Lymphedema of the penis.

Lymphangiectomy with primary closure or skin grafting appears to be the treatment of choice for lymphedema of the penis. The method offers good cosmetic and functional results.     

Mannosephilic adhesins produced by some strains of motile Aeromonas reveal structural details of Salmonella lipopolysaccharide through the phenomenon of co-agglutination

Abstract Some strains of motile Aeromonas produce lectin-like adhesins, whose activity can be inhibited by d -mannose. Such strains can co-agglutinate with some strains of Salmonella . Whether or not co-agglutination occurs is dependent upon both the properties of the Aeromonas adhesin and the structure of the Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These studies have enabled new structural information for Salmonella LPS to be deduced and have confirmed previous studies regarding the nature of the Aeromonas adhesin binding site. It is possible that the observed in vitro co-agglutination between Aeromonas and Salmonella is a reflection of an in vivo situation which could modify the virulence of either or both bacteria.     

Characterization of the Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens glgB gene, which encodes a glycogen-branching enzyme with starch-clearing activity.

A Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens H17c glgB gene, was isolated by direct selection for colonies that produced clearing on starch azure plates. The gene was expressed in Escherichia coli from its own promoter. The glgB gene consisted of an open reading frame of 1,920 bp encoding a protein of 639 amino acids (calculated Mr, 73,875) with 46 to 50% sequence homology with other branching enzymes. A limited region of 12 amino acids showed sequence similarity to amylases and glucanotransferases. The B. fibrisolvens branching enzyme was not able to hydrolyze starch but stimulated phosphorylase alpha-mediated incorporation of glucose into alpha-1,4-glucan polymer 13.4-fold. The branching enzyme was purified to homogeneity by a simple two-step procedure; N-terminal sequence and amino acid composition determinations confirmed the deduced translational start and amino acid sequence of the open reading frame. The enzymatic properties of the purified enzyme were investigated. The enzyme transferred chains of 5 to 10 (optimum, 7) glucose units, using amylose and amylopetin as substrates, to produce a highly branched polymer.     

The assessment of cellular proliferation by immunohistochemistry: A review of currently available methods and their applications

Summary Immunohistochemical methods using antibodies to cell cycle-related antigens may be used as a means of assessing various aspects of proliferation in tissue, and have the important advantage of preserving the spatial orientation of proliferating cells in histological sections. Currently, the most widely available antibodies for this purpose are antibodies to bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), Ki67 and antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). BrdU is a thymidine analogue incorporated during the S phase of the cell cycle, which can be introduced by in vivo administration or by in vitro incubation, and monoclonal antibodies are available to display its localization. Ki67 demonstrates a nuclear antigen expressed in all phases of the cell cycle, except G₀ and early G₁, but can only be applied to frozen tissue. PCNA is a nuclear antigen which is essential for DNA synthesis, two commercially available antibodies to PCNA work in paraffin-embedded tissue, but may have different staining characteristics under different conditions of fixation. The main advantages and disadvantages of these different techniques are discussed, together with their main applications to date.