Case Report Maternal Perception of Decreased Fetal Movement in One Twin: A Clue Leading to the Early Detection of Absent Variability due to Acute Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome

Decreased fetal movement (DFM) perceived by pregnant women sometimes indicates imminent fetal jeopardy. It is unknown whether this also holds true for twin pregnancy. A 27-year-old primiparous woman with monochorionic diamniotic (MD) pregnancy had a slight difference of amniotic fluid volume at 31 2/7 weeks of gestation. DFM only in one twin at 31 4/7 weeks of gestation prompted her to receive urgent consultation. Since cardiotocogram indicated absent variability of one twin, we performed Cesarean section. Male infants weighing 2060 g and 1578 g were delivered; hemoglobin was 20.7 versus 10.8 g/dL, respectively; cardiothoracic ratio was 70% versus 44%, respectively, indicating acute twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). The recipient infant had heart failure, which was still observed at 1 month postpartum. In conclusion, maternal perception of DFM indicated imminent fetal death or jeopardy caused by acute TTTS, suggesting that education regarding DFM for women with twin pregnancy may be clinically important

The Escherichia coli K-12 ORFeome: a resource for comparative molecular microbiology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systems biology and functional genomics require genome-wide datasets and resources. Complete sets of cloned open reading frames (ORFs) have been made for about a dozen bacterial species and allow researchers to express and study complete proteomes in a high-throughput fashion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have constructed an open reading frame (ORFeome) collection of 3974 or 94% of the known <it>Escherichia coli </it>K-12 ORFs in Gateway^®entry vector pENTR/Zeo. The collection has been used for protein expression and protein interaction studies. For example, we have compared interactions among YgjD, YjeE and YeaZ proteins in <it>E. coli</it>, <it>Streptococcus pneumoniae</it>, and <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it>. We also compare this ORFeome with other Gateway-compatible bacterial ORFeomes and show its utility for comparative functional genomics.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>E. coli </it>ORFeome provides a useful resource for functional genomics and other areas of protein research in a highly flexible format. Our comparison with other ORFeomes makes comparative analyses straighforward and facilitates direct comparisons of many proteins across many genomes.</p

Chiasmata Promote Monopolar Attachment of Sister Chromatids and Their Co-Segregation toward the Proper Pole during Meiosis I

The chiasma is a structure that forms between a pair of homologous chromosomes by crossover recombination and physically links the homologous chromosomes during meiosis. Chiasmata are essential for the attachment of the homologous chromosomes to opposite spindle poles (bipolar attachment) and their subsequent segregation to the opposite poles during meiosis I. However, the overall function of chiasmata during meiosis is not fully understood. Here, we show that chiasmata also play a crucial role in the attachment of sister chromatids to the same spindle pole and in their co-segregation during meiosis I in fission yeast. Analysis of cells lacking chiasmata and the cohesin protector Sgo1 showed that loss of chiasmata causes frequent bipolar attachment of sister chromatids during anaphase. Furthermore, high time-resolution analysis of centromere dynamics in various types of chiasmate and achiasmate cells, including those lacking the DNA replication checkpoint factor Mrc1 or the meiotic centromere protein Moa1, showed the following three outcomes: (i) during the pre-anaphase stage, the bipolar attachment of sister chromatids occurs irrespective of chiasma formation; (ii) the chiasma contributes to the elimination of the pre-anaphase bipolar attachment; and (iii) when the bipolar attachment remains during anaphase, the chiasmata generate a bias toward the proper pole during poleward chromosome pulling that results in appropriate chromosome segregation. Based on these results, we propose that chiasmata play a pivotal role in the selection of proper attachments and provide a backup mechanism that promotes correct chromosome segregation when improper attachments remain during anaphase I

Mutual Balance between Vasohibin-1 and Soluble VEGFR-1 in Endothelial Cells

Vasohibin-1 (VASH1) is a VEGF-inducible gene of endothelial cells (ECs) that acts as a negative feedback regulator of angiogenesis. To further characterize the function of VASH1, we transfected human VASH1 gene into the mouse EC line MS1, established stable VASH1 expressing clones, and determined gene alteration by cDNA microarray analysis. Among the various angiogenesis-related genes, vascular endothelial growth factor type 1 receptor (VEGFR-1) and its alternative spliced form, soluble VEGFR1 (sVEGFR-1), were found to be the most significantly down-regulated genes. Transient overexpression of VASH1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells confirmed the down-regulation of VEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-1. sVEGFR-1 is a decoy receptor for VEGF and inhibits angiogenesis. Interestingly, when sVEGFR-1 was overexpressed in ECs, it inhibited the expression of VASH1 in turn. These results suggest that VASH1 and sVEGFR-1, two angiogenesis inhibitors, mutually balance their expressions in ECs

Normal and high-normal blood pressures, but not body mass index, are risk factors for the subsequent occurrence of both preeclampsia and gestational hypertension : A retrospective cohort study

Blood pressure (BP) levels and body mass index (BMI) are known as risk factors for preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. However, there have been few investigations regarding the effects of BID and BMI levels on preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in the same cohort. In the present study, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using multiple logistic regression analysis. The cohort included 1,518 patients without nephritis. The unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension were increased in pregnant women with normal BP (120-129 mmHg systolic or 80-84 mmHg diastolic), high-normal BID and hypertension in the second trimester compared to those with optimal BP. The unadjusted ORs of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension were also increased in obese women in the pre-pregnancy period compared to women with normal range BML When adjustment was made for both the BP levels and pre-pregnancy BMI levels, the ORs (95% confidence intervals) of normal BID, high-normal BID, hypertension and obesity for the subsequent occurrence of preeclampsia were 5.1 (2.2-12), 8.3 (3.1-22), 16 (5.0-50) and 2.0 (0.67-5.9), and those for the subsequent occurrence of gestational hypertension were 7.0 (2.6-19), 7.4 (2.1-25), 22 (6.1-83) and 1.3 (0.33-4.8), respectively. For the subsequent occurrence of preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, normal BID, high-normal BP and hypertension in the second trimester may be independent risk factors. Obesity in the pre-pregnancy period, however, may not be an independent risk factor