Polymorphic haplotypes of the interleukin-10 5' flanking region determine variable interleukin-10 transcription and are associated with particular phenotypes of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the distribution of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) 5' flanking region haplotypes in children with arthritis and in controls, and to investigate the functional significance of each haplotype.

METHODS

Sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing was used to determine haplotype frequency. Transient transfection studies were used to investigate the transcription of reporter genes driven by each haplotype. Whole blood cultures were performed to assess IL-10 production by each genotype.

RESULTS

Patients with arthritis involving >4 joints were more likely to have a genotype with an ATA haplotype than those whose arthritis remained restricted to <4 joints. This ATA haplotype was associated with lower transcriptional activity than the GCC haplotype (P = 0.02), and the ATA/ATA genotype was associated with lower IL-10 production under lipopolysaccharide stimulation than other genotypes (P < 0.02).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate the functional significance of the ATA haplotype and reveal a significant association of genotypes containing this haplotype with extended oligoarthritis.

Polymorphic haplotypes of the interleukin-10 5' flanking region determine variable interleukin-10 transcription and are associated with particular phenotypes of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the distribution of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) 5' flanking region haplotypes in children with arthritis and in controls, and to investigate the functional significance of each haplotype.

METHODS

Sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing was used to determine haplotype frequency. Transient transfection studies were used to investigate the transcription of reporter genes driven by each haplotype. Whole blood cultures were performed to assess IL-10 production by each genotype.

RESULTS

Patients with arthritis involving >4 joints were more likely to have a genotype with an ATA haplotype than those whose arthritis remained restricted to <4 joints. This ATA haplotype was associated with lower transcriptional activity than the GCC haplotype (P = 0.02), and the ATA/ATA genotype was associated with lower IL-10 production under lipopolysaccharide stimulation than other genotypes (P < 0.02).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate the functional significance of the ATA haplotype and reveal a significant association of genotypes containing this haplotype with extended oligoarthritis.

Perception of sweetness in simple and complex taste stimuli by adults and children

Currently, there is little information on the ability of children to analyse complex chemosensory stimuli in terms of the presence and magnitude of the components. The present study investigates this question by comparing the ability of 95 adults and 8- to 9-year-olds to estimate the sweetness of several concentrations of sucrose in water and in three foods, namely, orange drink, custard and shortbread biscuits, using a magnitude estimation procedure. The results indicated that similar response functions were produced by adults and children for the sweetness of aqueous solutions of sucrose, custard and biscuits, but not for orange juice, where the functions produced by both female and male children were significantly flatter than those of the adults. Stimulus context may have influenced the ratings of children in the no-sucrose and highest sucrose concentration conditions with two of the foods. The absence of differences between the response functions of the female and male children with all types of stimuli indicated that gender had no influence on their responses. It is concluded that, at mid-childhood, humans are capable of estimating the sweetness of sucrose in foods, but that they have a tendency to limit the range of numbers used in their estimates of sweetness at high concentrations of sucrose in some foods.

Polymorphic haplotypes of the interleukin-10 5' flanking region determine variable interleukin-10 transcription and are associated with particular phenotypes of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the distribution of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) 5' flanking region haplotypes in children with arthritis and in controls, and to investigate the functional significance of each haplotype.

METHODS

Sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing was used to determine haplotype frequency. Transient transfection studies were used to investigate the transcription of reporter genes driven by each haplotype. Whole blood cultures were performed to assess IL-10 production by each genotype.

RESULTS

Patients with arthritis involving >4 joints were more likely to have a genotype with an ATA haplotype than those whose arthritis remained restricted to <4 joints. This ATA haplotype was associated with lower transcriptional activity than the GCC haplotype (P = 0.02), and the ATA/ATA genotype was associated with lower IL-10 production under lipopolysaccharide stimulation than other genotypes (P < 0.02).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate the functional significance of the ATA haplotype and reveal a significant association of genotypes containing this haplotype with extended oligoarthritis.

Digital cameras and orthodontics: an overview

The need to record clinical images, for use in documenting treatments, patient education, patient contracting, referral letters and sharing information with colleagues, is increasing. This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of 35 mm and digital photography.

Antitumor benzothiazoles. 7. Synthesis of 2-(4-acylaminophenyl)benzothiazoles and investigations into the role of acetylation in the antitumor activities of the parent amines

2-(4-Aminophenyl)benzothiazoles display potent and selective antitumor activity against inter alia breast, ovarian, colon, and renal cell lines, but their mechanism of action, though yet to be defined, may be novel. Metabolism is suspected to play a central role in the mode of action of these benzothiazoles since drug uptake and biotransformation were observed in sensitive cell lines (e.g., breast MCF-7 and MDA 468 cells) in vitro, whereas insensitive cell lines (e.g., prostate PC 3 cells) showed negligible uptake and biotransformation. N-Acyl derivatives of the arylamines have been synthesized, and in vitro studies confirm N-acetylation and oxidation as the main metabolic transformations of 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazoles, with the predominant process being dictated by the nature of the 3'-substituent. The prototype amine 3 underwent mainly N-acetylation in vitro, while 3'-substituted analogues 4 and 5 were primarily oxidized. N-Acetylation of 4 to 11 exerts a drastic dyschemotherapeutic effect in vitro, but acetylation of the halogeno congeners 5-7 gave acetylamines 12-14 which substantially retain selective antitumor activity. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in rats confirmed rapid and exclusive N-acetylation of the 3'-methyl analogue 4, but less acetylation with the 3'-chloro analogue 5. Distinct expression patterns of N-acetyltransferase NAT1 and NAT2 have been demonstrated in our panel of cell lines.

The development of meat-eating habits during childhood in Australia

The development of meat-eating habits of 999 Australian children between 1 and 16 years of age stratified across socioeconomic groups, was determined using a 4-day diary and measurement procedures to document intake. The results indicated that a stable pattern of meat-eating behaviour, as regards the frequency and type of meat eaten was established during the period 1-4 years of age and remained until 10-12 years for males and until at least 14-16 years for females. In contrast, the amount of meat consumed increased with age, the greatest increases occurring with adolescent males who ate the largest amounts of beef, chicken and pork. It is suggested that the early establishment of meat-eating habits may reflect a more general effect that may occur with other types of food.

Temporal processing of odor mixtures reveals that identification of components takes precedence over temporal information in olfactory memory

Temporal processing of binary mixtures results in odorants being perceived in series separated by many hundreds of milliseconds. Since the odorant perceived first is the main suppressor, knowledge of the order of perception of two odorants can allow prediction of interactions in mixtures. The present study investigated the temporal coding of ternary mixtures composed of carvone, coniferan and triethylamine, and citralva, lillial and triethylamine using a specially constructed air-dilution olfactometer. The results indicated that even though each of the components could be readily identified in ternary mixtures, it was very difficult to indicate which odor was perceived first, with chance scores being recorded. The same outcome occurred even when the 'slowest' odorant was delivered 600 ms after the 'fastest' to the nose. It is proposed that olfactory memory gives precedence to identification of the components of mixtures rather than to their order of perception when more than two odorants are in a mixture.

Fluorescent staining of kappa opioid receptors using naltrexamine derivatives and phycoerythrin

An immunofluorescent technique that is more sensitive than radioligand binding was developed in order to detect opioid receptors expressed on leukocytes. The current study was designed to optimize the method for fluorescently labeling kappa opioid receptors. For these experiments, the opioid antagonist naltrexamine was conjugated to either fluorescein (FITC-NTXamine) or biotin (biotin-NTXamine). One-step, two-step, and three-step protocols were compared to determine which procedure resulted in optimal staining of the kappa opioid receptor expressed on intact, unfixed R1E/TL8x.1.OUAr.1(R1EGO) cells, a thymoma known to express kappa opioid receptors. The one-step method involved incubating cells with FITC-NTXamine, and the fluorescein intensity was measured by flow cytometry. In the two-step method, cells were incubated with biotin-NTXamine, followed by extravidin-conjugated phycoerythrin, and the phycoerythrin fluorescence was measured. Finally, in the three-step protocol, cells were incubated with FITC-NTXamine, followed by biotin-conjugated anti-fluorescein IgG, then extravidin-phycoerythrin. The one-step protocol stained the cells, but the signal was not diminished in the presence of opioid competitors. The two-step approach did not stain cells significantly above background levels. Only the three-step approach yielded staining that was displaced by the kappa-selective antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. Thus, the addition of a secondary biotinylated antibody, resulting in the amplification of binding, which was detected using phycoerythrin as a fluorophore, was required to detect low levels of opioid receptor expression on leukocytes.

Mandibular enlargement: an unusual complication of a cervical cystic hygroma

A 13-year-old boy with a large cervical cystic hygroma, which extended into the floor of mouth, was referred for treatment of painful teeth and tongue. Clinically there was a large submandibular swelling, enlargement of the mandible and a Class III malocclusion. Intra-orally the tongue was enlarged and vesiculated. Gross caries was present in both mandibular permanent first molar teeth. Treatment comprised oral hygiene instruction, dietary advice, chlorohexidene mouth rinse, and removal of the carious teeth. At a later data, removal of the lesion and correction of the mandibular enlargement will be undertaken.

Juvenile systemic hyalinosis--a rare cause of gingival hypertrophy: a case report

A 5-year-old boy was referred because of gross gingival hypertrophy which caused severe feeding difficulties in addition to obvious aesthetic concern. The patient also suffered from frequent upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea. In addition, he had pigmentation on bony prominences of his hands, elbows, knees and ankles, cutaneous nodules behind his ear and granulomatous tissue adjacent to his nose. Excess gingival tissue was removed under general anaesthesia. Histological features suggested a diagnosis of juvenile hyaline fibromatosis, which is considered to represent the same underlying pathological condition as infantile systemic hyalinosis. It is suggested that systemic hyalinosis should be preceded by 'infantile' or 'juvenile' depending on the clinical presentation.

The influence of flavor and color on drink identification by children and adults

This study investigated how color and flavor influences drink identification by children and adults. The children ranged in age from 2 to 18 years of age. Each subject tasted four drinks that differed in color and flavor. Each drink had an atypical color-flavor pairing (e.g., brown-pineapple) or a typical pairing (e.g., brown-chocolate). After tasting each drink, the subject chose which of four flavor names identified the drink. For the atypical drinks, the selection of color-associated names (e.g., chocolate for a brown drink) decreased, and the selection of flavor-associated names increased with age from the preschoolers to the adults. For the typical drinks, the selection of the correct name was greater than 80% for all ages. These results suggest that drink identification becomes more influenced by flavor as children get older because of an increase in the ability of children to focus on flavor as their perceptual-attentional skills mature.

Hypersensitivity to an orthodontic bonding agent. A case report

A case report of a 14-year-old male who developed an allergic reaction shortly after the placement of Edgewise stainless steel orthodontic brackets with Unite, a composite bonding agent, is reported. Patch testing revealed that he was allergic to the set composite and the catalyst paste. The brackets were replaced by stainless steel orthodontic bands cemented with Poly F Zinc polycarboxylate cement which allowed treatment to progress without further incident.

Topographical differences in sweetness sensitivity in the peripheral gustatory system of adults and children

The sensitivity of localised areas of the anterior tongue of adults and 8-year-old males to the sweetener sucrose was determined, using a two-alternative forced choice psychophysical procedure. Stimulation of 12 areas by 0.2125 M sucrose or water, using a filter paper technique, indicated that the children were significantly more sensitive to the sweetener at eight of the areas. Counts of papillae at each of the 12 areas showed that there were similar numbers for adults and children at eight areas, whilst at three of the areas that exhibited a higher sensitivity to sucrose, children had significantly more papillae. Since 8-year-old males are less sensitive to sucrose when the stimulus is given as a whole-mouth stimulus [12], it is proposed that the children's gustatory system may be unable to integrate the information available at the tongue as efficiently as adults, or that the threshold and stimulus-response functions of receptor cells are different in the two groups.

Schwannoma of the anterior cranial fossa and paranasal sinuses

Only two cases of schwannomas involving the anterior cranial fossa and paranasal sinuses or nasal fossa have been reported previously. We describe a third case which involved all of these structures and also the left orbit.

Effects of alcohol on functional development of the auditory pathway in the brainstem of infants and chick embryos

The effects of alcohol on the development of neural function in the auditory pathway of the brainstem have been examined in human neonates and chick embryos. Auditory brainstem evoked responses were recorded in six infants of mothers for whom there was evidence of alcohol abuse during pregnancy. In four of the infants, evoked responses were abnormal, with poorly defined, inconsistent peaks. Neurophysiological and histological studies were done on chick embryos which received a single dose of alcohol early incubation. In most surviving embryos the neuroanatomical arrangement of the auditory nuclei in the brainstem was normal. However, Golgi impregnation revealed abnormalities in the length and structure of the dendrites in nucleus laminaris. Electrically evoked neuronal activity revealed abnormalities of synaptic function and the distribution of nerve terminals. The results indicate that in infants and chick embryos the functional development of the auditory pathway in the brainstem is disrupted by exposure to alcohol. Such early changes in this sensory pathway may contribute to the behavioural and intellectual handicaps associated with the fetal alcohol syndrome.

Death of motorneurons during the postnatal loss of polyneuronal innervation of rat muscles

A study was made of the decline in the number of motor neurons and axons of the brachial spinal cord of the rat during postnatal development. The injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the biceps muscle showed that it was innervated by motor neurons located in the dorsolateral position of the lateral motor column in segments C5 and C6; HRP injections into the triceps muscle showed that it was innervated by motor neurons located in the ventrolateral position of the lateral motor column in segments C7 and C8. There was no change in the position of these motor neuron pools between birth and maturity. However, there was a decline in the number of neurons in each pool during the postnatal period; over 35% of the neurons present at birth had disappeared by maturity. This loss of neurons was uniform throughout the rostrocaudal extent of each pool. It was accompanied by a similar percentage loss in the number of axons in a ventral root at the branchial level (C8). Electrophysiological measurements showed that the disappearance of motor neurons was accompanied by a loss in the polyneuronal innervation of synaptic sites in the biceps muscle. The possibility that a decrease in the number of neurons contributes to the loss of polyneuronal innervation is discussed.

The effect in vitro of high-density lipoprotein on hydrolysis of triacylglycerol by lipoprotein lipase

In an incubation system in vitro with fully activated Intralipid as substrate, rat high-density lipoprotein inhibits the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol by lipoprotein lipase from rat adipose tissue, but does not inhibit hydrolysis by the enzyme from bovine milk. The pattern of inhibition suggests that substrate and high-density lipoprotein may compete for association with rat adipose-tissue lipoprotein lipase.

"Anabolic" effects of methandienone in men undergoing athletic training

After failure to confirm an anabolic action of testosterone and its derivatives in rats, methandienone ('Dianabol', an "anabolic steroid" used by athletes) has been given to 11 athletic men during a course of weight-training, in a double-blind, crossover experiment. The dose of methandienone was 100 mg/day for 6 wk. Body weight and composition, muscular strength and performance, and indices of endocrine function were studied. Compared with the placebo period, on methandienone the subjects gained weight (mean 3-3 kg +/- 0-6 kg) and accumulated a disproportionately large amount of potassium (420+/-68 mmol); the increase in weight was confined to the lean part of the body, and the muscles increased in size. Strength and performance improved over each training period, but not significantly differently on drug and placebo. On the drug, plasma-cortisol concentration and urinary cortisol excretion increased, and plasma-testosterone decreased. Although the weight and body-composition changes may demonstrate an anabolic action of methandienone in man, they may alternatively have been caused by an increase in intracellular fluid, and the question of anabolic action therefore remains open.