Characterization of a novel HLA-A*24 allele containing an HLA-A*03 sequence motif

HLA-A*2418 is described for the first time. It segregates in a Mendelian fashion. Serological analyses indicate that the new allele encodes epitopes from both HLA-A9 and -A3 specificities. Results from nucleotide sequencing analyses of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification products derived from genomic and cDNA are compatible with those findings.

A complete BAC-based physical map of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome

Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant that serves as the major model system in plant molecular genetics. The efforts of many scientists have produced genetic maps that provide extensive coverage of the genome (http://genome-www. stanford.edu/Arabidopsis/maps.html). Recently, detailed YAC, BAC, P1 and cosmid-based physical maps (that is, representations of genomic regions as sets of overlapping clones of corresponding libraries) have been established that extend over wide genomic areas ranging from several hundreds of kilobases to entire chromosomes. These maps provide an entry to gain deeper insight into the A. thaliana genome structure. A. thaliana has been chosen as the subject of the first large-scale project intended to determine the full genome sequence of a plant. This sequencing project, together with the increasing interest in map-based gene cloning, has highlighted the requirement for a complete and accurate physical map of this plant species. To supply the scientific community with a high-quality resource, we present here a complete physical map of A. thaliana using essentially the IGF BAC library. The map consists of 27 contigs that cover the entire genome, except for the presumptive centromeric regions, nucleolar organization regions (NOR) and telomeric areas. This is the first reported map of a complex organism based entirely on BAC clones and it represents the most homogeneous and complete physical map established to date for any plant genome. Furthermore, the analysis performed here serves as a model for an efficient physical mapping procedure using BAC clones that can be applied to other complex genomes.

Family factors influencing out-of-home placement decisions

Flying in the face of national community care policies, families of young children with severe disabilities continue to seek out-of-home placement The present paper explores the factors which influence families to care for their children at home or to place them out-of-home. Data for the present study were derived from a qualitative in-depth study of the everyday family life experiences of 167 families of young children with a disability and high support needs. One hundred and twenty-five (75%) of these families definitely did not want to place their child, 32 (19%) were undecided, and 10 (6%) were actively seeking or had already sought placement. Coded interview data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis to reveal eight factors influencing everyday family life. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences between the three groups of families on three out of the eight factors. The families' views about placing their child were compared across the three groups using text analysis techniques. Without exception, the primary desire of all families was to care for their child at home. However, when placement was considered a possibility, even if remote, the most frequently reported reasons were family 'survival' and mitigating circumstances. The finding that one-quarter of the families had already sought or were considering placement for children in this young age range is provocative. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Dissecting aortic aneurysm complicated with acute disseminated intravascular coagulation: case report

Acute disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a rare complication of aortic aneurysm with or without dissection. We describe an 88-year-old man who presented with severe hemorrhagic diathesis and a pulsating abdominal mass. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm with thrombus formation, and his coagulation profile showed the features of acute DIC. After he had received blood component therapy, including fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate concentrates, and intravenous heparin infusion (10,000 U/day), the bleeding diathesis and coagulopathy improved. An aneurysmectomy was performed smoothly without excessive bleeding. Coagulation parameters returned to normal after surgery. Dissecting aortic aneurysm should be considered as a possible etiology of acute disseminated intravascular coagulation, even it occurs in rare situations. Surgical intervention is still the main strategy to normalize coagulopathy. Bleeding diathesis must be corrected before surgery in order to prevent massive intraoperative bleeding.

Rural palliative care volunteer education and support program

The present paper looks at the challenges of palliative care delivery in rural and remote areas and proposes the establishment, education and coordination of a network of palliative care volunteers to assist in the delivery of non-clinical services. The development of a rural palliative care volunteer education and support training package is documented, together with details of the trailing of the package and its evaluation. Possible benefits of the program and some key issues to be considered when establishing a volunteer network are raised.

In vitro culture growth of erythroid progenitors and serum erythropoietin assay in the differential diagnosis of polycythaemia

BACKGROUND

We assessed the in vitro culture growth of erythroid progenitors [burst forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E)] and serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels in different groups of polycythaemia to determine the discriminative power in differential diagnosis of polycythaemia.

METHODS

We used the methylcellulose culture technique to study the growth of endogenous erythroid colonies (EECs) and EPO-dependent BFU-E from bone marrow (BM) and/or peripheral blood (PB) cells from 40 patients with polycythaemia vera (PV), 13 with secondary polycythaemia (SP), 19 with pure erythrocytosis (PE), five with PE and PV evolution later (PE-PV), and 12 with relative polycythaemia (RP). The serum EPO levels were measured by radioimmunoassay before treatment in 47 patients, 23 SP patients, 19 PE patients, five PE-PV patients and 16 RP patients, as well as after treatment in 38 PV patients, five PE-PV patients and 12 PE patients.

RESULTS

The results of the erythroid progenitor culture assay showed that the numbers of EPO-dependent BFU-E in BM did not differ significantly among groups. The PB BFU-E were significantly higher in PV than in SP or PE, and no statistical difference were found among patients with SP, PE and RP. There was a correlation between BM BFU-E and PB BFU-E in the individual PV and PE patients. EECs were present in all BM and PB cultures of untreated and phlebotomy-treated PV and PE-PV patients, but were absent in 6 of 17 PV patients who had received cytotoxic therapy. EECs were not found in SP, PE and RP. PB could substitute for BM in the EEC or the BFU-E assay. Both pretreatment and post-treatment serum EPO levels of PV and PE-PV were similar, which were significantly lower than SP, PE or RP. The serum EPO levels in treated PV or PE-PV patients who had normal haematocrit values were not significantly different from those in untreated patients. In contrast, the phlebotomy-treated PE patients had significantly higher serum EPO values than untreated PE patients. In the differentiation between PV and PE, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of post-treatment serum EPO levels at a cut-off level of < or = 9 UL-1 were 74%, 92% and 52% respectively. The discriminative power of post-phlebotomy serum EPO levels was even higher with a positive predictive value of 80% and negative predictive value of 92% for the prediction of PV evolution in patients with pure erythrocytosis of unknown origin.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed that apart from EEC assay, the post-phlebotomy serum EPO level was a sensitive and specific parameter in the differential diagnosis of polycythaemia, in particular for the identification of PV among patients with unclassifiable polycythaemia.

Characterization of the HLA class I genotypes of a Venezuelan Amerindian group by molecular methods

We have characterized the HLA class I genotypes of the Yucpa, a tribe of Venezuelan Amerindians, using molecular methods. The study was carried out on DNA extracted from unrelated individuals using low resolution ARMS-SSP typing with sequence-specific primers, high resolution typing using reference strand conformation analysis (RSCA), and for some samples sequence-based typing (SBT). The following class I alleles were found to be present in this tribe: for the HLA-A locus A*0204, A*0212, A*0213, A*2402, A*3101 and A*6801; for the B locus B*1522, B*3512, B*3905, B*3909, B*4004 and B*52012, and for C locus Cw*0102, Cw*0302/ 4, Cw*0401, Cw*0702 and Cw*1503. This is the first time these alleles have been described in this group, although all of them have previously been reported as being present in other Amerindian tribes. The study confirmed the high frequency of HLA-B39 which was previously observed in serological analysis of this tribe, and indicated that two different B*39 alleles were present in this population. The identification of the class I alleles by molecular methods for this ethnic group confirms the restricted polymorphism of the MHC molecules previously obtained by serology and has allowed a more accurate definition of the different alleles present in this population.

Lack of both types 1 and 2 cytokines, tissue inflammatory responses, and immune protection during pulmonary infection by Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin in IL-12-deficient mice

Understanding of key cytokines and the nature of protective immune responses in pulmonary mycobacterial diseases remains a task of paramount importance. In this study, both wild-type (wt) and IL-12-deficient (IL-12(-/-)) mice were infected by airways inoculation of live Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). The type 1 cytokines IL-12, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha, but not the type 2 cytokines IL-4 and granulocyte macrophage (GM)-CSF, markedly increased in the lung and peripheral blood of wt mice postinfection, which resulted in the development of intense granulomatous responses and the effective control of mycobacterial infection in the lung. In contrast, IL-12(-/-) mice demonstrated a lack of both types 1 and 2 cytokines in the lung and blood and a severely impaired tissue immune-inflammatory response lacking not only macrophages and neutrophils but CD4 and CD8 T cells and NK cells in the lung throughout the entire course of study. Total lung mononuclear cells isolated from these mice, in contrast to wt mice, had an impaired recall immune response to Ag challenge in vitro. These impaired responses resulted in an uncontrolled local growth and systemic spread of bacilli. Our findings reveal that IL-12 plays an irreplaceable role in the initiation of Th1 responses, and the loss of its function cannot be compensated for by alternative mechanisms in the lung. This cytokine, together with IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, and granulomatous inflammation are critically required for the effective control of pulmonary mycobacterial infection. Our results also indicate that the absence of type 1 cytokines does not necessarily favor a Th2 response.

Bone marrow failure and myelofibrosis in a case of PVP storage disease

"PVP storage disease" is a disorder occurring in patients who have received high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which cannot be excreted from the body. These large polymers deposit in the histiocytes and cause proliferation and infiltration of histiocytes in the reticuloendothelial system. There was usually no significant damage to these organs except that prolonged administration might cause bone destruction, skin lesions, arthritis, and polyneuropathy. We describe a patient who had received a large amount of PVP-containing solution for years. Severe bone marrow failure with extensive infiltration of bone marrow by foamy histiocytes occurred later. In addition, she suffered from multiple pathological fractures with spinal cord compression and arthritis of bilateral knee joints.

Cutaneous involvement in polyvinylpyrrolidone storage disease: a clinicopathologic study of five patients, including two patients with severe anemia

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), formerly a plasma expander, has continued to be inappropriately used in Taiwan for intravenous injection as a "blood tonic." Five cases of PVP storage disease with cutaneous involvement were studied. Two patients presented with cutaneous eruptions mimicking collagen vascular disease and chronic pigmented purpuric dermatosis. Two other cases were found incidentally: one was with a metastatic tumor and the other in a pemphigus lesion. The fifth case was seen in a blind skin biopsy specimen taken to exclude Niemann-Pick disease after hematologic examination of a bone marrow smear. The latter patient and the patient with a collagen vascularlike disease also had severe anemia and serious orthopedic and neurologic complications due to massive infiltration of PVP-containing cells in the bone marrow with destruction of the bone. Severe irreversible anemia due to PVP storage disease has not been reported before. Three patients admitted having a history of receiving intravenous injection of PVP. The samples obtained from two of them indeed contained 5% PVP as determined by chemical analysis. PVP storage disease can be diagnosed by its histopathologic features. The skin biopsy specimens all showed a variable number of characteristic blue-gray vacuolated cells around blood vessels and adnexal structures with positive tinctorial reactions to mucicarmine, colloidal iron, and alkaline Congo red and negative to periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and alcian blue. The PVP storage cells were shown to be CD68+ macrophages. The presence of PVP in the skin induced little or no inflammatory reaction. Only the pelvic mass in one patient had a foreign body granuloma formation. Our study showed that systemic parenteral administration of PVP preparation could result in the accumulation of PVP storage cells in the skin, with or without clinical eruptions. The diagnosis of systemic PVP storage disease can be established by performing a skin biopsy for pathologic study. It is important for pathologists and clinicians to be aware of this iatrogenic storage disease to avoid misdiagnosis for hereditary storage disease, osteomyelitis, or signet-ring cell carcinoma. Serious hematologic and orthopedic complications can be caused by repeated massive intravenous injection of PVP. Therefore, PVP preparations should be strictly prohibited for systemic administration.

Complementary strand analysis: a new approach for allelic separation in complex polyallelic genetic systems

We describe a method, complementary strand analysis (CSA), for separating alleles potentially from any heterozygous genetic locus. Locus specific PCR is performed generating two allelic products. The antisense strands are isolated and hybridised with a sense reference strand to form a chimeric DNA duplex for each allele which is then separated by non-denaturing PAGE. We demonstrate the application of CSA for separation of highly polymorphic HLA-A, -B and -Cw alleles and characterisation of HLA identity in related bone marrow donors and patients. CSA is capable of resolving one nucleotide differences in a DNA fragment nearly as large as a kilobase in length.

The support needs of pregnant and parenting adolescents in rural communities

Pregnant adolescents and teenage mothers in rural communities face extraordinary difficulties accessing appropriate and adequate support services, despite having recognised specialist health needs and unique support requirements. The Australian Rural Health Research Institute at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, is currently engaged in a federally funded project aimed it significantly improving access to services for this disadvantaged and often neglected group, through the publication and wide dissemination of a resource booklet identifying successful aspects of service delivery across a range of rural support settings. Five existing health and welfare support services for pregnant or parenting adolescent: in rural Australia have been selected for inclusion in the booklet, which is being developed for community use. Assessment is being undertaken during visits to each of the services, and, following interviews with staff, referral agencies and consumers. This paper outlines the strengths, attributes and access difficulties associated with two contrasting service models involved in the project, and stresses the importance of improving access to services for rural adolescents. A framework for establishing innovative and effective new services is also presented.

Determination of factors associated with condom use among women infected with human immunodeficiency virus

To better understand potential barriers to condom use and the sexual behaviour of women infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), an anonymous self-administered survey was performed on a convenience sample of 83 predominantly single HIV+ women. Most women had only one sexual partner who usually knew of the subject's serostatus. Only a minority of partners (26%) were known to also be HIV infected. Subjects were surprisingly more likely to use condoms with their main partner as opposed to other partners. Factors found to be associated with condom non-use included younger age, low education level, partner HIV+, history of a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and use of drugs or alcohol during sex. Although most subjects indicated the decision was mutual when deciding not to use a condom, 20% stated it a was a partner decision. Future intervention efforts should target these identified high-risk individuals and optimally involve the partners of HIV-infected women.