This is a case report on a 66-year old woman who suffered from chronic polyarthritis for 15 years and developed a sicca syndrome pattern for 2 years. 2 years later epithelioid cell granulomas were ...found from a submandibular lymph node as well as from a suspicious area at the epiglottis and the mucosa of the upper lip. Moreover, there was a chronic keratoconjunctivitis and discrete lung involvement. The sarcoidosis on the lip and at the epiglottis disappeared, and lung involvement and conjunctivitis improved under corticosteroid therapy. In spite of above therapy, the sicca syndrome pattern and the rheumatic complaints (osteoporosis) persisted.
The carbene precursor 3-azi-1-(6-3H-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-β-D-galactopyranosyl)thio-butane (also designated 3H-1-ATB-GalNAc) has been used as a photoaffinity label for human lysosomal ...β-hexosaminidase B (Hex B, EC 3.2.1.52) purified to apparent homogeneity from postmortal liver. 3H-1-ATB-GalNAc behaved as an active site-directed inhibitor, which bound covalently to Hex B upon photolysis at 350 nm and resulted in 15% inactivation of enzyme activity. Up to 75% of the inactivation of Hex B was prevented by including the competitive inhibitor 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucono-1,5-lactone in the photoaffinity experiment. Incubation of 3H-1-ATB-GalNAc with the enzyme followed by irradiation and subsequent separation of the three polypeptides composing the β-subunit led mainly to labeling of the βa-polypeptide. Subsequent proteolysis of βa with trypsin and separation of the resulting peptides by high pressure liquid chromatography yielded one prominently labeled peptide fraction. Edman degradation resulted in the sequence E339ISEVFPDQFIHLGGDEVEFK359. However, no modified amino acid was detected, indicating that the photoaffinity label was presumably bound to the peptide by a labile ester linkage. This was proven when the radiolabel was almost completely released from the peptide by treatment with aqueous ammonium hydroxide. Simultaneously, Glu-355 was converted into Gln-355, which is located within a region of Hex B that shows considerable homology with the α-subunit of human hexosaminidase A and other hexosaminidases from various species.
A fourth of the global seabed sediment volume is buried at depths where temperatures exceed 80 °C, a previously proposed thermal barrier for life in the subsurface. Here, we demonstrate, utilizing an ...extensive suite of radiotracer experiments, the prevalence of active methanogenic and sulfate-reducing populations in deeply buried marine sediment from the Nankai Trough subduction zone, heated to extreme temperature (up to ~120 °C). The small microbial community subsisted with high potential cell-specific rates of energy metabolism, which approach the rates of active surface sediments and laboratory cultures. Our discovery is in stark contrast to the extremely low metabolic rates otherwise observed in the deep subseafloor. As cells appear to invest most of their energy to repair thermal cell damage in the hot sediment, they are forced to balance delicately between subsistence near the upper temperature limit for life and a rich supply of substrates and energy from thermally driven reactions of the sedimentary organic matter.
In 860 patients 980 bronchoalveolar lavages were performed. The repeated BAL allows conclusions of the effect of treatment and the prognosis of the disease. BAL is together with other clinical ...findings an important new method in pulmology. Its value in diagnosis of interstitial pulmonary diseases and other pulmonary diseases is described with special view to occupational expositions.
Microbial life inhabits deeply buried marine sediments, but the extent of this vast ecosystem remains poorly constrained. Here we provide evidence for the existence of microbial communities in ∼40° ...to 60°C sediment associated with lignite coal beds at ∼1.5 to 2.5 km below the seafloor in the Pacific Ocean off Japan. Microbial methanogenesis was indicated by the isotopic compositions of methane and carbon dioxide, biomarkers, cultivation data, and gas compositions. Concentrations of indigenous microbial cells below 1.5 km ranged from <10 to ∼104 cells cm–3. Peak concentrations occurred in lignite layers, where communities differed markedly from shallower subseafloor communities and instead resembled organotrophic communities in forest soils. This suggests that terrigenous sediments retain indigenous community members tens of millions of years after burial in the seabed.
Microorganisms in marine subsurface sediments substantially contribute to global biomass. Sediments warmer than 40°C account for roughly half the marine sediment volume, but the processes mediated by ...microbial populations in these hard-to-access environments are poorly understood. We investigated microbial life in up to 1.2-kilometer-deep and up to 120°C hot sediments in the Nankai Trough subduction zone. Above 45°C, concentrations of vegetative cells drop two orders of magnitude and endospores become more than 6000 times more abundant than vegetative cells. Methane is biologically produced and oxidized until sediments reach 80° to 85°C. In 100° to 120°C sediments, isotopic evidence and increased cell concentrations demonstrate the activity of acetate-degrading hyperthermophiles. Above 45°C, populated zones alternate with zones up to 192 meters thick where microbes were undetectable.
Purpose and methods
A retrospective study was conducted to identify and assess potential clinical and molecularbiological risk factors for development and recurrence of sinonasal papillomas (i.e. ...inverted (IP), fungiform (FP), and oncocytic papillomas (OCP)). Investigated risk factors included age, gender, tumor size and localization, tobacco smoking, regular alcohol consumption, essential hypertension, anticoagulant medication, allergies, surgical approach, and HPV infection. Risk factors were evaluated by regression analysis.
Results
Apart from age and incomplete tumor resection, the recurrence of Schneiderian papillomas is independent of conventional risk factors. Patients in this study displayed higher HPV infections rates in IP (38.8%) and in FP (100%) than in healthy mucosa, which is reported 0–5.8% in Germany and central Europe. The proportion of HPV-positive IP decreased with advanced tumor stages: 100% HPV positivity of T1 IP (2/2), 40.9% of T2 IP (9/22), and 35.7% of T3 IP (20/56). Most commonly detected HPV types were HPV 6, 11, and 16; however, patients in this study also displayed HPV types that have rarely or not at all been described in sinonasal papillomas before, such as HPV 58, 42, 83, and 91. Recurrent sinonasal papillomas displayed higher rates of HPV infections than non-recurrent tumors.
Conclusions
Young age at initial diagnosis and incomplete tumor resection are risk factors for recurrence of sinonasal papillomas. Our data suggest that HPV infection supports development and/or perpetuation of sinonasal papillomas. Additionally, sinonasal papillomas seem to display a unique subset of HPV genotypes, including genotypes that have not often been described before.
Temperature and bioavailable energy control the distribution of life on Earth, and interact with each other due to the dependency of biological energy requirements on temperature. Here we analyze how ...temperature-energy interactions structure sediment microbial communities in two hydrothermally active areas of Guaymas Basin. Sites from one area experience advective input of thermogenically produced electron donors by seepage from deeper layers, whereas sites from the other area are diffusion-dominated and electron donor-depleted. In both locations, Archaea dominate at temperatures >45 °C and Bacteria at temperatures <10 °C. Yet, at the phylum level and below, there are clear differences. Hot seep sites have high proportions of typical hydrothermal vent and hot spring taxa. By contrast, high-temperature sites without seepage harbor mainly novel taxa belonging to phyla that are widespread in cold subseafloor sediment. Our results suggest that in hydrothermal sediments temperature determines domain-level dominance, whereas temperature-energy interactions structure microbial communities at the phylum-level and below.
Sinonasal papillomas are characterized by their potential for frequent recurrences and malignant progression. Currently, the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in sinonasal papillomas is ...unclear. A study was conducted to elucidate the impact of HPV infection on recurrence and malignant progression of sinonasal papillomas. One hundred and seven patients with 151 tumors could be examined. One hundred and one patients suffered from benign papilloma, mostly inverted papillomas (IP); six patients suffered from carcinomas in situ and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) ex‐IP. Recurrent IP were more often HPV‐positive than non‐recurrent tumors (38.8% vs. 60%–65%). Low‐risk (LR) HPV infection (especially HPV 6) increased the risk of tumor recurrences (p = 0.0385 and p = 0.0556, respectively). IP and oncocytic papillomas (both lesions are known for their malignant potential) were more often high‐risk (HR) HPV‐positive (15.5% and 16.7%) than fungiform papilloma (which usually does not progress to carcinoma). CIS and SCC ex‐IP displayed higher HPV rates than benign IP (83.3% vs. 38.8%), especially higher rates of HR‐HPV (66.7% vs. 23.8%, p = 0.0415). Data from this study endorse the hypothesis that recurrence of sinonasal papillomas is promoted by LR‐HPV infection and that malignant progression of IP is promoted by HR‐HPV infection.
The impact of HPV infection on recurrences and malignant transformation of sinonasal papillomas is elucidated. HPV infection rate is significantly higher in recurrent papillomas than in non‐recurrent and the highest in papillomas with malignant progression. Most frequent HPV subtypes are HPV 6 in benign recurrent tumors, and HPV 16, 45, and 66 in malignant tumors, along with HPV 90 which is currently described for the first time in sinonasal papillomas. The data suggest that HPV infection is a risk factor for tumor recurrences. Malignant progression seems to be supported by high‐risk HPV genotypes (i.e., 16, 45, 66, and probably 90).
Sinonasal papillomas are rare, usually benign tumors arising from the Schneiderian membrane. Human papillomaviruses (HPV) can infect differentiating skin and mucosal cells and can induce uncontrolled ...growth patterns. Their effect on development of sinonasal papillomas has been discussed controversially in recent years. A monocentric, retrospective study was conducted to investigate histopathologic features of sinonasal papillomas and to establish an assay for HPV detection and genotyping in papillomas. Schneiderian papillomas are divided into three groups according to histopathologic features: the largest group are inverted papillomas, followed by fungiform (exophytic) and oncocytic papillomas. HPV screening was performed with high sensitivity by PCR employing My09/11 and 125 consensus primers. Adding a third primer pair (GP5+/GP6+) d increase sensitivity. Reverse hybridization microarrays achieved HPV genotyping better than pyrosequencing in our setting. HPV infection rates were higher in papillomas (46.7%) than infection rates reported for healthy mucosa (up to 13%). P16(INK4a) was not a reliable surrogate marker for HPV infection in sinonasal papillomas. Data from our study endorses the hypothesis that HPV infection promotes formation of sinonasal papillomas. However, apart from HPV genotypes that are frequently found in e.g. anogenital lesions (such as 6, 11, or 16), tissue samples of sinonasal papillomas also displayed infection with “rare” HPV types (such as 58, 42, 83, or 91).
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