Reaction of hydrogen sulphide with 2-alkenals

Depending on the types of solvent and catalyst, different products are formed in the reaction of hydrogen sulphide with 2-alkenals. The structures of many of these products have been elucidated, and the reaction sequences leading to them are proposed.     

Synergistic cooperation between phorbol ester and IFN-gamma for induction of nitric oxide synthesis in murine peritoneal macrophages

The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the induction of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in murine peritoneal macrophages was examined. Phorbol ester, a PKC activator, had no effect on NO synthesis by itself, whereas IFN-gamma alone had modest activity. When phorbol ester was used in combination with IFN-gamma, there was a marked cooperative induction of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. This increase in NO synthesis was reflected as increased amount of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA, as determined by Northern blotting. The optimal effect of phorbol ester was shown at 6 h after treatment with IFN-gamma. Phorbol ester also induced the release of NO to the incubation medium by bacillus Calmette-Guerin-infected peritoneal macrophages. Prolonged incubation of cells with phorbol ester, which down-regulates PKC activity, abolished the synergistic cooperative effect on NO production with IFN-gamma. In addition, such PKC inhibitors as staurosporin or polymyxin B reduced NO production induced by IFN-gamma plus phorbol ester. When the cells were treated with both actinomycin D and phorbol ester after IFN-gamma stimulation, more NO was produced and more iNOS mRNA was expressed than in the cells treated with actinomycin D alone. On the basis of these observations, we conclude that PKC might not be directly involved in the expression of NO synthase, but, instead, might be involved in the stabilization of the iNOS mRNA already expressed by the treatment of IFN-gamma.     

The quality of adolescent friendships: long-term effects?

Retinoic acid (RA) has been implicated in cardiac morphogenesis by its teratogenic effects on the heart, although its role in normal cardiogenesis remains unknown. To define the parameters of RA action in cardiac morphogenesis, we analyzed the patterns of ligand synthesis, response, and inactivation in the developing mouse heart. Activation of a lacZ transgene controlled by an RA response element (RARE) was compared to the localization of the retinaldehyde-oxidizing dehydrogenase RALDH2, the earliest RA synthetic enzyme in the mouse embryo, and to the expression of a gene encoding an RA-degrading enzyme (P450RA). We observed that RALDH2 localization and RA response were virtually superimposable throughout heart development. Initially, both RALDH2 and RARE-LacZ activity were restricted to the sinus venosa in unlooped hearts, but were high in the dorsal mesocardium, while P450RA expression was restricted to the endocardium. Later stages were characterized by a sequential, noncontiguous progression of RALDH2 accumulation and RA response, from the sinus venosa to atria, dorsal-medial conotruncus, aortic arches, and the epicardium. This dynamic pattern of RA response was a direct result of localized RALDH2, since hearts of cultured embryos were uniformly competent to respond to an exogenous RA challenge. These observations support a model in which the influence of endogenous RA on heart development depends upon localized presentation of the ligand, with only limited diffusion from the source of its synthesis.     

Two-level pipelined systolic array for multidimensional convolution

This paper describes a systolic array for the computation of n-dimensional (nD) convolutions for any positive integer n. Systolic systems usually achieve high performance by allowing computations to be pipelined over a large array of processing elements. To achieve even higher performance, the systolic array described in this paper uses a second level of pipelining by allowing the processing elements themselves to be pipelined to an arbitrary degree.     

Imaging of delta- and mu-opioid receptors in temporal lobe epilepsy by positron emission tomography

The authors report the postoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings in 36 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who underwent unilateral microelectrode-guided posteroventral pallidotomy. The lesions were placed within 1 mm of the ventral border of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) to include pallidothalamic outflow pathways. Sequential MR studies were obtained within 1 to 3 days postoperatively and at 6-month follow-up examination. Thirty-four (94%) of the 36 patients enjoyed sustained moderate or marked improvement of their parkinsonian symptoms 6 months postoperatively. Transient side effects occurred in five patients (14%), but there were no persistent complications. The pallidal radiofrequency lesions were prolate spheroid shaped and were composed of three concentric zones in the early postoperative studies. The mean volume of the middle zone, corresponding to the area of hemorrhagic coagulation necrosis, was 44.4 +/- 17.6 mm3; the mean lesion volume as defined by the outer zone, corresponding to perilesional edema, was 262.2 +/- 111.6 mm3. Additional edema spreading to the internal capsule was noted in 32 of 34 cases and to the optic tract in 11 of 34 cases. In two patients small ischemic infarctions involving the corona radiata were found, and in one a venous infarction was detected. Ischemic infarction resulted in mild transient Broca's aphasia in one patient, but there was no detectable neurological deficit in the other two. The mean volume of late-phase (6 months) lesions was 22 +/- 28.8 mm3. In three patients no lesion was identified despite sustained clinical improvement. The lesion was located in the posteroventral GPi in all cases except in one patient in whom it was confined to the GP externus (GPe). This 49-year-old woman did not experience sustained benefit. The authors found no consistent correlations between lesion size and location and clinical outcome as measured by a global outcome score, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor, activities of daily living, and bradykinesia "off" scores or rating of dyskinesias. Lesioning of pallidal and subpallidal pathways may contribute to the sustained clinical benefit in this series. Magnetic resonance imaging analysis showed that intraoperative microelectrode recording facilitated accurate placement of the lesion in this critical area.     

Diagnostic procedure in cholecystolithiasis. Diagnostic approach, repeat examinations and (incidental) findings

If non-surgical methods are to be taken into account in the therapeutic decision-making process in cholecystolithiasis, an expanded diagnostic work-up including not only stone parameters but also gallbladder function, is needed. In 2270 patients (1649 women, 621 men; age: 47.2 +/- 14 years) with (suspected) "cholecystolithiasis" attending the special gallstone outpatient clinic at a university medical department within a period of 5 years the diagnostic procedures most commonly used in both the doctor's office and hospital were abdominal ultrasonography (52%/78%), laboratory investigations (28%/39%) and plain films of the biliary tract (27%/39%). In the doctor's office gallbladder function testing took the form of an cholecystogram (17% of the patients); in the hospital ultrasonography to determine gallbladder contractility (38%). With decreasing frequency, the following additional procedures were carried out (office/hospital): CT 3%/19%, esophagogastroduodenoscopy 7%/3%, intravenous cholegram 6%/0.6%, abdominal X-ray 1%/0.4%, ERCP 1%/0.4%, chest X-ray 0.8%/1.6%. Duplicated examinations showed a relevant frequency only for ultrasonography (39% of the cases), laboratory investigations (18%) and plain films of the gallbladder (4%). Pathologic secondary findings were established in 22% of the cases.     

Chlorambucil-induced pulmonary disease: a case report and review of the literature

This paper is a retrospection of hospitals and some outstanding physicians who lived in Pancevo, written in the honor of 50th anniversary of "Medical Review". Hospital bed capacity and the process of building hospitals have been: described briefly. Fire and wars have destroyed a lot of written evidence important for Pancevo health services. Nevertheless, the preserved sources let us read about facts that have already or will soon become part of the history of medicine. Apart from this, the paper also contains important details from the life and work of Konstantin Peici? (1802-1882), a famous physician, writer of the first Serbian original medical book "De pauperum aegrorum" (About Treating the Sick and Poor) and many other medical and fine literature works. He had worked in Pancevo for more than 30 years, but after he had retired, he moved to Budapest to become the manager of the Tekelianum in 1874. He spoke Latin, Hungarian, French, Italian, German and of course Serbian language. The paper also gives data on some other physicians: Ljubomir Nenadovi? a dentist and a writer, Jovan Jovanovi?-Zmaj, a physician and a great Serbian poet and a founder of the journal "Ziza" and assistant of the journal "Pancevac" founded in 1869, and so on. The above mentioned physicians had lived and worked in Pancevo since the first medical institution "Kontumac" was built in 1726, but then others were built too: the first civil hospital in 1803 and the first army hospital in 1830. Modern departments were built in 1965, whereas the Children's Department for Internal Diseases and the Department for Internal Diseases were built in 1974. This retrospection tried to present the history of Pancevo as well as great people from our past who worked there to our readers. They were great physicians, educators and gifted writers.     

Secretion of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbrillin polypeptides by recombinant Streptococcus gordonii

The fimbriae of Porphyromonas gingivalis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. A structural subunit of the P. gingivalis fimbriae, fimbrillin, has been shown to promote adherence of the bacteria to host surfaces and also induce an immune response. Biologically active domains of fimbrillin responsible for adherence or eliciting immune responses have been determined. In a previous study, we engineered the human oral commensal organism Streptococcus gordonii to express such biologically active domains on the surface of the bacteria as a vaccine delivery system. In this study we report an alternative approach of secreting fimbrillin polypeptide domains into the medium by modification of the surface-expression system described earlier. Such recombinant S. gordonii, in addition to being a source for antigen presentation to trigger a protective immune response, may have the added advantage of directly blocking the fimbriae-mediated adherence of P. gingivalis to the oral cavity following implantation. This approach can also be utilized for secreting other biologically important therapeutic molecules on mucosal surfaces for modulating local microenvironments.