Tobacco rattle virus RNA-protein interactions.

For the purpose of attempting to generalize the rules concerning morphogenesis of helical viruses, the in vitro reconstitution of the CAM strain of TRV was studied. The conditions for reconstitution and the importance of the aggregation state of the protein for initiation and elongation are compared with those of TMV. The initiation step consisting of the binding of RNA with the 36S disk of protein was easily accomplished. The polarity and the specificity of encapsidation of TRV RNA by homologous and heterologous viral protein is discussed.     

Tobacco smoking and complications in elective microsurgery.

This study assesses the risk for complications in patients who chronically smoke but who have quit in the perioperative period of an elective free-tissue transfer as compared with patients who do not smoke. A retrospective review identified 104 free-tissue transfers in 93 smokers and 58 transfers in 51 nonsmokers. The demographics, wound etiology, and recipient sites were similar in the two populations. With the exception of a higher incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among smokers, preexisting comorbid factors also were similar. Postoperative medical complications were comparable between populations. When comparing smokers with nonsmokers, we found that anastomotic patency and flap survival were not different (95 versus 94 percent, respectively), that delayed wound healing at the recipient site was different (35 versus 24 percent), and that smokers require an additional procedure to achieve final wound closure more frequently (27 versus 12 percent, p = 0.03). These findings suggest that cigarette smokers are at increased risk for complications, not at the site of the anastomosis in free-tissue transfer, but rather at the flap's interface with the wound or overlying skin graft.