Hepatitis B virus infection is associated with deletion of chromosome 8p in multiple myeloma.

Serological analyses within epidemiological cohort and case-control studies indicate to an association between HBV infection and risk of multiple myeloma (MM). To verify the relationship with an independent approach, we investigated the correlation between HBV positivity and chromosomal aberrations within 680 patients of the National Center for Tumor Diseases Heidelberg for which the serological HBV status (HBsAg and anti-HBc) and FISH data for five gains (1q21, 9q34, 11q23, 15q22, 19q13), five losses (6q21, 8p21, 13q14, 17p13, 22q11), and three IgH translocations [t(4,14), t(11,14), t(14,16)] were available. Deletion of 8p21 and 13q14 were shown associated with HBV positivity within hepatocellular carcinoma in other investigations. In the present evaluation, the odds ratio for loss of 8p21 was significantly elevated (OR = 2.74, 95% CL = 1.36-5.50, P = 0.0048) and for loss of 13q14 non-significantly increased (OR = 1.40, 95% CL = 0.74-2.65) in anti-HBc positive patients. The results provide further support for a role of HBV infection in the pathogenesis of MM.

Performance of MicroScan WalkAway and Vitek 2 for detection of oxacillin resistance in a set of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates with diverse genetic backgrounds.

Of 104 genotypically diverse methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates tested with the MicroScan WalkAway (Pos MIC 24 panel) and Vitek 2 (AST-P549 card) systems, 7 and 6 isolates, respectively, showed an oxacillin MIC of < or =2mg/liter. Most of these MRSA isolates were community acquired. However, if the cefoxitin screen of AST-P549 was also considered, MRSA detection failed for only one isolate.

Are epidemiological data on lymphoma incidence comparable? Results from an application of the coding recommendations of WHO, InterLymph, ENCR and SEER to a cancer registry dataset.

PURPOSE: The REAL classification of 1994 and the subsequent WHO classification of 2001 can be considered a breakthrough of international harmonization of lymphoma characterization, terminology and codification. These efforts promised to produce internationally comparable cancer registry data in the future. However, in practice discrepancies of usage of these classifications occurred which hamper comparability of registration outcome and must be taken into account by epidemiologic research. METHODS: In order to analyze such discrepancies, we used the assignment recommendations of the World Health Organisation 2008, InterLymph 2010, European Network of Cancer Registry 2009 and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program 2010 for lymphoid neoplasms in groups and major NHL groups. We used data of the Federal State Cancer Registry of Baden-Wuerttemberg 2010-2011 to test differences in incidence outcome when evaluated according to the different recommendations of these institutions. RESULTS: Depending on the recommendations of the above institutions, extraction of lymphoid neoplasms provided 4021, 4295, 3873 and 3848 incident cases, respectively. Case numbers for some major NHL groups diverge substantially by recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiologists must be aware of potential discrepancies in coding conventions of cancer registries and have to consider them in comparative data analyses. Cancer registries should make transparent which recommendations were applied for lymphoma codification, currently and in the past. Conversion rules should be offered to ascertain proper mapping of lymphoma entities which were coded under varying coding practices over time.

Association between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and utilization of colonoscopy in the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort.

We aimed to describe the utilization of colonoscopy and its association with sociodemographic characteristics within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heidelberg cohort study. We included 15 014 study participants (43% men) of the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort recruited between 1994 and 1998. At baseline recruitment, as well as in the 3-yearly follow-up surveys, study participants completed questionnaires on lifestyle, socioeconomic background variables, health status, and use of medications and medical services, including colonoscopy examinations. The present analyses focused on participants who completed the question on colonoscopy examination in all follow-up rounds. Our results show that by the end of the fourth follow-up round, more than half of all participants of the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort had had a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy was associated with some socioeconomic and demographic characteristics: a positive association with vocational training level as well as overall socioeconomic status level [International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) classification]. A negative association was found for household size and employment status. Colonoscopy usage increased steeply within the subgroup of participants older than 55 years of age and decreased again within the subgroup of participants older than 75 years of age. Organized colorectal cancer screening should include a written invitation system, to overcome the problem of sociodemographic-related differential awareness of and attendance at colonoscopy examinations. Also, the high proportion of prescreened individuals should be taken into account to avoid unnecessary re-examinations.

The neuA/flmD gene cluster of Helicobacter pylori is involved in flagellar biosynthesis and flagellin glycosylation.

Helicobacter pylori possesses a gene (HP0326/JHP309) homologous to neuA of other bacteria, encoding a cytidyl monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase-homologous enzyme in its N-terminal portion. We analysed the function of this gene, which is controlled by a flagellar class 2 sigma(54) promoter, in flagellar biosynthesis. HP0326/JHP309 actually represents a bicistronic operon consisting of a neuA and a flmD-like putative glycosyl transferase gene. An isogenic flmD mutant synthesized basal bodies but no filaments, was non-motile, and expressed severely reduced amounts of a FlaA flagellin of reduced molecular mass. FlaA flagellin was found to be glycosylated in its exported form within the flagellar filament, but not inside the cytoplasm. Glycosylated FlaA was not detectable in the flmD mutant. Together with other genes in the H. pylori genome, a proposed function of the neuA/flmD gene products could be to provide a pathway for glycosylation of flagellin and other extracytoplasmic molecules during type III secretion.

Rapid loss of motility of Helicobacter pylori in the gastric lumen in vivo.

The human pathogen Helicobacter pylori has infected more than half of the world's population. Nevertheless, the first step of infection, the acute colonization of the gastric mucus, is poorly understood. For successful colonization, H. pylori must retain active motility in the gastric lumen until it reaches the safety of the mucus layer. To identify the factors determining the acute colonization, we inserted bacteria into the stomach of anesthetized Mongolian gerbils. We adjusted the gastric juice to defined pH values of between 2.0 and 6.0 by using an autotitrator. Despite the fact that Helicobacter spp. are known to survive low pH values for a certain time in vitro, the length of time that H. pylori persisted under the assay conditions within the gastric juice in vivo was remarkably shorter. In the anesthetized animal we found H. pylori to be irreversibly immotile in less than 1 min at lumen pH values of 2 and 3. At pH 4 motility was lost after 2 min. However, the period of motility increased to more than 15 min at pH 6. Blocking pepsins in the gastric lumen in vivo by using pepstatin significantly increased the period of motility. It was possible to simulate the rapid in vivo immotilization in vitro by adding pepsins. We conclude that pepsin limits the persistence of H. pylori in the gastric chymus to only a few minutes by rapidly inhibiting active motility. It is therefore likely that this short period of resistance in the gastric lumen is one of the most critical phases of Helicobacter infection.