm) and +1.95 ± 1.34 SD (+9.8 cm) in males and females, respectively. GH, TL, and FL increased their final height +2.97 SD (+17.2 cm) and +3.41 ± 1.63 SD (+17.3 cm) in males and females, respectively. Gonadal suppression therapy had no impact on final height. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term GH treatment contributes to 2.6 and 2.1% of final adult height in male and female ACH patients, respectively.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) associated with the CD20 antigen regulates the rituximab-induced proliferation inhibition in B-cell lymphoma cells.

Rituximab is reported to inhibit the proliferation of lymphoma cells through an unknown CD20-mediated signal transduction pathway. Herein, we investigated cell surface molecules involved in the CD20-mediated signal transduction pathway by using a recently developed technique named enzyme-mediated activation of radical sources. Using this method, we found that under stimulation with rituximab and another anti-CD20 antibody B-Ly1, CD20 was physically associated with fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) as well as some other receptor tyrosine kinases in Raji cells. However, under stimulation with a noncytotoxic anti-CD20 antibody 2H7, CD20 was not associated with FGFR3 but with the PDGF receptor ß. When the tyrosine kinase activity of FGFR3 was inhibited by the chemical inhibitor PD173074 or an siRNA knockdown strategy, the proliferation inhibition by rituximab was attenuated, indicating that FGFR3 participates in the rituximab-dependent signal transduction pathway leading to proliferation inhibition. These observations raise the possibility that concomitant targeted therapy toward FGFR3 might improve the efficacy and safety of the rituximab therapy.

Spatiotemporally-regulated interaction between ß1 integrin and ErbB4 that is involved in fibronectin-dependent cell migration.

Integrins are widely expressed cell surface molecules that mediate cell attachment to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. They also interact with molecules on their own membranes, and these cis-interactions play a crucial role in integrin-dependent cellular responses. We herein analysed what molecules interact with ß1 integrin during biological events induced by cell attachment to different ECM proteins, using a recently established reaction, the enzyme-mediated activation of radical sources (EMARS). The interactions between ß1 integrin and receptor tyrosine kinases including EGFR and ErbB4 reached a peak at 2 h after seeding HeLa S3 cells onto the ECM proteins. The peak of phosphorylation of ErbB4 (at 2 h after seeding the cells onto fibronectin) coincided with the peak of the interaction with ß1 integrin, while that of EGFR (at 1 day) did not. Accompanying with these findings, suppression of cell migration by a pharmacological inhibitor of the ErbB family receptors, PD168393 and an anti-ErbB4 neutralizing antibody, 12D8 was observed at 2 h after seeding. Taken together, it is deduced that interactions between ß1 integrin and ErbB4 occur in a spatiotemporally-regulated manner, and such interaction contributes to the integrin-dependent cell migration.

Anomalous expression of Thy1 (CD90) in B-cell lymphoma cells and proliferation inhibition by anti-Thy1 antibody treatment.

The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (Ab) rituximab is accepted to be an effective therapeutic Ab for malignant B-cell lymphoma; however, discovery of other cell surface antigens is required for the option of antibody medicine. Considering that many tumor-associated antigens are glycans, we have searched glycoconjugates for the candidate antigens that therapeutic Abs target. To this end, we first focused on the difference in the glycogenes expression in terms of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Akata. Using DNA array, flow cytometry and Western blotting, we found that Thy1 was highly expressed in EBV-positive Akata cells. Subsequently, Thy1 was found to be expressed in other B-cell lymphoma cell lines: BJAB, MutuI, and MutuIII, irrespective of EBV infection. Treatment of these cells with an anti-Thy1 monoclonal antibody inhibited proliferation more strongly than the therapeutic Ab rituximab. The B-cell lymphoma cell lines were classified based on the extent of the proliferation inhibition, which was not correlated with the expression level of Thy1. It is suggested that stable residence of receptor tyrosine kinases in lipid rafts sustains cell growth in B-cell lymphoma cells.

Diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis caused by Epstein-Barr virus in infants.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis (IM) is usually on serologic tests. The responses of anti-Epstein-Barr virus (anti-EBV) antibodies are weak in infants. The authors encountered some IM infants in whom anti-EBV antibodies were undetectable during early stage, although EBV genome was found in their blood. The aim of the present study was therefore to clarify the frequency of anti-EBV-antibody negative IM cases. METHODS: The EBV serostatus of 104 IM children diagnosed on Sumaya criteria was retrospectively studied. The EBV genome in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured. RESULTS: The anti-viral capsid antigen-IgM (anti-VCA-IgM)-positive rate in the acute phase was only 25% in infants but 80% in patients ≥ 4 years of age. Twenty percent of the infants were negative for all anti-EBV antibodies and required repeated serologic tests. For infants, the significant rise in anti-VCA-IgG was the most sensitive marker. Three seronegative infants with IM symptoms, with circulating EBV genome during acute phase, were eventually considered as having IM on anti-VCA-IgG seroconversion thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: To diagnose IM in infants the serologic test alone in the acute phase is not sensitive enough. It is proposed that the EBV genome be evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells when infants presenting with IM symptoms are negative for anti-EBV antibodies during the acute phase.

Monitoring of Epstein-Barr virus load and antibody in pediatric renal transplant patients.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection can lead to life-threatening post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). The aim of the present study was to establish EBV monitoring methods to prevent PTLD. METHODS: EBV-DNA load was investigated, using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and anti-EBV antibody titers, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 21 renal transplant patients (seven recipients who were EBV-seronegative, R[-]; 14 who were EBV-seropositive, R[+]) before grafting. The mean age at entry and the mean follow-up period was 7.8 years of age (range, 3.3-12.0 years) and 1.8 years (range, 0.4-4.0 years), respectively, in the R(-) group, and 12.5 years of age (range, 3.9-17.7 years) and 3.8 years (range, 0.8-8.2 years) in the R(+) group, respectively. RESULTS: The mean maximum load of the EBV genome was 1071 copies/microg DNA (range, 106-20700 copies/microg DNA) in the R(-) group, and 61 copies/microg DNA (range, <50-552 copies/microg DNA) in the R(+) group. During follow up no patient in the R(+) group had any noticeable symptoms that could be related to EBV, but three recipients in the R(-) group developed EBV-related symptoms including adenoid hypertrophy, cervical lymphadenopathy, and PTLD (B cell lymphoma), in one patient each. In the R(-) group the first leukocyte-associated viremia was detected at 30-180 days, and seroconversion at 43-266 days after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Viral DNA detection using PCR is a useful tool for EBV surveillance, but the maximum EBV load was not markedly elevated (2474 copies/microg DNA) in a patient with PTLD. Therefore, EBV surveillance using only monitoring of EBV load in peripheral leukocyte may be insufficient. Histology may therefore be necessary to accurately diagnose PTLD.

[Therapeutic inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus-associated tumor cell growth by dominant-negative EBNA1].

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1), a latent viral protein consistently expressed in infected proliferating cells, is essentially required in trans to maintain EBV episomes in cells. Thus EBNA1 will be an appropriate target for specific molecular therapy against EBV-associated cancers. We constructed a mutant (mt) EBNA1 lacking the N-terminal-half, relative to wild-type (wt) EBNA1, and demonstrated that it exerted dominant-negative effects on maintenance of the viral episome from cells regardless of viral latency or tissue origin thereby leading to significant suppression of naturally EBV-harboring Burkitt's lymphoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Our mutant can act as dominant-negative (dn) EBNA1 and will afford an additional therapeutic strategy specifically targeting EBV-associated malignancies. The similar approach can be applicable to exploit novel remedial protocols against uncontrollable diseases caused by other persistently-infected viruses. In addition, dnEBNA1 may also provide a useful analytical tool for the possible oncogenic function(s) of wtEBNA1.

Distribution of myofibroblastic cells in the liver and kidney of Meckel-Gruber syndrome.

Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MGS) is a rare disorder characterized by occipital encephalocele, polydactyly and polycystic kidney. Early diagnosis is very important because MGS has a high risk of recurrence and infants with MGS are frequently stillborn or die soon after birth. An autopsy case of MGS is presented and the focus is specifically on the myofibroblastic cells of the liver and polycystic kidney. Although routine histological examination did not reveal hepatic fibrosis, a specific distribution of alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA)-positive and h-caldesmon (h-CD)-negative stromal cells (myofibroblastic cells) was observed along the limiting plate of the portal area. Furthermore, myofibroblastic cells were focally distributed along the sinusoidal wall and around the bile ducts in the portal area. In the polycystic kidney, the presence of myofibroblastic cells in the stroma between the cystic lesions was also confirmed by electron microscopy. In conclusion, myofibroblastic cells were distributed in the liver and kidney of a patient with MGS and their specific distribution in the liver may be indicative of prestage hepatic fibrosis.