Spontaneous dural tear leading to intracranial hypotension and tonsillar herniation in Marfan syndrome: a case report

Background  

We describe the case of a 38 year old male with Marfan syndrome who presented with orthostatic headaches and seizures.     

Effect of ultraviolet B (302 nm) irradiation on viability, metabolic and detoxification functions of goat hepatocytes – in vitro study

The object of the present study was to investigate the effect(s) of UV-B irradiation on the functional integrity, metabolic and detoxifying capacity of the isolated goat hepatocytes. Isolated goat hepatocytes were subjected to UV-B irradiation invitro for 0, 250, 500, 1250, 2500 and 7500 Joules/m² which correspond to the irradiation time of 0, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 30 min. Cells were then analysed for Viability (Trypan blue exclusion test [TBE], 3-[4,5-dimethylthiozol-2yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide [MTT] assay, Membrane integrity (Lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] leakage, Lipid peroxidation) Detoxification (Ureagenesis, Cytochrome P450 activity [CYP450, Diazepam metabolism] and Glutathione-S-Transferase [GST] activity. The results show that there was no difference in functional, metabolic as well as detoxifying parameters of the hepatocytes when irradiated from 0–1250 Joules/m², whereas a significant alteration was appreciable in the parameters such as LDH leakage, lipid peroxidation, and CYP450 activity when irradiated beyond 1250 Joules/m². Our present findings suggest that the biologically compatible and feasible dose of UV-B irradiation for xenotransplantation appears to be 1250 Joules/m².     

Kristallographische Interpretation der Feinstruktur der B-Granula in den Langerhansschen Inseln der Ringelnatter,Natrix n. natrix (L.)

Zusammenfassung Kristalline B-Granula im Pankreas der Ringelnatter besitzen die Form von Rhombendodekaedern (a 11 nm, kubisch-raumzentriertes Gitter). Diese Diagnose wird abgeleitet von den Ergebnissen der dreidimensionalen Rekonstruktion von Serienschnitten, der optischen Diffraktometrie und aus dem Vergleich mit Kristallmodellen. Die Bedeutung kristalliner B-Granula wird erörtert.

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Crystallographic interpretation of the ultrastructure of B-granules in the islets of langerhans of the grass-snake, Natrix n. natrix (L.)

Summary Crystalline B-granules of grass-snake islets of Langerhans have been shown to possess the shape of rhombic dodecahedra (a 11 nm, cubic body-centered lattice). Three-dimensional reconstructions from serial sections, optical diffractometry and comparison with crystal models were the techniques utilized. The significance of crystalline B-granules is discussed.

Durchgeführt mit dankenswerter Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (La 229/3).Fräulein D. Vaihinger, Gießen, danken wir für die Anfertigung von Kristallmodellen, den Herren Prof. Dr. R. Mosebach, Gießen, und Dr. J. T. Finch, Cambridge, für Diskussionen und Anregungen.     

A Space Efficient Flexible Pivot Selection Approach to Evaluate Determinant and Inverse of a Matrix

This paper presents new simple approaches for evaluating determinant and inverse of a matrix. The choice of pivot selection has been kept arbitrary thus they reduce the error while solving an ill conditioned system. Computation of determinant of a matrix has been made more efficient by saving unnecessary data storage and also by reducing the order of the matrix at each iteration, while dictionary notation [1] has been incorporated for computing the matrix inverse thereby saving unnecessary calculations. These algorithms are highly class room oriented, easy to use and implemented by students. By taking the advantage of flexibility in pivot selection, one may easily avoid development of the fractions by most. Unlike the matrix inversion method [2] and [3], the presented algorithms obviate the use of permutations and inverse permutations.     

Purification, characterizations of a snake guard seeds lectin with antitumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells in vivo in mice

A lectin was purified (designated as TCSL) from the Snake guard seeds with molecular mass of 56±2 kDa containing two subunits (34±1 and 22±1 kDa.). TCSL exhibited high agglutination activity at the temperature range 30 to 70°C and did not lose its activity between pH 3.0 to 12.0. The lectin was stable in the presence of denaturants and agglutinated mouse, goat, cow, chicken and human erythrocytes. TCSL did not show antifungal activity whereas it agglutinated six pathogenic bacteria and showed less toxicity against brine shrimp nauplii with the LC50 of 261±29 μg/ml. TCSL showed 28% and 72% inhibition against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells in vivo in mice when administered 1 mg/kg/day and 2 mg/kg/day (i.p.) respectively for five days. TCSL enhanced the number of macrophages remarkably in the normal mice. The lectin reduced the tumor burden to 62% of EAC cells and significantly increased the hemoglobin and RBC. Treating the EAC bearing mice with TCSL at 2 mg/Kg/day for ten days with a monitoring of 20 days decreased the total WBC towards the normal level and it increased the life span by 39%.     

Growth enhancement of black pepper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Piper nigrum</Emphasis>) by a newly isolated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus tequilensis</Emphasis> NII-0943

A Gram positive, rod-shaped potential strain was selected from the pool of bacterial isolates obtained from the Western Ghats forest (India) on the basis of zone of P-solubilization activity. Identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the strain is of Bacillus species, sharing highest sequence similarity to Bacillus tequilensis NRRL B-41771^T (99.5%). Strain NII-0943 was able to produce good amount of indole acetic acid (IAA) and was positive for siderophore production. In addition to IAA and siderophore attributes, strain NII-0943 also possessed the characteristics like Ca₃(PO₄)₂ solubilization and growth in nitrogen-free medium. Seed inoculation with the strain NII-0943 resulted in significantly higher root initiation in black pepper cuttings grown under pots. The contents of nitrogen and phosphorus in both soil and plant were also enhanced significantly in treatments inoculated with these bacterial inocula. Hence, based on this evidence it is proposed that strain NII-0943 could be deployed as a plant growth-promoting inoculant to attain the desired results of bacterization.     

柑橘果糖激酶基因的克隆及表达

植物果糖激酶(FRK)在果糖磷酸化中起重要作用.通过PCR技术从温州蜜柑(Citrus unshiu Marc.)基因组中扩增得到编码果糖激酶基因的2个基因组DNA片段,分别命名为Cufrk1、Cufrk2,利用RT-PCR从果实中分离到了与Cufrk1外显子序列一致的cDNA序列,并通过RACE技术分离到这个基因的全长cDNA序列,命名为CuFRK1(GenBank号:AY561840).Cufrk1与Cufrk2编码氨基酸序列相似性为68%.CuFRK1 cDNA全长为1 459 bp,5'端和3'端的非翻译区分别为167 bp和239 bp,该序列含有一个完整的开放读码框,编码350个氨基酸,蛋白质分子量约为37.5 kD,等电点为5.03,含有2个果糖激酶糖特异结合域及3个ATP结合域,其氨基酸序列与其他植物中已分离的果糖激酶基因相似性在62%～78%.Northern分析显示,CuFRK1(Cufrk1)与Cufrk2在柑橘幼叶、发育初期果实中表达量较高,在果皮和茎中不表达,在花瓣及成熟果实中表达模式有一定差异.酶活性分析表明,果实中的果糖激酶活性随果实的发育而降低,同时,果实中的果糖不断积累,在果实整个发育过程中果糖含量与果糖激酶活性呈极显著负相关.