Electroretinography, Ocular Ultrasonography, and Phacoemulsification of Bilateral Cataracts in Two Juvenile Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) of the Mediterranean Region.

Bilateral cataracts were diagnosed in two rescued juvenile, immature loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), weighing 1.65 and 1.7 kg. Both animals showed vision impairment and difficulty in feeding without assistance. In fact, they did not notice the presence of the food in the tank unless it was brought close to touching the mouth. Ocular ultrasonography and electroretinography showed no lesions of the vitreal body and retinal layer, therefore, both animals were candidates for bilateral cataract surgery. Topical administration of tropicamide + phenylephrine alternating with rocuronium resulted in only minimal mydriasis. Administration of intracameral rocuronium did not improve mydriasis. Phacoemulsification using a one-handed technique was performed bilaterally with a phacoemulsification device (Sovereign, AMO (Abbott Medical Optics®). After surgery, the systemic anti-inflammatory drug (dexamethasone 0.2 mg/kg, IM daily for one week) and antibiotics (enrofloxacin 10 mg/kg IM q 72 h, for 4 weeks; ceftazidime 20 mg/kg IM q 72 h for 3 weeks) were administered. Topical ofloxacin, flurbiprofen and tobramycin/dexamethasone were instilled TID for 4 weeks. Both turtles regained vision in both eyes. Results at a 10-month follow-up were satisfactory. This is the first report of cataracts in turtles rescued in the Mediterranean Sea and the first description of surgical treatment of cataracts in loggerhead turtles so young.

Integration of genomic and gene expression data of childhood ALL without known aberrations identifies subgroups with specific genetic hallmarks.

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) comprises genetically distinct subtypes. However, 25% of cases still lack defined genetic hallmarks. To identify genomic aberrancies in childhood ALL patients nonclassifiable by conventional methods, we performed a single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) array-based genomic analysis of leukemic cells from 29 cases. The vast majority of cases analyzed (19/24, 79%) showed genomic abnormalities; at least one of them affected either genes involved in cell cycle regulation or in B-cell development. The most relevant abnormalities were CDKN2A/9p21 deletions (7/24, 29%), ETV6 (TEL)/12p13 deletions (3/24, 12%), and intrachromosomal amplifications of chromosome 21 (iAMP21) (3/24, 12%). To identify variation in expression of genes directly or indirectly affected by recurrent genomic alterations, we integrated genomic and gene expression data generated by microarray analyses of the same samples. SMAD1 emerged as a down-regulated gene in CDKN2A homozygous deleted cases compared with nondeleted. The JAG1 gene, encoding the Jagged 1 ligand of the Notch receptor, was among a list of differentially expressed (up-regulated) genes in ETV6-deleted cases. Our findings demonstrate that integration of genomic analysis and gene expression profiling can identify genetic lesions undetected by routine methods and potential novel pathways involved in B-progenitor ALL pathogenesis.

Association between magnetic resonance signs of temporomandibular joint effusion and disk displacement.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between temporomandibular joint (TMJ) effusion and disk displacement by means of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-four patients were included in the study and underwent a bilateral MR of the TMJ at both closed mouth and maximum mouth opening positions. The association between TMJ effusion and disk displacement with or without reduction was assessed by means of 2 x 2 contingency tables and a permutation test for a categorical variable. RESULTS: The results showed a statistically significant association between joint effusion and disk displacement without reduction (DDNR) (P = .008). There was no statistically significant association between TMJ effusion and normal disk position (P = .99) or disk displacement with reduction (DDR) (P = .43). CONCLUSIONS: Although these results show a significant association between joint effusion and disk displacement without reduction, there remains uncertainty as to if the nonreducing displacement causes the effusion or vice versa. The present investigation also pointed out the absence of association between reducing disk displacement and effusion. These findings have to be put into relation with clinical and hystological findings.

Temporomandibular joint click sound and magnetic resonance-depicted disk position: which relationship?

AIMS: The aim of this work was to evaluate the agreement between temporomandibular joint click sound and MR diagnoses of different disk positions. METHODS: One hundred ninety-four (N=194) patients seeking treatment for temporomandibular disorders at the TMD Clinic, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Padova, Italy, underwent a bilateral magnetic resonance of the temporomandibular joints. The presence of click sounds was clinically assessed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) and put into relation with different magnetic resonance (MR) diagnoses of disk-condyle position by means of permutation tests. RESULTS: The proportion of joints with reducing and non-reducing disk displacement which provided a click sound during the clinical assessment was similar (45.6% vs. 48.9%, respectively), while the prevalence of the two MR diagnoses in joints with click sound were strongly different (25.3% vs. 40.1%, respectively. Thus, the MR diagnosis which appears to be more positively associated with click sounds is disk displacement without reduction. CONCLUSION: There is a weak form of dependence between click and MR diagnosis, and the MR diagnosis of DDNR seems to be more positively associated with the presence of click sounds than the other categories, which did not show significant positive associations with click (i.e. there is negative association between click presence and normal disk position and no association between click presence and DDR joints.

Genomic expression during human myelopoiesis.

BACKGROUND: Human myelopoiesis is an exciting biological model for cellular differentiation since it represents a plastic process where multipotent stem cells gradually limit their differentiation potential, generating different precursor cells which finally evolve into distinct terminally differentiated cells. This study aimed at investigating the genomic expression during myeloid differentiation through a computational approach that integrates gene expression profiles with functional information and genome organization. RESULTS: Gene expression data from 24 experiments for 8 different cell types of the human myelopoietic lineage were used to generate an integrated myelopoiesis dataset of 9,425 genes, each reliably associated to a unique genomic position and chromosomal coordinate. Lists of genes constitutively expressed or silent during myelopoiesis and of genes differentially expressed in commitment phase of myelopoiesis were first identified using a classical data analysis procedure. Then, the genomic distribution of myelopoiesis genes was investigated integrating transcriptional and functional characteristics of genes. This approach allowed identifying specific chromosomal regions significantly highly or weakly expressed, and clusters of differentially expressed genes and of transcripts related to specific functional modules. CONCLUSION: The analysis of genomic expression during human myelopoiesis using an integrative computational approach allowed discovering important relationships between genomic position, biological function and expression patterns and highlighting chromatin domains, including genes with coordinated expression and lineage-specific functions.

Upregulation of translational machinery and distinct genetic subgroups characterise hyperdiploidy in multiple myeloma.

Karyotypic instability, including numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations, represents a distinct feature of multiple myeloma (MM). About 40-50% of patients display hyperdiploidy, defined by recurrent trisomies of non-random chromosomes. To molecularly characterise hyperdiploid (H) and nonhyperdiploid (NH) MM, we analysed the gene expression profiles of 66 primary tumours, and used fluorescence in situ hybridisation to investigate the major chromosomal alterations. The differential expression of 225 genes mainly involved in protein biosynthesis, transcriptional machinery and oxidative phosphorylation distinguished the 28 H-MM from the 38 NH-MM cases. The 204 upregulated genes in H-MM mapped mainly to the chromosomes involved in hyperdiploidy, and the 29% upregulated genes in NH-MM mapped to 16q. The identified transcriptional fingerprint was robustly validated on a publicly available gene expression dataset of 64 MM cases; and the global expression modulation of regions on the chromosomes involved in hyperdiploidy was verified using a self-developed non-parametric statistical method. H-MM could be further divided into two distinct molecular and transcriptional entities, characterised by the presence of trisomy 11 and 1q-extracopies/chromosome 13 deletion respectively. These data reinforce the importance of combining molecular cytogenetics and gene expression profiling to define a genomic framework for the study of MM pathogenesis and clinical management.