Auxiliary partial orthotopic living donor liver transplantation in a patient with Wilson's disease: a case report

A patient with end-stage liver cirrhosis and neurological disorder due to Wilson's disease (WD) underwent auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation (APOLT) using a living donor. He first visited our institute complaining of hand tremor, which was diagnosed as WD. Despite medical therapy, hepatic impairment progressed toward portal hypertensive complications. He was considered a suitable candidate for living donor-related liver transplantation. However, because of the impossibility of mobilization of the lateral section due to severe splenomegaly at the time of the recipient operation, we performed an APOLT using a right lobe graft. After transplantation, he suffered hepatic vein stenosis and biliary stenosis, receiving interventional therapy. The remnant native liver volume decreased, and the volume of the graft increased serially after transplantation. At the time of reporting, the patient had a normal working life with normal serum ceruloplasmin level and without neurologic problems at 26 months posttransplantation. APOLT may be a therapeutic option for patients with WD.

Association of a polymorphism near CREB1 with differential aversion processing in the insula of healthy participants

CONTEXT

Previous functional neuroimaging studies have identified a network of brain regions that process aversive stimuli, including anger. A polymorphism near the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein gene (CREB1) has recently been associated with greater self-reported effort at anger control as well as risk for antidepressant treatment-emergent suicidality in men with major depressive disorder, but its functional effects have not been studied.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether this genetic variant is associated with altered brain processing of and behavioral avoidance responses to angry facial expressions.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 28 white participants (mean age, 29.2 years; 13 women) were screened using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV to exclude any lifetime Axis I psychiatric disorder and were genotyped for rs4675690, a single-nucleotide polymorphism near CREB1.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Blood oxygenation level-dependent signal by functional magnetic resonance imaging in the amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortex during passive viewing of photographs of faces with emotional expressions. To measure approach and avoidance responses to anger, an off-line key-press task that traded effort for viewing time assessed valuation of angry faces compared with other expressions.

RESULTS

The CREB1-linked single-nucleotide polymorphism was associated with significant differential activation in an extended neural network responding to angry and other facial expressions. The CREB1-associated insular activation was coincident with activation associated with behavioral avoidance of angry faces.

CONCLUSIONS

A polymorphism near CREB1 is associated with responsiveness to angry faces in a brain network implicated in processing aversion. Coincident activation in the left insula is further associated with behavioral avoidance of these stimuli.

The radial bias: a different slant on visual orientation sensitivity in human and nonhuman primates

It is generally assumed that sensitivity to different stimulus orientations is mapped in a globally equivalent fashion across primate visual cortex, at a spatial scale larger than that of orientation columns. However, some evidence predicts instead that radial orientations should produce higher activity than other orientations, throughout visual cortex. Here, this radial orientation bias was robustly confirmed using (1) human psychophysics, plus fMRI in (2) humans and (3) behaving monkeys. In visual cortex, fMRI activity was at least 20% higher in the retinotopic representations of polar angle which corresponded to the radial stimulus orientations (relative to tangential). In a global demonstration of this, we activated complementary retinotopic quadrants of visual cortex by simply changing stimulus orientation, without changing stimulus location in the visual field. This evidence reveals a neural link between orientation sensitivity and the cortical retinotopy, which have previously been considered independent.

The influence of light/dark cycle at low light frequency on the desulfurization by a photosynthetic microorganism

H2S dissolved in water can be converted to elementary sulfur or sulfate by the photosynthetic bacterium Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum. The effects of the light/dark cycle on cell growth and the rate of sulfide removal were investigated to develop an appropriate fermentation strategy. Dark fermentation was also studied without addition of H2S and CO2 as electron and carbon sources. Average specific growth rates of bacterial cultures with a continuous supply of H2S and CO2 both in light and dark conditions were occurred in the range of 0.008 to 0.009 h(-1), indicating little dependence on the light/dark cycle, but about 25% of the growth rate that was occurred only in the presence of light. Average H2S removal capacities for cultures grown under the light/dark cycles of 14/10 , 12/12 , and 9/15 h, respectively, with a continuous supply of feed gases, were 0.08, 0.07, and 0.04 micromol H2S.min(-1)/mg protein.l(-1) in the dark, and was slightly less than those in the light. H2S removal capacity with variation of the light/dark cycle was about 30-60% of that obtained in the continuously illuminated cultures. ATP concentration in the dark decreased from 0.43 to 0.37 mg ATP.mg protein(-1) as the daily dark duration decreased from 15 to 10 h. The production rate for lactic acid from a culture grown without a supply of mixtures of H2S and CO2 gases was 0.218 g lactic acid.l(-1).h(-1), much more than that grown with a supply of feed gas mixtures. Time-averaged concentrations of lactic acid produced overall during the light and dark periods were 13.7 g lactic acid.l(-1) during the light/dark cycle of 14/10 h without a supply of feed gas, and 3.1 and 2.4 g lactic acid.l(-1) during the cycles of 9/15 and 14/10 h, respectively, with a supply of feed gas.

Overexpression of type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase in follicular carcinoma as a cause of low circulating free thyroxine levels

Thyroid function is normally undisturbed in patients with thyroid carcinoma. We have identified three patients with large or widely metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma who had a persistently increased ratio of serum T(3) to T(4) in the absence of autonomous production of T(3) by the tumor. To investigate the possibility of tumor-mediated T(4) to T(3) conversion, we assayed types 1 and 2 iodothyronine selenodeiodinase (D1 and D2) activity in a 965-g follicular thyroid carcinoma resected from one of these patients. The V(max) for D2 was 8-fold higher than in normal human thyroid tissue. Resection of this tumor, leaving the left thyroid lobe intact, normalized the serum T(3) to T(4) ratio. In two other patients, treatment with sufficient levothyroxine to suppress TSH was associated with a high normal T(3) and a subnormal free T(4) index. In one, concomitant administration of the D1 inhibitors, propylthiouracil and propranolol, did not decrease the elevated serum T(3) to T(4) ratio. These data illustrate that increased T(4) to T(3) conversion in follicular thyroid carcinomas, probably by D2, can cause a significant perturbation in peripheral thyroid hormone concentrations.

Nucleotide sequence and cell cycle-associated differential expression of ZF5128, a novel Kruppel type zinc finger protein gene

The nucleotide sequence of the ZF5128 gene, encoding a novel Kruppel type zinc finger protein, has been determined. The ZF5128 gene has a predicted 553-amino acid open reading frame, encoding a putative 61 kDa zinc finger protein. The N-terminus of the ZF5128 coding region has a well-conserved Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) domain that consists of KRAB box A and B, whereas the C-terminus contains a Kruppel type C2H2 zinc finger domain possessing nine C2H2 zinc finger motifs in tandem arrays with the highly conserved space region of the H/C-link. Each C2H2 zinc finger motif has a typical consensus sequence of CX2CX3FX5LX2HX3H. A 3.2 kb transcript specific for ZF5128 was expressed at high levels in the spleen, thymus, and peripheral blood leukocyte, and weakly expressed in the prostate, ovary, small intestine, colon (mucosal lining), placenta, lung, and pancreas. Although there was no detectable ZF5128 mRNA in unstimulated human peripheral T cells, it was first detectable 1.5 h after activation by anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28, and reached a maximum in 25-30 h. During the cell cycle progression of Jurkat T cells, the expression of ZF5128 mRNA appeared to be induced in G1 and reached a maximum in the S phase, but declined as the cells entered the G2/M phase. The 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-induced monocytic differentiation of U937, which also resulted in growth arrest, down-regulated the expression of ZF5128 mRNA. Taken together, these results indicate that ZF5128 is a novel gene encoding a Kruppel type C2H2 zinc finger protein and is regulated at the transcriptional level depending on tissue type and the cell cycle status to support cell proliferation.

Hypermethylation of tumor-related genes in genitourinary cancer cell lines

Hypermethylation of CpG island is a common mechanism for the inactivation of tumor-related genes. In the present study, we analyzed 13 genitourinary cancer cell lines for aberrant DNA methylation of 5 tumor-related genes using methylation- specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP). GSTP1 was methylated in 5 (38.5%), E-cadherin in 1 (8%), VHL in 1 (8%), and MGMT and hMLH1 in none (0%). Six out of thirteen genitourinary cancer cell lines had methylation of at least one of five genes; 5 had one gene methylated, and, 1 had two genes methylated. Methylation of these 5 genes was not detected in any of the bladder cancer cell lines. GSTP1 was methylated in all of the 3 prostate cancer cell lines. We conclude that aberrant hypermethylation may be an important mechanism for the inactivation of cancer-related genes in kidney and prostate cancer cell lines.

First intron excision of GnRH pre-mRNA during postnatal development of normal mice and adult hypogonadal mice

Previously, we demonstrated that excision of the GnRH first intron (intron A) was largely attenuated in non-GnRH-producing tissues but accelerated in GnRH neurons. In the present study, we examined the splicing rate of GnRH pre-mRNA in developing normal mice and adult hypogonadal mice. The preoptic area and cerebral cortex were removed from mice at ages 1-7 wk. GnRH pre-mRNA splicing was examined by competitive RT-PCR using a variety of primer sets. The ratio of mature mRNA to intron A-containing RNA species in the preoptic area was lowest in 1- and 2-wk-old mice, significantly augmented in 3-wk-old mice, and further increased until adulthood. In contrast, the ratio of mRNA to intron A-containing RNA in the cerebral cortex was extremely low, drastically decreased in 3-wk-old mice, and remained at low levels until adulthood. These data indicate a preoptic area-specific increase in intron A excision during development. Intron B or C excision in the preoptic area was not significantly changed during development. To elucidate the possible involvement of the exonic splicing enhancers located in GnRH exons 3 and 4 in the developmental increase in intron A excision, we examined the splicing rate of GnRH pre-mRNA in hypogonadal mice whose GnRH exons 3 and 4 were truncated. The intron A excision in the preoptic area of hypogonadal mice was significantly lower than that of normal mice but similar to that in other tissues, such as cerebral cortex and olfactory bulb. To support the functional relevance of intron A-containing RNA species, we examined the translation efficiency of intron A-containing RNA. Insertion of intron A sequence into the upstream portion of the luciferase open reading frame significantly decreased translation efficiency. The present study demonstrates that intron A excision in the preoptic area is developmentally regulated in normal mice but largely attenuated in hypogonadal mice, indicating the functional importance of intron A excision in GnRH pre-mRNA splicing.

Biological desulfurization in an optical-fiber photobioreactor using an automatic sunlight collection system

Biological desulfurization using C. thiosulfatophilum has many more advantages over conventional physico-chemical methods due to low operational cost and no production of secondary pollutants. However, it requires effective and economical supply of light energy, which is a key factor in determining the success of commercialization. In this study, optical-fiber photobioreactor with internal illumination system was applied to increase the light availability. Furthermore, sunlight was used as the main light energy in the daytime and metal-halide lamp was applied as an additional light energy at night. Most UV light was eliminated by the chromatic aberration of the aspherical lenses in the solar light collector and 60% of infrared light intensity was eliminated. Physical scratching optical fibers enhanced the light availability about five times as much as that with unscratched ones in the previous study, but it resulted in the adsorption problem of elementary sulfur particles deteriorating light diffusivity considerably in a long operation. In order to solve this problem, scratched optical fibers were inserted into pyrex-glass tubes, which made light diffusivity nearly the same as that without glass tubes. Removal rate per unit cell concentration, using sunlight in the daytime and a metal-halide lamp at night, was 0.41 <0.73 micromol H(2)S min(-1)/(mg protein l(-1)) using a 400 W metal-halide lamp day and night, since the automatic sunlight collection system can transmit the light intensity as only 10% of that with a metal-halide lamp.

Neuronal differentiation of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by gangliosides

Exogenous administration of gangliosides induced neuronal differentiation with prominent neuritogenesis in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells in vitro. Neuritogenesis was characterized by ruffling of the cell membrane, the development of lamellipodia and filopodia, and the subsequent elongation and branching of the neurites ultrastructurally. Both axons and neurites were identified. Increased numbers of cell organelles in the neurites and cell bodies were noted. Nonsynaptic contacts and gap junctions formed between neurites or between each neurite and cell body. These findings could be implicated in histopathologic changes from neuroblastoma to ganglioneuroblastoma.

Capsular polysaccharide-fimbrial protein conjugate vaccine protects against Porphyromonas gingivalis infection in SCID mice reconstituted with human peripheral blood lymphocytes

The effect of immunization with either a Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbrial protein, a capsular polysaccharide, or a capsular polysaccharide-fimbrial protein conjugate vaccine were compared in hu-PBL-SCID mice. A significantly higher human immunoglobulin G antibody response and the highest degree of in vivo protection against bacterial challenge was observed in the group immunized with the conjugate vaccine. It was concluded that capsular polysaccharide-fimbrial protein conjugate from P. gingivalis could potentially be developed as a vaccine against periodontal infection by P. gingivalis.

An ordered NotI fragment map of human chromosome band 11p15

An ordered NotI fragment map containing over 60 loci and encompassing approximately 17 Mb has been constructed for human chromosome band 11p15. Forty-two probes, including 11 NotI-linking cosmids, were subregionally mapped to 11p15 using a subset of the J1-deletion hybrids. These and 23 other probes defining loci previously mapped to 11p15 were hybridized to genomic DNA digested with NotI and 5 other infrequently cleaving restriction enzymes and separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Thirty-nine distinct NotI fragments were detected encompassing approximately 85% of the estimated length of 11p15. The predicted order of the gene loci used is cen-MYOD1-PTH-CALCA-ST5-RBTN1-HPX-HBB-RRM1 -TH/INS/IGF2-H19-CTSD-MUC2-DRD4-HRAS - RNH-tel. This map will allow higher resolution mapping of new 11p15 markers, facilitate positional cloning of disease genes, and provide a framework for the physical mapping of 11p15 in clone contigs.

Effects of word predictability, child development, and aging on time-gated speech recognition performance

This study examined the interaction of acoustic-phonetic information with higher-level linguistic contextual information during the real-time speech perception process in child, young adult, and older adult listeners. Five age groups were studied: (a) young children ranging in age from 5 to 7 years, (b) older children aged 8 to 10 years, (c) young adults aged 18 to 23 years, (d) older adults aged 60 to 69 years, and (e) older adults aged 70 to 83 years. All subjects were presented with time-gated monosyllabic target words presented in sentence contexts containing contrasting levels of word predictability. Findings indicated that target word predictability influenced the timing and nature of the real-time recognition process including the listeners' use of initial word sounds. Predictability-high (PH) words were recognized earlier and with greater confidence than predictability-low (PL) words. PH recognition performance was more influenced by child development and aging than PL recognition performance. Older adult listeners required more PH-gated word stimuli to produce accurate responses than younger adults. Older children showed more effective use of PH contexts than younger children.

Quantitative cytology of nasal secretions under various conditions

Quantitative cytology was performed in nasal secretions of normal control (NC), seasonal allergic rhinitis in season (SAR), perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), chronic sinusitis with mucoid secretion (MS), and chronic sinusitis with mucopurulent secretion (MPS). The majority of inflammatory cells were neutrophils in NC, MS, and MPS; the majority were eosinophils in SAR and PAR. The concomitant appearance of inflammatory cells in nasal secretions was found, i.e., there were significant correlations between neutrophil and eosinophil counts in MPS, and between eosinophil and basophil counts in SAR. The eosinophil/neutrophil ratio was more than 0.1 in SAR and PAR, but the ratio was less than 0.1 in all NC, all MPS, and in 93% of MS; this indicates that 0.1 in eosinophil/neutrophil ratio is the critical value between allergic and nonallergic nasal diseases.

A human chromosome 11 NotI end clone library

A NotI end clone library has been constructed from a human-hamster hybrid cell line containing only human chromosome 11. Fifty-one NotI clones were chosen to characterize the library. The majority of NotI clones hybridize to small 15- to 200-kb fragments and have proven to be valuable for chromosome 11 physical mapping by detecting fragments not previously recognized by random probes. These NotI end clones have been used to isolate corresponding NotI linking cosmids which were then used to identify adjacent NotI fragments on pulsed-field gels. The clones were mapped using fluorescence in situ hybridization and a somatic cell hybrid panel. Although these clones were localized over the entirety of chromosome 11, a nonrandom distribution was observed. Northern blot analysis indicated that 57% (17/30) of the NotI clones examined detected poly(A)+ transcripts in HeLa cell RNA.

Removal of hydrogen sulfide by Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum in immobilized-cell and sulfur-settling free-cell recycle reactors

Bioconversion of hydrogen sulfide to elementary sulfur by the photosynthetic bacterium Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum was studied in immobilized-cell and sulfur-settling free-cell recycle reactors. The cells immobilized in strontium alginate beads excreted elementary sulfur and accumulated it as crystal in the bead matrices, which made it possible that the reactor broth remained clear and the light penetrated the reactor deeper than with the free cells. In comparison with the free cells, the immobilized cells required 30% less light energy at a H2S removal rate of 2 mM/(L.h) and showed an activity of 2.4 times that of the free cells. However, in 40 h after the reaction the deterioration of the H2S removal efficiency became significant due to the accumulation of sulfur in the beads. The scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) studies showed that the sulfur in the beads existed within a layer of 0.4 mm from the bead surface. In the sulfur-settling free-cell recycle reactor, about 80% of the sulfur excreted by the free cells could be removed in a settler. The 4-L fed batch reactor with the settler improved the light transmission to result in a H2S removal rate of 3 mumol/(mg of protein.h), 50% higher than that without it. The settling recycle reactor was much better in the removal of H2S than the immobilized-cell reactor because the former was a continuous system with the constant removal of sulfur particles by settling and of spent medium by supplying fresh medium at the same rate as the filtering rate of the reactor broth, while the latter was essentially a batch system where toxic metabolites and produced sulfur could not be removed.

A technique for quantitative cytology of nasal secretions

To quantitatively analyze cellular elements in mucopurulent nasal secretions from patients with chronic paranasal sinusitis, we studied five mucus-liquefying agents--dithiothreitol (DTT), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt, propylene glycol, serratio peptidase and urea--with Hanks' balanced salt solution used as a control. Agents were compared for the number of cells, the mucus-liquefying effect and the staining characteristic of cells in cytocentrifuge-prepared smears. The results indicated that the treatment of nasal secretions with 10 mM DTT provides more clear and detailed cytological preparations for quantitative cytology of nasal secretions.

Compensation of vertical vestibulo-ocular functions in squirrel monkeys after unilateral labyrinthectomy

Modifications in the vertical vestibulo-ocular reflex (VVOR) were studied in four squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) over time after unilateral labyrinthectomy. In the dark, with head upright, animals were exposed to sinusoidal rotation in the pitch plane. The magnetic field-pericorneal search coli technique was used to detect eye movement. The upward and downward slow-phase eye velocity (SPEV) of the VVOR and the maximum SPEV of the vertical component of spontaneous nystagmus (SPN) were studied. The mean preoperative gain of VVOR was symmetric. After unilateral labyrinthectomy, the maximum reduction of VVOR gain showed an asymmetry. The recovery of VVOR gain to the preoperative level took about 2 weeks, and the vertical component of SPN was present for about 3 weeks.

13C NMR studies of butyric fermentation in Clostridium kluyveri

The fermentation of 13C-labeled ethanol and acetate into butyrate and caproate by Clostridium kluyveri has been studied by using 13C NMR. The pathway involves the conversion of both ethanol and acetate into acetyl coenzymes A, two of which condense to form CoA-linked precursors of butyrate. If butyryl-CoA is involved in the condensation, caproate is the ultimate product. ATP is produced from acetyl-CoA via the reactions catalyzed by phosphotransacetylase and acetate kinase with acetate, a required carbon source, as a co-product. In spectra of whole cells incubated with the labeled carbon sources, label from ethanol appears rapidly in acetate, which then reaches a lower, steady-state concentration due to its re-entry into the pathway. The rapid initial production of acetate indicates equally rapid production of ATP. Label from acetate appears in ethanol only if ethanol is already present, indicating that this process is one of isotopic equilibration rather than net synthesis of ethanol from acetate. The ratio of butyrate to caproate produced depends strongly on the initial ratio of ethanol to acetate in the medium. The relative rates of utilization of ethanol and acetate vary as the fermentation proceeds. 13C-13C coupling in the butyrate and caproate produced from [1-13C]ethanol and [2-13C]acetate can be used to determine if the acetyl-CoA molecules arising from ethanol and acetate enter the same pool or if they remain separated. The data are consistent with random mixing of the acetyl-CoA produced from the two carbon sources.

Effect of dietary clofibrate on epoxide hydrolase activity in tissues of mice

The effects of dietary clofibrate on the epoxide-metabolizing enzymes of mouse liver, kidney, lung and testis were evaluated using trans-stilbene oxide as a selective substrate for the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase, cis-stilbene oxide and benzo[a]pyrene 4,5-oxide as substrates for the microsomal form, and cis-stilbene oxide as a substrate for glutathione S-transferase activity. The hydration of trans-stilbene oxide was greatest in liver followed by kidney greater than lung greater than testis. Its hydrolysis was increased significantly in the cytosolic fraction of liver and kidney of clofibrate-treated mice and in the microsomes from the liver. Isoelectric focusing indicates that the same enzyme is responsible for hydrolysis of trans-stilbene oxide in normal and induced liver and kidney. Clofibrate induced glutathione S-transferase activity on cis-stilbene oxide only in the liver. Hydrolysis of both cis-stilbene oxide and benzo[a]pyrene 4,5-oxide was highest in testis followed by liver greater than lung greater than kidney. Hydration of cis-stilbene oxide was induced significantly in both liver and kidney by clofibrate but that of benzo[a]pyrene 4,5-oxide was induced only in the liver. These and other data based on ratios of hydration of benzo[a]pyrene 4,5-oxide to cis-stilbene oxide in tissues of normal and induced animals indicate that there are one or more novel epoxide hydrolase activities which cannot be accounted for by either the classical cytosolic or microsomal hydrolases. These effects are notable in the microsomes of kidney and especially in the cytosol of testis.

The nature of the glottal tone: a clinical case report

Extensive acoustical measurements were made to describe variations in the glottal tones produced by a patient who had undergone a complete mandibulectomy and surgical resection of the neck musculature, leaving the larynx functional, but exposed. The data indicate the patient was able to vary fundamental frequency and intensity within grossly normal limits. Changes in the glottal spectrum were similar to values predicted from laryngeal analog data.