Plasma coagulation factor VII activity and its correlates in healthy men

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the plasma coagulation factor VII activity and its correlates in healthy Australian men.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Free living subjects.

SUBJECTS

A total of 139 healthy Australian males aged 20-55 y with widely varying intakes of individual fatty acids.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The concentration of phospholipid fatty acids and the parameters of biochemistry were analysed by standard methods. Citrated plasma factor VII activity was measured by using the ACL 200 system with commercially available kits.

RESULTS

In the stepwise multiple regression, controlled for age, body mass index and dietary groups, the two most important variables of factor VII activity were selected in the forward entry model with R (2) = 0.474 and P < 0.0001 from 19 independent variables, which were significantly correlated with plasma factor VII activity in age-adjusted bivariate analysis where significance was considered at P < 0.01. Plasma factor VII activity was strongly negatively correlated with prothrombin time (PT) (Std. Coeff. -0.550), and significantly positively correlated with plasma phospholipid (PL) stearic acid (Std. Coeff. 0.285).

CONCLUSIONS

Increased factor VII activity was associated with shortening of PT. All types of fatty-acid concentrations of PLs were significantly positively correlated with factor VII activity; however, stearic acid was more potent than other fatty acids in healthy Australian men.

SPONSORSHIP

Meat Research Corporation of Australia.

An analphoid marker chromosome inv dup(15)(q26.1qter), detected during prenatal diagnosis and characterized via chromosome microdissection

A small, mosaic, C-band negative marker chromosome was detected in amniocyte cultures during prenatal diagnosis due to advanced maternal age. Following spontaneous premature labor at 29 weeks gestation, a dysmorphic infant was delivered, with flat nasal bridge, short palpebral fissures, micrognathia, high forehead, low-set ears, telecanthus and corneal dystrophy. Additional folds of skin were present behind the neck, and feet, fingers and toes were abnormally long. The child died at age five days, after two days of renal failure. The origin of the marker chromosome was subsequently identified from a cord blood sample, via chromosome microdissection. Through reverse FISH, we found the marker to be an inverted duplication of the region 15q26.1-->qter. FISH with alphoid satellite probe was negative, while whole chromosome 15 paint was positive. Both ends of the marker chromosome were positive for the telomeric TTAGGG probe. These data, plus the G-banding pattern, identified the marker as an analphoid, inverted duplicated chromosome, lacking any conventional centromere. We discuss the etiology and clinical effects of this marker chromosome, comparing it to the few reported cases of "tetrasomy 15q" syndrome. We also discuss the possible mechanisms that are likely responsible for this neocentromere formation.

Large mammal turnover in Africa and the Levant between 1.0 and 0.5 Ma

Faunal change at the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary in Europe has long been a topic for discussion. However, analyses of large mammal turnover at this time in Africa have been lacking, largely because of the low number of sites dated to this interval. Recent work, particularly in the last 10 years, has resulted in a much larger published sample of sites and we synthesize these data in this paper. In our multivariate (TWINSPAN) analyses of African and Levantine large mammal faunas we found that localities were subdivided by geographic regions, not by age. There were some small-scale changes with the appearance or extinction of particular taxa, but there was no large-scale turnover such as that seen in Europe. The Levant was included as a possible route for faunal interchange with east Africa, but no similarities were found between these areas. It therefore appears that the modern zoogeographic separation of the Levant and north Africa into the Palaearctic region and sub-Saharan Africa into the African region can be traced back to at least the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary.

Surgical risk factors for Hickman catheter sepsis: a prospective study

Catheter-related sepsis (CRS) is a major cause of morbidity in patients receiving chemotherapy and prolonged parenteral nutrition. To determine whether avoiding emergency insertions by using a planned elective list and adopting a 'no-touch' technique has a role in reducing CRS, all cuffed central venous catheters inserted by the open method between 1999 and 2000 were prospectively followed for a total duration of 12 months. The incidence of early sepsis (within 30 catheter days) that could be attributed to surgical factors was studied. CRS was defined as the presence of any two of the following: (1) signs of clinical sepsis without an obvious focus; (2) positive cultures in blood obtained from the catheter; and (3) clinical improvement following removal. A total of 146 catheters were inserted in 130 patients; 15 had a second and 1 had a third catheter inserted. Early CRS was encountered in 13 cases (9%); 95 catheters were inserted on an elective list and 51 on an emergency basis. The distributions of age, sex, number of lumens, neutrophil count, and underlying diagnosis were similar between the groups. There was no significant difference (P = 1) between elective (9/95) and emergency (4/51) insertions. A total of 47 catheters were inserted by the 'no-touch' technique and 48 by the manual technique. There was no significant difference in early sepsis (P = 0.7) between the two techniques (6/47 vs 3/48). Thus avoiding emergency insertion or adopting a 'no-touch' technique does not reduce early CRS. Larger prospective studies are warranted to identify surgical risk factors.

Growth, behavior, and clinical findings in 27 patients with Kabuki (Niikawa-Kuroki) syndrome

This study was undertaken to document the phenotype of Kabuki (Niikawa-Kuroki) syndrome in patients from Australia and New Zealand, with particular emphasis on growth patterns, behavior, and relationship between head circumference and intellectual level. Data on 27 children and adults with Kabuki (Niikawa-Kuroki) syndrome from Australia and New Zealand were collected by questionnaire and clinical assessment. The patients ranged in age from 7 months to 36 years with a mean age of 7 years and 2 months. The mean age at diagnosis was 3(5/6) years, but in most cases, the facial phenotype was evident from infancy. The minimum birth prevalence was calculated at 1 in 86,000. Three of our patients died. Parents reported a behavior phenotype characterized by an excellent long-term memory and avoidance of eye contact. No correlation was found between head circumference and severity of intellectual disability. Eight of 14 patients over the age of 5 years were overweight or obese. Six of these eight patients had failure to thrive in infancy. One patient developed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in adolescence. Some individuals with Kabuki (Niikawa-Kuroki) syndrome show a characteristic growth profile with failure to thrive in infancy progressing to obesity or overweight in middle childhood or adolescence. A behavior phenotype was noted which requires further investigation. Head size is not a predictor of degree of intellectual disability.

A multicentre phase II trial of bryostatin-1 in patients with advanced renal cancer

Protein kinase C (PKC) has a critical role in several signal transduction pathways, and is involved in renal cancer pathogenesis. Bryostatin-1 modulates PKC activity and has antitumour effects in preclinical studies. We conducted a multicentre phase II clinical trial in patients with advanced renal cancer to determine the response rate, immunomodulatory activity and toxicity of bryostatin-1 given as a continuous 24 h infusion weekly for 3 out of 4 weeks at a dose of 25 μg m⁻². In all, 16 patients were recruited (11 males and five females). The median age was 59 years (range 44–68). Patients had been treated previously with nephrectomy (8) and/or interferon therapy (9) and/or hormone therapy (4) and/or radiotherapy (6). Eight, five and three patients had performance statuses of 0, 1 and 2, respectively. A total of 181 infusions were administered with a median of 12 infusions per patient (range 1–29). Disease response was evaluable in 13 patients. Three patients achieved stable disease lasting for 10.5, 8 and 5.5 months, respectively. No complete responses or partial responses were seen. Myalgia, fatigue, nausea, headache, vomiting, anorexia, anaemia and lymphopenia were the commonly reported side effects. Assessment of biological activity of bryostatin-1 was carried out using the whole–blood cytokine release assay in six patients, two of whom had a rise in IL-6 levels 24 h after initiating bryostatin-1 therapy compared to pretreatment values. However, the IL-6 level was found to be significantly lower at day 28 compared to the pretreatment level in all six patients analysed.

Polymorphisms in the CYP1B1 gene are associated with increased risk of prostate cancer

CYP1B1 has been evaluated as a candidate gene for various cancers because of its function in activating environmental procarcinogens and catalysing the conversion of oestrogens to genotoxic catechol oestrogens. To test the hypothesis that genetic polymorphisms in the CYP1B1 gene may associate with the risk for prostate cancer (CaP), we compared the allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies of 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP1B1 among 159 hereditary prostate cancer (HPC) probands, 245 sporadic CaP cases, and 222 unaffected men. When each of the SNPs was analysed separately, marginally significant differences were observed for allele frequencies between sporadic cases and controls for three consecutive SNPs (−1001C/T, −263G/A, and −13C/T, P=0.04–0.07). Similarly, marginally significant differences between sporadic cases and controls in the frequency of variant allele carriers were observed for five consecutive SNPs (−1001C/T, −263G/A, −13C/T, +142C/G, and +355G/T, P=0.02–0.08). Interestingly, when the combination of these five SNPs was analysed using a haplotype approach, a larger difference was found (P=0.009). One frequent haplotype (C-G-C-C-G of −1001C/T, −263G/A, −13C/T, +142C/G, and +355G/T) was associated with an increased risk for CaP, while the other frequent haplotype (T-A-T-G-T) was associated with a decreased risk for CaP. These findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms in CYP1B1 may modify the risk for CaP.

Immunolocalization and protein expression of the alpha subunit of the large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel in human myometrium

Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BKCa) channels play an important role in the control of myometrial excitability. The aim of the present study was to determine the localization and protein expression of the alpha subunit of BKCa channels in the pregnant and parturient human uterus. An anti-alpha BKCa channel monoclonal antibody (anti-alpha(995-1113)) was used to localize and quantitate immunoreactive BKCa channel protein in myometrium of singleton term pregnant women undergoing either elective (n=26) or emergency Caesarean section following the onset of spontaneous labour (n=25). Data are presented as medians (interquartile range). Differences between groups were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Immunohistochemistry studies localized the alpha subunit of the BKCa channel to the plasma membrane and the cytosol of myometrial cells with similar reaction end product in pregnant women who were or were not undergoing labour. Expression of this subunit, observed as a 125 kDa band in western blots, was significantly higher in pregnant women who were not undergoing labour (30.6% (20.3, 43.9)) than in those who were undergoing labour (15.7% (11.3, 22.4); P<0.01). Reduced BKCa alpha subunit expression in pregnant women during labour may underlie the initiation of uterine contractility during parturition.

Influence of organic complexation on the adsorption kinetics of nickel in river waters

The kinetics of Ni adsorption in rivers of widely different chemical characteristics have been studied by monitoring the uptake of 63Ni by suspended sediment particles. The rate and extent of adsorption was critically dependent on the presence and concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOM), defined analytically as the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Thus, adsorption was greatest in experiments in which the DOM was decomposed by UV-oxidation and least in experiments in which Ni was preequilibrated with filtered river water before addition of particles. The extent of adsorption arising from the latter approach displayed a clear, inverse dependency on the concentration of DOC in the sample. These observations were interpreted and modeled in terms of the competing effects of DOM and particle sorption sites for dissolved Ni. Adsorption onto suspended particles in the absence of dissolved complexing ligands was adequately described by a reversible, two-stage reaction and a single set of adsorption rate constants. Forward and reverse rate constants defining Ni complexation with DOM of about 8 x 10(4) h(-1) M(-1) and 10 h(-1), respectively, were derived from data-fitting. The experimental and model results indicate that the toxicity, availability, and transport of Ni in freshwater environments are largely dictated by the concentration of DOM and the speciation of Ni entering the watercourse.

A Phase I clinical and pharmacological study of cis-diamminedichloro(2-methylpyridine) platinum II (AMD473)

AMD473 is a novel sterically hindered platinum cytotoxic with demonstrated ability to overcome acquired resistance to cisplatin in vitro and in human tumour xenografts. A single-agent dose escalating Phase I study was performed. AMD473 was initially administered intravenously as a 1 h infusion every 21 days to patients with advanced solid tumours. In total, 42 patients received a total of 147 cycles (median 3, range 1-8) of treatment at doses of 12, 24, 48, 96, 110, 120, 130, and 150 mg m(-2). Dosing intervals of 21 and 28 days were explored at the recommended dose. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia proved dose limiting. Other toxicities included moderate nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and a transient metallic taste. There was no significant alopecia. The maximum tolerated dose was 150 mg m(-2). Plasma pharmacokinetics were linear. Two patients with heavily pretreated ovarian cancer showed partial response. Five patients (mesothelioma, ovary, nonsmall cell lung, and melanoma) showed prolonged stable disease. AMD473 demonstrates encouraging activity in patients, including those with prior platinum exposure. Toxicity is predictable with linear pharmacokinetics, as was predicted by preclinical studies. A dose of 120 mg m(-2) every 21 days is recommended for Phase II evaluation although there is evidence that chemo-naive patients and those of good performance status may tolerate a higher dose.

Effects of immunocontraception on population, longevity and body condition in wild mares (Equus caballus)

Contraception is becoming a common approach for the management of captive and wild ungulates yet there are few data for contraceptive effects on entire populations. Management-level treatment of mares with porcine zona pellucida (PZP) vaccine resulted in zero population growth of the Assateague Island wild horse population within 1 year of initiation of treatment. Contraceptive efficacy was 90% for mares treated twice in the first year and annually thereafter. For mares given a single initial inoculation, contraceptive efficacy was 78%. The effort required to achieve zero population growth decreased, as 95, 83 and 84% of all adult mares were treated in each of the first 3 years, compared with 59 and 52% during the last 2 years. Mortality rates for mares and foals after the initiation of management-level treatments decreased below historic and pretreatment mortality rates of approximately 5%. Two new age classes have appeared among treated animals (21-25 years and > 25 years), indicating an increase in longevity among treated animals. Body condition scores for all horses, all adult mares and non-lactating mares increased significantly between summer 1989 and autumn 1999 but did not change significantly in lactating mares. These results provide reliable data for the construction of realistic models for contraceptive management of free-roaming or captive ungulate populations.

Reversibility of action and safety during pregnancy of immunization against porcine zona pellucida in wild mares (Equus caballus)

Contraceptive management of publicly valued wildlife species requires safeguards to ensure that these populations are preserved in a healthy state. In addition, reversibility of contraceptive effects and safety in pregnant animals are major concerns. A population of wild horses has been immunized against porcine zona pellucida (PZP) over a 12 year period on Assateague Island National Seashore, MD (ASIS). Mares initially received one or two 65 microg inoculations and once a year 65 microg booster inoculations, all delivered by dart. All young mares aged > 2 years were treated with PZP for 3 consecutive years regardless of whether they have bred successfully and they were then removed from treatment until they had foaled. All mares vaccinated for 1 or 2 consecutive years became fertile again and 69% of mares treated for 3 consecutive years returned to fertility. All five mares treated for 4 or 5 consecutive years have also returned to fertility, but over longer periods of time. Mares treated for 7 consecutive years have not returned to fertility, but several, while still infertile, have started ovulating again. There was no difference in survival rates between foals born to treated and untreated mares, and PZP treatment of pregnant mares did not affect subsequent fertility of their female offspring.

Dominant inheritance of cleft palate, microstomia and micrognathia--possible linkage to the fragile site at 16q22 (FRA16B)

We report a family in which a father and his three children are affected with microstomia, micrognathia and partial or complete cleft of the hard and soft palate. The probands were non-identical twins, a boy and a girl, both noted to have the above features soon after birth. Their father was diagnosed with a submucous cleft of the palate at the age of 4 years and their older brother has milder facial features and a bifid uvula. All affected family members were demonstrated to have a fragile site on chromosome 16q22 but otherwise normal karyotypes. Of interest is a previously described family with autosomal dominant inheritance of U-shaped cleft palate, microstomia, micrognathia and oligodontia where all affected members were shown to have the fragile site at 16q22 in a proportion of their cells [Bettex et al. (1998) Eur J Pediatr Surg 8:4-8]. We propose that these two conditions are the same and represent a distinctive syndrome involving aberrant orofacial development that may be linked to the fragile site at 16q22.

The production and storage of a fermentor-grown bacterial culture containing Synergistes jonesii, for protecting cattle against mimosine and 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridone toxicity from feeding on Leucaena leucocephala

The leguminous shrub Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) iswidely used as a forage species for cattle in tropical agriculture. However,leucaena contains the toxic amino acid mimosine. Both mimosine and its primaryruminal degradation product 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridone (DHP) are toxic and theiraccumulation in the animal’s system results in hair loss, reducedliveweight gain, and goitre. The ruminal bacteriumngle cultivar bywithholding water. In Expt 2, plants of EP and MK were grown together in thesame container and received water daily with gradation in intensity of waterdeficit achieved by varying the daily water ration per container.All cultivars in each experiment exhibited commonly reported responses towater deficit, characterised by diminished evaporative surface area andincreased root : shoot ratio. The response of MK was primarily morphologicaland MK plants had smaller plant size, higher root : shoot ratio,