Chronic neurologic disease with visual, gait, and bladder problems in a male teenager

The surgical procedure described has the advantages of being simple and cost-effective. It provides early bone union and improves stability of the wrist joint. Four cases of giant cell tumor were treated and all 4 cases had satisfactory results.     

Evaluation of erectile dysfunction and sleep-related erections

Significant advances in this past decade have improved our understanding of erectile physiology. A variety of tests are available for diagnosing impotence. SRE testing provides objective physiological information that is useful for indexing erectile capability and formulating a rational treatment plan. As such, SRE testing is a powerful noninvasive tool for assessing dysfunction. Nonetheless, in making a final diagnosis, the skillful clinician relies on more than one assessment parameter and on clinical acumen.     

Tanque verde retaining wall structure: Revisited after 11 + years

Between December 1984 and September 1985, 46 concrete panel retaining walls were constructed using structural geogrids of polyethylene to create grade separations for a transportation intersection in Tucson, Arizona. During construction, select panel walls were instrumented to measure temperature, lateral and vertical soil pressures, and strains in the geogrid. The combination of elevated temperature and aggressive soil exposure and aging, while under stress, make this particular project a focal point of continued investigation.

Geogrid samples retrieved from this project in September 1993 and again in June 1996 were evaluated and compared to an archived sample from the same production run. Wall instrumentation, which has been monitored from 1985 to 1992, was most recently monitored in June 1996 to evaluate the mechanical stability of these walls. Instrumentation readings and results from evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of the exhumed geogrid samples are presented in this paper.

It is concluded from testing of exhumed samples, after 11 + years of exposure, that the polyethylene geogrid has not experienced any measurable change in its physical or mechanical performance properties, nor has the wall been compromised in its stability or performance.     

Anphen and energy status of the animal body

Energy status of rats was altered after administration of anphen [2,4-(hydroxy-3,5-ditretbutyl phenyl)-2-aminomalonic acid] at a dose of 40 mg/kg. Within 30 min after administration, maximal rates of NAD-dependent substrates and succinate oxidation were detected in liver mitochondria, which appears to occur due to activation of the mitochondrogenesis. The rate of electron transport in respiratory chain of mitochondria was decreased 1.3-1.6-fold within 1-1.5 hr, whereas within 3 hrs the patterns of oxidation and energetic coupling in liver mitochondria were reduced to control values. The similar alterations were observed in activities of lymphocyte alpha-glycerophosphate- and succinate dehydrogenases. Shifts in the pool of lipid peroxidation products in biological membranes was apparently responsible for alterations in activity of the energy metabolizing enzymes in lymphocytes and liver mitochondria.     

The CT halo sign: a new finding in intestinal lymphangiectasia

A "halo sign" has been described in patients with Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, radiation enteritis, ischemic colitis, and pseudomembranous colitis. This sign is characterized by an inner ring of low CT attenuation surrounded by a higher attenuation outer ring. We present a patient with primary intestinal lymphangiectasia in whom CT demonstrated a halo sign correlated with mucosal biopsy.     

Protein engineering of toluene monooxygenases for synthesis of hydroxytyrosol

Hyroxytyrosol (HTyr), an important phenol present in olives, stands out as a compound of high added value due to its exceptional antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic activities. This work describes the synthesis of HTyr via double hydroxylation of 2-phenylethanol (PEA) employing toluene monooxygenases (TMOs) as biocatalysts. Wild-type TMOs were initially evaluated for their ability to oxidise PEA and structurally-related substrates, providing better understanding of the factors responsible for controlling the regiospecificity. Both the length of the alkyl side chain and the presence of the hydroxyl group were found to influence the activity, possibly by interfering with the substrates’ entrance into the active site. Directed evolution of toluene-4-monooxygenase of Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 led to the discovery of variant TmoA S395C with a 15-fold increase in PEA hydroxylation rate. Saturation-mutagenesis at position TmoA I100 resulted in the finding of novel HTyr-producing variants I100A, I100S and I100G.