Non-Detection of Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) DNA in HHV-8-Seropositive Blood Donors from Three Brazilian Regions

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), is the etiologic agent of all forms of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and the plasmablastic cell variant of multicentric Castleman disease. In endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa, blood transfusions have been associated with a substantial risk of HHV-8 transmission. By contrast, several studies among healthy blood donors from North America have failed to detect HHV-8 DNA in samples of seropositive individuals. In this study, using a real-time PCR assay, we investigated the presence of HHV-8 DNA in whole-blood samples of 803 HHV-8 blood donors from three Brazilian states (São Paulo, Amazon, Bahia) who tested positive for HHV-8 antibodies, in a previous multicenter study. HHV-8 DNA was not detected in any sample. Our findings do not support the introduction of routine HHV-8 screening among healthy blood donors in Brazil. (WC = 140)

Inflammation and tissue repair markers distinguish the nodular sclerosis and mixed cellularity subtypes of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma

Background: Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL), although a malignant disease, has many features in common with an inflammatory condition. The aim of this study was to establish the molecular characteristics of the two most common cHL subtypes, nodular sclerosis (NS) and mixed cellularity (MC), based on molecular profiling and immunohistochemistry, with special reference to the inflammatory microenvironment. Methods: We analysed 44 gene expression profiles of cHL whole tumour tissues, 25 cases of NS and 19 cases of MC, using Affymetrix chip technology and immunohistochemistry. Results: In the NS subtype, 152 genes showed a significantly higher expression, including genes involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and ECM deposition similar to wound healing. Among these were SPARC, CTSK and COLI. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the NS-related genes were mainly expressed by macrophages and fibroblasts. Fifty-three genes had a higher expression in the MC subtype, including several inflammation-related genes, such as C1Qα, C1Qβ and CXCL9. In MC tissues, the C1Q subunits were mainly expressed by infiltrating macrophages. Conclusions and interpretations: We suggest that the identified subtype-specific genes could reflect different phases of wound healing. Our study underlines the potential function of infiltrating macrophages in shaping the cHL tumour microenvironment

Postural compensation in children with congenital or early acquired bilateral vestibular loss

The relative roles of different receptor systems in compensating for vestibular loss were studied in 18 children (12 to 16 years of age) with congenital or early acquired bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) and impaired hearing, and compared to that in 33 normal children (9 to 16 years of age). Postural stability was studied with posturography evaluating the velocity of anterior-posterior body sway. With closed eyes the increase of sway velocity did not differ between the groups, either with or without simultaneous proprioceptive disturbances when the subjects were standing on a bare surface. Body sway velocities were found to increase more in subjects with a BVL than in normal children when subjects were standing on foam rubber. When proprioceptive cues were disturbed, body sway velocities increased in both groups, but significantly more in children with BVL when subjects stood on foam rubber. This occurred both with and without open eyes

Presentation of a posturographic test with loading of the proprioceptive system

Postural control is maintained by sensory feedback from visual, vestibular and somatosensory receptors. Recently several methods for evaluating postural control have been devised, utilizing an imposed perturbation. Most of these methods use stimuli which simultaneously affect more than one of the sensory feedback loops. In the present paper a posturographic technique is presented with specific loading of the proprioceptive system, using a computer controlled vibratory stimulus and computerized analysis of the results

Effect of proprioceptor stimulation on postural stability in patients with peripheral or central vestibular lesion

Body sway in upright stance at rest and after inducing proprioceptor stimulation, elicited by vibration applied to the calf or neck muscles, was studied in 11 patients with peripheral lesion and in 17 patients with central vestibular lesion. The responses were compared with those of 20 normal subjects. Vibratory stimulus was applied at five different frequencies, ranging from 32 to 150 Hz, and at a constant amplitude of 2.1 mm. Postural stability was measured with a force platform in terms of average deviation of body position (ADBP) analyzed in relation to the individual maximum support distance in the anterio-posterior direction. In patients with peripheral vestibular lesion ADBP was moderately increased, compared to normal subjects, when the calf muscles were exposed to vibration under eyes closed conditions (i.e. no visual information available); stimulation of neck muscles both under eyes open and eyes closed conditions and stimulation of calf muscles with open eyes produced an ADBP of the same magnitude as in controls. In patients with central vestibular lesion, proprioceptor stimulation of calf and neck muscles caused increased ADBP whether with eyes open or closed. The ADBP induced by stimulation of neck muscles was significantly greater in patients with a central lesion than in those with a peripheral vestibular lesion. The results indicate that patients with peripheral lesion differ from those with central vestibular lesion in their reaction to proprioceptor stimulus; and that in patients with central vestibular lesion proprioceptor stimulation of the neck muscles produces disproportionately powerful cervico-collic reflexes

Significance of pressor input from the human feet in lateral postural control. The effect of hypothermia on galvanically induced body-sway

The significance to human postural control of pressor information from the feet was investigated during vestibular disturbance in seven normal subjects who were exposed to bipolar biaural galvanic stimulation of the vestibular nerves before and after their feet were anaesthetized with hypothermia. The increase in body sway in the lateral plane induced by the galvanic stimulus was enhanced when the feet were anaesthetized, and adaptation of postural control to the galvanic stimulus was delayed. It is concluded that pressor information from the feet contributes significantly to postural control in humans and is important in compensating for vestibular disturbance