Benign obstruction of the common hepatic duct (Mirizzi syndrome): diagnosis and operative management.

Background: Mirizzi syndrome is a rare complication of prolonged cholelithiasis, characterized by narrowing of the common hepatic duct due to mechanical compression and/or inflammation due to biliary calculus impacted in the infundibula of the gallbladder or in the cystic duct.

Objectives: To describe a series of eight consecutive patients with Mirizzi syndrome, at a single institution, submitted to surgical treatment and to comment on their aspects with emphasis on the diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: Four women and four men, with a mean age of 61.

Rubredoxin acts as an electron donor for neelaredoxin in Archaeoglobus fulgidus.

Archaeoglobus fulgidus neelaredoxin (Nlr) is an electron donor:superoxide oxidoreductase. The reaction of superoxide with reduced Nlr is almost diffusion-limited, but the overall efficiency for detoxifying superoxide in vivo depends on the rate of reduction of Nlr by electron donors. Here, we report the purification and characterization of the two type I rubredoxins from A.

Immunolocalisation of arabinogalactan proteins and pectins in Actinidia deliciosa pollen. Short communication.

The cell wall composition of germinating pollen grains of Actinidia deliciosa was studied by immunolocalization with monoclonal antibodies against arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) and pectins. In ungerminated pollen, the JIM8 epitope (against a subset of AGPs) was located in the intine and in the cytoplasm, while the MAC207 epitope (against AGPs) was located only in the exine. After germination, the JIM8 and MAC 207 epitopes were located in the cytoplasm and in the pollen tube wall.

Programmed cell death induces male sterility in Actinidia deliciosa female flowers.

The importance of programmed cell death (PCD) during the life cycle of plants is well established, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly defined. An emerging system for the study of PCD during development in plants is that of sex organ abortion. In this work we investigate the degeneration of microspores in the anthers of Actinidia deliciosa female flowers.

Hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects of ethanolic extract from Jatropha gossypiifolia L. in rats.

The present work was carried out to examine the hypotensive effects of ethanolic extract (EE) from Jatropha gossypiifolia L. The oral administration of EE (125 or 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) caused a significant and dose-dependent reduction of the systolic blood pressure. The concentration-response curves to norepinephrine (NE) or Ca(2+) were non-parallelly shifted to the right and the maximum contractile responses were concentration dependently depressed by EE (0.

Induction of pilocarpine formation in jaborandi leaves by salicylic acid and methyljasmonate.

Jaborandi seedlings were subjected to different treatments in order to study the induction of pilocarpine in the leaves. In addition four extraction methods were assessed to extract the alkaloid from dried leaves. The highest yielding extraction and recovery was observed when dried leaves were first treated with base and then extracted with chloroform.

A novel iron centre in the split-Soret cytochrome c from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774.

The facultative sulfate/nitrate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 harbours a split-Soret cytochrome c. This cytochrome is a homodimeric protein, having two bis-histidinyl c-type haems per monomer. It has an unique architecture at the haem domain: each haem has one of the coordinating histidines provided by the other monomer, and in each monomer the haems are parallel to each other, almost in van der Waals contact.

Comparative analyses of the complete genome sequences of Pierce's disease and citrus variegated chlorosis strains of Xylella fastidiosa.

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-dwelling, insect-transmitted, gamma-proteobacterium that causes diseases in many plants, including grapevine, citrus, periwinkle, almond, oleander, and coffee. X. fastidiosa has an unusually broad host range, has an extensive geographical distribution throughout the American continent, and induces diverse disease phenotypes.

Superoxide scavenging by neelaredoxin: dismutation and reduction activities in anaerobes.

A superfamily of mononuclear iron proteins, originally named desulfoferrodoxin and neelaredoxin, has been identified by in vivo and in vitro studies as scavengers of the superoxide anion radical. These proteins, whose genes are present in all the so-far known genomes from anaerobes and in the microaerophilic pathogen Treponema pallidum, show not only a considerable amino acid sequence identity but, most importantly, a common active iron site, Fe[His(4)CysGlu], in the oxidized state which loses the glutamate ligand in the reduced form. The experimental evidence for the activity of these proteins as superoxide dismutases or as donor:superoxide oxidoreductases is discussed in this Commentary, giving particular emphasis to the neelaredoxin from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus.

The mechanism of superoxide scavenging by Archaeoglobus fulgidus neelaredoxin.

Neelaredoxin is a mononuclear iron protein widespread among prokaryotic anaerobes and facultative aerobes, including human pathogens. It has superoxide scavenging activity, but the exact mechanism by which this process occurs has been controversial. In this report, we present the study of the reaction of superoxide with the reduced form of neelaredoxin from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus by pulse radiolysis.

Oxygen detoxification in the strict anaerobic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus: superoxide scavenging by neelaredoxin.

Archaeoglobus fulgidus is a hyperthermophilic sulphate-reducing archaeon. It has an optimum growth temperature of 83 degrees C and is described as a strict anaerobe. Its genome lacks any homologue of canonical superoxide (O2.

[Rapid diagnosis of principal respiratory viruses in the city of Havana, 1995-97].

Acute respiratory diseases (ARD) are the most common infections in humans and difficult to prevent. Viruses have been recognized as predominant ethiological agents. In Cuba, ARD constitute a major problem of health and are the first cause of morbidity and important cause of mortality.

Nitrite reductase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 27774)--a heterooligomer heme protein with sulfite reductase activity.

The membrane bound cytochrome c nitrite reductase from the sulfate reducer Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 27774) was found to have a high specific activity in the reduction of sulfite, producing stoichiometric amounts of sulfide. The K(m) for sulfite in the MV+.:sulfite oxidoreductase assay is 0.

[Viral infection and fibromyalgia].

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a very frequent syndrome of unknown cause, characterized by generalized pain, fatigue and a number of tender points to palpation. Among the several etiopathogenic hypotheses discussed, the association of FM with some viral infections has been the object of multiple studies due to its relation and similarity with the chronic fatigue syndrome, acknowledges as being related, although not exclusively, with the chronic infection by the Epstein-Barr virus. Many individual descriptions of association between infection with the human parvovirus B19 and FM led us to carry out this study, comparing the serology for that virus in 52 patients with FM and 39 healthy controls.

Fine structure of seminiferous tubules from prenatally irradiated rats.

The ultrastructure of the seminiferous tubules was studied in rats that had been subjected to whole body irradiation on the 19th day of gestation. The seminiferous tubules from 3 months-old irradiated animals are devoid of germ cells and contain only Sertoli cells. Compared with controls of the same age, the seminiferous tubule basal membrane is thickened and multilayered and several alterations are observed in the Sertoli cells.