Reversible parotid enlargement and pseudo-Sj?gren's syndrome secondary to hypertriglyceridemia

We describe 2 patients with a Sj?gren-like syndrome apparently secondary to hypertriglyceridemia. Both had bilateral parotitis in addition to musculoskeletal and sicca symptoms. Parotid gland histology revealed fatty infiltration with no inflammation. Therapy with dietary modification and triglyceride lowering drugs resulted in resolution of symptoms and parotid swelling in one patient. In the 2nd patient, hypertriglyceridemia was resistant to triglyceride lowering drugs, and parotid symptoms and swelling continued unabated. Our findings suggest aggressive treatment of hyperlipidemia in pseudo-Sj?gren's syndrome may result in amelioration of musculoskeletal and parotid symptoms.     

Organization of cell junctions and cytoskeleton in the reticular lamina in normal and ototoxically damaged organ of Corti

The reticular lamina creates an ion barrier, withstands mechanical stress in the organ of Corti and is able to maintain its integrity during and after severe hair cell loss. Tight junctions maintain the ionic gradient whereas adherens junctions and the cytoskeleton are responsible for the integrity and mechanical resistance of tissues. In this study we used immunofluorescence and electron microscopy to examine the distribution of proteins of tight junctions (cingulin), adherens junctions (E-cadherin, alpha- and beta-catenin) and the cytoskeleton (actin, cytokeratin and tubulin) in whole-mounts of the normal and ototoxically damaged organ of Corti. In normal ears the proteins of adherens junctions were found in all cell types of the reticular lamina. We now demonstrate that all cells forming the reticular lamina partially overlap each other organizing extensive cell contacts with a complex three-dimensional shape. During scar formation, the tight junctions as well as adherens junctions between hair and supporting cells appeared in two distinct focal planes, which could help to preserve the ionic barrier and tissue integrity during hair cell degeneration. During scar formation all cytoskeletal structures in the reticular lamina were reorganized in a specific spatio-temporal pattern. We present a three-dimensional model of cell contact organization in the reticular lamina of normal ears and during scar formation.     

The heterogeneity of cell populations by the cytochemical characteristics of the cellular chromatin

Cell heterogeneity of cytochemical characteristics of chromatin in the norm and after provocative factors in vitro (a heating at 45 degrees C, X-irradiation and joint actions of heating and X-ray irradiation) was investigated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of sheep and mouse, the lymphoid cell populations of the murine bone marrow, spleen and thymus. As a criterion of cytochemical heterogeneity were used the distinctions in the rate of staining of cell nuclei with DNA-specific dyes, that was registered by means of measurement of coefficient variation of the DNA-histogram basis peak, with a flow cytometry. Heterogeneity of cytochemical characteristics are dealt with showed a variability of spatial organization of interphase nuclei of single cells. The provocative factors bring about a decrease in the level of the cytochemical characteristics heterogeneity in the sheep mononuclear cells. In the murine cell populations studied no such equalizing of the marker of variability was revealed.     

Identification of an interaction between the m-band protein skelemin and beta-integrin subunits. Colocalization of a skelemin-like protein with beta1- and beta3-integrins in non-muscle cells

Signaling across integrins is regulated by interaction of these receptors with cytoskeletal proteins and signaling molecules. To identify molecules interacting with the cytoplasmic domain of the beta3-integrin subunit (glycoprotein IIIa), a placental cDNA library was screened in the yeast two-hybrid system. Two identical clones coding for a 96-amino acid sequence were identified. This sequence was 100% identical to a sequence in skelemin, a protein identified previously in skeletal muscle. Skelemin is a member of a superfamily of cytoskeletal proteins that contain fibronectin-type III-like motifs and immunoglobulin C2-like motifs and that regulate the organization of myosin filaments in muscle. The amino acid residues in the isolated clones encompassed C2 motifs 4 and 5 of skelemin. A recombinant skelemin protein consisting of C2 motifs 3-7 interacted with beta1- and beta3-integrin cytoplasmic domains expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins, but not with GST-beta2-integrin cytoplasmic tail or GST alone. The skelemin-binding region was in the membrane proximal cytoplasmic domains of the integrins. Full-length skelemin interacted with integrin in intact cells as demonstrated by the colocalization of hemagglutinin-tagged skelemin in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells containing alphaIIbbeta3-integrin and by the finding that microinjection of C2 motif 4 of skelemin into C2C12 mouse myoblast cells caused spread cells to round up. A skelemin-like protein was detected in CHO cells, endothelial cells, and platelets, and this protein colocalized with beta1- and beta3-integrins in CHO cells. This study suggests the presence of a skelemin-like protein in non-muscle cells and provides evidence that it may be involved in linking integrins to the cytoskeleton.     

Breast abscess with lethal septicemia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a patient with AIDS

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in HIV-infected patients has increased over the last years. We describe a case of pseudomonal breast abscess complicated with fatal septicemia in an AIDS patient. CASE REPORT: A 21-year-old woman was admitted for fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and pain in the breast. She had a swelling in the right breast of 3 days duration. HIV infection had been confirmed 6 years earlier. CD4 count was 2/mm3. Surgical drainage produced a blue-green purulent discharge which grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa on culture. Despite cloxacilin, then ceftazidime and amikacin, initial improvement was followed 2 weeks later by nodular pulmonary infiltration with cavitation. P. aeruginosa was recovered from sputum and blood cultures, but stepwise resistance developed and the patient died 3 months after admission. DISCUSSION: Breast abscesses are infrequent in nonlactating women. P. aeruginosa is rarely involved, even in HIV patients. Due to the risk of resistance, prompt administration of appropriate antibiotics is required.     

The effect of a two-week anti-orthostatic hypokinesia on the cardiac function and on the latter''s regulation in monkeys

Medical practice guidelines are being developed rapidly and advocated as a crucial component in transforming and improving the delivery of health care services. However, little is known about the ability of hospitals to institute guidelines outside of experimental settings. This article approaches guideline implementation from the viewpoint of process innovation assimilation and presents specific recommendations for organizational tactics leading to successful implementation of practice guidelines.     

Gastroparesis after celiac plexus block

Pectin constituents, which were about 70 w/w% of extracellular polysaccharides (ECP) from a cell-suspension culture of Mentha, were purified by gel filtration chromatography, and their sugar composition and linkage were investigated. Two major constituents identified were (1-->3)-linked galactan carrying arabinosyl residues on C-6 and (1-->4)-alpha-linked galacturonan partially interspersed with (1-->2)-linked rhamnosyl resides. Acetylated or methylated pectins were not identified on 1H-NMR analysis.     

Complete relaxation and conformational exchange matrix (CORCEMA) analysis of NOESY spectra of interacting systems; two-dimensional transferred NOESY

A very general procedure entitled complete relaxation and conformational exchange matrix (CORCEMA) analysis has been developed to analyze the 2D-NOESY spectra of interacting systems undergoing multistate conformational exchange. This is an extension of earlier work from this laboratory on the methodological treatment of multistate conformational exchange [Krishna et al., Biopolymers 19, 2003 (1980)] and the theory of transferred NOESY for finite exchange off-rates [Lee and Krishna, J. Magn. Reson. 98, 36 (1992)]. The current theory is based on generalized rate matrices for relaxation and conformational exchange. The CORCEMA algorithm explicitly incorporates intermolecular dipolar cross relaxation between the molecules when they are complexed. It permits an analysis of NOESY intensities for the intra- as well as intermolecular contacts between the interacting molecules under a variety of binding conditions. Its application is illustrated on two examples of transferred NOESY simulations: (1) a two-state system involving a ligand and an enzyme forming a ligand-enzyme complex, and (2) a three-state system in which the ligand-enzyme complex can undergo a conformational transition from an "open state" to a "closed state," and can include conformational changes in both the complexed ligand and the complexed enzyme, such as hinge-bending motions. Simplifying expressions for generalized matrix analyses are derived for three limiting cases of the three-state system. This three-state example is illustrated using a hypothetical model of the hinge-bending motion in a thermolysin-inhibitor complex. It is shown that: (1) The neglect of cross relaxation between the interacting species in their complexed forms can lead to misleading conclusions on the "bound" conformation of the ligand. (2) If protein-mediated spin diffusion is dominant, caution is needed in analyses based on initial slopes alone due to one's inability to identify the exact range of the initial growth curve under poor signal/noise situations. (3) The neglect of conformational changes upon complexation, e.g., hinge-bending motions of the ligand-enzyme complex, can lead to erroneous results on the nature of "bound" conformations of the ligand. In this case, attempts to analyze the transferred NOESY data with a two-state model will result in a "virtual" conformation for the bound ligand. (4) When the hinge-bending rate is slower than the cross relaxation and enzyme off-rates, the bound conformation of a ligand deduced from the transferred NOESY experiment is more likely to represent nonspecific or weak binding in an open state of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)