Association of vascular endothelial growth factor C-634 G polymorphism in Taiwanese children with Kawasaki disease

[[abstract]]High expression of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been reported in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). In the pathophysiology of KD, VEGF is considered to be involved, especially in the development of coronary artery lesions. This study aimed to examine whether the VEGF-634 promoter polymorphism is a marker of KD susceptibility or severity in Chinese patients in Taiwan. The study included 93 KD patients and 96 normal control subjects. Genotype and allelic frequencies for the VEGF gene polymorphism in the two groups were compared. The number of individuals with the VEGF-634 G/G genotype was significantly greater among the patients with KD than among the healthy control subjects (p = 0.011). The odds ratio for the development of KD in individuals with the VEGF-634 G/G genotype was found to be 2.03 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-3.63) compared with the VEGF-634 G/C and VEGF-634 C/C genotypes. No significant difference was observed in the genotype or allelic frequencies of VEGF C-634 G polymorphism between the patients with and those without coronary artery lesions. In conclusion, the results suggest that VEGF-634 G/G genotype may be involved in the development of KD in Taiwanese children

Association of Interleukin-10 A-592C Polymorphism in Taiwanese Children with Kawasaki Disease

[[abstract]]Abstract: Elevated serum levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) have been reported in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). IL-10 reduces the inflammatory actions of macrophages and T cells and it may play a significant role in the regulation of inflammatory vascular damage associated with systemic vasculitis. The aim of this study was to examine whether -592 IL-10 promoter polymorphism is a susceptibility or severity marker of KID in Chinese patients in Taiwan. The study included 105 KD patients and 100 normal controls. Genotype and allelic frequencies for the IL-10 gene polymorphism in both groups were compared. There were no significant between-group differences in the genotype distribution of IL-10 A-592C gene polymorphism (P=0.08). However, the frequency of the -592*A allele was significantly increased in the patients with KD compared with controls (71.9% vs. 61.0%, P=0.019). The odds ratio for developing KD in individuals with IL-10 -592*A allele was 1.64 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.52) compared to individuals with the IL-10-592*C allele. No significant difference was observed in the genotype and allelic frequencies for the IL-10 A-592C polymorphism between patients with and without coronary artery lesions. The IL-10-592*A allele may be involved in the development of KD in Taiwanese children

Chryseobacterium indologenes infection in a newborn: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p><it>Chryseobacterium indologenes </it>is an uncommon human pathogen. Most infections have been detected in hospitalized patients with severe underlying diseases who had indwelling devices implanted. Infection caused by <it>C. indologenes </it>in a newborn has not been previously reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a case of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by <it>C. indologenes </it>in a full-term Caucasian newborn baby boy with congenital heart disease who was successfully treated with piperacillin-tazobactam.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>C. indologenes </it>should be considered as a potential pathogen in newborns in the presence of invasive equipment or treatment with long-term broad-spectrum antibiotics. Appropriate choice of effective antimicrobial agents for treatment is difficult because of the unpredictability and breadth of antimicrobial resistance of these organisms, which often involves resistance to many of the antibiotics chosen empirically for serious Gram-negative infections.</p

Prognostic factors and monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis: gram-positive versus gram-negative pathogens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis is rapidly progressive and life-threatening. This study was undertaken to ascertain whether the clinical presentation and outcome for patients with this disease differ for those infected with a gram-positive as compared to gram-negative pathogen.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-six patients with monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis were examined retrospectively from November 2002 to January 2008. All patients received adequate broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, aggressive resuscitation, prompt radical debridement and adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Eleven patients were infected with a gram-positive pathogen (Group 1) and 35 patients with a gram-negative pathogen (Group 2).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Group 2 was characterized by a higher incidence of hemorrhagic bullae and septic shock, higher APACHE II scores at 24 h post-admission, a higher rate of thrombocytopenia, and a higher prevalence of chronic liver dysfunction. Gouty arthritis was more prevalent in Group 1. For non-survivors, the incidences of chronic liver dysfunction, chronic renal failure and thrombocytopenia were higher in comparison with those for survivors. Lower level of serum albumin was also demonstrated in the non-survivors as compared to those in survivors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Pre-existing chronic liver dysfunction, chronic renal failure, thrombocytopenia and hypoalbuminemia, and post-operative dependence on mechanical ventilation represent poor prognostic factors in monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis. Patients with gram-negative monobacterial necrotizing fasciitis present with more fulminant sepsis.</p

TCMGeneDIT: a database for associated traditional Chinese medicine, gene and disease information using text mining

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a complementary and alternative medical system in Western countries, has been used to treat various diseases over thousands of years in East Asian countries. In recent years, many herbal medicines were found to exhibit a variety of effects through regulating a wide range of gene expressions or protein activities. As available TCM data continue to accumulate rapidly, an urgent need for exploring these resources systematically is imperative, so as to effectively utilize the large volume of literature.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>TCM, gene, disease, biological pathway and protein-protein interaction information were collected from public databases. For association discovery, the TCM names, gene names, disease names, TCM ingredients and effects were used to annotate the literature corpus obtained from PubMed. The concept to mine entity associations was based on hypothesis testing and collocation analysis. The annotated corpus was processed with natural language processing tools and rule-based approaches were applied to the sentences for extracting the relations between TCM effecters and effects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We developed a database, TCMGeneDIT, to provide association information about TCMs, genes, diseases, TCM effects and TCM ingredients mined from vast amount of biomedical literature. Integrated protein-protein interaction and biological pathways information are also available for exploring the regulations of genes associated with TCM curative effects. In addition, the transitive relationships among genes, TCMs and diseases could be inferred through the shared intermediates. Furthermore, TCMGeneDIT is useful in understanding the possible therapeutic mechanisms of TCMs via gene regulations and deducing synergistic or antagonistic contributions of the prescription components to the overall therapeutic effects. The database is now available at <url>http://tcm.lifescience.ntu.edu.tw/</url>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>TCMGeneDIT is a unique database that offers diverse association information on TCMs. This database integrates TCMs with biomedical studies that would facilitate clinical research and elucidate the possible therapeutic mechanisms of TCMs and gene regulations.</p

Rhodococcus equi venous catheter infection: a case report and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p><it>Rhodococcus equi </it>is an animal pathogen that was initially isolated from horses and is being increasingly reported as a cause of infection in humans with impaired cellular immunity. However, this pathogen is underestimated as a challenging antagonist and is frequently considered to be a mere contaminant despite the potential for life-threatening infections. Most case reports have occurred in immunocompromised patients who have received organ transplants (for example kidney, heart, bone marrow) or those with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Infections often manifest as pulmonary involvement or soft tissue abscesses. Bacteremia related to <it>R. equi </it>infections of tunneled central venous catheters has rarely been described.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 63-year-old non-transplant recipient, non-HIV infected Caucasian woman with endometrial carcinoma who developed recurrent bloodstream infections and septic shock due to <it>R. equi </it>and ultimately required the removal of her port catheter, a subcutaneous implantable central venous catheter. We also review the medical literature related to human infections with <it>R. equi</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>R. equi </it>should be considered a serious pathogen, not a contaminant, particularly in an immunocompromised patient who presents with a central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection. Counseling patients with central venous catheters who participate in activities involving exposure to domesticated animals is recommended.</p

Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been important both socially and economically as an ingredient in incense and perfumes for thousands of years. Frankincense oil is prepared from aromatic hardened gum resins obtained by tapping <it>Boswellia </it>trees. One of the main components of frankincense oil is boswellic acid, a component known to have anti-neoplastic properties. The goal of this study was to evaluate frankincense oil for its anti-tumor activity and signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Frankincense oil-induced cell viability was investigated in human bladder cancer J82 cells and immortalized normal bladder urothelial UROtsa cells. Temporal regulation of frankincense oil-activated gene expression in bladder cancer cells was identified by microarray and bioinformatics analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Within a range of concentration, frankincense oil suppressed cell viability in bladder transitional carcinoma J82 cells but not in UROtsa cells. Comprehensive gene expression analysis confirmed that frankincense oil activates genes that are responsible for cell cycle arrest, cell growth suppression, and apoptosis in J82 cells. However, frankincense oil-induced cell death in J82 cells did not result in DNA fragmentation, a hallmark of apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.</p

Association of CCR2-CCR5 Haplotypes and CCL3L1 Copy Number with Kawasaki Disease, Coronary Artery Lesions, and IVIG Responses in Japanese Children

BACKGROUND: The etiology of Kawasaki Disease (KD) is enigmatic, although an infectious cause is suspected. Polymorphisms in CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) and/or its potent ligand CCL3L1 influence KD susceptibility in US, European and Korean populations. However, the influence of these variations on KD susceptibility, coronary artery lesions (CAL) and response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in Japanese children, who have the highest incidence of KD, is unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used unconditional logistic regression analyses to determine the associations of the copy number of the CCL3L1 gene-containing duplication and CCR2-CCR5 haplotypes in 133 Japanese KD cases [33 with CAL and 25 with resistance to IVIG] and 312 Japanese controls without a history of KD. We observed that the deviation from the population average of four CCL3L1 copies (i.e., <or>four copies) was associated with an increased risk of KD and IVIG resistance (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=2.25, p=0.004 and OR=6.26, p=0.089, respectively). Heterozygosity for the CCR5 HHF*2 haplotype was associated with a reduced risk of both IVIG resistance (OR=0.21, p=0.026) and CAL development (OR=0.44, p=0.071). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The CCL3L1-CCR5 axis may play an important role in KD pathogenesis. In addition to clinical and laboratory parameters, genetic markers may also predict risk of CAL and resistance to IVIG

Educational paper: Primary antibody deficiencies

Primary antibody deficiencies (PADs) are the most common primary immunodeficiencies and are characterized by a defect in the production of normal amounts of antigen-specific antibodies. PADs represent a heterogeneous spectrum of conditions, ranging from often asymptomatic selective IgA and IgG subclass deficiencies to the severe congenital agammaglobulinemias, in which the antibody production of all immunoglobulin isotypes is severely decreased. Apart from recurrent respiratory tract infections, PADs are associated with a wide range of other clinical complications. This review will describe the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the different PADs

Educational paper: The expanding clinical and immunological spectrum of severe combined immunodeficiency

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is one of the most severe forms of primary immunodeficiency characterized by absence of functional T lymphocytes. It is a paediatric emergency, which is life-threatening when recognized too late. The clinical presentation varies from the classical form of SCID through atypical SCID to Omenn syndrome. In addition, there is a considerable immunological variation, which can hamper the diagnosis. In this educational review, we describe the immunopathological background, clinical presentations and diagnostic process of SCID, as well as the therapeutic possibilities