Methods for the determination of the sensitivity of Candida strains to fluconazole: focus of a micromethod and correlation with 2 other techniques

107 Strains of different species of Candida have been tested by three methods of susceptibility to fluconazole. In addition, one reference strain has been used to verify three methods' reliability: one diffusion method on Shadomy's medium and two MIC liquid methods, on tube and on microtiter plate. Method on Shadomy's medium seems less sensitive for yeast susceptibility. Comparison of two liquid method of MIC show discordances on resistant strains (14% for method on tube and 26% for micromethod) By simplicity of execution and reliability in detection of natural resistances, micromethod of MIC seems the most convenient for yeasts determination in vitro to fluconazole.     

Fundamental dimensions of social judgment: Understanding the relations between judgments of competence and warmth.

In seems there are two dimensions that underlie most judgments of traits, people, groups, and cultures. Although the definitions vary, the first makes reference to attributes such as competence, agency, and individualism, and the second to warmth, communality, and collectivism. But the relationship between the two dimensions seems unclear. In trait and person judgment, they are often positively related; in group and cultural stereotypes, they are often negatively related. The authors report 4 studies that examine the dynamic relationship between these two dimensions, experimentally manipulating the location of a target of judgment on one and examining the consequences for the other. In general, the authors' data suggest a negative dynamic relationship between the two, moderated by factors the impact of which they explore. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Imaging of laryngeal cancer

CT and MRI are the main modalities for examination of laryngeal pathology. Generally, MRI seems to be the optimal method of examination in cooperative patients, especially for evaluation of their larynx before an attempted partial laryngectomy. The choice between the two modalities will also be determined by one's experience with these modalities. The possibilities of CT and MRI vary clearly from each other regarding detection of cartilage invasion. MRI seems to be more sensitive than CT in detection of neoplastic cartilage invasion, but seems to have a somewhat lower specificity, especially for thyroid cartilage involvement. There are increasing indications for imaging regarding tumor volume, and signs of cartilage involvement may have prognostic significance for the risk of tumor recurrence.     

Quantitation of hepatitis G virus RNA in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients. Stem Cell Transplantation Team

In thermolysin, tryptophan 115 seems to be at the S2 subsite. Trp-115 was replaced with tyrosine, phenylalanine, leucine, and valine during site-directed mutagenesis in order to evaluate the role of Trp-115 in the proteolytic activity of thermolysin. The mutant enzymes with Tyr-115 or Phe-115 had as much proteolytic activity as the wild-type enzyme, but the other two mutant enzymes had no activity. We found earlier that the substitution of Trp-115 with alanine, glutamic acid, lysine, and glutamine causes the enzyme to lose all activity, so an aromatic amino acid at position 115 seems to be essential for thermolysin.     

Personal needs, values, and technical preferences in the psychiatric hospital. A replicated study

This study tests the hypothesis that staff and patients try to make their involvement in psychiatric hospitals personally gratifying by fashioning preferences for those specific therapeutic techniques that match or satisfy their personal values and needs. Results of questionnaire data, collected from a total of 397 staff and patients at two psychiatric hospitals at two different times, show two distinctly different combinations of needs, values, and technical preferences. In one, a preference for psychotherapy and somatotherapy correlates highly with a preference or need for structured, cautious, and rule-governed relationships. Underlying these preferences seems to be a common dimension emphasizing a technical attitude towards the psychiatric hospital with true healing provided only by a professional, scientific elite. A second combination shows high correlations between a preference for social therapy and a need for unstructured, open, and trusting relationships. A common dimension underlying these preferences seems to be a moral attitude that stresses the healing power of all human relationships. Treating institutions may be categorized according to whether the technical or moral attitude predominates.     

CMV retinitis treatment

The two drugs known to be useful in the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis are ganciclovir and foscarnet--usually they are given intravenously. Intravitreal ganciclovir seems to be even more effective. A pump system to deliver the drug into the vitreous is being developed.     

Bone metaplasia in adenomatous intestinal polyp. Report of a case and review of the literature

We report a case of metaplastic ossification occurring within a tubulovillous adenoma of the large bowel. To our knowledge, only two cases of this process have been previously described. The pathogenesis is unclear, but the phenomenon seems to be a morphologic curiosity with no clinical significance.     

A familial syndrome of cranial, facial, oral and limb anomalies

A family is described in which two male infants have microcephaly, abnormal ears, anti-mongoloid slant, small mouth, cleft palate, flexed overlapping fingers with syndactyly of digits three and four, syndactyly of the second to the fifth toes, and normal karyotype. This seems to be a new syndrome.     

Lateral digital rotation flaps in the treatment of forms of Dupuytren's contracture. 141 cases

Severe contractures of the little finger can be corrected with a rotation flap. It has been used 141 times in a homogeneous series of 522 Dupuytren diseases. This flap brought to the metacarpophalangeal crease to the proximal phalanx can provide a skin lengthening of about 15 mm. The incision can be extended to the palm in order to remove the other fascial lesions. It was used mainly on the little finger (9 times out of 10). A single flap was usually made, but one may use two flaps from contiguous fingers, and even raise two flaps from the same finger. A comparative study with "Z" plasties was carried out. Out of 131 "Z" plasties with an average lack of extension of 126 degrees, the rate of improvement was 57%. The rotation flap was used in 141 cases with an average lack of extension of 140 degrees, and the rate of improvement was 79%. This flap seems to be an interesting procedure in the surgical treatment of severe Dupuytren contractures and seems more efficient than "Z" plasties.     

Transcription from heterologous rRNA operon promoters in chloroplasts reveals requirement for specific activating factors

The abundant molecular chaperone Hsp90 is a key regulator of protein structure in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. Although under physiological conditions a specific subset of proteins is substrate for Hsp90, under stress conditions Hsp90 seems to perform more general functions. However, the underlying mechanism of Hsp90 remained enigmatic. Here, we analyzed the function of conserved Hsp90 domains. We show that Hsp90 possesses two chaperone sites located in the N- and C-terminal fragments, respectively. The C-terminal fragment binds to partially folded proteins in an ATP-independent way potentially regulated by cochaperones. The N-terminal domain contains a peptide binding site that seems to bind preferentially peptides longer than 10 amino acids. Peptide dissociation is induced by ATP binding. Furthermore, the antitumor drug geldanamycin both inhibits the weak ATPase of Hsp90 and stimulates peptide release. We propose that the existence of two functionally different chaperone sites together with a substrate-selecting set of cochaperones allows Hsp90 to guide the folding of a subset of target proteins and, at the same time, to exhibit general chaperone functions.     

Vividness of visual and haptic imagery of movement

It is well recognized that the immune response is under the influence of a variety of neural or neuroendocrine mechanisms. Much less studied is the possible influence of these mechanisms on hematopoiesis. Here I review the existing evidence about a neural and/or neuroendocrine regulation of hematopoiesis. The physiology of the blood forming system seems to be controlled at three levels, i.e. at the cellular level by the bone marrow stroma, at the humoral level by hematopoietic cytokines and finally by catecholamines and neuroendocrine factors. Bone marrow catecholamines originate from sympathetic nerve fibers and from hematopoietic cells directly. Catecholamines of neural origin show a circadian rhythmicity. Adrenoceptors present on bone marrow cells include the alpha 1-subtype which seems to mediate the catecholaminergic control of hematopoiesis. Neuroendocrine factors including substance P, neurokinin-A and the pineal hormone melatonin might also influence hematopoiesis by affecting hematopoietic cytokines. In particular, melatonin seems to affect hematopoiesis via the induction in bone marrow T-helper cells of two novel opioid cytokines. A complete understanding of the neural and neuroendocrine regulation of hematopoiesis might provide new conceptual and therapeutic perspectives in a variety of hematopoietic and immune diseases.     

Identification of p53 mutations in endometrial adenocarcinoma by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism

OBJECTIVE: We determined whether mutations in p53 exons 5-6-7-8, as detected in the polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) test, might be correlated with stage or grade in endometrial adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We amplified sequences containing exons 5, 6, 7, or 8 in DNA from tumors and controls. Mutation within the amplified sequences was indicated by changes in electrophoretic mobility (band shifts) in the SSCP test. The results were analyzed statistically and compared with the results of other, similar studies. RESULTS: We identified 15 band shifts among 47 endometrial tumors studied (band shifts in two different exons in two cases) and none among 42 controls. Band shifts in exons 5 and 8 were associated uniformly with grade 2 or grade 3 histology. In other studies p53 mutations were correlated with advanced-stage malignancy. CONCLUSION: Further evaluation of particular p53 mutations and their relation to disease course in endometrial adenocarcinoma seems warranted. The PCR-SSCP test seems well-suited to this purpose.     

Passive smoking and risk of cancer

During the last two decades there have been frequent discussions as to whether passive smoking causes cancer, or not. It is difficult to carry out satisfactory studies on this issue, partially because any increased risk of cancer seems modest. The tobacco industry has not only attempted to make the public aware of studies which conclude that passive smoking is harmless, but it has also tried to keep alive the discussion as to whether exposure to passive smoking is harmful, or not. A large number of studies has been carried out on the possible impact passive smoking may have on the risk of lung cancer, and it seems justifiable to conclude that passive smoking does increase the risk of this type of cancer. For other types of cancer too few studies have been performed to draw any firm conclusions.     

Translocation (13; 18) (q22; p 11) and prenatal diagnosis (author's transl)

A balanced translocation (13; 18) (q 22; p 11) was diagnosed in two generations. Out of 10 pregnancies in these two translocation carriers, mother and daughter, only two phenotypically normal childern were born. One of these, namely the daughter, showed balanced translocation, whilst a normal karyotype was diagnosed prenatally in the second case. The other eight pregnancies ended either in spontaneous abortions, in intrauterine death or in lethal malformations. In the present translocation the formation of unbalanced gametes seems to be enhanced.     

The alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mouse. Implications for xenotransplantation

BACKGROUND: A conformational change seems to represent the major difference between the scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) and its normal cellular isoform (PrPC). We recently proposed a set of four helix bundle models for the three-dimensional structure of PrPC that are consistent with a variety of spectroscopic and genetic data. RESULTS: We report a plausible model for the three-dimensional structure of a biologically important fragment of PrPSc. The model of residues 108-218 was constructed by an approach that combines computational techniques and experimental data. The proposed structures of this fragment of PrPSc display a four-stranded beta-sheet covered on one face by two alpha-helices. Residues implicated in the prion species barrier are found to cluster on the solvent-accessible surface of the beta-sheet of one of the models. This interface could provide a structural template that would assist the conversion of PrPC to PrPSc and hence direct prion propagation. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular models of the PrP isoforms should prove very useful in developing structural hypotheses about the process by which PrPC is transformed into PrPSc, the mechanisms by which PrP gene mutations give rise to the inherited human prion diseases, and the species barrier that seems to protect humans from animal prions. It seems likely that PrPC represents a kinetically trapped intermediate in PrP folding.     

A tobacco soluble protoporphyrinogen-oxidizing enzyme similar to plant peroxidases in their amino acid sequences and immunochemical reactivity

Partial amino acid sequences of a soluble protoporphyrinogen-oxidizing enzyme (PPO) purified from tobacco cultured cells were identified. The sequences of two regions of the soluble PPO corresponded to the acid/base catalysis and heme binding regions of plant peroxidases. Anti-soluble PPO IgG cross-reacted with these plant peroxidases. Thus, the soluble PPO seems to be a kind of peroxidase.     

New technique for endoscopic treatment of bleeding gastric ulcer

In two patients with bleeding gastric ulcer hemorrhage could be stopped by submucous infiltration around the lesion without any complication. This simple method using a selfconstructed needle seems to guarantee good results especially in bleeding little arteries. Infiltration was performed with a 1.5% solution of Aethoxysklerol (Kreussler, Wiesbaden-Biebrich) using 3-5 ml totally for treatment.     

Single-blind study of the efficacy of pirozadil versus alufibrate in the treatment of primary hyperlipoproteinemias

Pirozadil and alufibrate are compared by a single-blind study over two groups 20 patients with primary hyperlipoproteinemia. Pirozadil seems more effective as a cholesterol-lowering agent. There were no adverse reactions. We conclude that pirozadil can be a valuable agent in preventing atherosclerotic disease.     

Role of carbon and alloying elements in the formation of bainitic ferrite

One approach to the prediction of the carbon content of austenite, remaining after the precipitation of bainitic ferrite, is based on the assumption that bainitic ferrite during growth inherits the carbon content of the parent austenite. An alternative approach is based on the assumption that bainitic ferrite grows with a low carbon content and there is no major difference between Widmanstätten ferrite and bainitic ferrite. The two approaches are now compared using information from alloyed steels with considerable amounts of Si, where the formation of cementite is retarded. The former approach does not account for the effect of Mn and fails severely at low alloy contents. The latter approach seems more promising but is not without difficulties. In particular, in order to explain the effects of Cr and Mo, it seems necessary to introduce a kinetic effect, presumably caused by solute drag.     

Bone marrow aplasia related to ticlopidine]

The authors report two cases of bone marrow aplasia observed 2 months after initiation of a treatment with ticlopidine. The outcome was favorable after discontinuation of therapy. The frequency of this severe drug-induced complication seems to have been underestimated. The absolute necessity of a careful haematological survey during the first 3 months of therapy is pointed out.