Past, present, and future of obesity surgery

The ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase rbcL and rbcS genes of a carbon monoxide-oxidizing bacterium, Hydrogenophaga pseudoflava DSM 1084, were cloned and sequenced. The cloned rbcL and rbcS genes had open reading frames of 1422 and 351 nucleotides encoding RbcL and RbcS with calculated molecular masses of 52,689 and 13,541, respectively. The known active site residues in other RbcL proteins were conserved in the H. pseudoflava proteins. The H. pseudoflava RbcS protein lacked the 12-residue internal sequence found in the plant enzymes. The 2 genes were separated by a 134 bp intergenic region and cotranscribed as a 2.0 kb rbcLS mRNA. Novel two perfect 9 bp direct repeats overlapping with two dyad symmetries were found in the rbcLS promoter region.     

Surgical treatment of cicatricial biliary strictures

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cicatricial biliary strictures are usually associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, frequently related to technical difficulties of their surgical repair, mainly in hilar lesions. Interference with bile duct blood supply during surgical attempts for correction is a major factor for unsuccessful results. The aim of this study is to evaluate, after an extended follow-up period, the results obtained with a modified technique for surgical correction of cicatricial biliary strictures. METHODOLOGY: The medical records of 57 patients surgically treated for cicatricial biliary strictures between January 1984 and July 1995 were reviewed and the immediate and long term results retrospectively analyzed. Patients consisted of 46 females and 11 males. The average age was 43 years. The etiology of the biliary lesion was: cholecystectomy alone (23); cholecystectomy with duct exploration (8); T tube CBD drainage (6); Biliary-enteric anastomosis stricture (16); choledochoplasty (2) and trauma (2). In 28 cases (49.1%) the stricture was located in the upper third of the bile duct, in 28 (49.1%) in the middle third and in one case (1.7%) it was low. All patients were submitted to longitudinal Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy with mucosa apposition after dissection of the anterior aspect of the biliary tract. No transanastomotic stents were used. RESULTS: Ten patients (17.5%) presented 11 postoperative complications: biliary fistula (4), duodenal fistula (1), wound infection (5), and acute pancreatitis (1). Average hospital stay was 11 days and there were no postoperative mortalities. The follow-up study was possible in 54 patients and ranged from one to ten years, with an average of 2.9 years. Four patients of 28 (14%) with hilar lesions developed stricture recurrence and cholangitis episodes, whereas no patients bearing lesions below the biliary junction had such complications. CONCLUSION: Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy with mucosa apposition without transanastomotic stent performed after minimal dissection of the biliary duct, thus avoiding major interference with the bile duct blood supply, is a safe and efficient method for the surgical repair of cicatricial biliary strictures. Using this technique excellent results can be obtained in the lesions below the biliary junction and acceptable results may be achieved in patients with hilar lesions.     

On the metabolism of prostaglandins by rat brain homogenate

Using radio-immuno assays for prostaglandins and prostaglandin metabolites, three prostaglandin metabolizing enzymes were found in the 100,000 X g supernatant of rat brain, 15-hydroxy-prostaglandin-dehydrogenase, delta13-reductase and prostaglandin E-9-keto-reductase. Specific activity of the latter enzyme was highest in striatum and midbrain and lowest in cortex, cerebellum and spinal cord.     

Effects of amperozide, 8-OH-DPAT, and FG 5974 on operant responding for ethanol

Ventilatory acclimatization to sustained hypoxia (VASH) is the time-dependent increase in ventilation that occurs during prolonged exposure to hypoxia. We tested the hypothesis that carotid body (CB) dopaminergic mechanisms are down-regulated during VASH, which would allow CB afferent discharge and ventilation to increase beyond the initial response to hypoxia. Domperidone (DOM; 1.0 mg.kg-1) was administered intravenously to block CB dopamine (DA) receptors after VASH was complete in awake goats. DOM caused a significant augmentation of the ventilatory response to hypoxia in acclimatized goats, failing to support the hypothesis. We conclude that inhibitory CB dopaminergic function is not significantly reduced following prolonged hypoxia, and that down-regulation of CB dopaminergic mechanisms may not be involved in VASH in the goat.     

Open book (AP compression) pelvis fracture

The technology of the purification of C.burnetii from the yolk-sac components of the cultivation medium, including differential centrifugation, membrane filtration, enzymatic hydrolysis, the standardization of the preparation thus obtained and its stabilization by the method of lyophilization, was developed. Antigens, prepared in accordance with this technology, were sufficiently active and highly specific. The possibility of their use in different serological tests (the complement fixation test and the indirect fluorescent analysis) was studied. In addition, these antigens were found to have good capacity for sorption on the solid-phase carrier (plates) and to be suitable for use in such highly sensitive test as the enzyme immunoassay.