Vascularized full-thickness parietal bone grafts in maxillofacial reconstruction: the role of the galea and superficial temporal vessels

Reconstruction of bony structures of the face is always a problem as big as the defect and the function that must be replaced. Everything from simple grafts to sophisticated distant bone flaps has been used. Based on the studies of Cutting et al., Psillakis et al., and Casanova et al., we have developed the full-thickness galeoparietal bone flap, initially for mandibular reconstruction, but of great use for all maxillofacial reconstructions. From July of 1987 to December of 1988, 14 patients have been operated on. The experience with this flap is shown in four patients as follows: primary reconstruction of a mandible as a result of ameloblastoma, secondary reconstruction of a mandible with associated old fractures and malalignment of segments, bilateral malar reconstruction in a patient with Treacher Collins syndrome, and severe sequelae of an already treated Romberg case. Small variations could be made to best accommodate the technique used to the defect we were treating. Some technical details, the experience, the results, and possible sequelae or complications are also discussed.     

Effect of biological toxins on gap-junctionai intercellular communication in Chinese hamster V79 cells

Since chemical modulation of gap junctional intercellular communication has been implicated in several toxicological endpoints, a study to examine the ability of several biological toxins to inhibit this process was undertaken. Eight biological toxins were tested for their ability to inhibit metabolic cooperation, a measure of gap-junctional intercellular communication, in the Chinese V79 cell system. Aplysiatoxin, anhydrodebromoaplysiatoxin and debromoaplysiatoxin showed the strongest ability to inhibit metabolic cooperation while T2-toxin and vomitoxin inhibited metabolic cooperation to a lesser degree. Afatoxin B₁, afatoxin B₂ and palytoxin were inactive in the Chinese V79 system. Palytoxin, which was extremely cytotoxic, might act as a tumor promoter if it induces compensatory hyperplasia in vivo.Abbreviations 6-TG 6-thioguanine - TPA 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate     

Myasthenia Gravis: Anesthetic and Surgical Management of the Patient Undergoing Thymectomy

Experience in the anesthetic and surgical management of 25 patients with myasthenia gravis is recorded. These are subdivided into two groups: those operated on during the period 1950-1958 and those operated on during the period 1959-1964. The purpose of this paper is to indicate improvement in mortality and morbidity due to three major advances: (1) use of the decamethonium diagnostic test in a myasthenia gravis clinic; (2) improvements in assessment and management of respiratory insufficiency; and (3) avoidance of anticholinesterase treatment in the immediate and early postoperative recovery period.Fourteen patients with myasthenia gravis, including five with thymoma and two who were refractory to medication, were in the second (1959-1964) group. There were no deaths and no myasthenic or cholinergic crises. Three prophylactic tracheostomies were performed. No emergency bronchoscopies or tracheostomies were required.     

Sensitization of Edman amino acid derivatives using the fluorescent reagent, 4-aminofluorescein

The ability to analyze amino acid derivatives at the femtomole level is one of the most interesting challenges in the field of protein microsequencing. 2-Anilino-5-thiazolinone amino acids, obtained by Edman degradation, were quantitatively derivatized with fluorescent primary amines. The most fluorescent reagent tested was 4-aminofluorescein. The amino acid derivatives sensitized with this reagent were separated using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and identified at the 100 attomole level. Incorporation of this method into the operation of a conventional automated sequencer is also described.     

Production of amylase(s) by Schwanniomyces castellii and Endomycopsis fibuligera

Schwanniomyces castellii and Endomycopsis fibuligera Produced extracellular amylase(s) when grown on various carbon sources and at different pH values. Both yeast species showed significant amylase synthesis in the presence of either maltose or soluble starch. On the other substrates tested (glucose, cellobiose, sucrose, trehalose, melezitose, raffinose, ethanol, glycerol) differences were found regarding growth and amylase production. Free glucose in the culture medium apparently inhibited enzyme synthesis. The pH range allowing maximal growth and amylase production was 4.5–6.0 for E. fibuligera and 5.5–7.0 for S. castellii.     

Removal of nitrate from water by foam-immobilizedPhormidium laminosum in batch and continuous-flow bioreactors

Cells of the non-N₂-fixing cyanobacteriumPhormidium laminosum were immobilized in polyurethane (PU) foams either by absorption or by entrapment in the PU prepolymer followed by polymerisation and by adsorption onto polyvinyl (PV) foams. Although entrapment caused toxicity problems which lead to rapid death of the immobilized cells, they were immobilized successfully by adsorption onto PU or PV foams and maintained their photosynthetic electron transport activities (PS I, II, I + II) for at least 7 weeks. Changes in the morphology resulting from immobilization, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and low temperature-SEM, were investigated. Batch cultures and a continuous-flow packed bed photobioreactor were used to study nitrate removal from water. The effects of light intensity and CO₂ concentration on bioreactor performance were studied with respect to the nitrate uptake efficiency of the system. It was concluded thatP. laminosum immobilized on polymer foams is of potential value for biological nitrate removal in a continuous-flow system. author for correspondence     

Efficient Pre-mRNA Cleavage Prevents Replication-Stress-Associated Genome Instability

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The phylogenetic analysis of variable-length sequence data: elongation factor-1alpha introns in European populations of the parasitoid wasp genus Pauesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae)

Elongation factor-1alpha (EF-1alpha) is a highly conserved nuclear coding gene that can be used to investigate recent divergences due to the presence of rapidly evolving introns. However, a universal feature of intron sequences is that even closely related species exhibit insertion and deletion events, which cause variation in the lengths of the sequences. Indels are frequently rich in evolutionary information, but most investigators ignore sites that fall within these variable regions, largely because the analytical tools and theory are not well developed. We examined this problem in the taxonomically problematic parasitoid wasp genus Pauesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) using congruence as a criterion for assessing a range of methods for aligning such variable-length EF-1alpha intron sequences. These methods included distance- and parsimony-based multiple-alignment programs (CLUSTAL W and MALIGN), direct optimization (POY), and two "by eye" alignment strategies. Furthermore, with one method (CLUSTAL W) we explored in detail the robustness of results to changes in the gap cost parameters. Phenetic-based alignments ("by eye" and CLUSTAL W) appeared, under our criterion, to perform as well as more readily defensible, but computationally more demanding, methods. In general, all of our alignment and tree-building strategies recovered the same basic topological structure, which means that an underlying phylogenetic signal remained regardless of the strategy chosen. However, several relationships between clades were sensitive both to alignment and to tree-building protocol. Further alignments, considering only sequences belonging to the same group, allowed us to infer a range of phylogenetic relationships that were highly robust to tree-building protocol. By comparing these topologies with those obtained by varying the CLUSTAL parameters, we generated the distribution area of congruence and taxonomic compatibility. Finally, we present the first robust estimate of the European Pauesia phylogeny by using two EF-1alpha introns and 38 taxa (plus 3 outgroups). This estimate conflicts markedly with the traditional subgeneric classification. We recommend that this classification be abandoned, and we propose a series of monophyletic species groups.     

Prenatal exposure to chromium induces early reproductive senescence by increasing germ cell apoptosis and advancing germ cell cyst breakdown in the F1 offspring

Hexavalent chromium (CrVI), one of the more toxic heavy metals, is widely used in more than 50 industries such as chrome plating, welding, wood processing and tanneries. As one of the world?s leading producers of chromium compounds, the U.S. is facing growing challenges in protecting human health against multiple adverse effects of CrVI. CrVI is rapidly converted to CrIII intracellularly, and can induce apoptosis through different mechanisms. Our previous studies demonstrated postnatal exposure to CrVI results in a delay or arrest in follicle development and puberty. Pregnant rats were treated with 25 ppm potassium dichromate (CrVI) from gestational day (GD) 9.5 to 14.5 through drinking water, placentae were removed on GD 20, and total Cr was estimated in the placentae; ovaries were removed from the F1 offspring on postnatal day (PND)-1 and various analyses were performed. Our results show that gestational exposure to CrVI resulted in (i) increased Cr concentration in the placenta, (ii) increased germ cell apoptosis by up-regulating p53/p27–Bax–caspase-3 proteins and by increasing p53–SOD-2 co-localization; (iii) accelerated germ cell cyst (GCC) breakdown; (iv) advanced primordial follicle assembly and primary follicle transition and (v) down regulation of p-AKT, p-ERK and XIAP. As a result of the above events, CrVI induced early reproductive senescence and decrease in litter size in F1 female progeny.     

Climate change (elevated CO₂, elevated temperature and moderate drought) triggers the antioxidant enzymes' response of grapevine cv. Tempranillo, avoiding oxidative damage

Photosynthetic carbon fixation (A_N) and photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR) are affected by different environmental stress factors, such as those associated with climate change. Under stress conditions, it can be generated an electron excess that cannot be consumed, which can react with O₂, producing reactive oxygen species. This work was aimed to evaluate the influence of climate change (elevated CO₂, elevated temperature and moderate drought) on the antioxidant status of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cv. Tempranillo leaves, from veraison to ripeness. The lowest ratios between electrons generated (ETR) and consumed (A_N + respiration + photorespiration) were observed in plants treated with elevated CO₂ and elevated temperature. In partially irrigated plants under current ambient conditions, electrons not consumed seemed to be diverted to alternative ways. Oxidative damage to chlorophylls and carotenoids was not observed. However, these plants had increases in thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, an indication of lipid peroxidation. These increases matched well with an early rise of H₂O₂ and antioxidant enzyme activities, superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1), ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11) and catalase (EC 1.11.1.6). Enzymatic activities were maintained high until ripeness. In conclusion, plants grown under current ambient conditions and moderate drought were less efficient to cope with oxidative damage than well‐irrigated plants, and more interestingly, plants grown under moderate drought but treated with elevated CO₂ and elevated temperature were not affected by oxidative damage, mainly because of higher rates of electrons consumed in photosynthetic carbon fixation.