Foetal development of the pancreas

In the present study, we aimed to gather morphometric data on the localisation and development of the pancreas during the foetal period. The study was carried out on 222 human foetuses aged 9-40 weeks of gestation with no external pathology or anomaly. The abdominal wall was dissected after general external measurements of the foetuses were carried out. Data on the localisation of the pancreas in the abdominal cavity and its localisation relative to the median plane, xiphoid process, and umbilicus were acquired and various morphometric parameters including the length of the pancreas and heights of the head and body of the pancreas were measured. It was found that, in the foetal period, the foetal pancreas was primarily accumulated on the transverse plane passing through the umbilicus, and on the other quadrants. Means and standard deviations of all morphometric parameters were calculated for each gestational week, month, and trimester. There were significant relations between the parameters and gestational age (p < 0.001). There were no differences in any of the parameters between sexes (p > 0.05). In conclusion, morphometric and location data on foetal pancreases acquired in the present study will contribute to other studies carried out in obstetrics, perinatology, forensic medicine, and foetal pathology departments, aimed at identifying anomalies, pathologies, and variations of the pancreas and treatment of such cases. (Folia Morphol 2010; 69, 4: 216-224

Genomic expression catalogue of a global collection of BCG vaccine strains show evidence for highly diverged metabolic and cell-wall adaptations.

Although Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccines against tuberculosis have been available for more than 90 years, their effectiveness has been hindered by variable protective efficacy and a lack of lasting memory responses. One factor contributing to this variability may be the diversity of the BCG strains that are used around the world, in part from genomic changes accumulated during vaccine production and their resulting differences in gene expression. We have compared the genomes and transcriptomes of a global collection of fourteen of the most widely used BCG strains at single base-pair resolution. We have also used quantitative proteomics to identify key differences in expression of proteins across five representative BCG strains of the four tandem duplication (DU) groups. We provide a comprehensive map of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variation and insertions and deletions (indels) across fourteen BCG strains. Genome-wide SNP characterization allowed the construction of a new and robust phylogenic genealogy of BCG strains. Transcriptional and proteomic profiling revealed a metabolic remodeling in BCG strains that may be reflected by altered immunogenicity and possibly vaccine efficacy. Together, these integrated-omic data represent the most comprehensive catalogue of genetic variation across a global collection of BCG strains