Whipple's disease: rare disorder and late diagnosis

Whipple's disease is a rare systemic infectious disorder caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. We report the case of a 61-year-old male patient who presented to emergency room complaining of asthenia, arthralgia, anorexia, articular complaints intermittent diarrhea, and a 10-kg weight loss in one year. Laboratory tests showed the following results: Hb = 7.5 g/dL, albumin = 2.5 mg/dL, weight = 50.3 kg (BMI 17.4 kg/m²). Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed areas of focal enanthema in the duodenum. An endoscopic biopsy was suggestive of Whipple's disease. Diagnosis was confirmed based on a positive serum polymerase chain reaction. Treatment was initiated with intravenous ceftriaxone followed by oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. After one year of treatment, the patient was asymptomatic, with Hb = 13.5 g/dL, serum albumin = 5.3 mg/dL, and weight = 70 kg (BMI 24.2 kg/m²). Whipple's disease should be considered a differential diagnosis in patients with prolonged constitutional and/or gastrointestinal symptoms. Appropriate antibiotic treatment improves the quality of life of patients

Yurek Shabelevsky as the Vagabond, in La concurrence, Covent Garden Russian Ballet, Australian tour, His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, October 1938 [picture] /

From: La concurrence (Competition) / ballet by André Derain ; music by Georges Auric.; Inscription: "P20".; Part of the collection: Hugh P. Hall collection of photographs, 1938-1940.; Choreography by Georges Balanchine ; curtain, scenery and costumes by André Derain ; costumes executed by B. Karinska ; scenery executed by Prince A. Schervachidze.; Also available in an electronic version via the internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4174106. One of a collection of photographs taken by Hugh P. Hall of 28 ballet productions performed by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet (toured Australia 1938-1939) and the Original Ballet Russe (toured Australia 1939-1940). These are the second and third of the three Ballets Russes companies which toured Australasia between 1936 and 1940. The photographs were taken from the auditorium during a live performance in His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne and mounted on cardboard for display purposes. For conservation and storage, the photographs have been demounted. The original arrangement of the photographs has been recorded, and details are available from the Pictures Branch of the National Library

Irish study on high-density schizophrenia families:field methods and power to detect linkage

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThe serotonin transporter (HTT) is an important candidate gene for the genetic transmission of bipolar disorder. It is the site of action of many antidepressants, and plays a key role in the regulation of serotonin neurotransmission. Many studies of affectively ill patients have found abnormalities in serotonin metabolism, and dysregulation of the transporter itself. The human serotonin transporter has been recently cloned and mapped to chromosome 17. We have identified a PstI RFLP at the HTT locus, and here report our examination of this polymorphism for possible linkage to bipolar disorder. Eighteen families were examined from three populations: the Old Order Amish, Iceland, and the general North American population. In addition to HTT, three other microsatellite markers were examined, which span an interval known to contain HTT. Linkage analyses were conducted under both dominant and recessive models, as well as both narrow (bipolar only) and broad (bipolar + recurrent unipolar) diagnostic models. Linkage could be excluded to HTT under all models examined. Linkage to the interval spanned by the microsatellites was similarly excluded under the dominant models. In two individual families, maximum lod scores of 1.02 and 0.84 were obtained at D17S798 and HTT, respectively. However, these data overall do not support the presence of a susceptibility locus for bipolar disorder near the serotonin transporter