Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level during early pregnancy and type 1 diabetes risk in the offspring.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Vitamin D deficiency during the fetal period or infancy is one of the suggested environmental factors for type 1 diabetes and for its increasing incidence. To test this hypothesis we compared serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels during early pregnancy in mothers of children who subsequently developed type 1 diabetes (case mothers) with mothers of non-diabetic healthy children (control mothers) of the same age. METHODS: Children with type 1 diabetes were identified from the nationwide prescription register. 25(OH)D concentration was measured from serum samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy from all Finnish women (Finnish Maternity Cohort). A total of 343 case mothers and 343 control mothers were included in the study. Samples were collected throughout the year. Samples from case and control mothers were matched on the day of collection. RESULTS: Mean 25(OH)D levels in case mothers (43.9 nmol/l) and control mothers (43.7 nmol/l) were not different. Of all mothers, 481 (70.1%) were vitamin D-deficient or -insufficient. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: No difference was found in serum 25(OH)D concentrations during first trimester of pregnancy between mothers whose children later on developed type 1 diabetes, and mothers of non-diabetic ' healthy' children of the same age. It is difficult to detect possible effects of mothers' vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy on the development of type 1 diabetes in the offspring in this population, as such a large proportion of mothers were vitamin D-deficient or -insufficient.

High frequency of cross-reacting antibodies against 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus among the elderly in Finland.

Since May 2009, the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus has been spreading throughout the world. Epidemiological data indicate that the elderly are underrepresented among the ill individuals. Approximately 1,000 serum specimens collected in Finland in 2004 and 2005 from individuals born between 1909 and 2005, were analysed by haemagglutination-inhibition test for the presence of antibodies against the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and recently circulating seasonal influenza A viruses. Ninety-six per cent of individuals born between 1909 and 1919 had antibodies against the 2009 pandemic influenza virus, while in age groups born between 1920 and 1944, the prevalence varied from 77% to 14%. Most individuals born after 1944 lacked antibodies to the pandemic virus. In sequence comparisons the haemagglutinin (HA) gene of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus was closely related to that of the Spanish influenza and 1976 swine influenza viruses. Based on the three-dimensional structure of the HA molecule, the antigenic epitopes of the pandemic virus HA are more closely related to those of the Spanish influenza HA than to those of recent seasonal influenza A(H1N1) viruses. Among the elderly, cross-reactive antibodies against the 2009 pandemic influenza virus, which likely originate from infections caused by the Spanish influenza virus and its immediate descendants, may provide protective immunity against the present pandemic virus.

Role of the extracellular matrix protein thrombospondin in the early development of the mouse embryo.

The distribution of the extracellular matrix protein thrombospondin (TSP) in cleavage to egg cylinder staged mouse embryos and its role in trophoblast outgrowth from cultured blastocysts were examined. TSP was present within the cytoplasm of unfertilized eggs; in fertilized one- to four-cell embryos; by the eight-cell stage, TSP was also densely deposited at cell-cell borders. In the blastocyst, although TSP was present in all three cell types; trophectoderm, endoderm, and inner cell mass (ICM), it was enriched in the ICM and at the surface of trophectoderm cells. Hatched blastocysts grown on matrix-coated coverslips formed extensive trophoblast outgrowths on TSP, grew slightly less avidly on laminin, or on a 140-kD fragment of TSP containing its COOH terminus and putative cell binding domains. There was little outgrowth on the NH2 terminus heparin-binding domain. Addition of anti-TSP antibodies (but not GRGDS) to blastocysts growing on TSP strikingly inhibited outgrowth. Consistent with its early appearance and presence in trophoblast cells during implantation, TSP may play an important role in the early events involved in mammalian embryogenesis.

A population-specific diabetogenic haplotype HLA-A2,Cw1,B56,DR4,DQ8 is associated with high birthweight in Finnish diabetic families.

Children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) susceptibility HLA genotypes are shown to have an increased birthweight. We investigated to what extent T1D-predisposing HLA haplotypes were associated with increased birthweight. A total of 1255 Finnish children comprising those with T1D and their non-diabetic siblings were investigated. A total of 342 children and their non-diabetic parents were HLA genotyped. Birthweight data were obtained from the national Medical Birth Registry. The population-specific diabetogenic haplotype HLA-A2,Cw1,B56,DR4,DQ8 was associated with high birthweight (P=0.0280) in families with a diabetic offspring. Other T1D-predisposing HLA haplotypes showed nonsignificant tendency with high birthweight. More infants with a birthweight >or=4000 g were born in families with a T1D offspring than in the general Finnish population (P=0.0139). The previously observed direct association between birthweight and T1D risk may be mediated through the modulating effects that T1D susceptibility HLA genes have on weight. High birthweight and subsequent weight gain may accelerate the ongoing pancreatic autoimmune process in genetically susceptible individuals. The high proportion of infants having a birthweight >or=4000 g in families with a diabetic offspring raises a concern of potential adverse health outcomes that high birthweight can have.

Facilitation of performance in a working memory task with rTMS stimulation of the precuneus: frequency- and time-dependent effects.

Although improvements in performance due to TMS have been demonstrated with some cognitive tasks, performance improvement has not previously been demonstrated with working memory tasks. In the present study, a delayed match-to-sample task was used in which repetitive TMS (rTMS) at 1, 5, or 20 Hz was applied to either left dorsolateral prefrontal or midline parietal cortex during the retention (delay) phase of the task. Only 5 Hz stimulation to the parietal site resulted in a significant decrease in reaction time (RT) without a corresponding decrease in accuracy. This finding was replicated in a second experiment, in which 5 Hz rTMS at the parietal site was applied during the retention phase or during presentation of the recognition probe. Significant speeding of RT occurred in the retention phase but not the probe phase. This finding suggests that TMS may improve working memory performance, in a manner that is specific to the timing of stimulation relative to performance of the task, and to stimulation frequency.

Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration with HLA-B, -DRB1 and -DQB1 genetic polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene region associates with the risk for several autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes. An association between vitamin D deficiency and several autoimmune diseases has been suggested. We tested the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations and HLA alleles in pregnant Finnish women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: HLA-B (n=395), HLA-DRB1 (n=501) and HLA-DQB1 (n=475) alleles were genotyped in pregnant women (mothers of children who later developed type 1 diabetes and mothers of non-diabetic children). HLA-B alleles were divided into supertypes that share similar peptide-binding specificity. Serum 25OHD concentration had been previously measured in these women from sera collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Multiple testing was controlled for using the false discovery rate method. RESULTS: An association was found between 25OHD concentration and HLA-B44 supertype (P=0.009); women with HLA-B44 supertype (B*18, B*37, B*40 and B*44 alleles) had lower 25OHD concentrations. No association was found between HLA-DRB1 or -DQB1 alleles and 25OHD concentration. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we found for the first time an association between HLA genetic polymorphisms and 25OHD concentration. In future studies, the mechanistic background of this association and the role of vitamin D in the regulation of HLA gene expression should be investigated.

Sustained human chemosignal unconsciously alters brain function.

The human chemosignal, Delta 4,16-androstadien-3-one modulates psychological state without being consciously discernible as an odor. This study demonstrates that Delta 4,16-androstadien-3-one (androstadienone) alters cerebral glucose utilization both in subcortical regions and in areas of the neocortex not exclusively associated with olfaction. These widely distributed changes are consistent with modulation of an integrated neural network for regulation of emotional and attentional states. This is the first study to demonstrate the effects of a sustained chemosignal on brain metabolism and to show that they are similar to those of long acting chemical substances that affect psychological states. Moreover, this provides the first evidence that a human chemosignal has distributed effects on cortical processes and brain metabolism even when it is not detected consciously.

Improved sensitivity of restriction endonuclease analysis of herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA with polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis.

Polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis was used to resolve fragments of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) DNA, produced by the restriction endonucleases Alu I, Bam HI, Pst I, and Sma I, which cleave the HSV-2 DNA into more than 30 fragments each. HSV-2 strains isolated from different individual patients could be easily distinguished from each other by the endonucleases Bam HI and Sma I. Successive virus isolates from a single person, analyzed using Alu I and Sma I, showed variability of fragment patterns. The effect of passaging the virus in cell cultures for several cycles was evaluated with the restriction endonuclease Alu I. No differences were found after 29 successive passages in VERO cells. Polyacrylamide gradient gel analysis of restriction endonuclease digests of HSV-2 DNA enables the use of enzymes that cleave the DNA into a great number of fragments, thus improving the sensitivity of analysis.

HLA-patterns in patients with multiple sclerosis and type I diabetes mellitus: evidence for possible mutual exclusion of both diseases.

BACKGROUND: Type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and multiple sclerosis (MS), both immune-mediated diseases, rarely co-exist in the same individual or co-segregate in families. HLA susceptibility genes for T1DM (DRB1*0401, DRB1*0404, DQB1*0302, DRB1*0301, DQB1*0201) rarely occur in MS patients. HLA genes known to confer "resistance" to T1DM (DRB1*1501, DQB1*0602-DQA1*0102) predispose to MS. To test the hypothesis of mutually exclusive HLA patterns, patients affected by T1DM plus MS were compared to those of patients affected by either of the diseases alone in a case-control study. METHODS: Blood was sampled for analysis of HLA class I and class II alleles from 66 patients of German ancestry, of whom 33 had T1DM plus MS, and 33 had MS-only. For comparison to patients with T1 DM-only we referred to published data. HLA typing was performed using conventional serology (immuno-magnetic beads) and genotyping (SSP-PCR Dynal(R) SSP low/high resolution kits). RESULTS: Individuals with co-existing MS plus T1DM displayed the expected T1DM associated HLA-pattern (75.8% carried DRB1*04, 69.7% carried DQB1*0302, 42% were DR4, DR3 heterozygous), but failed to display the expected MS associated HLA-pattern (0% carried DQB1*0602, 3.1% carried DQA1*0102). The expected MS associated HLA-pattern of Caucasoid patients, however, was found in the MS-only patients (42% carried DRB1*1501-DQB1*0602, 58% carried DQA1*0102), while the prevalence of T1DM susceptibility and 'resistance' alleles was not different from the general population. The allele frequency of DRB1*1501 was 16/66, 24.2% in the 33 MS-only patients, and 0% in the 33 MS plus T1DM patients. The allele frequency of DQB1*0602 was 16/66, 24.2% in the 33 MS-only patients, and 0% in the 33 MS plus T1DM patients. The allele frequency of DQA1*0102 was 18/66, 27.3%, in the 33 MS-only patients, and 1/66 1.5% in the 33 MS plus T1DM patients. CONCLUSION: These data confirm the hypothesis of mutually exclusive HLA-patterns of T1DM and MS, and are consistent with a low rate of co-morbidity of both diseases.

Poliovaccine virus in the cerebrospinal fluid after oral polio vaccination.

In February-March 1985 an oral poliovirus vaccine campaign was launched in Finland in a population vaccinated earlier with inactivated poliovaccine. During this campaign a strain of poliovirus was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a 7-year-old girl 34 days after she had received oral poliovirus vaccine. She had long-lasting headache, vomiting and fever but no paralysis. This case demonstrates that poliovaccine virus can invade the central nervous system even after a complete course of inactivated poliovirus vaccine if the inactivated vaccine has been poorly antigenic against one of the three types of virus.

Partial RNA sequencing of eight supposed derivatives of type 3 poliovirus/USA/Saukett/50 reveals remarkable differences between three apparent substrains.

Eight supposed derivatives of type 3 poliovirus/USA/Saukett/50 could be divided in three subgroups differing from each other as much as from the independent P3/Sabin strain as judged by partial genomic sequences covering about 25% of the portion of RNA coding for the structural proteins. This suggests that strains designated as Saukett in different laboratories are derived from three separate but related American isolates of type 3 poliovirus. Deduced amino acid sequence of the "Saukett" strains revealed amino acid substitutions at all known major antigenic sites compared with P3/Sabin or P3/Finland/23127/84 strain, but also between individual Saukett strains. These substitutions may be responsible for the known antigenic differences between the studied strains.

Generation of virus genetic lineages during an outbreak of poliomyelitis.

Wild poliovirus type 3 isolates collected during the Finnish outbreak (1984 to 1985) in different geographical locations were compared by partial RNA sequencing. The entire 5' non-coding end and a discontinuous part of the capsid coding region were sequenced from 15 isolates. Combining the present sequence data with previously published data and analysing these by the maximum parsimony method showed that the epidemic strains had diverged in cocirculating lineages. Genetic comparison of strains isolated from a single person often revealed a branched structure in the phylogenetic tree indicating high potential for diversification. The extent of variation generated under immunological pressure during an infection lasting for weeks in one person was high as compared with the observed geographical variation.

Restricted variability of a 17 nucleotide stretch within the 5'-noncoding region of poliovirus genome.

The outbreak of poliomyelitis in Finland in 1984 was caused by a wild strain of poliovirus 3 with uncommon molecular and antigenic properties. We prepared a synthetic oligonucleotide probe complementary to nucleotides 494-510 in the 5'-noncoding part of the genome of a representative strain of the outbreak. This short nucleotide stretch was found to be relatively well conserved within the outbreak and uncommon among 82 independent poliovirus isolates. It may thus be a useful marker for screening isolates to identify those requiring more detailed genetic comparison. The sequences of the corresponding region of the genome are known for 32 separate poliovirus strains and 3 coxsackie B virus strains and show 6 fully conserved nucleotides that could assume a constant hairpin-loop position in a hypothetical secondary structure of the RNA. This could explain the persistence of a particular 17 nucleotide sequence for 40 years in nature in this highly variable region of the poliovirus genome.

Genetic variation in vivo and proposed functional domains of the 5' noncoding region of poliovirus RNA.

Poliovirus has a single-stranded RNA genome of about 7,440 nucleotides (nt) with an unusually long 750-nt noncoding region in the 5' end (5'NCR). Several regulatory functions have been assigned to the 5'NCR. We sequenced the 5'NCRs of 33 wild-type 3 poliovirus strains to study the range and distribution of naturally occurring sequence variations. In this regard, the 5'NCR can be divided into a conserved part (nt 1 to 650) and a hypervariable part (nt 651 to 750). In the conserved part, altogether 234 unevenly distributed nucleotide positions (36%) showed variation. When these positions were plotted against the predicted secondary-structure models, it was found that the existence of most of the proposed stem-loop structures was supported by extensive structure-conserving substitutions in the stems. Regions with conserved sequences, as well as mutational hot spots, were observed. The hypervariable part of the 5'NCR varied up to 56% between the strains studied. The A + U percentage was significantly higher than in the conserved part. The number of AUG codons varied between 5 and 15 in the conserved part of the 5'NCR, while none was found in the hypervariable part. These results provide information that can be used in site-directed mutagenesis and other approaches targeted to reveal the functional domains of the 5'NCR.

Serum immunoglobulin levels in the course of bacterial meningitis in children.

Serum levels of 5 immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD and IgE) were determined at frequent intervals in the course of bacterial meningitis in children. 59 patients were examined; 27 with Haemophilus influenzae meningitis, 23 with meningococcal and 9 with pneumococcal meningitis. All 5 immunoglobulins increased during the 2-week course of bacterial meningitis. IgM was the immunoglobulin class responding most rapidly, regularly and intensively. IgG increased moderately. However, practically no rise of the IgG level was observed in children with H. influenzae meningitis. The elevation of the IgA and IgE levels possibly suggests that meningitis may also cause synthesis of IgA and IgE antibodies. The results of the study indicate that antibodies of all the 5 immunoglobulin classes are probably involved in the defense against the causative microbes in bacterial meningitis.

Arginine/lysine-rich structural element is involved in interferon-induced nuclear import of STATs.

Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) are latent cytoplasmic transcription factors, which mediate interferon (IFN), interleukin, and some growth factor and peptide hormone signaling in cells. IFN stimulation results in tyrosine phosphorylation, dimerization, and nuclear import of STATs. In response to IFN-gamma stimulation, STAT1 forms homodimers, whereas IFN-alpha induction results in the formation of STAT1.STAT2 heterodimers, which assemble with p48 protein in the nucleus. Phosphorylation as such is not sufficient to target STATs into the nucleus; rather, the dimerization triggered by phosphorylation is essential. Although IFN-induced nuclear import of STATs is mediated by the importin/Ran transport system, no classic nuclear localization signal (NLS) has been found in STATs. In the three-dimensional structure of STAT1, we observed a structural arginine/lysine-rich element within the DNA-binding domain of the molecule. We created a series of point mutations in these elements of STAT1 and STAT2 and showed by transient transfection/IFN stimulation assay that this site is essential for the nuclear import of both STAT1 and STAT2. The results suggest that two arginine/lysine-rich elements, one in each STAT monomer, are required for IFN-induced nuclear import of STAT dimers. Import-defective STAT1 and STAT2 proteins were readily phosphorylated and dimerized, but they functioned as dominant negative molecules inhibiting the nuclear import of heterologous STAT protein.

Antigenic variation among 173 strains of type 3 poliovirus isolated in Finland during the 1984 to 1985 outbreak.

Antigenic properties of 128 clinical type 3 poliovirus isolates of the 1984 to 1985 Finland outbreak from 95 persons and 45 strains from sewage water specimens were evaluated using five neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against an antigenic site (designated site 1) on VP1 at amino acids 89 to 100. All five MAbs neutralized the type 3 poliovirus strains used in the vaccines, P3/Saukett and P3/Sabin, but none of them neutralized the prototype strain of the outbreak (P3/Finland/23127/84). Forty-six percent of the clinical isolates resembled the prototype strain (class A) while the rest of the isolates were neutralized by one or more of the MAbs (classes B to D). Although an antigenic drift from A to one of the other classes was observed in sequential specimens from several individuals, no clear-cut overall change in the class distribution was found within the 3 months time span of the outbreak. Homogeneous virus populations were isolated from the sewage specimens using a microtitre endpoint dilution method. The last positive sewage specimens which were obtained in January to February 1985 still had a majority of the class A strain. Some of the clinical isolates were also tested using MAbs directed against distinct antigenic sites. These studies showed that strains that gave the same pattern of reactivity with site 1 MAbs could be differentiated using antibodies directed against other sites. Fifteen strains belonging to different antigenic subclasses were subjected to partial RNA sequencing of the genome region coding for antigenic site 1. The antigenic variation was usually, but not always associated with corresponding amino acid substitutions in antigenic site 1. These results indicate that the antigenic sites of type 3 poliovirus vary extensively within a given outbreak and even during replication in a given host. This variation may have both pathogenetic and epidemiological significance.

Evolution of influenza B/Victoria/2/87-like viruses: occurrence of a genetically conserved virus under conditions of low epidemic activity.

Nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene region coding for the HA1 domain of the influenza B virus haemagglutinin was performed on seven field strains isolated during the 1989 to 1990 season and two field strains isolated in 1985 and 1988 in Finland. All isolates were antigenically and genetically related to B/Victoria/2/87 virus and distinct from B/Yamagata/16/88 virus. The three strains isolated at the beginning of the 1989 1990 season in Turku were almost identical to an American variant (B/Texas/37/88-B/Ohio/10/88) of the previous season, whereas the four strains isolated later in the 1989 to 1990 season in Helsinki formed a new group of heterogeneous viruses. The phylogenetic tree compiled suggests that the two branches had evolved from a common origin, probably in 1987.

Evolution of influenza A(H1N1) viruses during a period of low antigenic drift in 1986-91: sequence of the HA1 domain of influenza A/Finland/158/91.

This study used the nucleotide sequence coding for the HA1 domain of virus haemagglutinin to show that influenza A/Finland/158/91, which represents the H1N1 subtype viruses prevalent in Finland in 1990/91, was a direct descendant of a virus (A/NN/1605/88) isolated during the 1988/89 epidemic season in Japan. The elevated rate of 7.4 x 10(-3) nucleotide substitutions per site per year is discussed. The new branch of H1N1 subtype viruses is characterized by loss of a glycosylation site, which may affect subsequent antigenic drift.