Laminar distribution of the pathological changes in sporadic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The laminar distributions of the pathological changes in the cerebral cortex were compared in the prion diseases sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) and variant CJD (vCJD). First, in some cortical regions the vacuolation (‘spongiform change’) was more generally distributed across the cortex in sCJD. Second, there was greater neuronal loss in the upper cortex in vCJD and in the lower cortex in sCJD. Third, the ‘diffuse’ and ‘florid’ prion protein (PrPsc) deposits were more frequently distributed in the upper cortex in vCJD and the ‘synaptic’ deposits in the lower cortex in sCJD. Fourth, there was a significant gliosis mainly affecting the lower cortex of both disorders. The data suggest that the pattern of cortical degeneration is different in sCJD and vCJD which may reflect differences in aetiology and the subsequent spread of prion pathology in the brain.

Pathological changes in the sporadic and variant forms Of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) are spatially related to blood vessels

The objective of this article was to determine whether the pathological changes of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) were related to the brain microcirculation. Hence, the spatial correlations between the vacuolation, prion protein (PrP) deposits, and the blood vessel profiles were studied in immunolabelled sections of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum in two subtypes of CJD, viz., sporadic CJD (sCJD) and variant CJD (vCJD). In sCJD, both the vacuolation and the ‘synaptic-type’ PrP deposits were spatially correlated with the microvessels; the PrP deposits being more strongly correlated than the vacuoles. In vCJD, there were no significant spatial correlations between either the vacuolation or the diffuse-type of PrP deposit and the microvessels. By contrast, a consistent pattern of spatial correlation was observed in gyri of the cerebral cortex between the florid PrP deposits and microvessels. In both sCJD and vCJD, the frequency of positive spatial correlations was similar in the different gyri of the cerebral cortex and in the upper compared with the lower laminae. In conclusion, the microcirculation may be more significantly involved in determining the pathological changes in sCJD than in vCJD. The spatial correlations of the florid PrP deposits in vCJD and the synaptic deposits in sCJD and the blood vessels may be attributable to factors associated with the microcirculation which enhance the aggregation of PrP molecules rather than representing a possible haematogenous spread of the disease. S

Quantitative variations in the pathology of 11 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)

Quantitative variations in the density and distribution of the vacuolation ('spongiform change'), surviving neurons, and prion protein (PrP) deposits were studied in eight brain regions from 11 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to study the similarities and differences between cases and to identify the neuropathological variables which could best account for these variations. Two principal components (PC) were extracted from the data accounting in total for 93.4% of the variance; the majority of the variance (90%) being associated with PC1. Some clustering of the 11 cases in relation to PC1 and PC2 was evident. The densities of the vacuolation in the occipital cortex and the molecular layer of the cerebellum were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, with PC1. No significant variation between cases was associated with PrP deposition. These data suggest that vCJD cases have a consistent neuropathological profile characterised by the presence of vacuolation, neuronal loss and PrP deposition in the form of florid and non-florid deposits. However, there are quantitative variations between cases in the development of the vacuolation especially affecting the occipital cortex and cerebellum. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The variant rpoS allele of S. enteritidis strain 27655R does not affect virulence in a chick model nor constitutive curliation but does generate a cold-sensitive phenotype

Adherence of pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. to host cells is in part mediated by curli fimbriae which, along with other virulence determinants, are positively regulated by RpoS. Interested in the role and regulation of curli (SEF17) fimbriae of Salmonella enteritidis in poultry infection, we tested the virulence of naturally occurring S. enteritidis PT4 strains 27655R and 27655S which displayed constitutive and null expression of curli (SEF17) fimbriae, respectively, in a chick invasion assay and analysed their rpoS alleles. Both strains were shown to be equally invasive and as invasive as a wild-type phage type 4 strain and an isogenic derivative defective for the elaboration of curli. We showed that the rpoS allele of 27655S was intact even though this strain was non-curliated and we confirmed that a S. enteritidis rpoS::strr null mutant was unable to express curli, as anticipated. Strain 27655R, constitutively curliated, possessed a frameshift mutation at position 697 of the rpoS coding sequence which resulted in a truncated product and remained curliated even when transduced to rpoS::strr. Additionally, rpoS mutants are known to be cold-sensitive, a phenotype confirmed for strain 27655R. Collectively, these data indicated that curliation was not a significant factor for pathogenesis of S. enteritidis in this model and that curliation of strains 27655R and 27655S was independent of RpoS. Significantly, strain 27655R possessed a defective rpoS allele and remained virulent. Here was evidence that supported the concept that different naturally occurring rpoS alleles may generate varying virulence phenotypic traits.

Modelling growth of prion protein aggregates in the brain in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Deposition of insoluble prion protein (PrP) in the brain in the form of protein aggregates or deposits is characteristic of the ‘transmissible spongiform encephalopathies’ (TSEs). Understanding the growth and development of PrP aggregates is important both in attempting to elucidate the pathogenesis of prion disease and in the development of treatments designed to inhibit the spread of prion pathology within the brain. Aggregation and disaggregation of proteins and the diffusion of substances into the developing aggregates (surface diffusion) are important factors in the development of protein deposits. Mathematical models suggest that if either aggregation/disaggregation or surface diffusion is the predominant factor, then the size frequency distribution of the resulting protein aggregates will be described by either a power-law or a log-normal model respectively. This study tested this hypothesis for two different populations of PrP deposit, viz., the diffuse and florid-type PrP deposits characteristic of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The size distributions of the florid and diffuse deposits were fitted by a power-law function in 100% and 42% of brain areas studied respectively. By contrast, the size distributions of both types of aggregate deviated significantly from a log-normal model in all areas. Hence, protein aggregation and disaggregation may be the predominant factor in the development of the florid deposits. A more complex combination of factors appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of the diffuse deposits. These results may be useful in the design of treatments to inhibit the development of PrP aggregates in vCJD.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the eye

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) was first described in the UK in 1996 and is one of a group of diseases, the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) which affect both animals and humans. This review discusses vCJD in the context of other TSEs, considers the controversial 'prion' hypothesis as to the cause of the disease, the ocular features of vCJD, and the possible transmission of the disease via optoetric devices.

A quantitative study of the pathological changes in the cortical white matter in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)

The objective of this study was to determine the degree of white matter pathology in the cerebral cortex in cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and to study the relationships between the white matter and grey matter pathologies. Hence, the pathological changes in cortical white matter were studied in individual gyri of the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal cortex in eleven cases of vCJD. Vacuolation (‘spongiform change’), deposition of the disease form of prion protein (PrPsc) in the form of discrete PrP deposits, and gliosis were observed in the white matter of virtually all cortical regions studied. Mean density of the vacuoles in the white matter was greater in the parietal lobe compared with the frontal, occipital, and temporal lobes but there were fewer glial cells in the occipital lobe compared with the other cortical regions. In the white matter of the frontal cortex, vacuole density was negatively correlated with the density of both glial cell nuclei and the PrP deposits. In addition, the densities of glial cells and PrP deposits were positively correlated in the frontal and parietal cortex. In the white matter of the frontal cortex and inferior temporal gyrus, there was a negative correlation between the densities of the vacuoles and the number of surviving neurons in laminae V/VI of the adjacent grey matter. In addition, in the frontal cortex, vacuole density in the white matter was negatively correlated with the density of the diffuse PrP deposits in laminae II/III and V/VI of the adjacent grey matter. The densities of PrP deposits in the white matter of the frontal cortex were positively correlated with the density of the diffuse PrP deposits in laminae II/III and V/V1 and with the number of surviving neurons in laminae V/V1. The data suggest that in the white matter in vCJD, gliosis is associated with the development of PrP deposits while the appearance of the vacuolation is a later development. In addition, neuronal loss and PrP deposition in the lower cortical laminae of the grey matter may be a consequence of axonal degeneration within the white matter.

Dispersion of prion protein deposits around blood vessels in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

In variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a disease linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), florid-type prion protein (PrP(sc)) deposits are aggregated around the larger diameter (> 10 µm) cerebral microvessels. Clustering of PrP(sc) deposits around blood vessels may result from blood-borne prions or be a consequence of the cerebral vasculature influencing the development of the florid deposits. To clarify the factors involved, the dispersion of the florid PrP(sc) deposits was studied around the larger diameter microvessels in the neocortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of ten cases of vCJD. In the majority of brain regions, florid deposits were clustered around the larger diameter vessels with a mean cluster size of between 50 µm and 628 µm. With the exception of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, the density of the florid deposits declined as a negative exponential function of distance from a blood vessel profile suggesting that diffusion of molecules from blood vessels is a factor in the formation of the florid deposits. Diffusion of PrP(sc) directly into the brain via the microvasculature has been demonstrated in vCJD in a small number of cases. However, the distribution of the prion deposits in vCJD is more likely to reflect molecular 'chaperones' diffusing from vessels and promoting the aggregation of pre-existing PrP(sc) in the vicinity of the vessels to form florid deposits.

A quantitative study of the pathological changes in the cortical white matter in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Objective: To quantify cortical white matter pathology in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and to correlate white and grey matter pathologies. Methods: Pathological changes were studied in immunolabeled sections of the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal cortex of eleven cases of vCJD. Results: Vacuolation ("spongiform change"), deposition of the disease form of prion protein (PrPsc), and a glial cell reaction were observed in the white matter. The density of the vacuoles was greatest in the white matter of the occipital cortex and glial cell density in the inferior temporal gyrus (ITG). Florid-type PrPsc deposits were present in approximately 50% of white matter regions studied. In the white matter of the frontal cortex (FC), vacuole density was negatively correlated with the densities of both glial cell nuclei and PrPsc deposits. In addition, in the frontal and parietal cortices the densities of glial cells and PrPsc deposits were positively correlated. In the FC and ITG, there was a negative correlation between the densities of the vacuoles in the white matter and the number of surviving neurons in laminae V/VI of the adjacent grey matter. In the FC, vacuole density in the white matter was negatively correlated with the density of the diffuse PrPsc deposits in laminae II/III and V/VI of the adjacent grey matter. In addition, the densities of PrPsc deposits in the white matter of the FC were positively correlated with the density of the diffuse PrPsc deposits in laminae II/III and V/VI and with the number of surviving neurons in laminae V/VI. Conclusion: The data suggest significant degeneration of cortical white matter in vCJD; the vacuolation being related to neuronal loss in the lower cortical laminae of adjacent grey matter, PrPsc deposits the result of leakage from damaged axons, and gliosis a reaction to these changes.

Effective knowledge transfer: a terminological perspective - Dismantling the jargon barrier to knowledge about computer security

The research is concerned with the terminological problems that computer users experience when they try to formulate their knowledge needs and attempt to access information contained in computer manuals or online help systems while building up their knowledge. This is the recognised but unresolved problem of communication between the specialist and the layman. The initial hypothesis was that computer users, through their knowledge of language, have some prior knowledge of the subdomain of computing they are trying to come to terms with, and that language can be a facilitating mechanism, or an obstacle, in the development of that knowledge. Related to this is the supposition that users have a conceptual apparatus based on both theoretical knowledge and experience of the world, and of several domains of special reference related to the environment in which they operate. The theoretical argument was developed by exploring the relationship between knowledge and language, and considering the efficacy of terms as agents of special subject knowledge representation. Having charted in a systematic way the territory of knowledge sources and types, we were able to establish that there are many aspects of knowledge which cannot be represented by terms. This submission is important, as it leads to the realisation that significant elements of knowledge are being disregarded in retrieval systems because they are normally expressed by language elements which do not enjoy the status of terms. Furthermore, we introduced the notion of `linguistic ease of retrieval' as a challenge to more conventional thinking which focuses on retrieval results.

Pathological changes in the sporadic and variant forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) are spatially related to blood vessels

The objective of this article was to determine whether the pathological changes of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) were related to the brain microcirculation. Hence, the spatial correlations between the vacuolation, prion protein (PrP) deposits, and the blood vessel profiles were studied in immunolabelled sections of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum in two subtypes of CJD, viz., sporadic CJD (sCJD) and variant CJD (vCJD). In sCJD, both the vacuolation and the ‘synaptic-type’ PrP deposits were spatially correlated with the microvessels; the PrP deposits being more strongly correlated than the vacuoles. In vCJD, there were no significant spatial correlations between either the vacuolation or the diffuse-type of PrP deposit and the microvessels. By contrast, a consistent pattern of spatial correlation was observed in gyri of the cerebral cortex between the florid PrP deposits and microvessels. In both sCJD and vCJD, the frequency of positive spatial correlations was similar in the different gyri of the cerebral cortex and in the upper compared with the lower laminae. In conclusion, the microcirculation may be more significantly involved in determining the pathological changes in sCJD than in vCJD. The spatial correlations of the florid PrP deposits in vCJD and the synaptic deposits in sCJD and the blood vessels may be attributable to factors associated with the microcirculation which enhance the aggregation of PrP molecules rather than representing a possible haematogenous spread of the disease.

Gingipains from Porphyromonas gingivalis increase the chemotactic and respiratory burst-priming properties of the 77-amino-acid interleukin-8 variant

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative anaerobe which is implicated in the etiology of active periodontitis, secretes degradative enzymes (gingipains) and sheds proinflammatory mediators (e.g., lipopolysaccharides [LPS]). LPS triggers the secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) from immune (72-amino-acid [aa] variant [IL-8(72aa)]) and nonimmune (IL-8(77aa)) cells. IL-8(77aa) has low chemotactic and respiratory burst-inducing activity but is susceptible to cleavage by gingipains. This study shows that both R- and K-gingipain treatments of IL-8(77aa) significantly enhance burst activation by fMLP and chemotactic activity (P < 0.05) but decrease burst activation and chemotactic activity of IL-8(72aa) toward neutrophil-like HL60 cells and primary neutrophils (P < 0.05). Using tandem mass spectrometry, we have demonstrated that R-gingipain cleaves 5- and 11-aa peptides from the N-terminal portion of IL-8(77aa) and the resultant peptides are biologically active, while K-gingipain removes an 8-aa N-terminal peptide yielding a 69-aa isoform of IL-8 that shows enhanced biological activity. During periodontitis, secreted gingipains may differentially affect neutrophil chemotaxis and activation in response to IL-8 according to the cellular source of the chemokine.

The neuropathology of the occipital cortex and its significance in the visual problems of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)

The occipital lobe is one of the cortical areas most affected by the pathology of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). To understand the visual problems of vCJD patients, neuropathological changes were studied in striate (B17, V1) and extrastriate (B18, V2) regions of the occipital cortex in eleven cases of vCJD. No differences in the density of vacuoles or surviving neurons were observed in B17 and B18 but densities of glial cell nuclei and deposits of the protease resistant form of prion protein (PrPsc) were greater in B18. The density of PrPsc deposits in B17 was positively correlated with their density in B18. The density of the diffuse PrPsc deposits in B17 was negatively correlated with the density of the surviving neurons in B18. In B17 and B18, the vacuoles either exhibited density peaks in laminae II/III and V/VI or were more uniformly distributed across the laminae. Diffuse PrPsc deposits were most frequent in laminae II/III and florid PrPsc deposits more generally distributed. In B18, the surviving neurons were more consistently bimodally distributed and the glial cell nuclei most abundant in laminae V/VI compared with B17. Hence, both striate and extrastriate areas of the occipital cortex are affected by the pathology of vCJD, the pathological changes being most severe in B18. Neuronal degeneration in B18 may be associated with the development of diffuse PrPsc deposits in B17. These data suggest that the short cortico-cortical connections between B17 and B18 and the pathways to subcortical visual areas are compromised in vCJD. Pathological changes in striate and extrastriate regions of the occipital cortex may contribute to several of the visual problems identified in patients with vCJD including oculomotor and visuo-spatial function.

Density and spatial pattern of the neuropathological changes in the cerebellum in the prion disease variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)

The objective of this chapter is to quantify the neuropathology of the cerebellar cortex in cases of the prion disease variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Hence, sequential sections of the cerebellum of 15 cases of vCJD were stained with H/E, or immunolabelled with a monoclonal antibody 12F10 against prion protein (PrP) and studied using quantitative techniques and spatial pattern analysis. A significant loss of Purkinje cells was evident in all cases. Densities of the vacuolation and the protease resistant form of prion protein (PrPSc) in the form of diffuse and florid plaques were greater in the granule cell layer (GL) than the molecular layer (ML). In the ML, vacuoles and PrPSc plaques, occurred in clusters which were regularly distributed along the folia, larger clusters of vacuoles and diffuse plaques being present in the GL. There was a negative spatial correlation between the vacuoles and the surviving Purkinje cells in the ML and a positive spatial correlation between the clusters of vacuoles and the diffuse PrPSc plaques in the ML and GL in five and six cases respectively. A canonical variate analysis (CVA) suggested a negative correlation between the densities of the vacuolation in the GL and the diffuse PrPSc plaques in the ML. The data suggest: 1) all laminae of the cerebellar cortex were affected by the pathology of vCJD, the GL more severely than the ML, 2) the pathology was topographically distributed especially in the Purkinje cell layer and GL, 3) pathological spread may occur in relation to a loop of anatomical projections connecting the cerebellum, thalamus, cerebral cortex, and pons, and 4) there are differences in the pathology of the cerebellum in vCJD compared with the M/M1 subtype of sporadic CJD (sCJD).

An FTO variant is associated with Type 2 diabetes in South Asian populations after accounting for body mass index and waist circumference

Aims - A common variant, rs9939609, in the FTO (fat mass and obesity) gene is associated with adiposity in Europeans, explaining its relationship with diabetes. However, data are inconsistent in South Asians. Our aim was to investigate the association of the FTO rs9939609 variant with obesity, obesity-related traits and Type 2 diabetes in South Asian individuals, and to use meta-analyses to attempt to clarify to what extent BMI influences the association of FTO variants with diabetes in South Asians. Methods - We analysed rs9939609 in two studies of Pakistani individuals: 1666 adults aged = 40 years from the Karachi population-based Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation (COBRA) study and 2745 individuals of Punjabi ancestry who were part of a Type 2 diabetes case–control study (UK Asian Diabetes Study/Diabetes Genetics in Pakistan; UKADS/DGP). The main outcomes were BMI, waist circumference and diabetes. Regression analyses were performed to determine associations between FTO alleles and outcomes. Summary estimates were combined in a meta-analysis of 8091 South Asian individuals (3919 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 4172 control subjects), including those from two previous studies. Results - In the 4411 Pakistani individuals from this study, the age-, sex- and diabetes-adjusted association of FTO variant rs9939609 with BMI was 0.45 (95% CI 0.24–0.67) kg/m2 per A-allele (P = 3.0 × 10-5) and with waist circumference was 0.88 (95% CI 0.36–1.41) cm per A-allele (P = 0.001). The A-allele (30% frequency) was also significantly associated with Type 2 diabetes [per A-allele odds ratio (95% CI) 1.18 (1.07–1.30); P = 0.0009]. A meta-analysis of four South Asian studies with 8091 subjects showed that the FTO A-allele predisposes to Type 2 diabetes [1.22 (95% CI 1.14–1.31); P = 1.07 × 10-8] even after adjusting for BMI [1.18 (95% CI 1.10–1.27); P = 1.02 × 10-5] or waist circumference [1.18 (95% CI 1.10–1.27); P = 3.97 × 10-5]. Conclusions - The strong association between FTO genotype and BMI and waist circumference in South Asians is similar to that observed in Europeans. In contrast, the strong association of FTO genotype with diabetes is only partly accounted for by BMI.