Spinophilin and the immune synapse

Extensive alterations in cellular organization are known to accompany the responses of sensitized T cells to target cells presenting an antigen of interest. Now, equally if not more dramatic changes are found to take place in cells presenting an antigen. With the help of a spinophilin-GFP fusion protein, Bloom et al. (Bloom, O., J.J. Unternaehrer, A. Jiang, J.-S. Shin, L. Delamarre, P. Allen, and I. Mellman. 2008. J. Cell Biol. 181:203-211) have captured a remarkable polarization of the cellular architecture of dendritic cells presenting an antigen to T cells.     

Partial 9q trisomy associated with a 9,21 translocation

Summary A new case of partial trisomy 9q was found in a child presenting two de novo aberrations: a deletion of the long arms of 9 and a 9,21 translocation. A tentative cytogenetic explanation is put forward.     

The Construction and Use Of A Scale Model

Abstract

Scale models, constructed from simple, readily available materials are an excellent means of presenting archeological data to the general public.

Scale models of historic and prehistoric sites are one of the most graphic ways of presenting to the public some of the information acquired through arc heological investigation. A miniature reconstruction can be made with a very limited amount of equipment and materials.     

Urinary-blood delta PCO2 in renal tubular acidosis (author's transl)

A state of renal tubular acidosis has been produced in rats by the administration of sodium maleate or acetazolamide (proximal tubular acidosis) and of lithium chloride of amiloride (distal tubular acidosis). During progressive alkaline diuresis, delta PCO2 (urine minus blood PCO2) increases significantly in rats presenting proximal tubular acidosis. Delta PCO2 is significantly depressed in rats presenting distal tubular acidosis. In well defined conditions of bicarbonate or phosphate excretion, delta PCO2 is a valuable index of distal ion secretion.     

Neoatherosclerosis causing edge in-stent restenosis: optical coherence tomography findings

A patient presenting with ‘edge’ in-stent restenosis 12 years after the implantation of a bare-metal stent in the mid-left anterior descending coronary artery is described. Optical coherence tomography disclosed the presence of ruptured neoatherosclerosis at the stent edge. The value of this imaging technique to unravel this unique underlying anatomic substrate is discussed. The therapy of choice for patients presenting with edge in-stent restenosis (ISR) is reviewed.     

Case report: Metaplastic carcinoma presenting as a breast abscess

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare neoplasm containing a mixture of epithelial and mesenchymal elements. The epithelial component is usually ductal carcinoma but may include other variants of breast carcinomas including squamous carcinoma and osteogenic sarcoma. There is a relative paucity of data regarding such tumours. Metaplastic carcinoma carries a prognosis not dissimilar to that of comparable ductal carcinoma. This is the case of a 57 year old patient with MBC presenting with a breast abscess. A thorough literature search has not revealed any previous reports of MBC presenting as a breast abscess.     

Campylobacter ureolyticus: an emerging gastrointestinal pathogen?

A total of 7194 faecal samples collected over a 1-year period from patients presenting with diarrhoea were screened for Campylobacter spp. using EntericBio(?) , a multiplex-PCR system. Of 349 Campylobacter-positive samples, 23.8% were shown to be Campylobacter ureolyticus, using a combination of 16S rRNA gene analysis and highly specific primers targeting the HSP60 gene of this organism. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of C. ureolyticus in the faeces of patients presenting with gastroenteritis and may suggest a role for this organism as an emerging enteric pathogen.     

Successful one stage operation for a synchronous,duodenal carcinoma,colonic carcinoma and renal oncocytoma in an adult patient

We report a rare case of synchronous duodenal carcinoma, colonic carcinoma and renal oncocytoma successfully treated using a one-stage surgical approach. Potential risk factors for multiple primary malignancies associated with duodenal carcinoma are discussed. This case illustrates several practice points for consideration: 1. Patients presenting with small intestinal carcinomas have a higher than average chance of developing second primary tumors in other organs; this should be taken into consideration during staging and follow-up. 2. For full staging of patients presenting with small bowel tumors, upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy and PET scanning should be considered. 3. A one-stage surgical procedure can be used safely and successfully for multiple synchronous primary tumors.     

A trisomy 13 case with Robertsonian translocation presenting with atypical findings

A trisomy 13 case with Robertsonian translocation presenting with atypical findings: Trisomy 13 is an autosomal trisomy caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 13. Anomalies associated with this syndrome are severe mental retardation, coloboma, hypotonia, skeletal anomalies, midline anomalies, facial defects, holoprosencephaly, cardiac defects, omphalocele and polydactyly. Here we report a case of trisomy 13 with Robertsonian translocation, 160 day old, presenting with atypical findings like posterior fusion defect of the vertebra, hyperplasia of the right lobe of the liver, dilatation at pelvicalyxial system, scoliosis and complex heart disease including cardiomyopathy.     

Heterogeneity of haplotypes among patients with severe Cooley disease in Eastern Sicily

Summary There is a large variation of clinical severity among thalassemic patients in Sicily. A heterogeneous molecular basis has already been demonstrated among the patients presenting with thalassemia intermedia. The same approach, based mostly on linked haplotypes of the gene cluster polymorphisms and in some cases on the demonstration of the molecular defect itself, was used to investigate 55 patients presenting with severe Cooley anemia, all maintained under permanent transfusion regimen. A large heterogeneity was demonstrated in the observed haplotypes, and only a limited overlap with those already found in thalassemia intermedia. It has been noted that many of the patients are compound heterozygotes, the various observed associations making the antenatal diagnosis at the DNA level difficult in the near future.     

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Presenting With Ventricular Tachycardia: A Rare Presentation

A 25-year-old previously asymptomatic pregnant woman at 36 weeks'' gestation was noticed to have repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. A dilated left ventricle with moderately reduced systolic function was found on echocardiographic examination. This is a very rare presentation of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCMP) presenting with repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.     

Urinary retention and the lunisolar cycle: is it a lunatic phenomenon?

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether a relation between urinary retention and temporal rhythms exists. DESIGN--Retrospective analysis of patients presenting over three years. SETTING--Urology departments in two hospitals. PATIENTS--815 Patients presenting as emergency admissions with urinary retention and requiring immediate decompression of the bladder. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Calendar date of each admission to determine circadian, monthly, and seasonal periodicity. RESULTS--No association was found between urinary retention and circadian, monthly, or seasonal rhythms. A significantly higher (p less than 0.001) incidence of urinary retention was observed during the new moon in comparison with other phases of the lunar cycle. CONCLUSIONS--Urinary retention is periodic in nature. This should be considered when the workload of a specialist urological department is organised.     

Pilomatrixoma presenting as a parotid mass

A rare case of calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe presenting as a large parotid mass is reported in this paper. Preoperative evaluation and considerations are discussed. An exact diagnosis and definitive treatment in this patient consisted of superficial parotidectomy and histologic study.     

Focal epithelial hyperplasia: human-papillomavirus-induced disease with a genetic predisposition in a Venezuelan family

A study on the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA sequences and focal epithelial hyperplasia (FEH) in a family of Venezuelan ancestry has revealed that FEH is an HPV-induced disease presenting familial aggregation. The genealogical evidence indicates a genetic predisposition to the disease.     

Have the bloody cells gone to our heads?

Recent studies have shown that cells expressing neuronal antigens can be derived from a bone marrow transplant. A new report lends support to and extends these previous results by presenting compelling morphological evidence for the generation and integration of highly differentiated bone marrow-derived neurons.     

Bronchial cytology in the diagnosis of broncho-pulmonary cancer in Tunisia

The authors present a retrospective study of 287 pulmonary cytologic exams censed in Pasteur Institute - Tunis between 1970 and 1986. These 287 exams consist of 145 bronchic aspiration liquids and 142 spittles. A systematic exam was practiced in patients presenting a pulmonary symptomatology suggesting little or not at all broncho pulmonary cancer. 40 of these exams present cancerous cells (15 cases) or suspected cancerous cells (25 cases). The biopsy confirms a malignant tumor in 25 patients (5%). These results should urge us toward a cytologic exam not only in adults presenting any respiratory symptomatology, but also in subjects at high risk, especially smokers. Localising the tumor is necessary for the biopsy. This biopsy will lead us to determine the histologic type and consequently the adequate therapy.     

The synergy peptide PHSRN and the adhesion peptide RGD mediate cell adhesion through a common mechanism

This work reports on the role of the synergy peptide PHSRN in mediating the adhesion of cells. The attachment of baby hamster kidney cells and 3T3 Swiss fibroblasts to model substrates presenting either GRGDS or PHSRN was evaluated using self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiolates on gold presenting the peptide ligands mixed with tri(ethylene glycol) groups. These substrates permit rigorous control over the structures and densities of peptide ligands and at the same time prevent nonspecific interactions with adherent cells. Both cell types attached efficiently to monolayers presenting either the RGD or the PHSRN peptide but not to monolayers presenting scrambled peptide GRDGS or HRPSN. Cell attachment was comparable on substrates presenting either peptide ligand but less efficient than on substrates presenting the protein fibronectin. The degree of cell spreading, however, was substantially higher on substrates presenting RGD relative to PHSRN. Staining of 3T3 fibroblasts with anti-vinculin and phalloidin revealed clear cytoskeletal filaments and focal adhesions for cells attached by way of either RGD or PHSRN. Inhibition experiments showed that the attachment of 3T3 fibroblasts to monolayers presenting RGD could be inhibited completely by a soluble RGD peptide and partially by a soluble PHSRN peptide. IMR 90 fibroblast attachment to monolayers presenting PHSRN could be inhibited with anti-integrin alpha(5) or anti-integrin beta(1) antibody. This work demonstrates unambiguously that PHSRN alone can support the attachment of cells and that the RGD and PHSRN bind competitively to the integrin receptors.     

Extended foot-ankle musculoskeletal models for application in movement analysis

Multibody simulations of human motion require representative models of the anatomical structures. A model that captures the complexity of the foot is still lacking. In the present work, two detailed 3D multibody foot-ankle models generated based on CT scans using a semi-automatic tool are described. The proposed models consists of five rigid segments (talus, calcaneus, midfoot, forefoot and toes), connected by five joints (ankle, subtalar, midtarsal, tarsometatarsal and metatarsophalangeal), one with 15DOF and the other with 8DOF. The calculated kinematics of both models were evaluated using gait trials and compared against literature, both presenting realistic results. An inverse dynamic analysis was performed for the 8DOF model, again presenting feasible dynamic results.     

Enzymatic incorporation of a third nucleobase pair

DNA polymerases are identified that copy a non-standard nucleotide pair joined by a hydrogen bonding pattern different from the patterns joining the dA:T and dG:dC pairs. 6-Amino-5-nitro-3-(1'-beta-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-2(1H)-pyridone (dZ) implements the non-standard 'small' donor-donor-acceptor (pyDDA) hydrogen bonding pattern. 2-Amino-8-(1'-beta-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-imidazo[1,2-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4(8H)-one (dP) implements the 'large' acceptor-acceptor-donor (puAAD) pattern. These nucleobases were designed to present electron density to the minor groove, density hypothesized to help determine specificity for polymerases. Consistent with this hypothesis, both dZTP and dPTP are accepted by many polymerases from both Families A and B. Further, the dZ:dP pair participates in PCR reactions catalyzed by Taq, Vent (exo-) and Deep Vent (exo-) polymerases, with 94.4%, 97.5% and 97.5%, respectively, retention per round. The dZ:dP pair appears to be lost principally via transition to a dC:dG pair. This is consistent with a mechanistic hypothesis that deprotonated dZ (presenting a pyDAA pattern) complements dG (presenting a puADD pattern), while protonated dC (presenting a pyDDA pattern) complements dP (presenting a puAAD pattern). This hypothesis, grounded in the Watson-Crick model for nucleobase pairing, was confirmed by studies of the pH-dependence of mismatching. The dZ:dP pair and these polymerases, should be useful in dynamic architectures for sequencing, molecular-, systems- and synthetic-biology.