The New England journal of medicine
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Comparative Study
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in AIDS-related body-cavity-based lymphomas.
DNA fragments that appeared to belong to an unidentified human herpesvirus were recently found in more than 90 percent of Kaposi's sarcoma lesions associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). These fragments were also found in 6 of 39 tissue samples without Kaposi's sarcoma, including 3 malignant lymphomas, from patients with AIDS, but not in samples from patients without AIDS. ⋯ The recently discovered KSHV DNA sequences occur in an unusual subgroup of AIDS-related B-cell lymphomas, but not in any other lymphoid neoplasm studied thus far. Our finding strongly suggests that a novel herpesvirus has a pathogenic role in AIDS-related body-cavity-based lymphomas.
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Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be caused by mutations in the genes for beta cardiac myosin heavy chain, alpha-tropomyosin, or cardiac troponin T. It is not known how often the disease is caused by mutations in the tropomyosin and troponin genes, and the associated clinical phenotypes have not been carefully studied. ⋯ Mutations in alpha-tropomyosin are a rare cause of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, accounting for approximately 3 percent of cases. Mutations in cardiac troponin T account for approximately 15 percent of cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in this referral-center population. These mutations are characterized by relatively mild and sometimes subclinical hypertrophy but a high incidence of sudden death. Genetic testing may therefore be especially important in this group.