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The limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are a heterogenous group of diseases characterized by shoulder-girdle and pelvic muscle weakness and wasting. LGMD 2E is an autosomal recessively inherited form of the disease caused by mutations in the ß-sarcoglycan (SGCB) gene located at 4q12. In this report, we describe a patient who demonstrates non-Mendelian inheritance of a homozygous missense mutation in SGCB resulting in disease expression. A combination of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array technology and microsatellite analysis revealed the occurrence of maternal uniparental disomy (UPD) for chromosome 4 in the patient. As a consequence of segmental isodisomy at 4q12, the patient inherited two identical SGCB alleles carrying a missense mutation predicted to result in abnormal protein function. SNP array technology proved to be an elegant means to determine the most probable mechanism of UPD formation in this case, and enabled us to determine the location of recombination events along chromosome 4. In our patient, UPD likely arose from a trisomy rescue event due to maternal meiotic non-disjunction that we speculate may have been caused by abnormal recombination at the pericentromeric region. Maternal UPD 4 is a rare finding, and to our knowledge this is the first reported case of UPD in association with LGMD.

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Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer is characterized by mutations in one of the DNA mismatch repair genes, primarily MLH1, MSH2, or MSH6. We report here the identification of a genomic deletion of approximately 11.4 kb encompassing the first two exons of the MSH2 gene in two generations of an Ohio family. By Southern blot analysis, using a cDNA probe spanning the first seven exons of MSH2, an alteration in each of three different enzyme digests (including a unique 13-kb band on HindIII digests) was observed, which suggested the presence of a large alteration in the 5' region of this gene. Mouse-human cell hybrids from a mutation carrier were then generated which contained a single copy each of human chromosome 2 on which the MSH2 gene resides. Southern blots on DNA from the cell hybrids demonstrated the same, unique 13-kb band from one MSH2 allele, as seen in the diploid DNA. DNA from this same monosomal cell hybrid failed to amplify in polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) using primers to exons 1 and 2, demonstrating the deletion of these sequences in one MSH2 allele, and the breakpoints involving Alu repeats were identified by PCR amplification and sequence analysis.

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The role of genetic factors in the etiology of colorectal cancers (CRCs) has recently been elucidated with the discovery of the mismatch repair. These genes are responsible for less than 5% of all cases of CRCs in Caucasian series. In this pilot study, tumors from 5 randomly ascertained CRC patients were subjected to microsatellite analysis, and two were microsatellite unstable. Both of these two patients had germline mutations in MSH2. If this finding can be confirmed in a larger series of patients, it suggests that MMR genes play an important role in the etiology of CRCs in Africa.

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Instability in the repeat size of microsatellite sequences has been described in both hereditary nonpolyposis and sporadic colorectal cancers. Tumors expressing microsatellite instability are identified through the comparison of the repeat sizes at multiple microsatellite loci between tumor and matched normal tissue DNA. The use of a five-marker panel including two mononucleotide repeat microsatellites, BAT-25 and BAT-26, has recently been suggested for the clinical determination of tumor microsatellite instability. The BAT-25 and BAT-26 loci included in this panel have both demonstrated sensitivity to microsatellite instability and normal quasimonomorphic allelic patterns, which has simplified the distinction between normal and unstable alleles. However, in this study, we identified allelic variations in the size of the poly(A) tract at BAT-26 in 12.6% of 103 healthy African-Americans screened. In addition, 18.4% exhibited allelic size variations in the poly(T) tract at BAT-25. Finally, 2.9% showed variant alleles at both BAT-25 and BAT-26 loci. Screening a small population of Nigerians confirmed the polymorphic nature of both loci and the ethnic origin of alleles not identified in other populations studied thus far. Our results dispute the quasimonomorphic nature of both BAT-25 and BAT-26 in all populations and support the need for thorough population studies to define the different allelic profiles and frequencies at microsatellite loci.

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Merocyanine 540 (MC540) is a membrane probe that inserts preferentially into loosely packed domains in the phospholipid bilayer of intact cells. Previous experiments have demonstrated that MC540 will bind to human bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). Fractions of mononuclear BM cells expressing high MC540 fluorescence have been shown to be enriched for myeloid progenitors and cells residing in the S/G2 + M phases of the cell cycle. We rationalized that MC540 uptake could be used to distinguish between quiescent and metabolically active cells and, therefore, to fractionate normal and leukemic BM cells and normal mobilized peripheral blood (MPB) cells into functionally distinct groups of progenitors. BM and MPB cells were separated into fractions ranging in fluorescence from MC540Bright to MC540Dim. Cell cycle analysis of these fractions revealed that the MC540Dim fraction of normal and CML BM CD34+ cells constituted the most quiescent fraction, and the MC540Bright fractions from these cell types contained the most actively cycling cells. However, no differences in the percentage of cells in G/G1 were observed between MC540Bright and MC540Dim fractions of MPB CD34+ cells. To investigate if these cell cycle status differences translated into distinct functional properties, the hematopoietic potential of BM CD34+MC540Bright and CD34+MC540Dim cell fractions was analyzed in vitro in long-term BM cultures and limiting dilution analysis (LDA) assays. CD34+MC540Dim cells produced more total and committed progenitor cells in long-term cultures than did the CD34+MC540Bright fraction. The CD34+MC540Dim fraction also contained a 2-fold higher number of long-term hematopoietic culture-initiating cells (LTHCIC) than the CD34+MC540Bright fraction, as defined by LDA assays. These data demonstrate that MC540 can be a useful probe for the isolation of primitive HPC from some hematopoietic tissues and may assist in monitoring structural changes in the phospholipid bilayer during proliferation and differentiation of HPC.

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Exit of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from the G0 phase of the cell cycle in response to in vitro cytokine stimulation is a limiting step in successful ex vivo expansion. Simultaneous DNA/RNA staining with Hoechst 33342 and pyronin Y was used to separate human bone marrow CD34+ cells residing in G0 (G0CD34+) from those cycling in G1 and S/G2+M. Compared with CD34+ cells isolated in G1, G0CD34+ cells were characterized by a delayed response to cytokine stimulation and were enriched for long-term hematopoietic culture-initiating cells. We next compared the activation kinetics of individually sorted G0CD34+ cells stimulated with stem cell factor (SCF), flt3-ligand (FL), or interleukin-3 (IL-3) as single factors. In a novel clonal proliferation assay, the functional status of cells that had remained quiescent after an initial 7-day period and of those that had completed successive division cycles under each of these three factors was evaluated by assessment of subsequent proliferative capacity and maintenance of colony-forming cell precursor (pre-CFC) activity. All three cytokines were equally able to support the survival of primitive HPCs in the absence of cell division. Cells that did not respond to any cytokine stimulation for 7 days retained higher proliferative and pre-CFC activities than dividing cells. The hematopoietic function of cells that divided in response to SCF, FL, or IL-3 decreased after each division cycle. However, G0CD34+ cells displayed a heterogeneous response pattern to cytokine stimulation whereby SCF appeared to have a superior ability to promote the cycling of cells with high proliferative and pre-CFC activities. These results indicate that HPCs reside in opposing hierarchies of hematopoietic potential and responsiveness to cytokine stimulation. The data also begin to indicate relationships between cellular division in response to different stimuli and maintenance of hematopoietic function.

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Using simultaneous Hoechst 33342 (Hst) and Pyronin Y (PY) staining for determination of DNA and RNA content, respectively, human CD34(+) cells were isolated in subcompartments of the G0 /G1 phase of the cell cycle by flow cytometric cell sorting. In both bone marrow (BM) and mobilized peripheral blood (MPB) CD34(+) cells, primitive long-term hematopoietic culture-initiating cell (LTHC-IC) activity was higher in CD34(+) cells isolated in G0 (G0CD34(+) cells) than in those residing in G1 (G1CD34(+) cells). However, as MPB CD34(+) cells displayed a more homogeneous cell-cycle status within the G0 /G1 phase and a relative absence of cells in late G1 , DNA/RNA fractionation was less effective in segregating LTHC-IC in MPB than in BM. BM CD34(+) cells belonging to four subcompartments of increasing RNA content within the G0 /G1 phase were evaluated in functional assays. The persistence of CD34 expression in suspension culture was inversely correlated with the initial RNA content of test cells. Multipotential progenitors were present in G0 or early G1 subcompartments, while lineage-restricted granulomonocytic progenitors were more abundant in late G1 . In vitro hematopoiesis was maintained for up to 6 weeks with G0CD34(+) cells, whereas production of clonogenic progenitors was more limited in cultures initiated with G1CD34(+) cells. To test the hypothesis that primitive LTHC-ICs would reenter a state of relative quiescence after in vitro division, BM CD34(+) cells proliferating in ex vivo cultures were identified from their quiescent counterparts by a relative loss of membrane intercalating dye PKH2, and were further fractionated with Hst and PY. The same functional hierarchy was documented within the PKH2(dim) population whereby LTHC-IC frequency was higher for CD34(+) cells reselected in G0 after in vitro division than for CD34(+) cells reisolated in G1 or in S/G2 + M. However, the highest LTHC-IC frequency was found in quiescent PKH2(bright) CD34(+) cells. Together, these results support the concept that cells with distinct hematopoietic capabilities follow different pathways during the G0 /G1 phase of the cell cycle both in vivo and during ex vivo culture.

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Bone marrow (BM) CD34+ cells residing in the G0 phase of cell cycle may be the most suited candidates for the examination of cell cycle activation and proliferation of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). We designed a double simultaneous labeling technique using both DNA and RNA staining with Hoechst 33342 and Pyronin Y, respectively, to isolate CD34+ cells residing in G0(G0CD34+). Using long-term BM cultures and limiting dilution analysis, G0CD34+ cells were found to be enriched for primitive HPCs. In vitro proliferation of G0CD34+ cells in response to sequential cytokine stimulation was examined in a two-step assay. In the first step, cells received a primary stimulation consisting of either stem cell factor (SCF), Flt3-ligand (FL), interleukin-3 (IL-3), or IL-6 for 7 days. In the second step, cells from each group were washed and split into four or more groups, each of which was cultured again for another week with one of the four primary cytokines individually, or in combination. Tracking of progeny cells was accomplished by staining cells with PKH2 on day 0 and with PKH26 on day 7. Overall examination of proliferation patterns over 2 weeks showed that cells could progress into four phases of proliferation. Phase I contained cytokine nonresponsive cells that failed to proliferate. Phase II contained cells dividing up to three times within the first 7 days. Phases III and IV consisted of cells dividing up to five divisions and greater than six divisions, respectively, by the end of the 14-day period. Regardless of the cytokine used for primary stimulation, G0CD34+ cells moved only to phase II by day 7, whereas a substantial percentage of cells incubated with SCF or FL remained in phase I. Cells cultured in SCF or FL for the entire 14-day period did not progress beyond phase III but proliferated into phase IV (with <20% of cells remaining in phases I and II) if IL-3, but not IL-6, was substituted for either cytokine on day 7. G0CD34+ cells incubated with IL-3 for 14 days proliferated the most and progressed into phase IV; however, when SCF was substituted on day 7, cells failed to proliferate into phase IV. Most intriguing was a group of cells, many of which were CD34+, detected in cultures initially stimulated with IL-3, which remained as a distinct population, mostly in G0/G1, unable to progress out of phase II regardless of the nature of the second stimulus received on day 7. A small percentage of these cells expressed cyclin E, suggesting that their proliferation arrest may have been mediated by a cyclin-related disruption in cell cycle. These results suggest that a programmed response to sequential cytokine stimulation may be part of a control mechanism required for maintenance of proliferation of primitive HPCs and that unscheduled stimulation of CD34+ cells residing in G0 may result in disruption of cell-cycle regulation.

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Despite discontinuation of its use in the 1950s, the consequences of Thorotrast usage continue to be recognized. In a review of plain film and CT findings of 20 cases of Thorotrast exposure, 15 of 17 patients demonstrated Thorotrast accumulation in the liver and spleen on plain films. Typically, this appeared as regions of trabeculated increased density within the liver. The spleen was of normal or decreased size and often demonstrated a finely punctate pattern of opacification. Only two malignancies could be suggested on plain film alone: one hepatic and one splenic. Five patients with hepatic malignancies underwent CT examinations: three with cholangiocarcinoma, one with angiosarcoma, and one with hepatocellular carcinoma. No specific criteria could be established to distinguish among these lesions, as each neoplasm appeared as relatively low-density mass(es). Two cases of splenic angiosarcoma appeared as low-density filling defect(s) in the otherwise opaque spleen, one case primary and the other metastatic from the liver. CT was superior to plain radiography in detecting and characterizing Thorotrast distribution and any superimposed malignancy. In addition to periodic liver function tests, screening CT of patients exposed to Thorotrast might detect hepatic neoplasms at an operable stage.

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A prospective study evaluated the utility of renal computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography in 35 patients hospitalized for treatment of urinary tract infection. Renal computed tomograms were abnormal in 18 of 28 patients with acute pyelonephritis and three of four patients with urosepsis, showing findings consistent with pyelonephritis in 17 patients and intrarenal abscess or focal bacterial nephritis in four patients. Renal sonograms were abnormal in only eight patients, showing findings compatible with pyelonephritis in four and intrarenal abscess or focal bacterial nephritis in the other four. Flank tenderness was absent in only four patients with CT findings of pyelonephritis, of whom three were diabetic. We therefore found that (1) renal CT is a sensitive test for acute upper urinary tract infection, (2) ultrasonography detects focal bacterial nephritis and abscesses but is insensitive to uncomplicated upper urinary tract infection, and (3) painless pyelonephritis may be more common in patients with diabetes mellitus.

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Renal oncocytomas are uncommon, benign tumors that can be treated by local excision or heminephrectomy; their preoperative differentiation from renal cell carcinoma, treated by radical nephrectomy, would be invaluable. A particularly important finding, a central scar--not stressed in previous reports, is frequently demonstrated by CT examination. We evaluated radiographic studies of 18 pathologically confirmed cases of oncocytoma and compared findings with results of CT, sonography, and angiography studies of 18 renal cell carcinoma cases. Oncocytomas can be suggested if a stellate scar is identified within an otherwise homogenous tumor on ultrasound (US) and CT; if the mass appears homogeneous but no scar is present, angiography should be performed. An oncocytoma can be suggested in these cases if a spoke-wheel configuration and homogeneous blush are present. These criteria, which are reliable only if the mass is 3 cm or larger, would have resulted in the correct diagnosis of oncocytoma in 16/18 cases.

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Postcontrast computed tomography in 2 patients with renal ischemia demonstrated the presence of patchy wedge-shaped high density areas in the renal parenchyma. These abnormalities were transient and gradually reverted to normal after correction of the ischemic incident. We propose that these findings were secondary to vasoconstriction and postulate that similar changes may be expected in other conditions where renal blood flow redistribution or vasoconstriction, or both, occur.

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