Laparoscopy for the impalpable testes. Initial experience of one center

Endoscopic treatment of acute pancreatitis has been proposed in different conditions: acute biliary pancreatitis, pancreatitis related to pancreas divisum or in case of pseudocysts. The efficacy of such endoscopic procedure is discussed.     

Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer is augmented in basilar and carotid arteries of heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits

OBJECTIVE: Regional presynaptic dopaminergic function and its regulation by dopamine agonists in different stages of PD can be measured by L-[11C]dopa and PET. In the current investigation, we studied the effects of therapeutic apomorphine on L-[11C]dopa uptake in patients with early and advanced PD. BACKGROUND: With disease progression and chronic dopamine agonist treatment, motor response complications supervene in a majority of PD patients. It is assumed that both presynaptic and postsynaptic changes in the dopaminergic system act to modify dopaminergic efficacy. METHODS: Patients with early and advanced stages of PD were included in the study. All patients were investigated twice with PET and L-[11C]dopa drug free and during a subsequent standardized therapeutic apomorphine infusion. RESULTS: Subregional analysis of the striatum showed differences in the effects of apomorphine infusion on the L-[11C]dopa influx rate in the two patient categories. In patients with early and uncomplicated PD, apomorphine infusion decreased the L-[11C]dopa influx rate. This decrease was most pronounced in the dorsal part of the putamen. In advanced PD patients, apomorphine did not affect the striatal L-[11C]dopa influx rate. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that in mild and stable PD an upregulated presynaptic inhibitory feedback regulation, particularly in the dorsal putamen, acts to maintain congruity within the dopaminergic system in response to antiparkinsonian medication. However, this inhibitory feedback regulation is diminished with the progression of nigrostriatal degeneration and chronic dopamine agonist treatment.     

Fast and one-step folding of closely and distantly related homologous proteins of a four-helix bundle family

Bovine acyl-coenzyme A binding protein is a four-helix bundle protein belonging to a group of homologous eukaryote proteins that binds medium and long-chain acyl-coenzyme A esters with a very high affinity. The three-dimensional structure of both the free and the ligated protein together with the folding kinetics have been described in detail for the bovine protein and with four new sequences reported here, a total of 16 closely related sequences ranging from yeasts and plants to human are known. The kinetics of folding and unfolding in different concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride together with equilibrium unfolding have been measured for bovine, rat and yeast acyl-coenzyme A binding protein. The bovine and rat sequences are closely related whereas the yeast is more distantly related to these. In addition to the three natural variants, kinetics of a bovine mutant protein, Tyr31 --> Asn, have been studied. Both the folding and unfolding rates in water of the yeast protein are 15 times faster than those of bovine. The folding rates in water of the two mammalian forms, rat and bovine, are similar, though still significantly different. A faster unfolding rate both for rat and the bovine mutant protein results from a lower stability of the native states of these. These hydrophobic regions, mini cores, have been identified in the three-dimensional structure of the bovine protein and found to be formed primarily by residues that have been conserved throughout the entire eukaryote evolution from yeasts to both plants and mammals as seen in the sample of 16 sequences. The conserved residues are found to stabilize helix-helix interactions and serve specific functional purposes for ligand binding. The fast one-step folding mechanism of ACBP has been shown to be a feature that seems to be maintained throughout evolution despite numerous differences in sequence and even dramatic differences in folding kinetics and protein stability. The protein study raises the question to what extent does the conserved hydrophobic residues provide a scaffold for an efficient one-step folding mechanism.     

Learning disabilities, low achievement, and mild mental retardation: more alike than different?

Children identified with learning disabilities (LD), low achievement (LA), or mild mental retardation (MMR) were contrasted on 41 measures of ability, academic achievement, social skills, problem behavior, academic engaged time, perceptual-motor skills, and school history. Both multivariate, univariate, and meta-analytic comparisons among the three groups showed relatively large differences on measures of aptitude and achievement, with the LD group scoring higher on measures of cognitive ability than the LA and MMR groups and the LA group showing higher tested academic achievement than the LD and MMR groups. Teacher ratings of academic competence showed similar levels of functioning for the LD and LA groups. No differences among the groups were found on measures of social skills, problem behaviors, or academic engaged time, or on most indices reflecting school history. Results were interpreted in light of studies contrasting LD and LA groups. Comparisons with earlier studies were difficult in light of demographic differences in samples and the lower cognitive and academic functioning of children in the present study. The current study showed that 61% of the LD group could be differentiated from the LA group, with LD-MMR and LA-MMR differentiation levels being 68.5% and 67.5%, respectively.