Risk factors and outcome of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with sporadic multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in New York City

The discovery of neuroendocrine differentiation in hormone-refractory prostatic adenocarcinoma has opened a potentially new therapeutic approach in this group of patients with a poor prognosis and few effective therapy modalities. Based on previous findings of increased uptake of 11C-5-hydroxytryptophan (11C-5-HTP) in neuroendocrine tumours using the PET technique, this tracer was applied in the study of 10 patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostatic adenocarcinoma. In three patients, the study was repeated after treatment. An increased uptake of 11C-5-HTP was observed in all investigated skeletal lesions, although the magnitude of the uptake was moderate. The difference between the standard uptake values (SUV) in normal bone and metastatic lesions was significant (p < 0.001). A kinetic analysis of the uptake of 11C-5-HTP demonstrates an increase during the first minutes followed by a wash-out and a stabilization of the tissue/blood ratio at about 2. The Patlak plots demonstrated a gradual increase in the transport rate during the first 20 to 30 min, after which a constant level was observed. The SUV varied between patients and between lesions over time and treatment. The uptake of 11C-5-HTP discriminates metastatic lesions from normal bone and may thus aid in the diagnosis and, potentially, in treatment monitoring of metastatic hormone-refractory prostatic adenocarcinoma. Uptake kinetics are characterized by a wash-out and cannot alone be used as proof of neuroendocrine differentiation in hormone-refractory prostatic adenocarcinoma.     

Pseudobacteriuria associated with a urine flow rate transducer

Normal wound healing in skin embraces several reparative processes, many of which directly involve components of the extracellular matrix and the cutaneous basement membrane zone. Proteoglycans are a group of extracellular matrix macromolecules that have both structural and regulatory properties. In wound healing, certain proteoglycans fulfill a mechanical function of absorbing water and preventing tissue compression. However, proteoglycans may also have other roles in wound healing including a direct influence on inflammation, cell attachment and migration, and growth factor binding. Furthermore, proteoglycans may help to determine other aspects of the long-term quality of wound healing in skin through regulation of basement membrane permeability, epidermal hyperproliferation, and dermal fibrosis.     

Carbohydrate sulfotransferases: mediators of extracellular communication

Sulfated carbohydrates mediate diverse extracellular recognition events in both normal and pathological processes. The sulfotransferases that generate specific carbohydrate 'sulfoforms' have recently been recognized as key modulators of these processes and therefore represent potential therapeutic targets.