Engineering root exudation of Lotus toward the production of two novel carbon compounds leads to the selection of distinct microbial populations in the rhizosphere

The culture of opine-producing transgenic Lotus plants induces the increase in the rhizosphere of bacterial communities that are able to utilize these molecules as sole carbon source. We used transgenic Lotus plants producing two opines, namely mannopine and nopaline, to characterize the microbial communities directly influenced by the modification of root exudation. We showed that opine-utilizers represent a large community in the rhizosphere of opine-producing transgenic Lotus. This community is composed of at least 12 different bacterial species, one third of which are able to utilize the opine mannopine and two thirds the opine nopaline. Opine utilizers are diverse, belonging to the Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. We described two novel mannopine-utilizing species, Rhizobium and Duganella spp., and five novel nopaline-utilizing species, Duganella, Afipia, Phyllobacterium, Arthrobacter, and Bosea spp. Although opine utilizers mostly belong to the alpha-Proteobacteria, Rhizobiaceae family, there is little overlap between the populations able to utilize each of the two opines produced by the plants. Noticeably, in the rhizosphere of transgenic Lotus, only the opine mannopine favors the growth of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the bacterium from which opines have been characterized. The diversity of opine utilizers from the rhizosphere of Lotus plants is greater than that observed from any other environment. Therefore, transgenic plants with engineered exudation constitute an excellent tool to isolate and characterize specific microbial populations.

[Central nervous system germinoma: retrospective study of six cases]

PURPOSE

Retrospective analysis of six patients with intracranial germinoma treated in INO and a literature review.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six patients were treated from 1993 to 1998, for histologically verified primary intracranial germinoma. Median age was 18 years (range: 14-26 years). All patients received chemo-radiotherapy (4FP + radiotherapy from 30 to 50 Gy).

RESULTS

4 tumours were in complete remission. Two patients have kept non-evolutive residual cyst. Five patients are alive with non-evolutive disease after 15-40 months of follow-up (average: 27 months). One patient was lost to follow-up, 14 months after treatment, without disease.

CONCLUSION

The treatment of intracranial germinoma is currently first line chemotherapy followed by low-dose and limited irradiation.

[Intracranial Hodgkin disease: case report]

Hodgkin disease intracranial lesions are uncommon. We report the case of a 24-year-old man who presented with an intracranial relapse without other evidence of disease 24 months after multiple drug therapy and extended field radiation therapy for stage III Bb type 3 Hodgkin disease. The patient was treated by whole brain irradiation (40 Gy/20 fractions/4 weeks). Six months after completion of therapy, the patient had a second relapse, with bilateral inguinal metastatic nodes, which were treated by a second line polychemotherapy. The patient was free of disease 9 months later.

Sequential or alternating administration of docetaxel (Taxotere) combined with FEC in metastatic breast cancer: a randomised phase II trial

The aim of this study, using a Fleming single-stage design, was to explore the efficacy and safety of Taxotere 100 x mg x m(-2) docetaxel and FEC 75 cyclophosphamide 500 mg x m(-2), fluorouracil 500 x mg x m(-2) and epirubicin 75 mg x m(-2), in alternating and sequential schedules for the first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer. One hundred and thirty-six women were randomly allocated, to one of three treatment regimens: DTX 100 plus FEC 75, alternated for eight courses (ALT); four courses of DTX 100 followed by four courses of FEC 75 (SEQ T); or four courses of FEC 75 followed by four courses of DTX 100 (SEQ F). One hundred and thirty-one women were evaluable for tumour response. Although the treatment outcome was equivalent in the two sequential arms and the alternating regimen (P=0.110, not significant), the response rate was less encouraging in the SEQ F arm (52.3%) than in the other two arms (71.1% for ALT and 70.5% for SEQ T), in which docetaxel was administered first. Time to progression was similar in the ALT, SEQ T and SEQ F arms (9.5, 9.3 and 10.4 months respectively). Grade 3-4 neutropenia was observed in nearly all patients; febrile neutropenia occurred in 9% (ALT), 16% (SEQ T) and 2% (SEQ F) of patients. Few patients (< or =9%) developed grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicities. Relative dose intensity was 97-99% for all regimens. All treatment regimens were active and well tolerated.

A rare case of angiosarcoma of the breast in a man: case report

This is a case report of a 57-year-old man who had primary angiosarcoma of the left breast. Five months after detecting a mass in his breast, he underwent mastectomy with biopsy of the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes. Three years later, he is still alive without any recurrence. Angiosarcoma of the female breast is rare and exceptional in males. It is a condition with a poor prognosis and there are as yet no established chemotherapeutic regimens.

Primary malignant lymphoma of the ovary: an unusual presentation of a rare disease

Because the outcome of patients with primary ovarian non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is controversial, we present the incidental finding of a primary malignant lymphoma of the ovary in a 50-year-old patient. Three and a half years following ablative surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient is alive and disease free. Ovarian lymphoma is a disease of reportedly poor prognosis. However, many previously reported cases of ovarian lymphoma actually represented ovarian involvement by a more diffuse lymphomatous process. If stringent criteria are used for case selection, true primary ovarian lymphoma is a very rare disease and usually carries a favorable prognosis.

Effect of crop rotation and soil cover on alteration of the soil microflora generated by the culture of transgenic plants producing opines

The culture of transgenic Lotus corniculatus plants producing opines, which are bacterial growth substrates, leads to the selection of rhizospheric bacteria able to utilize these substrates. We have investigated the fate of the opine-utilizing community over time under different experimental conditions following elimination of selective pressure exerted by the transgenic plants. These plants were removed from the soil, which was either left unplanted or replanted with wild-type L. corniculatus or wheat plants. The density of opine-utilizing bacteria in the fallow soils remained essentially unchanged throughout the experiment, regardless of the soil of origin (soil planted with wild-type or transgenic plants). When wild-type Lotus plants were used to replace their transgenic counterparts, only the bacterial populations able to utilize the opines were affected. Long-term changes affecting the opine-utilizing bacterial community on Lotus roots was dependent upon the opine studied. The concentration of nopaline utilizers decreased, upon replacement of the transgenic plants, to a level similar to that of normal plants, while the concentration of mannopine utilizers decreased to levels intermediate between transgenic and normal plants. These data indicate that: (i) the opine-utilizing bacterial populations can be controlled in the rhizosphere via plant-exudate engineering; (ii) the interaction between the engineered plants and their root-associated micro-organisms is transgene specific; and (iii) alterations induced by the cultivation of transgenic plants may sometimes be persistent. Furthermore, opine-utilizing bacterial populations can be controlled by crop rotation. Therefore, favouring the growth of a rhizobacterium of agronomic interest via an opine-based strategy appears feasible.

[Paratesticular malignant mesothelioma. Presentation of a case]

We report a case of malignant mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis in a 65-year-old man. The clinical course was marked by local relapse and distant metastases. Based on a review of the literature, the authors discuss the clinical, epidemiological and therapeutic aspects.

[Non Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma of the uterine cervix. Apropos of a case]

The authors report a case of a 61-year-old woman presenting a primary cervical non Hodgkin's lymphoma, FIGO stage IIIA and Ann Arbor stage IE. The patient was successfully treated by combination of multiple drug therapy and pelvic external radiation therapy. Twenty-eight months later, the patient is in good general health and complete remission.

Electron microscopic immunocytochemical localization of proline-rich proteins in normal mouse parotid salivary glands

Rabbit polyclonal antibodies against isoproterenol-induced mouse proline-rich proteins (PRPs) were used to localize PRPs in the parotid salivary glands of normal adult BALB/c mice. The antibodies recognized both acidic-type and basic-type PRPs. Immunoblotting experiments revealed that the glands contained an acidic-type and a basic-type PRP. Parotid gland tissue was fixed with Karnosky's fixative and embedded in Lowicryl resin at low temperature. PRPs were localized at the electron microscope level using an indirect post-embedding staining technique with protein A-gold. The secretion granules of the acinar cells were strongly labelled. Pre-absorption of the antibody with purified acidic-type and basic-type PRPs indicated that the basic-type PRP is mainly located at the periphery of the granules but that the acidic-type PRP is more evenly distributed within the granules. Pre-absorption of the antibody with alpha-amylase did not affect the staining pattern, suggesting minimal cross-reactivity. PRPs were also detected within the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus of acinar cells, within the granules of the proacinar cells and in the lumena of the ducts, but not within the intercalated or striated duct cell granules.

Isoprenaline-induced and constitutive members of a proline-rich protein sub-group from mouse parotid glands studied with monoclonal antibody NAL1

Members of the proline-rich protein (PRP) family of mouse parotid glands were analysed before and after stimulation with the beta-agonist isoprenaline by using a monoclonal antibody raised against the induced PRP A3(0) (GP-27). Antibody NAL1 reacted strongly with isoprenaline-induced B-type PRP precursors and their salivary counterparts, but not against the A-type PRPs A1(0) (Gp-66) and A2(0) (GP-45) or human salivary proteins, and it is likely that NAL1 recognizes a proline-rich repeat variant unique to this group of rodent PRPs. PRP-related antigens were observed in the parotid glands (N1(0) and N2(0] and saliva of normal mice. The antigens were located immunocytochemically in secretory granules of parotid acinar cells of both normal and isoprenaline-stimulated mice. The total amount of PRP antigens increased 16-fold from 2.5 to 40% of parotid protein after 10 days of isoprenaline treatment, as estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunoblotting showed that new PRP species appeared during the period of increase. After treatment with isoprenaline, B-type PRPs appeared first, followed by A3(0) and another member of the family. These results show that the mouse PRP family is larger than previously thought and can be divided immunologically into sub-groups. That a subset of PRPs are produced in the normal mouse indicates that there is differential beta-adrenergic regulation within the family, and also has implications for the role of PRPs in the normal maintenance of healthy dentition and other processes.

Relationship between fetal heart rate and umbilical blood flow velocity in term human fetuses during labor

Fourteen pregnant women between 37 and 41 weeks' gestational age, who subsequently were delivered of healthy newborn infants, were studied to examine the effects of spontaneous changes in fetal heart rate on the flow-velocity waveforms in the umbilical artery. The women were in active labor and under epidural anesthesia at the time Doppler measurements were made. There was a significant positive relationship between end-diastolic flow velocity and fetal heart rate. The umbilical artery peak-systolic/end-diastolic ratio was best correlated with the negative reciprocal transformation of the instantaneous fetal heart rate value and end-diastolic flow velocity. No significant correlation was found between fetal heart rate, umbilical artery peak-systolic/end-diastolic ratio, and peak-systolic flow velocity. An upper limit of 3.0 for a normal umbilical artery peak-systolic/end-diastolic ratio was acceptable only if the instantaneous fetal heart rate was greater than or equal to 130 beats/min.

Rupture of retroperitoneal hydatid cyst into the abdominal aorta

We report the case of a retroperitoneal hydatid cyst ruptured into the infrarenal abdominal aorta. Initial treatment consisted of marsupialization of the cyst with patch angioplasty of the aorta. Formation of a false aneurysm led to reoperation for placement of an aortobifemoral bypass, but the patient died postoperatively. In spite of the exceptional character of this location, diagnosis should be suggested routinely in endemic areas when a retroperitoneal mass is discovered. Treatment should be either in situ prosthetic replacement or extra-anatomic exclusion bypass.