Electron conversion coefficients in 127Ba and 130La

A sensitive method has been developed for extracting and analyzing heparin from plasma after intravenous and subcutaneous administration in humans and rabbits. The glycosaminoglycans are precipitated from the biological fluid as cetylpyridinium salt, and heparin is cleaved with heparinase. The reaction products are analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and visualized by staining with Azure A/ammoniacal silver. With this method 12 ng of heparin can be detected.     

Traumatic rupture of duodenal diverticulum. Report of a case and literature review

Duodenal diverticulum is a common anatomic abnormality. Its inflammatory perforation is a rare complication, with less than 100 cases reported in the available literature. Traumatic perforation is exceedingly rare (only 3 cases reported). In this report one more case of traumatic perforation is presented, and the literature is reviewed focusing on the pathogenic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this severe disease.     

The existence of a fatigue syndrome after glandular fever

This prospective cohort study was designed to test whether a distinct fatigue syndrome existed after the onset of glandular fever. Two hundred and fifty primary care patients, with either glandular fever or an ordinary upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) were interviewed three times in the 6 months after the clinical onset of their infection. At each interview a standardized psychiatric interview was given and physical symptoms were assessed. There were 108 subjects with and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection; 83 subjects had glandular fever not caused by EBV and 54 subjects had an ordinary URTI. Five subjects were excluded because they had no evidence of an infection. Principal components analyses of symptoms supported the existence of a fatigue syndrome, particularly in the two glandular fever groups. The addition of symptoms not elicited by the standard interviews gave the full syndrome. This included physical and mental fatigue, excessive sleep, psychomotor retardation, poor concentration, anhedonia, irritability, social withdrawal, emotional lability, and transient sore throat and neck gland swelling with pain. A fatigue syndrome probably exists after glandular fever.     

Blood component therapy and changing transfusion triggers

Transfusion trigger points and appropriate blood component therapy must be continuously evaluated by the anesthesia team during a surgical procedure. This article examines the composition of homologous blood, the storage of blood products, and transfusion reactions. Additionally, the incidence of transfusion transmitted infections is explored. Finally, a review of the current recommendations for transfusions in the clinical setting is provided.     

Reduction of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine-modified assembly protein-3 in Alzheimer's disease

Abnormal protein processing and modification is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. The role of phosphorylation in AD has been studied extensively because the presumed abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein is believed to play a role in the formation of paired helical filaments. Glycosylation with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) to serine and threonine residues is a dynamic protein modification of intracellular proteins, and it shares similar features with protein phosphorylation. In this study, O-GlcNAc glycosylation of proteins from autopsied human brains with confirmed AD and non-AD age-matched controls was examined. O-GlcNAcylation was demonstrated by labeling protein extracts with [3H]galactose in the presence of galactosyltransferase and subsequent analyses of saccharide-protein linkage and saccharide structure. The number of O-GlcNAc-containing proteins and the overall O-GlcNAc level do not appear to be different between AD and control brain tissues. The only significant change observed is a marked reduction of O-GlcNAcylated clathrin assembly protein-3 (AP-3) in AD. The reduction is more evident in brain neocortical regions, and there appears to be a negative correlation between O-glycosylated AP-3 and the density of neurofibrillary tangles. These data suggest a possible association between the O-glycosylated AP-3 and AD pathology.