Long-term maintenance of weight loss: do people who lose weight through various weight loss methods use different behaviors to maintain their weight?

Obtaining high-quality radiographs of the proximal aspect of equine limbs is difficult because of the large muscles in these regions. The use of scintigraphy may provide further information. Abnormal bone scan findings of the ischial tuberosity or the third trochanter were found in 29 adult horses with obscure hind limb lameness between 1986 and 1996 at the Large Animal Clinic of the University of Bern. Each had abnormal radiopharmaceutical uptake but not all had radiographic changes. Radiopharmaceutical uptake ratios between the ischial tuberosity and the greater trochanter were calculated. The uptake ratio in a control group of 11 clinically sound horses was lower than in 11 lame horses with subjectively enhanced radiopharmaceutical uptake.     

Erythropoiesis and erythropoietin synthesis during aseptic acute inflammation

Erythropoietin (Epo) production during acute inflammation induced by s. c. turpentine administration in experimental Long-Evans rats increased in response to reduced erythropoiesis. A close correlation was found between decreased haematocrit (Hct) and increased levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) in this experimental system. The Epo response was not different between rats with acute inflammation and anaemia and control animals with a comparable degree of anaemia. It is concluded that Epo is not an acute phase reactant, and that the Epo response in acute experimental inflammation in rats is explained by the associated development of anaemia.     

Comparative analysis of breast cancer contamination in mobilized and nonmobilized hematopoietic grafts

We report a case of an 18-month-old female who presented with three supernumerary upper limbs of varying lengths on the right side. Each limb had a proximal, middle, and distal segment, and an intercalated elbow and wrist joint. A single digit was present in the superior limb, three digits in the middle limb, and two digits in the caudal-most limb. Right plagiocephaly, congenital torticollis, scoliosis involving the upper and mid thoracic region, and a hypoplastic right pectoralis major were the other abnormal features noted. Radiography showed two scapulae, humerus, a single forearm bone in each limb, and rudimentary metacarpals and phalanges. Limb duplication may rarely be encountered in parasitic conjoined twins. The role of mutagens, drugs, cellular contributions, and morphogens in the growth and differentiation of limbs has been studied in animals. It is rather difficult to deduce the time of action of the factors responsible for such a malformation.     

Effect of band 3 subunit equilibrium on the kinetics and affinity of ankyrin binding to erythrocyte membrane vesicles

The membrane-spanning protein, band 3, anchors the spectrin-based membrane skeleton to the lipid bilayer via the bridging protein, ankyrin. To understand how band 3 subunit stoichiometry influences this membrane-skeletal junction, we have induced changes in the band 3 association equilibrium and assayed the kinetics and equilibrium properties of ankyrin binding. We observe that band 3 oligomers convert slowly to dimers and ultimately monomers following removal of ankyrin. Addition of excess ankyrin back to these membranes enriched in dissociated band 3 then shifts band 3 almost entirely to tetramers, confirming that the tetrameric form of band 3 constitutes the preferred oligomeric state of ankyrin binding. 4, 4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) labeling of band 3, which is shown to shift most of the band 3 population to dimers, eliminates the majority of ankyrin-binding sites on the membrane and greatly reduces retention of band 3 in detergent-extracted membrane skeletons. Furthermore, DIDS- modified membranes lack all low affinity ankyrin-binding sites and roughly half of all high affinity sites. Since labeled membranes lack the rapid kinetic phase of ankyrin binding and exhibit only half of the normal amplitude of the slow kinetic phase, it can be concluded that the rapid phase of ankyrin association involves low affinity sites and the slow phase involves high affinity sites. A model accounting for these data and most previous data on ankyrin-band 3 interactions is provided.     

A pH-dependent conformational change in the B-subunit pentamer of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin: structural basis and possible functional role for a conserved feature of the AB5 toxin family

The non-covalently associated B-subunit moieties of AB5 toxins, such as cholera toxin and related diarrheagenic enterotoxins, exhibit exceptional pH stability and remain pentameric at pH values as low as 2.0. Here, we investigate the structural basis of a pH-dependent conformational change which occurs within the B5 structure of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (EtxB) at around pH 5.0. The use of far-UV CD and fluorescence spectroscopy showed that EtxB pentamers undergo a fully reversible pH-dependent conformational change with a pKa of 4.9 +/- 0.1 (R2 = 0.999) or 5.13 +/- 0.01 (R2 = 0.999), respectively. This renders the pentamer susceptible to SDS-mediated disassembly and decreases its thermal stability by 18 degrees C. A comparison of the pH-dependence of the structural change in EtxB5, with that of a mutant containing a Ser substitution at His 57, revealed that the pKa of the conformational change was shifted from ca. 5.1 to 4.4. This finding suggests that protonation of the imidazole side chain of His 57 might facilitate disruption of a spatially adjacent salt bridge, located between Glu 51 and Lys 91 in each B-subunit, thus triggering the conformational change in the pentameric structure. The pH-dependent conformational change was found to be inhibited when B-subunits bound to monosialoganglioside, GMI; and to have no effect on the stability of interaction between A- and B-subunits within the AB5 complex. This suggests that the conformational change is unlikely to have a direct involvement in toxicity. Conservation of the pH-dependent conformational change in the AB5 toxin family, combined with the potential exposure of the hydrophobic core of beta-barrel in the monomeric units, leads to the proposal that the conformational change may be the common feature that ensures the secretion of these proteins from the Vibrionaceae.     

Admission to hospitals with on-site cardiac catheterization facilities :impact on long-term costs and outcomes

BACKGROUND: Admission to a hospital with a capability for cardiac procedures is associated with a higher likelihood of referral for a cardiac procedure but not with a better short-term clinical outcome. Whether there are differences in long-term mortality and resource consumption is not clear. We sought to determine whether elderly Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to hospitals with on-site cardiac catheterization facilities have lower long-term hospital costs and better outcomes than patients admitted to hospitals without such facilities. METHODS AND RESULTS: As part of the Cooperative Cardiovascular Project pilot in Connecticut, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from medical charts and administrative files. The study sample included 2521 patients with acute myocardial infarction covered by Medicare from 1992 to 1993. The cardiac catheterization rate was higher in the hospitals with facilities (38.6% versus 26.9%; P<0.001), but the revascularization rate was similar (20.5% versus 19.5%) during the initial episode of care and at 3 years (29.7% versus 29.7%). Mortality rates were similar for patients admitted to the 2 types of hospitals at 30 days (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.42) and at 3 years (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.26). The adjusted readmission rates were significantly lower among patients admitted to hospitals with cardiac catheterization facilities (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.94). However, the overall mean days in the hospital for the 3 years after admission was 25.9 for patients admitted to hospitals with facilities and 24.6 for the other patients (P=0.234). Adjusting for baseline patient characteristics, there was no significant difference in the 3-year costs between patients admitted to the 2 types of hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: With higher rates of cardiac catheterization and lower readmission rates, patients admitted to hospitals with on-site cardiac catheterization facilities did not have significantly different hospital costs compared with patients admitted to hospitals without these facilities. There was also no significant difference in short- or long-term mortality rates.