RESUMEN
Mutations in the lysosomal membrane protein CLN3 cause Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (JNCL). Activation of the lysosomal ion channel TRPML1 has previously been shown to be beneficial in several neurodegenerative disease models. Here, we tested whether TRPML1 activation rescues disease-associated phenotypes in CLN3-deficient retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19 CLN3-KO) cells. ARPE-19 CLN3-KO cells accumulate LAMP1 positive organelles and show lysosomal storage of mitochondrial ATPase subunit C (SubC), globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), and glycerophosphodiesters (GPDs), whereas lysosomal bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP/LBPA) lipid levels were significantly decreased. Activation of TRPML1 reduced lysosomal storage of Gb3 and SubC but failed to restore BMP levels in CLN3-KO cells. TRPML1-mediated decrease of storage was TFEB-independent, and we identified TRPML1-mediated enhanced lysosomal exocytosis as a likely mechanism for clearing storage including GPDs. Therefore, ARPE-19 CLN3-KO cells represent a human cell model for CLN3 disease showing many of the described core lysosomal deficits, some of which can be improved using TRPML1 agonists.
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Lisosomas , Glicoproteínas de Membrana , Chaperonas Moleculares , Lipofuscinosis Ceroideas Neuronales , Epitelio Pigmentado de la Retina , Canales de Potencial de Receptor Transitorio , Lisosomas/metabolismo , Humanos , Epitelio Pigmentado de la Retina/metabolismo , Chaperonas Moleculares/metabolismo , Chaperonas Moleculares/genética , Glicoproteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Glicoproteínas de Membrana/genética , Lipofuscinosis Ceroideas Neuronales/metabolismo , Lipofuscinosis Ceroideas Neuronales/genética , Lipofuscinosis Ceroideas Neuronales/patología , Canales de Potencial de Receptor Transitorio/metabolismo , Canales de Potencial de Receptor Transitorio/genética , Fenotipo , Línea Celular , Exocitosis , Factores de Transcripción Básicos con Cremalleras de Leucinas y Motivos Hélice-Asa-Hélice/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción Básicos con Cremalleras de Leucinas y Motivos Hélice-Asa-Hélice/genética , Lisofosfolípidos , MonoglicéridosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the records of the pregnancies of 2283 Australian women with epilepsy in the Australian Register of Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy database to identify neurological factors relevant to the Cesarean sections carried out in these pregnancies. RESULTS: The Cesarean section rate in Australian women overall increased by an average of 0.59% annually over 20â¯years, from 26.0% to its calculated 2020 value of 37.3%. For the operations in women with epilepsy, the corresponding figures were 0.71% annually, and 34.4% and 48.7%. The average annual rate of increase for pre-labor operations was 0.89% to a 2020 value of 39.1%, the annual rate for operations during labor showing no statistically significant change. Multivariate regression analysis identified a number of characteristics of women with epilepsy that were statistically significantly associated with an increased likelihood of Cesarean section, but of these only seizures continuing to occur in the third trimester and having chronic illness, in particular migraine, were neurological ones. In 70 migraine-affected women, the Cesarean section rate was 51.4%, compared with 39% in the remaining pregnancies (Pâ¯<â¯0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Having seizures in the final trimester of pregnancy and having chronic neurological illness, especially migraine, favored Cesarean section being carried out in Australian women with epilepsy, but did not adequately account for the increasing rates of occurrence of the operation over the past 20â¯years.
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Epilepsia , Trastornos Migrañosos , Australia/epidemiología , Cesárea/efectos adversos , Epilepsia/complicaciones , Epilepsia/epidemiología , Femenino , Humanos , Trastornos Migrañosos/epidemiología , Embarazo , ConvulsionesRESUMEN
The advent of costimulation blockade provides the prospect for targeted therapy with improved graft survival in transplant patients. Perhaps the most effective costimulation blockade in experimental models is the use of reagents to block the CD40/CD154 pathway. Unfortunately, successful clinical translation of anti-CD154 therapy has not been achieved. In an attempt to develop an agent that is as effective as previous CD154 blocking antibodies but lacks the risk of thromboembolism, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of a novel anti-human CD154 domain antibody (dAb, BMS-986004). The anti-CD154 dAb effectively blocked CD40-CD154 interactions but lacked crystallizable fragment (Fc) binding activity and resultant platelet activation. In a nonhuman primate kidney transplant model, anti-CD154 dAb was safe and efficacious, significantly prolonging allograft survival without evidence of thromboembolism (Median survival time 103 days). The combination of anti-CD154 dAb and conventional immunosuppression synergized to effectively control allograft rejection (Median survival time 397 days). Furthermore, anti-CD154 dAb treatment increased the frequency of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. This study demonstrates that the use of a novel anti-CD154 dAb that lacks Fc binding activity is safe without evidence of thromboembolism and is equally as potent as previous anti-CD154 agents at prolonging renal allograft survival in a nonhuman primate preclinical model.
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Anticuerpos Monoclonales/farmacología , Ligando de CD40/inmunología , Rechazo de Injerto/prevención & control , Supervivencia de Injerto/inmunología , Inmunoglobulina G/inmunología , Trasplante de Riñón/efectos adversos , Animales , Tasa de Filtración Glomerular , Rechazo de Injerto/etiología , Supervivencia de Injerto/efectos de los fármacos , Pruebas de Función Renal , Primates , Factores de Riesgo , Linfocitos T Reguladores/inmunología , Inmunología del TrasplanteRESUMEN
The International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC) developed high throughput gene trapping and gene targeting pipelines that produced mostly conditional mutations of more than 18,500 genes in C57BL/6N mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells which have been archived and are freely available to the research community as a frozen resource. From this unprecedented resource more than 6,000 mutant mouse strains have been produced by the IKMC and mostly the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC). In addition, a cre-driver resource was established including 250 inducible cre-driver mouse strains in a C57BL/6 background. Complementing the cre-driver resource, a collection of comprising 27 cre-driver rAAVs has also been produced. The resources can be easily accessed at the IKMC/IMPC web portal (www.mousephenotype.org). The IKMC/IMPC resource is a standardized reference library of mouse models with defined genetic backgrounds that enables the analysis of gene-disease associations in mice of different genetic makeup and should therefore have a major impact on biomedical research.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Besides an improvement in quality of life, one of the major targets of rehabilitation programmes is to preserve the ability to work and to integrate the patient into working life again. Cancer in particular is often associated with a loss of employment and joblessness, frequently caused by incomplete rehabilitation. METHODS: The programme is aimed at young cancer patients aged between 18 and 40 years. In addition to medical rehabilitation, they undergo a specially developed programme which they complete in groups of no more than 5 persons. At baseline and at the end of the 3 weeks rehabilitation, tests on physical and mental capacity are conducted. During rehabilitation, different training programmes concerning mobility at work, fine motor skills and cognitive abilities are held, complemented by an intensive psycho-social training programme. Additionally, patients receive individual social counselling. RESULTS: So far, 34 patients with an average age of 31.8 years have participated in the programme, 65% of them suffering from malignant haematological diseases. The combination of a medical and a vocational rehabilitation programme was judged extremely positively by the participants, which remained the case 6 months after completion of the programme. The rehabilitation programme significantly reduced work incapacity periods: at baseline, only 6% of the participants had not experienced such periods, but after 3 and 6 months, this rate had increased to 61% and 62% respectively. This was accompanied by an increased health-related quality of life and reduced fatigue. CONCLUSION: With our pilot project we were able to show that such a programme is feasible, can be well integrated into clinical routine and is successful.
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Evaluación de la Discapacidad , Neoplasias/rehabilitación , Rehabilitación Vocacional/psicología , Adulto , Terapia Combinada , Fatiga/psicología , Fatiga/rehabilitación , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Neoplasias/psicología , Psicoterapia , Calidad de Vida/psicología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Several genetic diseases are triggered by nonsense mutations leading to the formation of truncated and defective proteins. Aminoglycosides have the capability to mediate a bypass of stop mutations during translation thus resulting in a rescue of protein expression. So far no attention has been directed to obesity-associated stop mutations as targets for nonsense suppression. Herein, we focus on the characterization of the melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R) nonsense allele W16X identified in obese subjects. Cell culture assays revealed a loss-of-function of Mc4r(X16) characterized by impaired surface expression and defect signaling. The aminoglycoside G-418 restored Mc4r(X16) function in vitro demonstrating that Mc4r(X16) is susceptible to nonsense suppression. For the evaluation of nonsense suppression in vivo, we generated a Mc4r(X16) knock-in mouse line by gene targeting. Mc4r(X16) knock-in mice developed hyperphagia, impaired glucose tolerance, severe obesity and an increased body length demonstrating that this new mouse model resembles typical characteristics of Mc4r deficiency. In a first therapeutic trial, the aminoglycosides gentamicin and amikacin induced no amelioration of obesity. Further experiments with Mc4r(X16) knock-in mice will be instrumental to establish nonsense suppression for Mc4r as an obesity-associated target gene expressed in the central nervous system.
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Codón sin Sentido , Receptor de Melanocortina Tipo 4/genética , Receptor de Melanocortina Tipo 4/metabolismo , Aminoglicósidos/genética , Aminoglicósidos/metabolismo , Animales , Composición Corporal/genética , Temperatura Corporal/genética , Peso Corporal/genética , Células COS , Línea Celular , Chlorocebus aethiops , Ingestión de Energía/genética , Expresión Génica/genética , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Hipotálamo/metabolismo , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Obesidad/genética , Obesidad/metabolismoRESUMEN
The evidence-based review (EBR) process has been widely used to develop standards for medical decision-making and to explore complex clinical questions. This approach can be applied to genetic tests, such as chromosomal microarrays, in order to assist in the clinical interpretation of certain copy number variants (CNVs), particularly those that are rare, and guide array design for optimal clinical utility. To address these issues, the International Standards for Cytogenomic Arrays Consortium has established an EBR Work Group charged with building a framework to systematically assess the potential clinical relevance of CNVs throughout the genome. This group has developed a rating system enumerating the evidence supporting or refuting dosage sensitivity for individual genes and regions that considers the following criteria: number of causative mutations reported; patterns of inheritance; consistency of phenotype; evidence from large-scale case-control studies; mutational mechanisms; data from public genome variation databases; and expert consensus opinion. The system is designed to be dynamic in nature, with regions being reevaluated periodically to incorporate emerging evidence. The evidence collected will be displayed within a publically available database, and can be used in part to inform clinical laboratory CNV interpretations as well as to guide array design.
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Variaciones en el Número de Copia de ADN/genética , Medicina Basada en la Evidencia , Dosificación de Gen , Genoma Humano , Humanos , FenotipoRESUMEN
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare the pharmacokinetics (PK) of tobramycin in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) before and after bilateral lung transplantation, in order to evaluate optimal dosing practices post transplant. DESIGN: Retrospective, single-center, chart review study, in which tobramycin concentrations from CF patients were used to calculate PK parameters, including elimination rate constant, half-life, volume of distribution (Vd), area under the curve (AUC), and clearance before and after lung transplantation. SETTING: Medical school-affiliated teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Eight patients with CF, who received a bilateral lung transplant from January 1, 2005 through August 1, 2009 (4 males, 4 females; mean age 26.3 years). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN RESULTS: Sixty-nine sets of pre- (n=52) and post transplant (n=17) tobramycin concentrations were available. PK parameters were significantly altered post transplant. Elimination rate constant decreased 38% from 0.26±0.1 to 0.16±0.1 h(-1) (P<0.001), with a related increase of 200% in half-life from 2.8±0.8 to 8.4±8.7 h (P<0.001). Clearance decreased 25% post transplant from 67.3±32.3 to 50.2±15.9 mL/min (P=0.04). No statistically significant change occurred in AUC or Vd after transplant, although a trend was seen toward increased Vd. Dosage requirements after transplantation were significantly lower, 10.7±2.5 and 7.6±1.6 mg/kg/day, pre and post transplant, respectively (P<0.001). Concentrations were also evaluated in 2 time periods: 0-3 weeks and ≥6 weeks post transplant, based on available data. Clearance and Vd ≥6 weeks post transplant did not significantly differ from pre-transplant values (P=0.28 and 0.54, respectively), suggesting that these changes may be temporary. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that tobramycin PK are altered in patients with CF after bilateral lung transplantation, although no clear trend was seen owing to inter-patient variability. We propose that PK parameters should be reassessed during each treatment course post transplant.
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Antibacterianos/farmacocinética , Fibrosis Quística/tratamiento farmacológico , Fibrosis Quística/cirugía , Trasplante de Pulmón/fisiología , Tobramicina/farmacocinética , Adulto , Antibacterianos/administración & dosificación , Femenino , Hospitales de Enseñanza , Humanos , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tobramicina/administración & dosificaciónAsunto(s)
Enteroscopía de Doble Balón , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/etiología , Neoplasias del Íleon/complicaciones , Neoplasias del Íleon/cirugía , Tumores Neuroendocrinos/complicaciones , Tumores Neuroendocrinos/cirugía , Femenino , Humanos , Neoplasias del Íleon/diagnóstico , Persona de Mediana Edad , Tumores Neuroendocrinos/diagnósticoRESUMEN
It is notoriously difficult to grow membrane protein crystals and solve membrane protein structures. Improved detection and screening of membrane protein crystals are needed. We have shown here that second-order nonlinear optical imaging of chiral crystals based on second harmonic generation can provide sensitive and selective detection of two-dimensional protein crystalline arrays with sufficiently low background to enable crystal detection within the membranes of live cells. The method was validated using bacteriorhodopsin crystals generated in live Halobacterium halobium bacteria and confirmed by electron microscopy from the isolated crystals. Additional studies of alphavirus glycoproteins indicated the presence of localized crystalline domains associated with virus budding from mammalian cells. These results suggest that in vivo crystallization may provide a means for expediting membrane protein structure determination for proteins exhibiting propensities for two-dimensional crystal formation.
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Bacteriorodopsinas/química , Halobacterium salinarum/química , Halobacterium salinarum/citología , Animales , Línea Celular , Supervivencia Celular , Cristalización , Halobacterium salinarum/crecimiento & desarrollo , Fotones , Membrana Púrpura/metabolismo , Espectrometría de FluorescenciaRESUMEN
Balb/cJ mice infected in the peritoneal cavity with larval Taenia crassiceps fail to mount a protective immune response. In mice, inflammatory immune responses are believed to control larval reproduction, whereas antibody-mediated responses are believed to be permissive. In the present study, mice were treated with CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG) to determine whether stimulation of the innate inflammatory response would confer increased resistance to larval growth. Female mice treated with CpG displayed a decrease in mean parasite burden by 54%, while male mice displayed a 73% reduction. Moreover, 5 of 12 CpG-treated male mice completely eliminated all larvae by 9 wk post-infection. In contrast, no female animals were found to be infection free. CpG treatment induced an increase in the transcript levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) from splenocytes and resulted in elevated levels of the proinflammatory molecules monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, MCP-3, and interleukin-6 at the site of infection. Additionally, CpG administration induced the enhanced recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages to the site of infection. The finding that both neutrophils and macrophages were recruited in significantly higher numbers in the male host as compared to the female host may explain the increased level of protection realized in male animals in response to CpG treatment.
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Cisticercosis/inmunología , Cysticercus/inmunología , Citocinas/metabolismo , Oligodesoxirribonucleótidos/inmunología , Análisis de Varianza , Animales , Cisticercosis/prevención & control , Cysticercus/crecimiento & desarrollo , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Interacciones Huésped-Parásitos/inmunología , Inmunidad Celular , Inmunofenotipificación , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Neutrófilos/metabolismo , Cavidad Peritoneal/parasitología , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Factores SexualesRESUMEN
The purpose of this study is to report our method in detecting prostate cancer (PCa) using an 18-core transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) prostate biopsy (PB) schema, in combination with additional targeted cores from suspicious images in conventional (e-cMRI) and functional (e-fMRI) endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (e-MRI) of the prostate. From 2004 to 2008, 260 consecutive patients with a clinical suspicion of PCa underwent PB and were prospectively studied. e-cMRI and e-fMRI was performed in all patients before PB. The patients were divided into two groups (A and B) according to the results of their radiological findings (group A=suspicious findings, group B=non-suspicious findings). After the images were processed, an 18-core TRUS-guided PB was performed. When a patient exhibited a suspicious site on e-cMRI and e-fMRI images, three additional targeted PBs were obtained from that site. In group A, 17.5% of PCa was detected by the 18-core PB and 56.5% of PCa was detected by the targeted cores. The overall PCa detection rate (18+targeted cores) was 73.9%. The overall specificity was 73.9%. In group B, overall false-positive detection rate reached 19.2%, with the overall sensitivity being 80.8%. The method described above is not only practical but also a promising modality in PCa detection. As seen, PCa was optimally detected when combining the 18-core and targeted-core PB schema together. Non-suspicious images do not rule out the probability of PCa, thus justifying a PB in these patients as well.
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Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Próstata/patología , Neoplasias de la Próstata/diagnóstico , Ultrasonido Enfocado Transrectal de Alta Intensidad/métodos , Anciano , Biopsia con Aguja/métodos , Reacciones Falso Positivas , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Prospectivos , Próstata/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias de la Próstata/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias de la Próstata/patología , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , UltrasonografíaRESUMEN
Flavivirus assembles into an inert particle that requires proteolytic activation by furin to enable transmission to other hosts. We previously showed that immature virus undergoes a conformational change at low pH that renders it accessible to furin (I. M. Yu, W. Zhang, H. A. Holdaway, L. Li, V. A. Kostyuchenko, P. R. Chipman, R. J. Kuhn, M. G. Rossmann, and J. Chen, Science 319:1834-1837, 2008). Here we show, using cryoelectron microscopy, that the structure of immature dengue virus at pH 6.0 is essentially the same before and after the cleavage of prM. The structure shows that after cleavage, the proteolytic product pr remains associated with the virion at acidic pH, and that furin cleavage by itself does not induce any major conformational changes. We also show by liposome cofloatation experiments that pr retention prevents membrane insertion, suggesting that pr is present on the virion in the trans-Golgi network to protect the progeny virus from fusion within the host cell.
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Virus del Dengue/fisiología , Furina/metabolismo , Ensamble de Virus , Internalización del Virus , Animales , Línea Celular , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Culicidae , Virus del Dengue/ultraestructura , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Modelos Biológicos , Modelos MolecularesRESUMEN
A male patient who had suffered from alcohol dependence for several years was transferred to the Magdeburg University Hospital with signs of sepsis. The main cause for this was a previously unsuccessfully treated acute episode of chronic pancreatitis. Diagnostic imaging showed a distended ascending abscess extending above the larynx. During interdisciplinary emergency surgery, the neck, mediastinum and abdomen were drained and the pancreatic abscess removed. Under drainage, antibiotic therapy and parenteral nutrition the patient made a full recovery.
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Drenaje , Mediastinitis/etiología , Mediastinitis/cirugía , Pancreatitis/complicaciones , Pancreatitis/cirugía , Faringitis/etiología , Faringitis/cirugía , Humanos , Masculino , Mediastinitis/diagnóstico , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pancreatitis/diagnóstico , Faringitis/diagnóstico , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Although the role of emergency esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy for upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is well defined, there are no data on the concept of emergency double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) for small-bowel bleeding. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the concept of emergency DBE in overt obscure GIB and assess its impact on patient management. A total of 17 emergency DBEs for overt obscure GIB were carried out in ten patients (six women, four men; mean age 68 years, range 35 - 83). The following diagnoses were made: actively bleeding Dieulafoy lesions of the small bowel, n = 2; bleeding tumors, n = 4 (carcinoids n = 2, adenocarcinoma n = 1, lipoma n = 1); bleeding angiodysplasias and/or large arteriovenous malformation (AVM), n = 2; multiple ulcers, n = 1; and no diagnosis, n = 1. Endoscopic therapies included argon plasma coagulation (n = 6), injection of epinephrine (n = 3), and use of fibrin glue (n = 1). It appears that emergency DBE is technically feasible, facilitates both diagnosis and therapy and enables management of patients with massive overt obscure GIB. This study is a first step in establishing the concept of emergency DBE for patients with suspected small-bowel bleeding.
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Cateterismo/métodos , Tratamiento de Urgencia , Endoscopía Gastrointestinal/métodos , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/terapia , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Estudios de Factibilidad , Femenino , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/diagnóstico , Humanos , Intestino Delgado/patología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Serine/threonine phosphorylation of the nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) is a conserved feature of flaviviruses, but the kinase(s) responsible and function(s) remain unknown. Mass spectrometry was used to compare the phosphorylation sites of the NS5 proteins of yellow fever virus (YFV) and dengue virus (DENV), two flaviviruses transmitted by mosquitoes. Seven DENV phosphopeptides were identified, but only one conserved phosphoacceptor site (threonine 449 in DENV) was identified in both viruses. This site is predicted to be a protein kinase G (PKG) recognition site and is a strictly conserved serine/threonine phosphoacceptor site in mosquito-borne flaviviruses. In contrast, in tick-borne flaviviruses, this residue is typically a histidine. A DENV replicon engineered to have the tick-specific histidine residue at this position is replication defective. We show that DENV NS5 purified from Escherichia coli is a substrate for PKG in vitro and facilitates the autophosphorylation of PKG as seen with cellular substrates. Phosphorylation in vitro by PKG also occurs at threonine 449. Activators and inhibitors of PKG modulate DENV replication in cell culture but not replication of the tick-borne langat virus. Collectively, these data argue that PKG mediates a conserved serine/threonine phosphorylation event specifically for flaviviruses spread by mosquitoes.
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Chlorocebus aethiops/virología , Proteínas Quinasas Dependientes de GMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Flavivirus/química , Proteínas no Estructurales Virales/metabolismo , Animales , Virus del Dengue , Histidina/genética , Espectrometría de Masas , Fosforilación , Serina/metabolismo , Treonina/metabolismo , Garrapatas/virología , Replicación Viral , Virus de la Fiebre AmarillaRESUMEN
The UCSC Genome Browser Database (GBD, http://genome.ucsc.edu) is a publicly available collection of genome assembly sequence data and integrated annotations for a large number of organisms, including extensive comparative-genomic resources. In the past year, 13 new genome assemblies have been added, including two important primate species, orangutan and marmoset, bringing the total to 46 assemblies for 24 different vertebrates and 39 assemblies for 22 different invertebrate animals. The GBD datasets may be viewed graphically with the UCSC Genome Browser, which uses a coordinate-based display system allowing users to juxtapose a wide variety of data. These data include all mRNAs from GenBank mapped to all organisms, RefSeq alignments, gene predictions, regulatory elements, gene expression data, repeats, SNPs and other variation data, as well as pairwise and multiple-genome alignments. A variety of other bioinformatics tools are also provided, including BLAT, the Table Browser, the Gene Sorter, the Proteome Browser, VisiGene and Genome Graphs.
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Bases de Datos de Ácidos Nucleicos , Genómica , Animales , Mapeo Cromosómico , Gráficos por Computador , Expresión Génica , Variación Genética , Humanos , ARN Mensajero/química , Programas Informáticos , Interfaz Usuario-ComputadorRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Double-balloon enteroscopy has allowed us not only to inspect deeply the small bowel but also to carry out interventions for diseases of the small bowel. AIM: To evaluate the utility of double-balloon enteroscopy for the diagnosis and therapy of these lesions. METHODS: All patients undergoing double-balloon enteroscopy for evaluation of small bowel polyps and tumours during a 3.75-year period at a university referral hospital were studied. The types of polyps and tumours as well as endoscopic technique of removal, surgery and complications were documented. RESULTS: The incidence of small bowel polyps and tumours in-patients undergoing DBE was 9.6%. A total of 40 double-balloon enteroscopy procedures were performed in 29 patients [13 female (44.8%), mean age 51 years, range 22-74]. The following lesions were found most frequently: adenomas in familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome, n = 8; hamartomas, n = 4 (Peutz-Jeghers and Cronkhite Canada syndromes), jejunal adenocarcinoma n = 5, neuroendocrine tumour n = 4 and others n = 6. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of small bowel tumours in those in-patients who were undergoing double-balloon enteroscopy was 10%. Double-balloon enteroscopy is useful for the diagnosis and treatment of small bowel polyps and tumours.
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Enteroscopía de Doble Balón/métodos , Neoplasias Intestinales/diagnóstico , Pólipos Intestinales/diagnóstico , Adulto , Anciano , Endoscopía Gastrointestinal/métodos , Femenino , Alemania , Humanos , Neoplasias Intestinales/terapia , Pólipos Intestinales/terapia , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Prospectivos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Pharmacological inhibitors and knockout mice have developed into routine tools to analyze the role of specific genes in behavior. Both strategies have limitations like the availability of inhibitors for only a subset of proteins and the large efforts required to construct specific mouse mutants. The recent emergence of RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing provides a fast alternative that can be applied to any coding gene. We established an approach for the efficient generation of transgenic knockdown mice by targeted insertion of short hairpin (sh) RNA vectors into a defined genomic locus and studied the efficiency of gene silencing in the adult brain and the utility of such mice for behavioral analysis. We generated shRNA knockdown mice for the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 (Crhr1), the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (Lrkk2) and the purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 7 (P2rx7) genes and show the ubiquitous expression of shRNA and efficient suppression of the target mRNA and protein in the brain of young and 11-month-old knockdown mice. Knockdown mice for the Crhr1 gene exhibited decreased anxiety-related behavior, an impaired stress response, and thereby recapitulate the phenotype of CRHR1 knockout mice. Our results show the feasibility of gene silencing in the adult brain and validate knockdown mice as new genetic models suitable for behavioral analysis.