Mitral valve and left ventricular features in malignant mitral valve prolapse.

Objective: Mitral valve prolapse is a benign condition, however with occasional reports of sudden cardiac death or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the absence of severe mitral regurgitation or coronary artery disease, suggesting the existence of a malignant form. The objective of our study was to contribute to the characterisation of malignant mitral valve prolapse. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of pathology findings in 68 consecutive cases of sudden cardiac death with mitral valve prolapse as lone abnormal finding, reported as cause of death. Results: All mitral valve prolapse sudden death cases had mitral valve characteristics of Barlow disease, with extensive bileaflet multisegmental prolapse and dilatation of the annulus. The majority of cases (80.9%) had microscopic left ventricular fibrosis with associated hypertrophy and degenerative features of the myocytes, and some cases (10.9%) had right ventricular fibrosis as well. Conclusions: Malignant mitral valve prolapse is Barlow disease. Sudden cardiac death in mitral valve prolapse is due to Barlow disease, which besides the typical mitral valve degeneration may comprise a distinct Barlow disease cardiomyopathy, as suggested by myocyte degeneration and bi-ventricular involvement

The 3'-untranslated region directs ribosomal protein-encoding mRNAs to specific cytoplasmic regions

mRNA localization is a conserved post-transcriptional process crucial for a variety of systems. We have analyzed the subcellular distribution of mRNAs encoding human cytosolic and mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. Biochemical fractionation experiments showed that the transcripts for cytosolic ribosomal proteins associate preferentially with the cytoskeleton via actin microfilaments. Transfection in HeLa cells of a GFP reporter construct containing the cytosolic ribosomal protein L4 3'-UTR showed that the 3'-UTR is necessary for the association of the transcript to the cytoskeleton. Using confocal analysis we demonstrate that the chimeric transcript is specifically associated with the perinuclear cytoskeleton. We also show that mRNA for mitochondrial ribosomal protein S12 is asymmetrically distributed in the cytoplasm. In fact, this transcript was localized mainly in the proximity of mitochondria, and the localization was 3'-UTR-dependent. In summary, ribosomal protein mRNAs constitute a new class of localized transcripts that share a common localization mechanism

Non-epithelial ovarian cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

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New molecular tools: application of the μAQUA phylochip and concomitant FISH probes to study freshwater pathogens from samples taken along the Tiber River, Italy

Current knowledge about aquatic pathogens are scarce because bacteria, protozoans, algae and their toxins occur at low concentrations, making them difficult to measure directly or to filter sufficient volumes to facilitate detection. We developed and validated tools to detect pathogens in freshwater systems. To evaluate impacts on water quality, a phylogenetic microarray was developed in the EU project μAQUA to detect simultaneously numerous pathogens and was applied in MicroCoKit, to samples taken from four locations from two seasons for two years along the length of the Tiber River, Italy. The sites ranged from a pristine site near its source to ones contaminated by agricultural, industrial and anthropogenic waste moving downstream to near its mouth. Fifty litres were collected and concentrated using a hollow-fibre ultrafiltration, a rapid method with minimal cell loss to provide a concentrate for downstream analysis. The 60 Da cut-off ensures many organics, such as toxins, will be concentrated for analysis. Aliquots from the concentrate were preserved in TRI-Reagent and total RNA extracted, labelled and hybridised to the phylochip to detect pathogenic bacteria, protozoa and toxic cyanobacteria. The microarray results gave positive signals for all pathogens. Calibration curves enabled us to infer cell concentrations. Cross validation was performed using FISH probes for selected toxic cyanobacteria and hybridised to aliquots taken from the raw water prior to concentration by the hollow fibre filters

Innate type 2 immunity in helminth infection is induced redundantly and acts autonomously following CD11c+ cell depletion

Infection with gastrointestinal helminths generates a dominant type 2 response among both adaptive (Th2) and innate (macrophage, eosinophil, and innate lymphoid) immune cell types. Two additional innate cell types, CD11chigh dendritic cells (DCs) and basophils, have been implicated in the genesis of type 2 immunity. Investigating the type 2 response to intestinal nematode parasites, including Heligmosomoides polygyrus and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, we first confirmed the requirement for DCs in stimulating Th2 adaptive immunity against these helminths through depletion of CD11chigh cells by administration of diphtheria toxin to CD11c.DOG mice. In contrast, responsiveness was intact in mice depleted of basophils by antibody treatment. Th2 responses can be induced by adoptive transfer of DCs, but not basophils, exposed to soluble excretory-secretory products from these helminths. However, innate type 2 responses arose equally strongly in the presence or absence of CD11chigh cells or basophils; thus, in CD11c.DOG mice, the alternative activation of macrophages, as measured by expression of arginase-1, RELM-α, and Ym-1 (Chi3L3) in the intestine following H. polygyrus infection or in the lung following N. brasiliensis infection, was unaltered by depletion of CD11c-expressing DCs and alveolar macrophages or by antibody-mediated basophil depletion. Similarly, goblet cell-associated RELM-β in lung and intestinal tissues, lung eosinophilia, and expansion of innate lymphoid (“nuocyte”) populations all proceeded irrespective of depletion of CD11chigh cells or basophils. Thus, while CD11chigh DCs initiate helminth-specific adaptive immunity, innate type 2 cells are able to mount an autonomous response to the challenge of parasite infection

Disabling the lower respiratory ways in children with foreign bodies

Introduction. Aspiration of the foreign body is the accidental penetration by pharynx and larynx of objects or pieces of objects, food in the lower airways, which produce a state of asphyxia with vital danger to the child. Material and methods. A retrospective study was performed on a group of 123 children aged 11 months -16 years, hospitalized for the period 2013-2017 at the Mother and Child Institute. Diagnosis at admission: pneumonia, bronchopneumonia or foreign body suspected in respiratory tract.In order to establish the diagnosis, paraclinical methods - radiography and bronchoscopy were used. Of the total number of patients, 81 (65.8%) and 42 (34.1%) were hospitalized in an emergency.Endoscopic diagnosis and foreign body extraction were performed with two types of bronchoscopes: Karl Sorz pediatric rigid bronchoscope and flexible BF 3C 160 and BF 1TQ 170 Olympus videobronchoscope. Clinical cases of the greatest difficulty have been resolved by a mixed approach.The origin of foreign bodies: organic - 79 (64.2%), inorganic in 44 (35.7%) children. The location of foreign bodies was the following: tracheal level -1.8%, right bronchus lumen - 64.7%, and left - 33.5%. Associated decubitus lesions were present in 11.3% of cases. Granular masses at the foreign body level were documented in 67.2% (34.2% of them were with the duration of the presence of the foreign body up to 7 days). Contact bleeding during extraction occurred in 16.7% of cases. In 4,8% cases the bronchial mucosa was not affected. In 5 cases (4.0%) the foreign body was deeply incarcerated in the bronchial wall. Results. Extraction of foreign bodies by flexible videobronchoscope was obtained in 7 patients (5.6%). By rigid bronchoscope foreign bodies were extracted from 111 patients (90.2%). In 5 children (4.0%) access to visualization to the foreign body was possible via flexible videobronchoscope, but extraction – via rigid bronchoscopy. Conclusion. In the pediatric prenatal extraction of foreign bodies in the lower respiratory tract, the main part belongs to rigid apparatus bronchoscopy with the selection of the age-appropriate insertion tube

Study of the Distribution of Photoassimilates in Tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> Mill)

With the aim of evaluating the distribution of assimilates in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), a trial under greenhouse was carried out with plants in hydroponic solution. The treatments were: H1; H2 and H3: Controls with the first, second and third leaf (among the first and the second truss) supplied with glucose [ C 14 (U) ] respectively H4: Pruning of the third leaf between trusses and the second leaf supplied. The pruning was done 25 days after the anthesis of the first cluster, the leaves were supplied in all treatments. 24 hours later, the plants were fractionated in root, shoot, basal leaves, expanded leaves, non expanded leaves, 1st , 2nd and 3rd trusses and apex. The plant material remained in stove up to constant weight. The samples were digested with OHNa 9N, homogenized, and scintillating solution Bray + cab-o-sil at 5% was added. The activity of the samples were measured in a Beckman LS 100 C liquid scintillation counter. The pruning of the third leaf modified the pattern distribution of assimilates in the plant. The group of clusters were the most important sinks in all treatments, reaching the highest value in H4 (70%). The stem was an important sink in all treatments. The highest contribution to it (30%) was done by the second leaf (H2). The removal of the third leaf increased the amount of assimilates entering the fruits and decreased the amount of glucose entering the stem.Instituto de Fisiología Vegeta